This week is the big ‘ol finale of //019, in which Milly and Lucas take their biggest risk yet. Will it pan out? Will it go wrong? Read and find out. Either way, consequences will never be the same.
But let’s also discuss City of Angles, as a whole. I’ve been asked by the people tied up in my basement what my influences and inspirations were when creating the series. Well, people tied up in my basement, I’m glad you asked that question. Oddly despite being a book written with words by an author, I’d say the key influences were not actually books. (Honestly, I need to make more time to read stuff in general.) Let’s run down a few notables, shall we?
Dark City (Movie). A stylish and surreal noir in a twisted urban environment. At times, literally twisted, as it’s being tuned and adjusted each night by a strange race of puppetmasters with darker purposes. Even has a climactic reality-warping battle scene worth note. If you do watch this movie, though, please, PLEASE mute your television through the entire opening voiceover. It was added by the studios who assumed audiences would be too dumb to figure things out as the movie goes along.
The Prisoner (Modern AMC TV Series). What, not the BBC original? Nope. For spoilery reasons, it’s definitely the remake. While the remake was quite flawed in many, many ways, it presented a unique existential dilemma that the original lacked. It’s a village that sorta exists within a collective unconsciousness, shaped by the minds that exist there. Not exactly like CoA, but the concept of an inescapable dream world was quite fascinating.
House on Haunted Hill (Modern Movie Remake). Aside from being a fun horror movie, it digs in hard on the idea of surreal nightmarish corridors with lurking, shapeshifting, shadowy abominations that stalk you at every turn. Picassos, ahoy! Ghost stories in general inspired the Picassos, as they represent lost spirits, unable to sync properly with reality any longer.
Dreamscape (Movie). Well, this one should be obvious; entering into the world of another’s dream, shaped around their fears and hopes, and playing around. A very dodgy and cheesy movie, but it had a spark of creativity which its budget could not support.
Memories: “Cannon Fodder” (Anime). Otomo’s classic short subject animation about a militarized city engaging in total war against an unknown enemy, using an excessive number of cannons and fortified walls. The 100%-dedicated-to-war and overall propaganda-soaked society were considerably important in deciding on the mentality of the Citadel.
Silversun Pickups: “Neck of the Woods” (Album). If you’ve ever wanted a creepy, intense, and anxiety-producing pile of rock music dumped in your head, this is the way to go. Definitely set the mood for all of vol//001, particularly songs like “The Pit” which describe falling into darkness and finding twisted companionship there.
My Own Awful Anxiety And Insomnia Problems From 2012. Yeah, that kinda sucked. But hey, it helped my creativity, so… yay?
So, what sorts of tidbits from our culture remind you of City of Angles? What music comes to mind when you read the story, what movies trigger a sympathetic reaction? I’d love to hear.