Comicon Advent Calendar Day 1: Feeling The Christmas Spirit, Bojeffries Style

by Richard Bruton

Time to spread the festive joy once more, as we present a glorious 24 days of Christmas comic goodies just for you, with the Comicon Advent Calendar…

Yep, we’re doing it again, as we all get to pick some of our favourite Christmas comics for you, giving you 24 days of seasonal surprises and great yule delights.

So, to open this years’ advent calendar, let’s head back to 1990 for The Bojeffries and A Quiet Christmas With the Family, by Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse, originally published in A1 issue 3.

Now, the Bojeffries Saga is one seriously funny thing – the easiest way to shorthand it would be the Addams Family with Alan Bennett’s northern tones running through them. Or the kitchen sink drama of Alan Bleasdale, just with the main cast a family of freaks, monsters and weirdos. Add in a heavy dash of Leo Baxendale, a bit of the Goons, and mix it all up with Alan Moore doing his funniest thing and Steve Parkhouse’s art just perfect – cartoonish sure, but hugely detailed at the same time, just a glorious looking thing..

It started in 1983 in Warrior issue 12. We were well used to reading great Alan Moore comics at that point, and Warrior had already given us V For Vendetta and Marvelman. But The Bojeffries Saga was different. People forget that Moore is a funny, funny writer, preferring to paint him as the dour, miserable bearded magician. But damn, Bojeffries was funny.

This Christmas tale was from A1 issue 3, and was later reprinted, with Parkhouse adding colours, in the Tundra edition. There’s also been a definitive black and white collection more recently- in 2014 from Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout, which includes an all-new tale to sit wonderfully well amongst tales of strangely normal weirdos set in an all-too familiar Britain of the 80s.

So, settle down for a little Christmas tale of the Bojeffries, a completely abnormally normal family…