@’s by Jonathan Ross
Co-creator of AMERICA’S GOT POWERS!
Russ Sheath here. TV personality Jonathan Ross talks about his new Image comic AMERICA'S GOT POWERS, working with superstar artist Bryan Hitch and his plans for comics and cinematic domination. This week see's the launch of AMERICA'S GOT POWERS, the new comic book series written by Jonathan Ross and penciled by THE ULTIMATES and CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN artist Bryan Hitch. If you live outside of the UK you might be forgiven for not instantly recognizing the name Jonathan Ross, however if you do live in our green and pleasant land then you will know that Jonathan is one of the UK's most recognizable and award winning talents from television and radio and a man who's passion for popular culture and in particular comic books is as vast as it is infectious.For proof, check out Ross's documentary IN SEARCH OF STEVE DITKO where he and writer Neil Gaiman go in search of the elusive co-creator of Spider-Man. With such an unbridled passion it was only a matter of time until UK's highest profile authority and aficionado on the subject of comics made his way into the industry. With one series under his belt already, the acclaimed Tommy Lee Edwards penciled TURF, Ross, who is husband to KICK ASS, X-MEN FIRST CLASS and THE WOMAN IN BLACK screenwriter Jane Goldman, returned to comics with his next project, the epic, AMERICA'S GOT POWERS.
AMERICA'S GOT POWERS launches from Image Comics this week as I spoke to Jonathan Ross about working in comics, the creation of AGP and what it means to work with one of the highest profile artists working in comic today.
RUSS SHEATH (RS): What's the origin of AGP and can you tell us about where the idea came from and how it evolved into the book that hits the shelves this week?
JONATHAN ROSS (JR): The idea came to me. as most ideas do I guess, seemingly from nowhere. But in reality I was indulging in one of my favorite pastimes- lying back on my couch with several dogs on my lap, smoking a cigar and daydreaming about superheroes, and what it might be like if they existed in the real world.
RS: Tell us a little about the story and what it is that each of you bought to the table in its creation.JR: The story takes place in San Francisco, 17 years after The Event took place. A giant Crystal floated down from space, landed and then gave off an incredible glow. As a result, every pregnant woman in a five mile radius gave birth, no matter how long they had been carrying that child or those children. Every baby lived. Every baby got super powers - except one...Tommy Watts. it is his story we follow.
Flash forward to the present day and we see that the kids with powers, who have been clamped down on pretty hard by the Government after the Power Riots that took place 3 years ago - now get to compete in the Worlds biggest Reality Show – AMERICA’S GOT POWERS. But the real reason for the Crystal's arrival, and the subterfuge that occurs behind the scenes of the show as well as the plans the Government have for the kids injured in the on-screen battles are what really concerns us...
RS: You've gone from fan and aficionado to bonafide creator in your own right, how is working with Bryan?
JR: It’s terrific. Bryan is not only a master story-teller when it comes to the art of comics; he is also a talented writer, so we bounce a lot of ideas back and forth. That’s sometimes slows us down a little, but I hope the end result is all worth it!!
RS: Are there any AGP movie plans yet?
JR: There's certainly a lot of interest but we are so focused on getting the rest of the series finished on time we are not really involving ourselves with too much of it. It does seem quite likely based on the amount of enquiries we have had from some pretty major players...
RS: Is it tough to create a new comic, without instantly having a mind towards its marketability in other areas, I.E. Film or TV?
JR: Not really. I think the difficult thing is to avoid the temptation to structure the story too much like a traditional three act film. I love blockbuster movies so it's going to feel a little like one anyway, but the advantage you have in comics is that you never have to worry about budget, and if you want to leave the central narrative and explore a cool twist or concept, you can do so with out worrying about the pace too much. It’s closer to writing a novel then a screenplay.
RS: You can cast and Choose the director of the AGP movie, who do you choose?JR: There are so many fabulous directors out there right now...but maybe one of my fave Korean directors like Jeong-Beom Lee or Park Chan Wook ? Matthew Vaughn would be terrific and I keep nagging him to say yes - he likes it a lot - maybe also Michael Bay. No one does big-screen high concept mayhem better than him.
RS: Why do comics lend themselves so well to translation into comics and what are the positives and if any, the negatives of translating comic properties into films?
JR: I think the high-concept nature of many comic books makes them such a natural place for movie producers and studios to look. In the past few years so many great new stories and ideas – LOCKE & KEY, CHEW, MORNING GLORIES, KICK ASS, LUTHER STRODE – I could go on - have emerged in the independent comic marketplace, as well as there being some terrific new books from marvel and DC. Also I think it's easier to visualize a movie after reading a comic book which so closely resembles a story board...
RS: In your view, What's the future for comic book movies?
JR: I think that movies will continue to get made based on the better comic books, but ultimately the novelty value of superhero's will fade and the stories will be about characters and situations - that use HAPPEN to feature super-powered individuals. Just as Westerns aren't real about the wild west, but people in harsh and dramatic situations that grow out of their background settings. Personally I'd one to see more films based on some of the crazier comic books I loved as a kid. Kamandi and the Demon by jack Kirby (both owned by Warner Bothers), Metamorpho and Dial H for Hero, the Creeper and Hawk and the Dove and even the great Steve Ditko's extreme objectiivist masterpiece, Mr A. That could be incredible if done right...
RS: Your wife Jane has great success as a writer, did she offer any input into the development of AGP?JR: A little. She helped more with Turf as did Matthew Vaughn. But with AGP she encouraged me to keep the main narrative thrust simple and clean and not add too many unnecessary gimmicks to the central storyline. I listened and it is a stronger book because of it. She is super-focused and remarkably talented - and she's forgotten more about writing then I will ever know!
RS: Sum up working with Bryan Hitch in one sentence.
JR: Entertaining and rewarding and useful when it comes to learning more about modern classical composers- for someone who draws huge scenes of destruction so well he's surprisingly erudite.
RS: Thanks to Jonathan for taking time out to speak to AICN. AMERICA’S GOT POWERS is released on 11th April published by Image Comics. Tomorrow we speak to artist Bryan Hitch about the visual world of AGP and his view on the upoming Avengers movie.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @wossy and Bryan Hitch @thebryanhitch
Follow Russ Sheath @russwords
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
