Twelve Hour Shift

12 Hour Shift
by Sean Azzopardi

Valhallahan
I finally got around to reading 12 hour shift this week. I bought it at a comics fair/convention/thing a few months ago having previously heard the author speak at an evening about autobiographical comics hosted by Laydeez Do Comics (which despite the name is a rather interesting group of male and female creators who meet regularly in and around London), and the premise sounded oddly fascinating.

Twelve Hour Shift is the partially fictionalised account of the author's time spent as a concierge in various buildings in London. The story follows the miserable day-to-day life of a London male; punctuated by simple pleasures and odd characters and interactions. Not a great deal happens in Twelve Hour Shift and it's all the better for it. There's a lot to relate to here if you've ever had a dull job, particularly if you've had a dull job in inner London.

Azzopardi really captures the mundane commuter life, the seemingly drab London streets and tunnels and the quirky denizens therein. Massive kudos to the man for the accurate portrayal of The Standard on Black Horse Road too, I never thought I’d see that in a comic! I really enjoyed the book, the art was a little too wobbly in places for my tastes, and I’m not sure I would want to read too much more about this guy's life, but it's a great idea well executed.

Four Hours and a lunch break into a six hour shift