Forum: Story Recommendations

I think Mushroom's Bohica fits the bill, though it's not fantasy as in the fae and dragons.

And that was very much the intent when I created that. Kind of a more "Friendly Neighborhood Batman" or "not psychopathic Rorschach", but set in a more urban setting than the "Downtown" one of most similar characters. Working in a run down neighborhood like say Inglewood or Queens, not the cityscape of downtown LA or Manhattan.

In fact, as I used to live in Inglewood in the early 2000s much of the feel for it actually came from there. Lots of one to three story buildings, no highrises in his neighborhood. But very much a "contemporary ubran" environment where most of what he works with is typical street level crime and not the colorful "Rogues Gallery" of most comics.

Kind of a mish-mash of concepts from DC, Marvel, and some Watchmen thrown in to "keep it real".

I can taste the grit of the scene settings. Excellent job and a good example of what I am seeking.

I can taste the grit of the scene settings.

And each of the three main stories I have created in that series all reflect different areas.

For Bo, he works in a more run-down area close to downtown but not in it. Dianne is very much a girl from the suburbs until she elects to move into the main city in the Chinatown area. And for Clint, he grew up in a semi-rural area and in the city lives in a more suburban part.

And each created from my own experiences. Living in Inglewood for Bo, working of the edge of Chinatown in San Francisco for Di, and for Clint actually living in Stockton and in largely "Blue Collar" suburban setting for most of my life.

Each in the same city, but having different experiences as they live in different parts of town.

One thing always puzzled me was that Spider-Man lived in more urban Queens, yet is always shown swinging around the skyscrapers in downtown New York. How does he get there? Take a bus? Walk the streets from Queens to Manhattan in his costume until the buildings get tall enough he can start swinging? Part of the setting was resolving those kinds of questions.

The best Urban Fantasy weaves the urban setting and its unique landscape into the tapestry of the storytelling. For instance, I have never had to duck and push, suck in my gut and freeze idiots with glaring stares as I do when I peruse the books at the Strand off Union Square in NYC. To escape the crowd, I'll run down to the basement where the musty smells of used books in a poorly maintained room where one cannot see the back easily has me convinced there are hidden passages somewhere down there or something worse. The staff pop in and disappeared quickly when they appear downstairs.

The best Urban Fantasy weaves the urban setting and its unique landscape into the tapestry of the storytelling.

Pretty much what I think as well. The Urban part of Urban Fantasy is what gives it flavor. I enjoy stories of elves and dragons showing up in the modern forests and such, but that's different than them showing up in the big city, with iron everywhere and planes constantly crossing the sky.