Jonathan Ross: Comic book hero ———————————-> Inner Wild poster boy
It’s a beautiful thing when an adult continues to adore, honor and promote an activity they’ve loved since childhood.
When they’re not too shy to admit to the whole world that they still compulsively love – let’s see – comics – for example. Indeed, they feel so ‘obsessive’ about comics that they decide to write and produce a comic book themselves, nearly forty years after falling in true love with comics aged 11.
All bow down to darling comics poster boy, maestro liberator of Inner Wildness in both himself, his talk show guests, and no doubt everyone who meets him, devoted family man and dog-hero, Mr Jonathan Ross.
Mr Ross has teamed up with famous comics illustrator, Tommy Lee Edwards, to create TURF, an all-new four-issue miniseries. ‘Set in 1920s New York, TURF offers a twist on the hard boiled crime thriller, adding vampires and aliens to the traditional mix of booze, broads and bullets’.
What struck me endearingly in my solar plexus while reading the Guardian’s interview with Mr Ross the other day was when Mr Ross talked about his desire to fulfill one of the dreams he had as a little boy and manifest something tangible:
“In a way,” Ross jokes, “this is my mid-life crisis. But rather than buy some tighter jeans and a motorcycle, I’ve said to myself, finally do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do. Because even though I’ve done hundreds of hours of TV and radio …
” …what I’m aware of always, and it’s grown to slightly trouble me as I’ve got older, is that all the shows I do are somewhat parasitical, in that I’m feeding off others. If you do a movie review show or an interview show, you’re talking to other people about work they’ve done.
“… Even though we’re creating something in the moment that doesn’t exist anywhere else, without them [my guests] I haven’t got anything.
“And so I thought I really want to make something of mine.”
Ah! I love that. What a great guy. And listen up – if you’re reading this and feeling like re-awakening your love of comics, call this your permission slip. And you might want to give Mr Ross’ TURF’ a go. You’ll find a fab interview about it with Comics Alliance here.
If anyone titters at you while reading your favorite childhood or new-found comic just smile with contentment as you remember that when talking comics, Mr Ross is able to involve intellectual debate and big concepts like ‘cultural zeigeists, textual juxtaposition, Proustian connections and narrative arcs’ Woo-hoo!
[Meanwhile, may I just say that I loved Oor Willie, The Broons, Dandy, Twinkle, Jackie et al and yes, I admit I did have a weird, insatiable appetite for Commando comics when my tomboy phase peaked during a rain-soaked holiday on a Scottish island, plus I was a teenager when Viz, but I don’t think I’m a comic person at heart. I keep involuntarily skipping the pictures which defeats the whole purpose. I have tried with Neil Gaiman‘s graphic novels, but I did the same with them … BUT I am loving reading vintage 1950’s Bunty annuals to my daughter! What-ho!]
