iFanboy Video Podcast
Show Notes
Grant Morrison Week at iFanboy kicks off!
With the Final Crisis series looming on the horizon, iFanboy thought it an appropriate time to take a look at the comic book writing career of one of the industry’s true giants and one of its most polarizing names: Grant Morrison!
With a resume that includes such titles as Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, New X-Men, All-Star Superman, and Batman there is a lot to talk about. It’s too much for one episode alone!
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I’ll agree Morrison is a good writer, and you named off a couple of the series by him I’ve enjoyed quite a bit: Animal Man (why give away the ending?), and Doom Patrol. I haven’t read everything by him, but sometimes I think he starts to repeat himself on some themes: mysticism, drugs, nanotech, alternate realities, conspiracy machinations, etc. I guess what I’m trying to say, when it works; it works well, and when it doesn’t, it just doesn’t work that well for me. I’d seen the JLA stuff, but dismissed it in that it looks so arch superhero (mostly in the art work), but from the way you described it, might be worth investigating.
DO NOT seek out his JLA. It is one of the worst comics I have read. And like the saying goes, "It does not hold up well today." This was before Bendis made comic storytelling better. The love for it is absolutely nostalgia. his other comics are good, New X-Men being the best by far.
Even a medicore story by Morrison is worth reading. At least that was the thought in my head with the recent Batman and Robin arc. Everything he does feels like a breath of fresh air compared to other comics. Even some of the bigger name writers, in my opinion, don’t hold a candle to the man.
I am looking forward to the continuing adventure of Batman and Robin. Also, the new event called Multiversity. Which is more multiverse goodness AND involving the Marvel family. Gear!
@KickAss- that’s sarcasm, right? Right? No?!
Morrison’s JLA was just about the last time JLA was good. I especially loved his Batman- he always knew what was going on long before everyone else did. The first arc alone with the rival "super team" cemented the quality of his run.
Now his X-Men…
….yeah so the morrison hype band wagon keeps on trucking even after i remember the same people cursing his name a while back. any way i dont understang his appeal at all but i have read his scripts and oddly enough i figured out he is a conceptual genuis and his problem i getting his trippy ideas on the page in a way that makes sense because he forgets that the reader isnt in on the details on his head wich is a common mistake most writers have. i read the script for arkahm asylum and was like a whole other story i actually liked it but didnt care for the book itself. it wasnt all his fault of course the artist was and is also to blame with that crappy shadowy art. if you like him thats your thing but to say hes one of the best i find that insulting to the other great writers out there
Preach on Peter Proker, preach on!!!
(Not too preachy, or you’ll end up preachy as an Alan Moore comic!)
Oh no. NO! We’re not getting into this again. This just happened on Twitter last weekend. Avoiding this thread (but still watching video again.)
Rock of ages part 3 was my first comic. Grant Morrison got me into comics
Loved All-Star Superman , WE3
Wished I would have saved my money and not dived into Final Crisis tho
This was my first ifanboy encounter. I don’t exactly remember how the encounter went, but this brings back great memories. It’s what got me into ifanboy. I went and rewatch every single episode after this.
All-star superman is probably my favourite morrison.
Final Crisis is freaking great. Having read the Jack Kirby Fourth World Omnibuses, FC reads amazingly well. Because of FC, I went and read everything I could find that was written by Grant Morrison. Animal Man, Doom Patrol, We3, All-Star Superman, Batman, it’s all quality. JLA took some warming up to, mostly due to the art, but its craziness is welcome. The Invisibles, not so much.
I love the fact that he re-uses concepts. It’s almost like he’s been creating his own world throughout his writing career. It’s a quality I appreciate in Geoff Johns and Brian Michael Bendis as well.
It’s not just Bendis, Johns and Morrison that reuse concepts. I seriously can’t think of writer that doesn’t use the same themes and concepts over and over again. Morrison, Pynchon, Burroughs, Milligan, Moore & Joyce… you get the point. That’s not a critism I take seriously because that’s what every writer does and that’s how i think it should. It’s up to you to decide if you enjoy it or if you think that the writer handled it well.
There’s a part of me that finds it really funny that Morrison’s being criticized for reusing themes and concepts on a board that’s mostly about Superhero comics.
@peterporker – Honestly, I just don’t know what to say to that. I know taste isn’t objective by any means, but to say that people calling Morrison a great writer is insulting to, in your opinion, TRUE great writers. I mean, the shear ignorance in that statement blows my mind.
My opinions on Bendis probably aren’t dissimilar to yours on Morrison. I know that a lot of people do love his writing and they do think he’s a great writer, but I don’t find it insulting that they do.
@KickAss
Please, enlighten us; which Alan Moore comic is preachy?
@captbastard: Kickass has never read a Alan Moore comic since all of the better ones weren’t printed by Marvel. The guy thinks Bendis "revolutionized" comic storytelling, so do you really expect an intelligent answer. Granted, Bendis writes great stories, but none of his work is even half as ambitious as Morrison’s, especially his Avengers work, which just plain sucks.
Grant Morrison’s is a about grand ideas and ambitious storytelling. The problem with ambition is that when it fails, it falls flat on its face. Case in point, Final Crisis was 1-issue maxi-series compressed down tothe trade friendly 8-issues, with a lot of the ideas completely lost in the mix. Multiple readings do make it better, but it only reminds you that it could be a lot better.
My favorite Morrison is Arkham Asylum, but thats mostly due to Dave Mckean’s art.
@peterporker:
I am pretty sure S. Somerset Maugham doesn’t feel insulted.
@muddi900
No, I in no way expect an intelligent response; sometimes it’s just fun to feed the bears. I do however disagree with your Bendis-bashing. Ambitious or not, I’ve had more positive experiences overall w/ Bendis’ work than Morrison’s, but have really loved a lot of his work, too. Let’s not turn this into a Bendis V. Morrison thread. I’d much rather it be We, the people V. KickAss 😉 (I hate using smileys, but I felt it necessary there to show that I’m joking… mostly).
Please don’t provoke other users.