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| The Originals | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofThe Originals, art byDave Gibbons. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Vertigo Comics |
| Format | Graphic novel |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Dave Gibbons |
The Originals is agraphic novel byDave Gibbons, published in2004 by American publisherVertigo Comics,[1] and republished byDark Horse Comics on 2018.[2]
The semi-autobiographical story, it deals with members ofyouth subcultures resembling theMods and Rockers of 1960s England. Although the setting is mostly identical to post-World War II England, it is an unspecifiedalternate history where the characters ride onhoveringscooters andmotorcycles.
Much of the story focuses on violent conflicts between the Originals and their enemies, a gang of bikers which they call "the Dirt". In particular, the Originals and the Dirt battle one another in circumstances very similar to theSecond Battle of Hastings.
Lel and Bok are two friends who have recently finished school. Their greatest aspiration is to become members of The Originals, a smartly-dressed gang who ride on floating scooters, called Hovers. Their greatest enemies are the gangs of leather-clad bikers, which they call "the Dirt".
Lel and Bok become members of the Originals after helping the gang in a fight against the Dirt. Lel starts working as a drug dealer for the gang's leader, and the pair soon have enough money for fashionable clothes and Hovers of their own. As the violence between the two gangs escalates and the police ("the Law") begin to crack down on gang activity, however, Lel begins to realize that being an Original is not all fun and games.