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A love of comics unites Ian Rankin and musician Aidan Moffat. Here Rankin, who is currently working on a graphic novel for DC Comics, quizzes Moffat about his passion
_, ~; ' Rankin When did )otl ' , start reading coinics’.’ \Vere son a |)(' 'l'hoinson lad mun/m. Hum/r. li’uunr. lip/or. llolx/im'l'.’
Moffat I \\;Is delinitel} a “HI/II) ho_\ hecause it :il\\;i}s seemed more edg} than the Hum/r. hut I insisted I got the Hum/r as a sort ol light reading tlt‘c‘t‘sstil'}. I \\as a lull} paid-up meinher ol‘ the Dennis the Menace Ian ('luh. hut onl_\ hecause I named that cool. hair} (inasher hadge. But I e\pect m} earliest passion lor comics “as tor Slur Hit/w iii't'lx/V l'\e still got the lirst lieu issues and l \\as old) tour in
l‘)77.
Rankin \Vhat ahout ()or Hill/re and The li’mom‘.’ What do the) sa_\ ahout its Scots compared to the l'S.‘\ \\ ith its Batmans and Supermans‘.’
Moffat l.ike man) Scots. Ill) (irandma ;i|\\;i}s ga\ e the HM Bron/ix and ()or Hit/lie annuals at ('hristmas and this lasted \\ ell into in} 3i)s.;1ltl1ti1|:_vl1 I suspect l'll
rediscm er them in later lite. In Britain.
\\ e ha\ e a long histor} ol‘ folk tales. m_\ths and legends. hut the l'S.\ is such a _\oung nation that the} 're still creating their on n. and I think the superhero is part ol their e\er-e\ol\ ing untholog}.
Rankin An} llnourite .-\merican comics trom )titti‘ _\ounger da_\ s'.’
Moffat l‘\ e heen ohsessed \\ ith Batman from a young age. 'l‘here’s a particular issue from the earl) 80s called ‘\\'hen Sla} s The Smage Skull'
12 THE LIST‘ \
ahout a hideousl_\ delornied e\ cop \\ ho stalks ( iothatn and nnn‘ders his e\ lcllo\\ ot'licers in some insane re\enge l'ren/_\. l\\as ten )mrs old and had onl_\ e\perienced Batman through endless repeats ol the (ills 'l‘\‘ sct‘ics t\\ hich l lo\ L'tl t. \\ cekend cartoons and the odd annual. But then I read this gruesome stot'_\ and hecaine hooked on the Batman character and lit} thos ol (iothain ('it_\ and still am to this da}. although I‘m quite liuss_\ ahoul in_\ Batman and
there‘s so main dil'lerent "- “NW--
.‘)"; i ) "Vt". I‘d"
mtcrt ict lllt nsi lthc ch ii icth “I”. .. .‘y's'
that ll can he dilhcult to lind a
\ersion that tits lit} strict criteria.
Rankin I got the l'eeling that l “as supposed to ‘gron out" ol' comics: h_\ the age or l3/H. ho_\ s around me \\ ere getting interested in girls. hut l lound comics a lot less scar). l)id _\ou continue reading them through )Hur teens? .-\nd did _\ou e\ er tr} dran ing )our
t)\\ it.’
Moffat l sloplk‘d reading comics in the earl} Otis hecause there \xasn't a great dL‘al that ililL‘l‘LNlL‘tl me. .‘\l’ler the surge in tpialit} in the .s’os. there \\as a hit or a coming do“ n period and e\er_\ thing hecame stale and pi'edietahle. It \\;is (Earth l'.liill\ and .8th e l)illon\ I’I‘t'm /I(’)' that reignited in} interest. ()I' course l'd loxe to \\ rite comics hut the list or things I'd like to do is \er_\ long and this \\ ill prohahl} remain tantas}.
Rankin l used to do in} tm ti ttttttl-sl/cd \L‘I'siolis
'ir1;';i*tl\"tti.il'ircancKt.
‘JOKGR and Demos “‘lli spill bl::d t:mqht'
ol the \it [or and suchlike.
\\ ith \xee connc strips thenied on \xar. toothall. spies and cops. But I started getting into 'proper' hooks instead. 'l'hank ( iod SHIN/WI) came along when l \xas in in} mid
V1
teens. \Verc/arc )Utl a tan ol Mont/V
Moflat l \aguel_\ reineinhei ha\ ing the lirst issue ol JINNI .\/) \\ tilt the tree l'l‘lslicc attached. I Wish I'd held onto that? lo he honest. though.l \xas ne\ er a tan ol the lortnat: tour or the page episodes ol se\era| tlillct'cltl slot‘ics each issue. I actuall} picked it up again recentl_\ and I still lind it quite trustraling.
Rankin When we met in \en York _\ou told me I had to get hold ol the neu .’\lan .\loore tl.ml (iii/x i. “m ing hauled it all the na} home I l'ound it a middleiaged man's sustained \xank lantas}. .r\nd like all porn/erotica. alter a while it hecoines repetitn e ;tttd lcdiotls.
Moffat l respect and admire Ins! (fir/x more than I actuall} like it. although I must admit it did ar‘ouse one or i\\o slittlticltll pl!) sical “'“W' reactions. .I\lan .\loorc \kas [k‘t‘lcctl_\ clear ahotll it though and happil} admitted that it \\;ts nothing more than hase porn. I think Melinda (iehhie‘s art is heautil'ul too. and she's \er} good at emulating other artists st} les to suit the mood and sense or time. like the Auhre} Beardsle} section for instance. And producing a hook ahout the se\ual anakening ol‘eharacters