Episode #68 - "Morrison Spotlight" [Discussion]

[ronxo]

TRT - 00:28:14

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!

Watch the show and tell everyone what you think (http://www.ifanboy.com/podcasts/video/ifanboy_-_episode__68__morrison_spotlight)

[labor_days]

Most anticipated episode ever? Yes.

I hope this is thorough. Two parter? Bless you, sirs.

[gobo]

So excited for this episode it's the first one I'm watching on revision3 instead of waiting for the download :)

[gobo]

I really hope the invisibles gets a mini about it

[labor_days]

Oh my god. This is wonderful.

[itsbecca]

Great episode. Enjoyable moments by host.
Conor: Gotta love an awkward french pronunciation.
Ron: Surprised I agree on an X-Men something with Ron, though mine lacks any weight whatsoever. Even still, I Despise Cyclops/Emma. I'm in the minority? Don't give a fuck. Despise.
Josh: My heart is happy when it hears a reference from The State.

[ronxo]

Ron: Surprised I agree on an X-Men something with Ron, though mine lacks any weight whatsoever. Even still, I Despise Cyclops/Emma. I'm in the minority? Don't give a fuck. Despise.
.

Testify sister!

[labor_days]

Nah. Scott & Emma is the more mature, adult relationship. Jean is iconic, but for Scott it is like being stuck with your high school sweetheart all your life. Cute, yet sad in a way.

Both Morrison and Whedon suggest strongly Emma & Scott have an adult relationship. If you go back and re-read that schlock pre-Morrison; Scott & Jean read as though they are teammates rather than lovers. Where there is little doubt Scott & Emma are intimate physically and emotionally. Not just teammates. Especially true in Astonishing, or as I like to call it, New New X-men.

Establishing the emotional component of Scott & Emma's relationship first was utterly genius. Now consider the legacy perception of those two characters. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

[mattk]

I found a great deal on the first New X-men HC ($9 incl ship) on ebay last week and ordered it after finding out it was the precursor to astonishing - which i've read the first HC of and loved. I am now a little apprehensive about it - i thought everyone loved it ::gulp:: - hopefully I will really enjoy it as the only X-Men comic book knowledge i currently hold is astonishing stuff...

[labor_days]

If one enjoys comic books that are good, then one will enjoy Morrison's New X-Men.

[esophagus]

Never would have seen this episode coming. :rolleyes:

The iFanbase just can't take a hint.

[benjaminsimpson]

Great episode, guys!

To take issue with one thing Conor mentioned, Morrison is in no way wrapping up his Batman run. He's said that after Final Crisis, Batman is going to be the only superhero book he writes for a while.

And Marvel Boy was a great book, my FIRST Marvel comic, which I picked up based on Morrison's name alone.

[conorkilpatrick]

To take issue with one thing Conor mentioned, Morrison is in no way wrapping up his Batman run. He's said that after Final Crisis, Batman is going to be the only superhero book he writes for a while.

Yes, that is correct. I misspoke.

[six-gun]

What were the other JLA/god parallels?

[conorkilpatrick]

What were the other superhero/god parallels?

He laid it all out (I think in Wizard at the time), but I can't remember all of them.

Superman - Zeus
Batman - Hades
Aquaman - Poseidon
Flash - Hermes
Green Lantern - Apollo
Orion - Ares
Steel - Hephaistos
Plastic Man - Dionysus
The Huntress
Big Barda
Zauriel
Wonder Woman
Oracle
Martian Manhunter

Here's a quote:

ST: How did you decide who was going to be in the JLA?

GM: Greek Gods. I was reading a retelling of the Greek myths and there's twelve Gods in the main pantheon and they're just like the JLA. We've got the seven and they match perfectly - Superman is Zeus, Batman is Hades, Plastic Man is Dionysus...

[paper]

Here's your 12 Olympians:

Zeus
Hera
Poseidon
Demeter
Ares
Hermes
Hephaestus
Aphrodite
Athena
Apollo
Artemis
Hestia

[six-gun]

He laid it all out (I think in Wizard at the time), but I can't remember all of them.

Superman - Zeus
Batman - Hades
Aquaman - Poseidon
Flash - Hermes
Green Lantern - Apollo
Orion - Ares
Steel - Hephaistos
Plastic Man - Dionysus


You got the main ones I was curious about. Thanks

(also, if I had to guess, Huntress would be Athena :))

[labor_days]

Wonder Woman = Athena, Goddess of Heroism and Wisdom
Huntress = Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Maidens (check her origin)
Barda = Nike, Goddess of Triumph and Victory
Martian Manhunter = Morpheus, God of dreams and sleep. (based on the telepathy and shapeshifting)

I could never place Zauriel or Oracle.

[gordontheintern]

Plastic Man - Dionysus?

Huh? 'splain that!

[valoharth]

Plastic Man - Dionysus?

Huh? 'splain that!

Yes, I am quite curious about this too...

[itsbecca]

Plastic Man - Dionysus?

Huh? 'splain that!

Someone's got some 'splainin' to do.

[labor_days]

Dionysus represents revelry, wild abandon and mania. Plastic Man was certainly Dionysusian in the modern philosophical sense.

[paper]

Yeah, it's not just wine. It's all that goes with it.

I buy it.

[six-gun]

Yeah, it's not just wine. It's all that goes with it.

I buy it.

Yeah, makes sense to me

[benjaminsimpson]

Another thing I wanted to mention is that Morrison was really my tour guide to comics. Up until JLA, I'd only ever read Superman or Batman comics. And with JLA, I was introduced to the rest of the DCU Universe. His Marvel Boy gave me my first taste of a Marvel comic, which led to others, and New X-Men was my first exposure to X-Men. It was his Vertigo work that turned me on to that line and more "adult" themed comic books. Sadly, I still have more catching up to do with his work, namely Doom Patrol, but at this point, I will give anything he's writing a purchase and a good hard look.

[gordontheintern]

Wine - revelry - theatre...I still question plastic man.

But - really, what do I know?

[smeeeeee]

Yes morrison does a lot of great stuff but recently i havent been satisfied especially with the Batman and Son arc. That was horrible IMO. However his recent issues have been something to be real exited for.

i just hope final crisis will one day make "Morrison Spotlight 10 years later" episode.

[labor_days]

Wine - revelry - theatre...I still question plastic man.

But - really, what do I know?

But in a thematic sense Plastic Man does represent those aspects of Dionysus.

Plastic Man is the guy turning into a balloon animal as a Starro the size of North America eats the planet. He's the guy finding humor in Darkseid's bid for universal domination. Plastic Man brings levity to the JLA meetings. Et cetera.

I would certainly say Plastic Man is theatrical in the use of his abilities.

[gordontheintern]

OK - I'll buy it.

Now I just need to convince my students that we should be learning about Plastic Man in addition to Dionysus.

[jaflanagan]

At least Plastic Man as written by Morrion, and for the most part, thereafter. I never read the Cole stuff, but in Morrison's JLA, I can totally see it.

[dave-carr]

Also, According to Ancient Greek Myth, Dionysus is reformed and reborn after being torn to shreds. Knew that Philosophy Minor would come in handy someday!

[henrik]

And one could almost tie Morrisson to the other big event this summer too, Secret Invasion, as he did co-write Skull Kill Krew with Mark Millar.

[ruo21]

At 20:26 in the Grant Morrison podcast where they are talking about the X-Men there is a kid getting chopped in half, wearing the Kick-Ass uniform. WTF?

[horatio616]

Cliff Steele/Robotman was one of my favorite Morrison characters, along with Emma Frost. I'm glad you guys took the time to discuss Doom Patrol, which I'm hoping will come back in some form that I can enjoy some day. I particularly loved the "Candlemaker" storyline at the end of his run.

[horatio616]

At 20:26 in the Grant Morrison podcast where they are talking about the X-Men there is a kid getting chopped in half, wearing the Kick-Ass uniform. WTF?

Isn't that from the Riot at Xavier's arc? A kid with a gas body gets his containment suit sliced in two by shards of glass, if I remember correctly.

[valoharth]

Emma Frost is a fantastic character and even more so when Morrison is at the helm. I will be honest and say I didn't like her at first but she grew on me. I love the Emma and Scott relationship even more so then the Jean and Scott thing.

[owlboy]

He laid it all out (I think in Wizard at the time), but I can't remember all of them.


I found this on another board:

Back when Morrison upped the JLA roster considerably, Wizard did a chart showing which character corresponded to which god, and had a quote from Morrison related to why. I've included those here.

Superman = Zeus
Morrison: "Obviously, he’s Zeus in the sense that he's the leader, and the father figure of the gods."


Batman = Hades
Morrison: "He fills the role of the lord of the underworld. It allows us to keep him on Earth more, rather than on the Watchtower, which is in the 'heavens'. He's the dark god connected to the underworld."


Wonder Woman = Hera
Morrison: "While she isn't Superman's [Zeus] wife as she was in Greek myth, she is nearly his equal in terms of strength and respect."

Aquaman = Poseidon
Morrison: "He's a basic one. Aquaman is king of the seas and lord of the oceans in a figurative and literal sense. I want to use him a lot more, so we'll see him in the Watchtower a lot more often as he becomes a major player in the league."


Flash = Hermes
Morrison: "The speedster and messenger of the gods. He was a pretty easy fit with the Greek pantheon."


Green Lantern = Apollo
Morrison: "The young god of light. Again, like the Flash, this was an easy one to fit in, and it ties in pretty well with Kyle's powers and place on the team."


Huntress = Artemis
Morrison: "She replaces Green Arrow, who left because he just wasn't ready for the challenges of the League. Artemis was the hunter of the Greek gods, so Huntress fits the bill."


Big Barda = Demeter
Morrison: "The mother figure of the gods. Physically, and by acting as Orions's 'keeper', she plays a great mother figure."

Orion = Ares
Morrison: "The right fit for the god of war (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=389323&page=2#). The son of Darkseid is the ultimate warrior. He was told to join the JLA by Highfather, but he doesn't want the job. He hates Earth, so they've sent Barda along to keep him in line."

Oracle = Athena
Morrison: "Oracle will be the League's non-active Earthbound computer (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=389323&page=2#) link and telepathic backup, filling the role of the goddess of wisdom. I liked the idea of Oracle getting her hands on New Gods technology and seeing what she can do with that."

Plastic Man = Dionysus
Morrison: "He was the shapeshifting god who was always chasing women and out for having a good time: a role that's perfect for Plastic Man."

Steel = Hephaestus
Morrison: "The technician and forge of the gods. Steel fits that role really well. He's one of the most innovative inventors on Earth, so he fit that role perfectly."


Zauriel = Eros
Morrison: "The beautiful, winged angel. Who better to fit the role of the god of love?"


For some reason Martian Manhunter didn't have a god associated with him on the list, but here's what Morrison had to say: "He's not strictly on the team anymore. He'll be taking an advisory capacity. He wants to put more effort into becoming the superhero for the southern hemisphere, which is what's he's been becoming. I'd like to see him get a series of his own." Ironically I think if any god fits J'onn it'd be Prometheus

[superfriend82]

I mat not be a big x-men fan but i agree with Ron. I don't like Emma Frost.

[gobo]

Prometheus isn't really a god though, and anyway I don't really see him as J'Onn... why were you thinking that?

[mikegraham6]

Wonder Woman = Athena, Goddess of Heroism and Wisdom
Huntress = Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Maidens (check her origin)
Barda = Nike, Goddess of Triumph and Victory
Martian Manhunter = Morpheus, God of dreams and sleep. (based on the telepathy and shapeshifting)

I could never place Zauriel or Oracle.
i don't recall any allusions to greek gods in the JLA issues proper. Are there any examples or did Morrison just equate the heroes to the gods in his choice of lineup?

[jaflanagan]

i don't recall any allusions to greek gods in the JLA issues proper. Are there any examples or did Morrison just equate the heroes to the gods in his choice of lineup?

It wasn't alluded to directly in the series. It was the just the backbone of how he thought about it when putting the team together.

[paper]

Which is a very good thing.

[gobo]

The only one that was explicitly mentioned in the series was when Circe called Plastic Man Dionysus.