When I heard that Jonathan Ross was writing a comic I was sceptical. I’ve never been a fan of Ross (although I did like The Incredibly Strange Film Show) and even though he has impressive credentials as a comic book fan (his documentary, In Search of Steve Ditko, made that clear) that does not mean he would automatically make a good comic writer.

It was therefore with trepidation that I picked up and read his comic, Turf, last week. I am happy to report though that I was pleasantly surprised. Ross has come up with the goods, Turf is a really enjoyable and well written comic.

Aided by excellent artwork from Tommy Lee Edwards, the fist issue of Turf has an engrossing story, interesting characters and an intriguing premise.

In case you haven’t picked it up, here is the description of Turf from the publishers, Image Comics:

Set in Prohibition-era New York, TURF offers a twist on the hard boiled crime thriller, adds vampires and aliens to the traditional mix of booze, broads and bullets as it chronicles the eruption of a vengeful gang war between booze-smuggling mobsters and the blood thirsty Dragonmir Family. As an ancient prophecy unfolds amidst the maelstrom of violence, the entire city is engulfed by the brutal conflict and the only glimmer of hope is an unlikely alliance between tough guy Eddie Falco and a stranger from another world.

In a recent interview with the Guardian Ross stated that the director of Kick Ass (which was co-written by Ross’ wife Jane Goldman), Matthew Vaughn, may be in line to make a film version of Turf. The Guardian reported it as follows,

There will be five further issues, a hardback collection and – if all goes to plan – a Turf movie made by Matthew Vaughn

With Vaughn’s Kick Ass most likely bound for worldwide box office success this month, and with the help of Ross, Vaughn would probably not find it hard to raise the budget needed to bring Turf to the big screen.

Addmittedly my opinion is based solely on the first issue but I think Turf could make for a really interesting film as the first issue definitely has real potential.

Let us know in the comments what you think of the comic, if you’ve read it, and also of the news that Vaughn may be in line to make a film version?