Grant Morrison

[LRJP!]

Having just come out about my Comic Book past, present and foreseeable future on the Madvillainy thread and having bought the first issue of Vimanarama today i thought i'd ask "What's the Dissensus is on Grant Morrison?"

I've been really into the past few mini-series - The Filth's bubblegum 20th century redux tawdryfest, Seaguy's post silver-age PKDicksistentialism and especially WE3's Cyberpunk/Disney mash up glory... Vimanarama hasn't caught me in the same way yet but i think it will in the end... i love his super profligate idea spillage and love/hate relationship with Superheroes though i guess i could see that some of that would be off-putting to casual browsers and readers...

anybody else?

 

[MBM]

GM is a fantastic reprocessor of other people's ideas (e.g. PKD, RAW, MLK, JFK, other Americans known by 3 letter acronyms). Which is, oddly enough, what he once called Alan Moore.

I kinda lost track of him around the time of The Filth - which seemed like a Chris Morris re-run of The Invisibles.

I'm sounding like an old bastard here, but I liked Animal Man and Doom Patrol.

 

[Backjob]

I reckon that just displays taste - doom patrol is definitely his finest (and most extreme) hour. DC recently put out a couple of trades, as well.

I still re-read my doom patrols, but most of his stuff does seem terribly 90s now (and not in a good way).

 

[infinite thought]

Never understood why he thought that Kula Shaker and other rubbish britpop was the right soundtrack to the invisibles, but it definitely had its moments. The best bits of DP were nicked from Borges, I reckon!

Did you ever read Kill yr Boyfriend? possibly the best one-shot anyone has ever written.

 

[Grievous Angel]

I thought the Invisibles was FANTASTIC when I finally got round to reading it last year. It must have been amazing reading him in the 90s. The fact that the whole Barbelith forum is a spin-off of GM is testament to his talent and achievement.

But I don't think they should stock the Invisibles in the kids' comics in the library and I told 'em so.

He's a FOAF though I've not met him and is a really good bloke apparently.

'Git 'ard magician too. Scorpion Loa -- heavy fucking shit. Nearly killed him, hope he learnt his lesson.

 

[LRJP!]

I love The Invisibles and Kill Your Boyfriend but I have to admit I’ve a big hole in my knowledge when it comes to Doom Patrol – I’ve just never managed to get around to it; I’ll have to.

The Filth was essentially The Invisibles again but it definitely had it’s moments for me: I just loving having stuff like it around. We3 is totally essential though – super-satisfying, definitely worth a look when it comes out in trade.

Maybe these sort of comics are to thought and narrative what those weird elements they find in the bottom of nuclear reactors and particle accelerators are to reality – i.e. fleeting, pointless, intense and joyous…

I thought the Invisibles was FANTASTIC when I finally got round to reading it last year. It must have been amazing reading him in the 90s. The fact that the whole Barbelith forum is a spin-off of GM is testament to his talent and achievement.

But I don't think they should stock the Invisibles in the kids' comics in the library and I told 'em so.

Ahh! Libraries can never ever get comics right bless them. All the stuff up here is labelled ADULT STOCK like it was porn and includes anything in their ragtag if impressively varied collection: Simpsons to Krazy Kat to Halo Jones to something definitely kid-suitable which I can’t think of right now.

X/post Did anybody hear Allen Moore talking to Brian Eno on Radio 4 a few weeks back??

 

[MBM]

Never understood why he thought that Kula Shaker and other rubbish britpop was the right soundtrack to the invisibles

Coz he's a closet hippy really.

The best bits of DP were nicked from Borges, I reckon!

Maybe, but GM could do better dialog.

Did you ever read Kill yr Boyfriend? possibly the best one-shot anyone has ever written.

It is very good - draws heavily on Joe Orton and basically an Ealing Natural Born Killers.

The fact that the whole Barbelith forum is a spin-off of GM is testament to his talent and achievement.

Au contraire, Barbelith at its Zenith (ho, ho) was a testament to the drive, intelligence and frustration of the nutjobs and oddballs that posted there. If any one person deserves some props, it's Tom Coates.

 

[Flyboy]

Say the name, Mr M, say the name.

Barbelith nearly drove me to actively dislike Grant Morrison, but his recent work has been something of a return to form in my opinion - by forcing himself to write short, (relatively) self-contained works, each with one artist whose strengths fit the story, he's avoiding many of the problems that plagued his New X-Men run. We3 and the recent JLA Classified 3-parter are the best things I've read by him in years, and the Seven Soldiers 'prologue' just might be even better... I just hope he can keep it tight.