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Sep 07, 2011 Web Exclusive By Jeremy Nisen

Jonathan Ross, who’s described in shorthand as “the British David Letterman,” is a huge comics nerd, and has put his creative energy into a comics project with noted artist Tommy Lee Edwards. Turf is a tale weaving together several compelling genres: vampires, aliens, and gangsters, all vying for supremacy in prohibition-era New York City

Jonathan Ross turns a pretty good phrase, and his over-exposition verges on charming rather than distracting; almost paying homage to those of us who love Silver and Bronze Age comics sensibilities. Plot-wise, more is less, unfortunately. The motivations of the spotlight characters are played out and by the numbers; the minor villains (with a couple exceptions) are dull and cardboard; and the ultimate brawl in the streets and the final confrontation with the “big bad” aren’t even close to exciting or interesting. The teases at the end of each chapter are promising but rarely lived up to. The speechifying by certain characters is repetitive and not especially insightful.

On the art side: The colors are washed out, at least in the city scenes, which seems to fit the time but also makes something that should be inherently exciting—boozy parties during prohibition—fairly beige.

There’s some stuff to like, sure. There’s clever dialog and narration; as mentioned above, Ross turns a pretty good phrase. The premise is clever, it’s mostly issues with execution that make this so-so. “Fug-yooo” as a sound effect for a space-age gun is pretty funny…once. The art on balance is pretty great; Tommy lee Edwards meshes alien biotech with gangster physiology in a compellingly gross way, for instance. And his character designs are great; his art never falls prey to having to tell people apart simply by costume.

If you’re a huge Edwards fan, or a fan of Ross’ other work, maybe give it a shot. Overall, can’t really recommend the book as anything more than “okay.”

(www.imagecomics.com)

Author rating: 5/10