And proud companion of an inquisitive tortoise.
On the 24th of June 2014, the 700th anniversary of the second day of the Battle of Bannockburn will come to pass. It is doubly auspicious not only for the anniversary, but that it takes place in the year of the most important decision the people of Scotland have ever been asked to make. To commemorate the occasion, I felt it was a good time for me to finally engage in the world of comics as a solo writer/artist. I have learned a great deal in the year or so since my first professional publication in a comic hit the stands, and I'm starting to get there in terms of confidence. Since I've also been getting more politically active, and ached to start talking about political matters, it also offered an opportunity to start a new blog.
Hence, the Bannockburn Comic Blog. Here I'll be posting anything related to the comic, and the upcoming events of the year: the anniversary, the referendum, politics. I had long mandated that I would refrain from talking politics, religion, and other such sensitive subjects on my personal blog, but that's become more and more difficult over time. So while this won't be a political blog in itself, I will comment on current issues if the fancy takes me.
I've already written a few words about Bannockburn, why I believe it's important for Scottish people to remember their history, and that the truth requires constant vigilance against misconceptions. In the months since that announcement several developments have occurred: the narrative, page count, art style and thematic direction has transformed and developed into something more concrete. As a result, I've put together a wee press release for any hotshot media journalists looking for what I'm positive will be considered The Greatest Comic Ever Made By A Scottish Person.
OK, in all seriousness, I figure it's time to explain a wee bit more about what Bannockburn's about.BETTER THAN EVERY ONE OF THESE. COMBINED.**
What's It About?
It's about a lot of things, really. On the surface, it's a retelling of the Battle of Bannockburn given a supernatural twist. The major players are all in place: Robert the Bruce, Edward Bruce, James Douglas, Thomas Randolph, Walter Stewart, Robert Keith, Aonghas Og, Maurice of Inchaffray, Walter Ross, Edward II, Hugh Despencer, Edmund Mauley, Humphrey & Henry de Bohun, Robert de Clifford, Aymer de Valence, Gilbert de Clare, Giles D'Argentan, Thomas & Maurice de Berkley, and a host of others will appear in the comic. In addition, there will be a few "original" characters among the Sma' Folk: history has sadly not recorded their names, but their role in the battle was vital, and so is their part in the story.
The story will take place from the early hours of the 23rd, and generally follow the sequence of events as currently theorised by modern historians: Edward's host marched to the Carse of Stirling upon an old Roman road, while the Bruce's army lay in wait in the New Park, north of the ancient Tor Wood. Edward's host was the largest invasion force ever to set foot in Scotland, but they were tired from the hard march, mustered in haste so Edward could relieve Stirling Castle by Midsummer. The two armies differed subtly in composition: England's chivalry resplendent in mail rode great destriers clad in barding, while the infantry toiled through the muck. In contrast, the Scottish nobility fought on foot, side by side with the common folk.
The Battle of Bannockburn was not only a struggle to determine the destiny of Scotland's people: it was one of the first great blows against the supremacy of the armoured knight on the battlefield. For centuries, the knight astride his war-steed was nigh invincible, a natural successor the dread Cataphract of the ancient East. A battle in the Middle Ages was often a battle between knights, with infantry merely human shields or mobile obstructions at best. At Bannockburn, the flower of England's chivalry was routed decisively, by "mere" infantry. In those years, the dominance of the knight continued to be eroded - before by the Flemish at Courtrai and Arques, later by the Swiss at Morgarten, and the English themselves at Crécy and Agincourt. While heavy cavalry, properly utilised, could still be a devastating force, it was no longer invincible - and with that, the power of the nobility themselves suffered.
Nobles, knights, merchants and clergy, the flower of Scotland, fought side-by-side with crofters, farmers, tradesmen, fishermen, masons, smiths, weavers, coopers, brewers, tailors, carpenters and paupers. They pressed together in schiltrons, even tying themselves to their fellows with rope to stay together, to present an impenetrable unit. As the Greeks had the phalanx, the Vikings the shieldwall, the Scots had the schiltron. And later, with the declaration of Arbroath, is this astounding statement:
From these countless evils, with His help who afterwards soothes and heals wounds, we are freed by our tireless leader, king, and master, Lord Robert, who like another Maccabaeus or Joshua, underwent toil and tiredness, hunger and danger with a light spirit in order to free the people and his inheritance from the hands of his enemies. And now, the divine Will, our just laws and customs, which we will defend to the death, the right of succession and the due consent and assent of all of us have made him our leader and our king. To this man, inasmuch as he saved our people, and for upholding our freedom, we are bound by right as much as by his merits, and choose to follow him in all that he does.
But if he should cease from these beginnings, wishing to give us or our kingdom to the English or the king of the English, we would immediately take steps to drive him out as the enemy and the subverter of his own rights and ours, and install another King who would make good our defence. Because, while a hundred of us remain alive, we will not submit in the slightest measure, to the domination of the English.
In modern times, it's difficult to fully comprehend the overwhelming power of the king not just in tangible terms, but in spiritual terms: as with the church, the average person's sheer belief that this line of human beings was granted divine mandate to rule was practically unchallengeable - if you had even the merest drop of royal blood (excepting, of course, illegitimate heirs, otherwise we'd all be nobles), you could make your case for monarchy. This was, in a way, a step towards the socialist democracy which Scotland would become.
And finally, it's a story of people. Robert the Bruce, of course, will be prominent: his journey from self-serving noble to self-sacrificing king is full of peaks and troughs - a tale of conspiracy, subterfuge, betrayal, redemption and hope - and would make for a brilliant graphic novel in itself. The story of the common people will also play a role, for it is their story as much as the story of great men & women - and that goes for the English as well as the Scottish.
So that's some of the stuff it's about.
I Take It It's Called Bannockburn Then?
I have certain issues when it comes to things like this: whenever I get stuck on something, I find it extremely difficult to just leave it aside and return to it later, perhaps for fear I'll forget, or because I have to fix this now or I'll never get anything else done... And then I find I've spent a week twisting my brain about the title and not doing any actual work. After a few days, I realised this was happening again, so until I come up with something better, Bannockburn it is.
Single Issue, Miniseries, Graphic Novel?
I'd love to make a graphic novel, of course, but since the idea to actually get this thing done only came to me a few months ago, it isn't feasible for June 2014. At the same time, there's simply too much stuff I want to put in for a single issue. As of right now, I've decided on two 24-page issues, one for each day of the battle. That allows for the necessary background and character introduction for the first issue, then pull out all the stops for the next issue. There are a lot of important details that deserve to be included, as well as so many cool wee moments (the prayer before the battle, and of course the de Bohun confrontation) to leave out. This means that only the most essential stuff is retained, and ensures a brisk pace. Perhaps in time I'll revisit the story and expand it into a proper graphic novel: all the research I've done over the years has more than enough to justify one.
Will It Be Historically Accurate?
There is no literary work, to me, half as zestful as rewriting history in the guise of fiction. I wish I was able to devote the rest of my life to that kind of work. I could write a hundred years and still there would be stories clamoring to be written, by the scores. Every page of history teems with dramas that should be put on paper. A single paragraph may be packed with action and drama enough to fill a whole volume of fiction work. I could never make a living writing such things, though; the markets are too scanty, with requirements too narrow, and it takes me so long to complete one. I try to write as true to the actual facts as possible, at least, I try to commit as few errors as possible. I like to have my background and setting as accurate and realistic as I can, with my limited knowledge; if I twist facts too much, alter dates as some writers do, or present a character out of keeping with my impressions of the time and place, I lose my sense of reality, and my characters cease to be living and vital things; and my stories center entirely on my conceptions of my characters. Once I lose the “feel” of my characters, and I might as well tear up what I have written.
- Robert E. Howard, Letter to H.P. Lovecraft, ca. September/October 1933
In short: I'm going to try to commit as few errors as possible.
Technically speaking, if you're presenting a story where the characters speak modern languages, you're already "historically inaccurate" to a degree. And any time there are gaps in the historical record with no obvious solutions, the law of narratives dictates that something must have filled the vacuum - and then, even with the most complete knowledge and erudite mind, you're still effectively "making it up."
There's also a matter of motivations. It seems a simple thing, and yet who could truly know what lay in the hearts of human beings 500 years past? All we have to go on is documents and other sources. We still don't truly know, for example, what happened in Greyfriars when Robert the Bruce murdered John Comyn: some cast the Bruce as the villain luring his only real rival to the throne, others claim Comyn planned on betraying the Bruce to Edward. Certain educated guesses can be made based on context and what is known of both men's personalities... but at the end of the day, we don't know. Which, of course, makes it so ripe for historical fiction.
To that end, I sent my intrepid colleague on fact-finding missions to various sites in Scotland which are pertinent to the project, which will be posted here in the coming weeks. Here he is at Stirling Castle, overlooking the carse on which the battle was fought.
The inclusion of supernatural elements in the story gives, I think, a wee bit of leeway that wouldn't otherwise exist. But rather than use this as an excuse, I chose to embrace it - this isn't just a story of the events of 23rd-24th of June 1314, it's a nexus point for all Scottish history, before and since. And if Scottish history has been marked since Bannockburn - not just battles like Flodden, Culloden, Fontenoy, Balaclava, Alma, Alexandria and New Orleans - then our gift of hindsight imbues events prior to 1314 with new significance. Mons Graupius, Dun Nechtain, Mag Rath, Carham, Renfrew, Strathaco, and others have something of a different colour when one considers Bannockburn, as indeed Bannockburn is affected by comparison to events old and new. Indeed, one could wonder if it's only our hindsight which treats the battle as a nexus...
While Braveheart was inaccurate from a historical standpoint, I think the use of visual elements from across Scottish history was actually sort of brilliant: it tied together all the elements of Scottish history around one focal figure. Think about it: the blue warpaint and Iron Age architecture from the Picts and Antiquity; kilts and tartan from the Gaels and the early Middle Ages; the Scots language and vernacular from the Lowlands and Early Modern times; all mixed together with the Scottish romanticism of the 19th Century and the mythmaking of Blind Harry, Thomas the Rhymer, and John Barbour.
There will be bits and pieces from throughout Scottish history and lore present, sprinkled in: the Picts & early Caledonians, Dal Riata and Ystrad Clud, McAlpin and Macbeth, the Standard and the Cross, Columba and Ninian.Without giving too much away, some famous figures might appear - some even play an important part in the plot. But then, that'd be telling, wouldn't it?
What's All This About The Supernatural?
Alright, I think I can give this much away: Bannockburn is a big deal not only in Scotland, or even our planet, but certain other "realms." The time and place of the battle forms a junction where the Veil Between Worlds is thin, and more easily traversed. Some wish to venture beyond. Others, trapped in one world, seek to return. And others seek to invade...
Can We See Some Art?
Not yet: still a lot of work for me to do, and the pages I have been working on are incomplete and not at all presentable.
Please?
Well, if you want a wee taster of the style of Bannockburn, have a gander over at my personal blog.
On A Scale From 1 to FREEDOM, How Braveheart Will This Be?
When Is It Coming Out?
Before June 2014. Obviously!
... Anything More Specific?
When it's ready.
*It's like a scul?tor, but for comics. I'm hugely influenced by the work of the late Scottish artist George Wyllie, and consider him one of the primary motivators in my turn to comics.
**For those not immediately familiar with me, I shall point out that I do not, in fact, consider my work to be superior or even approaching the planet on which the continent on which the plateau on which the likes of D.C. Thomson, Jeff Fallow, David Law, Alan Grant, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Eddie Campbell, Ian Rankin, Denise Mina, Gordon Rennie, Stephen Collins, Martin Conaghan, Will Pickering, James Devlin, Neil Slorance, Gordon MacLean, Ross Leonard, Brian Rankin, and all the other Scottish writers & artists reside. In fact, I don't think I'm capable of rating my work with any degree of accuracy at all, and as a result I constantly battle feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. So I wrap it all up in what I hope is transparently silly bravado which nobody could possibly mistake for actual hyperconfidence. So don't take statements like MY COMIC WILL SUPERCEDE THE INVISIBLES at face value.
Looking forward to this with great interest, Al.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it, Charles!
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