You know what you’ve always wanted to see? Your favorite comic book creator doing his one-man comedy show. How awesome would it be to hear Boom’s Ross Richie do 15 minutes on the future of the Direct Market at The Comedy Store? Or Joe Quesada as the warm-up guy for the Eisner Awards? Or perhaps Diane Nelson’s musings on the differences between New York and Los Angeles?

Well, that doesn’t happen in America. We leave our comedy to the non-comic book people like Carrot Top or Dane Cook. The British, however, don’t have that tradition. Coming up on July 23 and 24, those of you in England will have a chance to hear British comics creator Simon Donald’s stories and one-liners.

Who’s Simon Donald? He’s the founder of the British comedy magazine, Viz. It’s a two-part show, focusing on his wacky family growing up and the birth “of the national treasure that is Viz.”

Donald “also appears on stage as five different comic characters, which he has created since taking to the stage full-time as a stand-up comedian.”

Some successful guys try to fly around the world in a balloon, others pay to go into space while still others try to sail the seven seas. It’s refreshing to see someone do something that I think is truly frightening: stand up in front of strangers and lay out a few jokes.

If you’re in the area, this feels like a worthwhile evening of laughs and weirdness.

[Artwork: Cover to Viz, yanked from the Forbidden Planet International blog.]