Will Sweeney's new graphic narrative is set in a retrofuturistic England ruled by a twisted elite who exploits a population inhabiting decadent urban centers. Monsters populate this strange world, and humanity's last chance lies in the power of the Vorpal Sword—a metaphysical blade of vital creative energy…
A retro/futuristic English landscape, mutated beyond recognition, is populated by mythical creatures and freakish characters, living in makeshift shelters, conducting strange rituals and harvesting the polluted soil. Meanwhile the urban centres have fallen to ruin and decadence, ruled by a twisted elite, who exploit the populace for food and entertainment. Monsters roam the landscape, real and imagined, only those able to wield The Vorpal Sword stand a chance of defeating them.
The title Vorpal Sword signifies a vital creative energy, a life-force beaming directly from the subconscious which will vanquish monsters and destructive forces. The monsters of mundanity and inertia are defeated by the metaphysical blade of The Vorpal Sword. The life cycle goes on, cross pollinating and evolving.
After graduating from London's prestigious Royal College of Art in 1998, Sweeney embarked on a prolific illustration career; he's doodled for the likes of Silas & Maria, Levi's, and Stüssy, and appeared in the
Gas Book series,
The Face, and
Sleazenation. Musically, he has made his mark as a guitarist for XL Recordings' Zongamin (the brainchild of frequent design collaborator
Susumu Mukai) and by designing album art for Beck, and Architecture in Helsinki, whose
Places Like These cover he spun into a full art show in Melbourne, Australia. Of course, there's the veggie-filled
Tales From Greenfuzz series of comics and its attendant toys, plus his label, Alakazam, an optical acid bath of dancing pharaohs and voodoo jukeboxes from the future past.
