Getting to Know the Creators: Grant Morrison

[iSteve]

http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/mugshots/grantmorrison.jpg

Grant Morrison's Official Bio (http://www.grant-morrison.com/biography.htm):

Grant Morrison is highly-regarded as one of the most original and inventive writers in the comics medium. His revisionist Batman book ARKHAM ASYLUM (with artist Dave McKean) has sold 500,000 copies worldwide and won numerous awards, making it the most successful original graphic novel to be published in America. The book has recently been re-issued in a special 15th Anniversary edition to critical acclaim.

Grant Morrison has worked in the comics industry for 26 years and is regarded as one of the most imaginative storytellers in the business. He has been recognised as one of the top writers in the industry for more than 15 years and is spear-heading 2 major projects being released by DC Comics in 2005, ‘The 12 Labors of Superman’ and the 30 part mega-series, ‘Seven Soldiers’. He is also currently under contract with DC as a Consultant with the specific remit of re-vamping old characters and recreating them as usable franchises for other writers.

He has contributed groundbreaking and best-selling runs of popular stories for the major companies including DC Comics characters; JLA, DOOM PATROL, ANIMAL MAN and for Marvel Comics the best-selling monthly, NEW X-MEN and FANTASTIC FOUR.

In addition he has created a number of revolutionary original series including, THE INVISIBLES, THE FILTH, ZENITH, SEBASTIAN O, MARVEL BOY, and the cult classics KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND, THE MYSTERY PLAY and SEAGUY.

WE3, a 3 part series for DC/Vertigo, currently being published, has been widely acknowledged as the most formally innovative comic series seen in years and is already winning awards prior to its completion. WE3 is currently under consideration for adaptation into film.

His Graphic Novels and Comic Book collections have been translated into 13 languages and are sold worldwide.

Often courting controversy, many titles have made headlines; ST.SWITHIN'S DAY - a story about a young man from the North attempting to assassinate Margaret Thatcher - had questions raised in the House of Commons, as did THE INVISIBLES, Morrison's highly-influential six-year long series about a group of occult terrorists (which went on to partly inspire the film THE MATRIX). Seen as cutting-edge and subversive, THE INVISIBLES and other series, like THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HITLER and BIG DAVE (with Mark Millar), have been the subject of both academic discussion and popular media interest.

In July 1997, he was the first comic book writer to be included as one of Entertainment Weekly's top 100 creative people in America.

Morrison is also the author of two stage plays Red King Rising’ and ‘Depravity’, which, between them, won a Fringe First Award, the Independent Theatre Award for 1989 and the Evening Standard Award for new drama at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

He has written a number of short stories for popular anthologies including the Hot Blood series and Penguin Books Disco 2000. ‘LOVELY BISCUITS’ a retrospective collection of short stories and theatre scripts was released in 1999 by Oneiros Books. His travel writing also appears in Penguin's ‘Fortune Hotel’ anthology and he has contributed to the architecture book, 'Malaparte: A House Like Me'.

His many articles and features written for the press and television include the semi-regular media satire column ‘The Smell of Reason’ in Sleaze Nation magazine, pieces for the Glasgow Herald and the Evening Standard, as well as ambient erotic prose for the fetish magazine SKIN TWO.

His artwork featured in the CCA Gallery exhibition ‘Slipstream’ in 1998.

His life and work has already been the subject of five separate television documentaries and he is a regular guest on TV and radio.

Over the last few years, Grant’s work has expanded into other media, including video games, with stories for Battlestar Galactica and the upcoming Predator: Concrete Jungle, both by Vivendi, and motion pictures. His first screenplay, Sleepless Knights in production at Dreamworks SKG. Other projects in the pipeline include writing a new JLA Dark Ride for Six Flags.

Morrison, a practising Chaos magician since 1979, has travelled extensively and played with various bands. He still writes and records music and stages semi-regular DJ happenings under the aegis of The Beastocracy in Glasgow and London.

In 2002, Morrison and his partner Kristan launched gmWORD Ltd. to specialise in 'memetic engineering' and develop Morrison’s successful role as a charismatic business consultant and public speaker. An increasingly prominent ‘counterculture’ spokesman (participant in the Unified Fields series of world summits at the Aspen Institute, as well as Disinformation Company seminars and workshops in Manhattan, Los Angeles and the Omega Institute, and as part of Creative Entrepreneurs Club), Morrison is now moving into the area of scientific and artistic collaborations with world-renowned specialists.

Barely educated at Mosspark Primary and Allan Glen's School for Boys, he lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland.

1) Wikipedia Article on Grant Morrison (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Morrison)

2) Grant Morrison's Official Website (http://www.grant-morrison.com/)

3) Newsarama Article (http://www.newsarama.com/DC/AS/AllStarSuperman_Morrison.htm)

4) List of Grant Morrison Interviews (http://www.barbelith.com/topic/23861)

5) Morrison-Related Links (http://www.grant-morrison.com/links.htm)

[labor_days]

Best comic book writer not named Alan Moore.

Doom Patrol blew my mind.

[fred]

I had Grant Morrison's baby

[labor_days]

Morrison's Bible John (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_John-A_Forensic_Meditation) is really good too. It doesn't get as much praise as say, invisibles or We3, which is a shame. Got to get me some more 2000A.D. and Crisis books.


p.s. I started reading G.M.'s Animal Man run last week as a matter of fact. Awesome.

[jerome]

i know a lot of people find his work hit-or-miss, but I've never read anything by him that i didn't like. i think we're on the same drugs.

[labor_days]

I just love Grant Morrison's mind. I would marry it if possible.

BTW, picked up All-Star Superman this week too. Going to dive into that this weekend.

[acomicbookgirl]

Grant Morrison is the ultimate mind****! I would love to marry his mind as well... My first read was his X-men which I love. Two words: Emma Frost. I loved The Filth and We3 also Vinamarama(sp?)..

[acomicbookgirl]

I had Grant Morrison's baby

Damn it Fred! You beat me to it..

[jerome]

Damn it Fred! You beat me to it..

For Fred and ACBG:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t247/jerome_p/grantmorrison2.jpg

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t247/jerome_p/grantmorrison.jpg

[fred]

what an odd ****ing guy

[labor_days]

What's so odd about a guy posing in his underwear with a flag draped over his shoulders?

You say odd, I say sexy.

[fred]

to each their own - you can have my share

[labor_days]

to each their own - you can have my shareYou're the one having his baby! :rolleyes:

[psu18660]

I'm about done with his Batman. "Detective" and "All=Star" I find to be far more enjoyable.



Me too, I had really thought with Morrison on Batman, that's a winner. But it has kind of been lack luster. And the international Batmen story was whack-tacular. IMO.

[gungadin]

Well the reason I find the whole Morrison Batman thing a disappointment is because of the lack of focus. I get that he's telling this larger story, but between the Resurrection, Batman and Son, and other stories that have come between him and telling the "multi-Batman" story he has going it's really hard to get into...

[labor_days]

It fills me with sadness for the viability of artistically daring comics to succeed when fans prefer the unexceptional in AS-Batman & Robin or the often rote Detective Comics to Morrison/Williams' International Batmen arc.

Sadness. Deep. Profound.

[gungadin]

It fills me with sadness for the viability of artistically daring comics to succeed when fans prefer the unexceptional in AS-Batman & Robin or the often rote Detective Comics to Morrison/Williams' International Batmen arc.

Sadness. Deep. Profound.

I'm not saying All Star is as good as Batman (it's not... The art maybe... but it's not) or 'Tec... It just suffers from SUPER ADD... I didn't get the International Batman arc... I need to read it again... In one setting...

But I also don't get Morrison on a regular basis... Some of his stuff is just a little too strange... or... deep?

[six-gun]

It fills me with sadness for the viability of artistically daring comics to succeed when fans prefer the unexceptional in AS-Batman & Robin or the often rote Detective Comics to Morrison/Williams' International Batmen arc.

Sadness. Deep. Profound.

I didn't like that arc, it was quite confusing art-wise (it was gorgeous though)

[labor_days]

Sadness. Deep. Profound.

[mikegraham6]

im with you labor, i loved the whole International Batmen arc, the Son of Batman stuff was loads of fun and i'm really enjoying the bigger story Morrison is painting with the whole Three Batman thing. The only stuff i didn't like was the Ra's Al Ghul tie ins. But i truly love how, when he writes your typical superhero book, morrison can still sneak in his big ideas and tell one big overarching story over a long period, yet manages to write smaller self contained arcs as well (see: new x-men)

Batman #666 was one of my favorite single issues of the year, Tottally underrated issue

[six-gun]

Morrison has done some good, and a lot of high concept mediocrity IMO

[mikegraham6]

Labor, i know your a big morrison fan, and i was wondering what your thoughts are on The Filth? It's full of morrison-isms but i felt it was too disjointed. He was basically given free reign to do what he wanted and the overall story got lost in a sea of "big ideas". Basically it felt almost like it was litterary masterbation on his part.
I didn't absolutely hate it, but i wish he had toned it down a bit

[six-gun]

Morison's Batman with Kubert?

Classic

Without?

Eh

[six-gun]

Basically it felt almost like he was litterary masterbation on his part.


That's lovely :rolleyes:

[labor_days]

Oh, I agree with you guys saying Morrison's Batman is all over the place. I wouldn't even argue that one is wrong in saying the run lacks coherence. Both are pretty true.

But I am willing to stick with Morrison if only for those brief moments of utter brilliance when Morrison shows what comics could aspire to be.

I'll trade a thousand issues of Detective (I am a fan of Dini too) and Batman for a single page as masterful as this...


http://img36.picoodle.com/img/img36/4/1/8/f_Image1m_f08f849.jpg


I feel ashamed reading comics that are not as good as that.

[mikegraham6]

That's lovely :rolleyes:
edit!
mistype on my part (gives it a slightly different meaning);)

[labor_days]

Labor, I know your a big Morrison fan, and I was wondering what your thoughts are on The Filth? It's full of Morrison-isms but I felt it was too disjointed. He was basically given free reign to do what he wanted and the overall story got lost in a sea of "big ideas". Basically it felt almost like it was literary masturbation on his part.
I didn't absolutely hate it, but i wish he had toned it down a bit

I touched on this to an extant before (http://www.revision3.com/forum/showpost.php?p=257413&postcount=2649)...

But I feel it's important to view The Filth as a logical extension of Morrison's personal and artistic investigation into identity. Or specifically what defines that identity.

Be it the world around us, such as it is perceived through empirical evidence superficially, and the assumptions we place upon that evidence. As well as how others we encounter in this subjective experience define us.

In that respect I think The Filth was pretty good. But I would also agree that at times the clarity of the work is a bit muddied. Well, hella muddied.

I think the Invisibles is a far superior and more coherent work. But shallower to a certain degree.

[jon_samuelson]

Okay, I don't mean this to sound like a condemnation at all, it's just that there's a particular writer that I just don't get, and I'm wondering what it is about the guy that everyone likes so much. That kind of makes it sound like I'm being petulant, but I'm curious if what I don't like is what everyone else enjoys so much.

Grant Morrison. I just don't get him. Now it's not to say that I've NEVER read a Morrison story that I like, I've quite enjoyed All-Star Superman, but that on the whole I just don't like his stuff. I certainly wouldn't just buy anything he writes like I would with Brubaker or Johns for instance.

I think the thing I don't like about Morrison is that, for me anyway, most of his stories center around putting heroes into the weirdest most fucked up situations that he can think of, and then writing about it. Most of the time it just leaves me feeling cold, but occasionally I feel like it's really disrespectul to the history of the character to the point where it's very rare that I find any of his characters to be likeable people. I know I'm in the vast minority in my dislike of Morrison, but I was just curious if it was the things that I DON'T like, that other people DO like.

[conorkilpatrick]

I think the thing I don't like about Morrison is that, for me anyway, most of his stories center around putting heroes into the weirdest most fucked up situations that he can think of, and then writing about it. Most of the time it just leaves me feeling cold, but occasionally I feel like it's really disrespectul to the history of the character to the point where it's very rare that I find any of his characters to be likeable people. I know I'm in the vast minority in my dislike of Morrison, but I was just curious if it was the things that I DON'T like, that other people DO like.

I think he has more respect for characters than most writers. When he wrote JLA, everybody was cool. Everybody got a badass moment.

His current run on Batman shows he has complete reverence for Batman's history - all of it.

*cough*cough*

But I'd wait a week to continue this discussion.

[jon_samuelson]

Afraid the Batman reverence is about to hit the fan are you?

Maybe I should give his JLA a shot, but I really (and I know this is blasphemy) disliked his New X-men which I imagine must have a similar dynamic, being a team book and all.

Hell, Conor, I think you're correct in that all of his characters are cool. In fact I think part of my dislike of him stems from the "hipper than thou" attitude of his characters. Though I love Ennis, whose characters DEFINITELY have that attitude. Ah to hell with it, maybe I just don't like the guys writing. Everybody must have that guy whose art (writing, film, comics, etc.) that they just don't like the way everyone else does.

[itsbecca]

He definitely likes to test the limits of the characters, and he definitely likes to take them where they haven't gone. I guess... you could see that as a negative. That's why I find his work interesting.

[tad]

I think Conor is hinting that the next video show is likely to provide lots of discussion points when it comes to Morrison.

[jasontodd]

I think Morrison is the greatest writer working in comics today.

I don't understand how you can think he's disrespectful to the characters that he's working on. No one has more reverence for DC characters than Grant Morrison (well... maybe Johns).

He's imaginative, and I don't think that his writing completely centers around "putting established characters in f'ed-up situations".

Has anyone written a more thought-provoking and talked about run on X-men since Claremont than Morrison (seriously, what other storyline in the last 15-20 years in the X-books have people REALLY cared about... maybe Whedon). You may not agree with everything, but at least he takes chances and gets to the core of the characters that he's writing.

[conorkilpatrick]

Afraid the Batman reverence is about to hit the fan are you?

I think Conor is hinting that the next video show is likely to provide lots of discussion points when it comes to Morrison.

Tad is very astute.

[gobo]

Has anyone written a more thought-provoking and talked about run on X-men since Claremont than Morrison (seriously, what other storyline in the last 15-20 years in the X-books have people REALLY cared about... maybe Whedon). You may not agree with everything, but at least he takes chances and gets to the core of the characters that he's writing.

I always felt like New X-Men was a great story, but not necessarily a great "X-Men" story. He never seemed to have the reverence that Conor mentioned was in JLA or Batman, it seemed like he just got a bullet point list of power/names/personalities and ran with it.

[labor_days]

Morrison felt, and rightly so, that everything the X-men had become prior to his run was a mistake and misunderstanding. He did go into New X-men with a checklist to right all the wrong that had been done to the franchise with crossovers, continuity, events and just plain ole' bad writing.

Sometime in 2000, Morrison wrote a lengthy and insightful manifesto on what the X-men should be. The antithesis of the 90's X-men. It's important to remember Morrison went into New X-men with the intention to throw off all the awful shite that was 90's X-men, in concept, intent and character. Smart move for Whedon to ignore the rest of X-men continuity and go from Morrison's end point.

Of course, Marvel has regressed the franchise to that 90's level of stupidity. But hey, "fans" will buy anything. /roll eyes + vomit

[jasontodd]

He did go into New X-men with a checklist to right all the wrong that had been done to the franchise with crossovers, continuity, events and just plain ole' bad writing.


That's pretty much how I feel Labor.

To me, he basically took the essences of the characters and the essence of what the X-men should be, and threw away the alternate futures, Cable/Bishop, most of what happened to Jean Grey after Phoenix Saga, the 90s, etc, and tried to make things right again.

But yeah, as soon as he left, X-men was brought back to it's 1999 incarnation.

[oh_caroline]

Sometime in 2000, Morrison wrote a lengthy and insightful manifesto on what the X-men should be. The antithesis of the 90's X-men.

Is this available somewhere? I'd like to be able to read it and compare it to what he actually did, so that we can actually all be on the same page about this. And then I can save my comments for next week, which I believe Conor has requested :).

For the record, I'm not a Morrison hater; I like a lot of his work, just not a fan of his X-men run.

[labor_days]

I'll PM you a copy Caroline.

Give me a sec.

[gobo]

Can you send me a copy too Labor?

[jasontodd]

Labor, I'm really sorry, but would you mind sending me one too?

[labor_days]

Sent them off.

[oh_caroline]

Thanks for the file, Labor.

Just curious about this comment:

M

Of course, Marvel has regressed the franchise to that 90's level of stupidity. But hey, "fans" will buy anything. /roll eyes + vomit

Without getting into a huge thing about it, are you reading any of the current X-titles, or is this just an assumption?

[gobo]

Ok I take back every bad thing I've said about Morrison's run.

Now I just wish they'd kept with it.

[labor_days]

Without getting into a huge thing about it, are you reading any of the current X-titles, or is this just an assumption?
Read X-factor till it got boring and awful, new New X-men/Academy X till I got bored with it (but enjoyed it up to till Magick came back). Read Adjectiveless for a bit. The art was dire and the writing just as bad. Dropped.

Read the Vulcan arc in Uncanny off the shelf. Not worth my time to buy or continue. Oh and I read Exiles up to the mid 100's or something. Then it got awful-er.

I am left with only Astonishing to read. Because it is not awful.

Everything Messiah Complex and after I didn't bother with. Where the franchise has gone is completely regressive. The abundance of X-men spin-offs in the wake of MC is an embarrassment as well.

[oh_caroline]

.

Everything Messiah Complex and after I didn't bother with. Where the franchise has gone is completely regressive. The abundance of X-men spin-offs in the wake of MC is an embarrassment as well.

There are not an abundance of spinoffs. That's just not accurate. New X-men and Cable & Deadpool were canceled, and replaced with Young X-men and Cable. X-Force is the only new title. Too many titles, yes, an abundance of spinoffs, hardly. I'm not intending to drag this any further off-topic, just making the point that you seem to be generalizing about books that you are not actually following.

Also, having read the Morrison manifesto now, I agree it's quite awesome and describes a book I would like to read. I also feel that it doesn't actually bear much resemblance to the finished product. But I'll save that for next week. Because Conor said!

[gobo]

unfortunately Cable, Young X-Men and X-Force all suck to some degree or other (with young x-men sucking the most... at least based on the first issue)

[labor_days]

There are not an abundance of spinoffs. That's just not accurate. New X-men and Cable & Deadpool were canceled, and replaced with Young X-men and Cable. X-Force is the only new title. Too many titles, yes, an abundance of spinoffs, hardly. I'm not intending to drag this any further off-topic, just making the point that you seem to be generalizing about books that you are not actually following.

Um, I just told you I read many an X-book up till recently. I do not believe I need to actively buy all the X-books to judge the creative direction and merit of the franchise at the moment. That's absurd.


Also, you are wrong. There are far too many books being pushed on stands banking on the X-men brand.

To wit~

Astonishing X-Men, Cable, Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, X-Men: Legacy, Young X-Men and now GeNext.

Rather you want to consider some of those titles spinoffs (I do), is a matter of semantics. The end result is the same- "There's some shameful shit going down here".

[gobo]

Oh god GeNext sounds AWFUL

[sugarsickness]

Sent them off.

Might I see it as well? Sounds interesting o:

[valoharth]

Hey Labor could you send me that Morrison Manifesto?

[labor_days]

Okay. Solicit via PM from now on.

[mikegraham6]

Morrison felt, and rightly so, that everything the X-men had become prior to his run was a mistake and misunderstanding. He did go into New X-men with a checklist to right all the wrong that had been done to the franchise with crossovers, continuity, events and just plain ole' bad writing.

Sometime in 2000, Morrison wrote a lengthy and insightful manifesto on what the X-men should be. The antithesis of the 90's X-men. It's important to remember Morrison went into New X-men with the intention to throw off all the awful shite that was 90's X-men, in concept, intent and character. Smart move for Whedon to ignore the rest of X-men continuity and go from Morrison's end point.

Of course, Marvel has regressed the franchise to that 90's level of stupidity. But hey, "fans" will buy anything. /roll eyes + vomit
Labor, do you have a link to the above mentioned manifesto?

EDIT: sorry labs, i missed your last post, PM sent.

[tad]

THE MANIFESTO

Having just read through every X-MEN trade paperback available to humanity, I think I have a pretty clear idea of what works in this book and what doesn't. Here's what I think would be the most effective strategy for keeping old readers and, more importantly, for attracting a new contemporary audience.

1. In my opinion, and probably everyone else's too, the best work done on the book, the work which transformed the New X-MEN into Marvel's primary franchise was done by Chris Claremont and John Byrne between '77 and '80. Long after I'd ditched my comic book collection and started a punk rock band THIS was the one book I still followed because it was COOL. It's been fashionable to knock both creators in the intervening years and often with some justification but I defy anyone to read this run of X-MEN and not be impressed by the bravado and invention. Not only were both creators so far ahead of their game they were defining the rules of a whole NEW game (early Alan Moore is PURE Claremont and the reverberations of 'Days of Future Past' - with its depictions of the twilight days of the superheroes - are still echoing in too many books to mention) they had the freedom to create new material, reconceptualise the old stuff which still worked and ignoring the outmoded elements which had sapped the original X-MEN series of its vitality.

2. In the last decade or so, the tendency at Marvel has been intensely conservative; comics like the X-MEN have gone from freewheeling, overdriven pop to cautious, dodgy retro. What was dynamic becomes static - dead characters always return, nothing that happens really matters ultimately. The stage is never cleared for new creations to develop and grow. The comic has turned inwards and gone septic like a toenail. The only people reading are fan boys who don't count. The X-MEN, for all it was still Marvel's bestseller, had become a watchword for undiluted geekery before the movie gave us another electroshock jolt. And in the last decade, sales fell from millions to hundreds of thousands.

3. In the way that Claremont and Byrne did in the 80s and Jim Lee in the 90s we need to make the book COOL again. The movie has already done most of the work for us and there are MILLIONS of new potential readers out there for the taking: including the women who slavered over Hugh Jackman and who should be able to pick up THIS book and get the same sexy thrills from the comic book character (so no more blue and yellow spandex and Batman helmet. Why does Wolverine wear a helmet in the the same shape as his hair anyway? It just looks safdsff stupid now) We have to stop talking to the shrinking fan audience and re-engage the attention of the mainstream. Longtime fans will read the book and safdsff about it NO MATTER WHAT. We don't need to attract them, we need to make the book accessible to the real world audience. We need to get X-MEN and Marvel Comics in the news again, in the cool magazines and on TV. We need to recapture the college and the hipster audience because that audience is bigger than ever thanks to the movies and games, and thanks to things like 'Buffy' and 'The Matrix', the entire mainstream is pumped and primed to consume super-hero stories.

To make the X-MEN feel fresh once more, we need to take a closer, harsher look at what's not working in this book and the comics field in general. The recent X-MEN stuff has been written in an old-fashioned, overdense style for one, and we need to update, streamline and demystify the storytelling techniques considerably to appeal to modern sensibilities.

4. I think everyone agrees that we can no longer afford to be bogged down by 40 years of the most convoluted continuity in comics. This isn't the Ultimate line, however, and we have to find a way be faithful to the sprawling X-MEN mythos without being shackled by events in stories written thirty years ago, for a different world and a very different audience. My intention is to use the rich history of the X-MEN more as background window dressing and as a treasure trove of material we can recut for a new eager audience (in the same way Claremont and Byrne sifted out the best stuff from the original series and combined it with new material). Elements like the Savage Land or the Shi'Ar Empire will be reappraised, re-introduced and woven into the larger scale science fiction universe of the X-MEN in such a way that it will seem as though we're seeing these concepts for the first time). The movie wisely went sci-fi instead of trying to appease the superhero crowd and I think we must do the same. The X-MEN is not a story about superheroes but a story about the ongoing evolutionary struggle between good/new and bad/old. The X-MEN are every rebel teenager wanting to change the world and make it better. Humanity is every adult, clinging to the past, trying to destroy the future even as he places all his hopes there. The superhero aspect should be seen as only a small element in the vast potential of this franchise.

These stories will be accessible, punchy and modern. Each story arc should be like a movie or a TV miniseries depending on the focus - beginning middle and end, character development and resolution. Every time we start a new arc, every time we start a new issue in fact, we start fresh as if someone is picking up the book for the first time. The movie has made the characters familiar which helps us immensely. From here on in we shall strive to limit the cast to a handful of easily-recognisable figures.

5. If there are any really major outstanding questions left unanswered about our characters, let me know and I'll figure out a way to resolve them in future stories but for now, let's start with a fresh storyline, a completely different feel and allow people a chance to get to know the cast on the run again. That's how we play 'continuity' as we gently lay it to rest and replace it with er... 'superconsistency'. Everything you need to know will be explained in ANY given issue but long-time fans will be rewarded with extended character development and soap opera backstories. Think of the modular, accessible nature of storylines from the Buffy mythos which also have extended developmental arcs for longterm fans to follow. Same goes for the X-Files etc. The longer storylines in XMEN would play out over a year at most. No more decades-long unrevealed secrets. And no more need be said about Logan's origins.

6. We have to get back the kick-ass anything can happen feeling that made the Claremont/Byrne issues so monumental. This is a POP book, as essential as the new Eminem release or the latest Keanu movie. We can rejoin the culture here and the only way to do it is to drop '80s and '90s notions of who our audience should be. The only way to get back in there is to deliver the stuff the movies and the games CAN'T. And what the mainstream audience wants from us (and I've asked a lot of 'em) is raw imagination, ready-made characters, outrageous spectacle, storming angst and emotional drama. Beautiful people with incredible powers doing startling, diverting things!

7. GET RID OF THE COSTUMES. Let's ditch the spandex for the new century and get our heroes into something that wouldn't make you look like a safdsff if you wore it in the street. The movie had it almost right: I think we should go for hardcore bike style exo-rubber uniforms, maybe military pants and wrestling style boots. Whatever. A UNIFORM again. Youth culture looks are going uniform anyway. The look's brutalist and military and I think the X-MEN should reflect that to stay on the cutting edge of cool. Long leather coats with a big X on the back as our heroes get smarter, prouder and louder. Cyclops wearing ruby quartz contacts. I'd like to see some yellow in panelling or detailing on the costumes - if only to avoid the dull black leather look of every film superhero - but it should be pop art dayglo yellow, the kind cyclists and bikers wear to be seen. Let's discuss a new look. X-MEN is a soap opera about super-people in the same way that Dallas was a soap about oil people. The oil only provided window-dressing and an excuse to look great.

8. Let's aim for the big audiences. Let's push books we can be proud of on every level. Books that kids will dig for their sheer gee-whizz, kinetic strut, which college kids will buy for the rebel irony and adults will love for the distraction, just like the movies and the TV shows - just like when Stan was doin' it!!! I believe we have a rare opportunity to bust some self-imposed barriers and run screaming through the streets if we just cut loose a little and do work aimed at the mainstream, media-literate audience of kids, teenagers and adults with disposable income. Trust me. It’ll feel like nothing ever seen before but I intend to deliver the best, most faithful-to-the-concept X-MEN you could hope to imagine ….

9. And, a propos of nothing – I just read that the most enthusiastic supporters of Darwin’s evolutionary theory were a group of English scientists of the 1800’s who called themselves …. The X Club

[gobo]

I can confirm that's the main part of the manifesto

[jon_samuelson]

Okay, I'll cave. That's a great manifesto, from an idea standpoint, Morrison clearly knows of what he speaks. Maybe it was just Quitely's art that spoiled New X-Men for me (yet another blasphemy, I know).

If you all had to recommend one other story to me (not that it's your duty or anything), that would convince me of Morrison's greatness what would it be? Animal Man? JLA? I'm already reading All-Star Superman in trade, so that's out. I'm not looking proven right about my feelings about Morrison, I'm looking to be proven wrong. Much like my dislike of pickles, I WANT to like Morrison.

[conorkilpatrick]

If you all had to recommend one other story to me (not that it's your duty or anything), that would convince me of Morrison's greatness what would it be? Animal Man? JLA? I'm already reading All-Star Superman in trade, so that's out. I'm not looking proven right about my feelings about Morrison, I'm looking to be proven wrong. Much like my dislike of pickles, I WANT to like Morrison.

Again... let's table this for a week.

[mikegraham6]

Okay, I'll cave. That's a great manifesto, from an idea standpoint, Morrison clearly knows of what he speaks. Maybe it was just Quitely's art that spoiled New X-Men for me (yet another blasphemy, I know).

If you all had to recommend one other story to me (not that it's your duty or anything), that would convince me of Morrison's greatness what would it be? Animal Man? JLA? I'm already reading All-Star Superman in trade, so that's out. I'm not looking proven right about my feelings about Morrison, I'm looking to be proven wrong. Much like my dislike of pickles, I WANT to like Morrison.
it all matters on your taste. For me, Morrison is best when he's untethered and just write a great mindfuck. I absolutely LOVE his Seven Soldiers stuff, but some of that may be a bit too much for some. If you're looking for some tamer stuff, JLA and All-Star Superman are definitely the way to go. Oh he also co-wrote the uber-steller 52
I just wish they would reprint some of his works that are out of print (sebastian o; Fantastic Four: 1234, Marvel Boy).
Has anyone read Flex Mentallo? I've read the Wiki entry and im dying to read it but they can't reprint it for copyright issues.
I'm also really disappointed Morrison couldn't continue his work on The Authority. I was really enjoying what GMo was building up there and then it just died. what a shame

[conorkilpatrick]

Sigh.