Grant Morrison Books

In comics there are a few hot-button creators who seem to get comic fans worked up about their contributions to the industry. You know, a fan comes out and says they don't like whomever or that whomever is over-rated. Or talk down about a creators best selling/well praised title which leads to a debate on the creators work. This stuff is bound to happen in this digital age.

One creator that gets talked about a lot is Grant Morrison and his work. Some call him this ages Jack Kirby, some call him one of the most over-rated creators in the industry, and everything in between. I know, as well as many others do, Morrison is a legend currently in this industry. Morrison is my favorite writer and I'm going to sort of talk about what I have read of his work.

All Star Superman-I do think think this is the best series being published right now. It's just fun, full of energy, light and heart felt. It's grand scale work. I loved issue 1. In it's simplicity it was beautiful. Going back and catching things you may have not noticed the first time out. Issue 2 had such a strong story focusing on the relationship of Superman and Lois Lane. Issue 3 is my favorite. featuring Atlas and Samson competing with Superman for the affection of a super powered Lois lane. Plus Quitely provides one of my favorite Superman images with him and Lois in space on the moon kissing with the Earth in the background. Issue 4 with Jimmy Olsen is a great tip-of-the-hat to those silly old Olsen stories with a great twist on Doomsday. Issue 5 with Lex Luthor is just amazing in both the artistic detail and Morrison's portrayal of Luthor. issue 6, my second favorite, is just a beautifully done piece of work.

Animal Man-I finally read his much heralded Animal Man series and have to say, I like it quite a bit. I admit the first few issues I really didn't connect to the story. It's about as straight-forward with Morrison as one would get. It really felt like a more serious, "realistic" take on some of DCs third-tier characters like Buddy Baker and B'Wana Beast. However once you read the Coyote Gospel it really hits you why this series is as popular as it is. The story goes Morrison only planned a mini but DC wanted him to continue onto a series and Coyote Gospel was the first thing he wrote out of that. It's a very tragic story where Animal Man is subject to being smack dab in the middle of something very grand yet not able to understand what is going on. It lead down to Morrison's famed and sometimes criticized run. This is a comic of it's time, spinning out of a lot of the grim and gritty super-heroics but keeps elements of fantasy which builds and builds to the end. It gets to a dark place but at the end Morrison pulls the rug out and gives the kind of ending Buddy deserved. A lot of the critics probably hated Morrison(spoilers!) inserting himself into the story. Very egotistical? Sure but very gripping read. Animal man probably doesn't get as blasted by non-Morrison fans as most his work does. But that's because his critics will argue this is when Morrison could "still write a coherent narrative."

Arkham Asylum-I liked it. While I admit it isn't one of my favorite comics I do think the art work was beautiful and the whole Alice in Wonderland element is intriguing. This is the kind of book that I think worked well for it's time which is why its one of the best selling Graphic Novels of all time. Arkham is a book I know a lot of people disliked it(hell, Alan Moore did) but it's one of the best known books, especially with the Batman books, and you got to give Morrison credit for that.

Batman-Currently ongoing. I have mixed feelings. I thought Batman & Son had some fun moments but wasn't too particularly moved by it. The much controversial "prose" issue about the Joker I thought was interesting. I'll give it a while.

Doom Patrol-Count me as one of those who isn't a big fan of the Doom Patrol stuff. It's very interesting in it's weirdness which is essentially what Doom Patrol is suppose to be about. I don't dislike it, there are a lot of neat things, but in general I don't gravitate to it. But people talk about Morrison's crazy ideas and this one for me has the most.

Invisibles-I'd rank this as my second favorite Vertigo series right after Fables(if Fables ends on a high note). Now, Invisibles is the kind of book Morrison's critics would hate. It has a lot of big ideas and definitely needs rereading to pick up stuff you missed before but it's an entertaining book with a simple to follow central theme: anarchists battling a corrupt system. Add in lots of magic, alien technology, etc. and you got a definite "nothing else like it" title. I understand Morrison was abducted by aliens right before he started this, and adding to his own chaos magic beliefs, must have really effected his way of thinking. I do think this book proves Morrison is capable of writing really enriching characters and dialogue and is more than just an idea man. The cast is well thought out and each have a voice of their own. Now, the ending is like a song to me, because the way I interrupt it may not be how others do. I could be missing the point but that doesn't change the fact Invisibels is a top notch read if you are looking for a non-superhero title with excitement and great characters that's like nothing else around. However, this is definitely a series that may not be for every ones tastes. You have to have a bit of a counter-culture outlook. Like me, I live industrial music and this is industrial music put to paper.

New X-Men-New X-Men is definitive. Let's get this straight X-fans, a few of X-Titles are no better then great and most are mediocre. I love the X-Men but anyone whose read enough X-stories knows that the continuity and series' are pretty f'ed up. I mean, come on, Chris Claremont started crafting plots and throwing out ideas that he never ended or followed up on. Then other writers came in and either took these ideas in a direction that conflicts on some level with their original intent. I mean, take Mr. Sinister. The version you read about is not what Claremont had intended. Or how about Claremont said Sabretooth was Wolverines father, meant it, and editorial or other writers just ignored it or wrote it off. Lots of writers came in and while doing various levels of work most either introduced ideas that didn't fly(Maggot, Joseph, etc.), "rewrote" stories or utilized plot points already done(tons of stuff with Magneto), or just left plot points hanging for decades at a time(Gambit as a bad guy). Not to mention crossovers every few years, the best of which was Age of Apocalypse as far as I'm concerned. Or the fewtimes the writers got it right, their problems with editorial made them abandon ship(Joe Kelly and Steve Segeal anyone?). The point I'm making is this, Grant Morrison wrote an x-title that was inspired by what came before it but pushed the franchise forward. He expanded on the humans hatred of mutants by going from "a mutant can be living next door" to "mutants have a city to themselves in NYC." Or having mutant culture become counter culture amongst humans. Humans wanting to be mutants. He took the idea of humans eventual extinction and put it in the forefront. He was willing to take Magneto in a new direction. He explored the relationship between two characters who have grown so much since they got together and married that it honored their love but made a smart decision based on it. He re-established Cyclops as the bad ass and complex character that most writers forgot. Morrison added to the mythos and crafted a series that was actually a continuation of the X-world while continuing the status quo rather then a series that had pretty much floundered looking for a direction. You don't have to like New X-Men, but you should respect it for accomplishing something many x-writers could not do since Claremonts run. It accomplished being progressive.

Seaguy-I think I need to reread this one. It's a three issue story about a superhero, his floating fish friend, and a big conspiracy. I love the art but I was ultimately depressed with the ending. It's part of a planned trilogy so who knows. There's a rumor that DC will be allowing Morrison to follow up his first chapter.

Seven Soldiers of Victory-My favorite Morrison project because it hits all the right notes. It's escapist entertainment with so much stuff in it that you can analyze it or just enjoy it as is. Seven minis and two book ends are jigsaw pieces to a larger tale. With the exception of Mister Miracle, which I admit was okay, I like all the stories here. I love the characters he used. It's just... it's just such a wonderful comic book project. The last issue of Guardian is my favorite Morrison book ever. I get goosebumps every time I read it. I know a lot of people refuse to buy this because of the publication style but i wonder, if DC was to do seven trades, one for each mini, where would the bookends go? And even if they tossed that in, some people probably get interested enough to buy all the trades and then you spent more money on seven trades then on four. Besides all that, I love Seven Soldiers. Fantasy, science fiction, superheroes, action, drama, sword & sorcery, and so much love for the industry that it just makes you appreciate the comics medium.

Vimanarama-Hopefully I spelt that right. I know next to nothing about Indian culture and beliefs but this was a pretty entertaining mini about Ali, his arranged fiance, and a baby in his family opening up some portal and dooming the world. It's some funny fantasy stuff.

We3-About a squad of prototype animal weapons who escape a military facility to find their way home. Frank Quietly is just an amazing partner for Grant. The two produce a beautiful piece of work here. I really can't say much other than that this mini series is amongst one of my favorite stories ever.

I'm reading Authority and WildCATs as well but because those are barely out I won't talk about them. 52 was great but that was very much a collaborative effort. I plan on picking up the Filth soon. I hear Morrisons Gothic arc of Batman is being reprinting this year so thats good news. Eventually I'll hunt down his JLA.