HANCOCK: THE LAD HIMSELF - MY INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN WALSH

In April, 2023, B7 Comics released a 290-page hardback graphic novel devoted to the late, great, English comedian, Tony Hancock. It's aptly titled, 'Hancock: The Lad Himself', and it was written by Stephen Walsh, illustrated by Keith Page, and comes with a foreword penned by the author and Private Eye journalist, Louis Barfe. Want to know more? Then please check out the following Q and A with the writer of the aforementioned graphic novel, Stephen Walsh. Enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   Scribbler at large.

2) What inspired you to create, 'Hancock: The Lad Himself'?   Keith and I have been interested in Tony Hancock for a long time and even included him as a background figure in one or two of our earlier stories (just hanging around in a Soho pub scene, for instance). So, as he was slowly making his way to the forefront of our minds, a story about Hancock seemed like a pretty good idea, especially for a comic book project. After all, the flexible imaginative space (and sometimes downright surreality) of the radio show (in particular) is something that the comic book form could do justice to in a way that a film couldn't quite manage.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   Well, for a start, it's the opposite of a traditional biography, but only because Hancock's story is constantly being interrupted by the lad himself who is less than impressed by our efforts. So much so, in fact, that with increasing desperation he tries to re-write both the book and the story of his life. He nearly succeeds too!

4) What song would you say best represents this graphic novel and why?   To answer this question, I'd like to select the song, 'It's All Forgotten Now', by Al Bowlly, as it seems to catch something of what we were after with our story. That being, the hope that things will work out somehow, despite whatever plans the universe actually has for us.

Al was a crooner, a pioneer of the form, and a huge influence on the American singer, Bing Crosby. But regrettably, he died in an air raid on London in 1941. Legend has it that Al was so wrapped up in a Western he was reading that he didn't hear the sirens. There's something poignantly Hancockian in that too, isn't there?

5) Aside from the lad himself, if you could get a celebrity - either living or dead - to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Taking full advantage of the infinite possibilities offered by the question, I'd like to select Sidney James. Or to be more specific about it, the imaginary version of Sid we've all gotten to know from watching him on the telly all of these years, who in reality, bears scant resemblance to the real person. That said, however, Sid considered his work with Hancock to be the most important of his long and incredibly prolific career, so he'd certainly have some major insights on the lad that I'd love to hear about.

6) What's the one thing about this graphic novel that might surprise people?   The sheer size of the book and Keith's magnificent artwork will definitely surprise and delight readers. In my opinion, his art has a wonderfully understated expressiveness that anchors the story in real emotion. He's also a wonderful exemplar of the great British comics tradition, and an artist more in tune with the work of people like Geoff Campion or Joe Colquhoun, rather than whatever is flying off the shelves in the comic shops this week.

'Hancock: The Lad Himself' is a 290-page hardback graphic novel written by Stephen Walsh, illustrated by Keith Page, and published by B7 Comics. For further information, please feel free to check out the official Website, Facebook, and Twitter pages for B7 Comics.