Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison (1960 - ) is a Scottish comic book writer and cartoonist best-known for his non-linear narratives and counter-cultural leanings and often acclaimed as one of the most creative writers ever to work in mainstream comics. He is also a practicing Chaos magician.

He was born in Glasgow and became accustomed to comic books during the 1960s and 1970s. His career began when he was employed by DC Thomson in the 1980s.

Later he and artist Steve Yeowell created the Zenith series for 2000 AD. Zenith, one of the then-trendy deconstructions of the superhero genre, featured a shallow rockstar-turned-superhero, reluctantly fighting a pandimensional alien conspiracy.

Most of Morrison's subsequent work has been for industry giant DC Comics. His first assignment was a revival of the minor DC character Animal Man, which explored animal rights and meta-textual concerns. Animal Man even met his creator. He wrote for the ongoing Doom Patrol series for several years, where his use of free writing techniques made for an inventive and often surreal departure from the (previously ailing) comic's norm. In the mid- to late-1990s, he authored the ambitious series, The Invisibles, considered by many to be his most important work to date, a series combining political, pop- and sub- cultural concerns that, Morrison claims, was a strong but unacknowledged influence on The Matrix movies. In a speech Morrison gave at DisinfoCon in 1999, he claimed that much of the content in The Invisibles was information given to him by aliens that abducted him in Kathmandu, (he went there to be abducted) who then told him to spread the knowledge to the world.

Morrison has recently returned to DC Comics after several years at Marvel, where he wrote the New X-Men series and the miniseries Marvel Boy and Fantastic Four 1234. At DC Comics Morrison has already written three new miniseries. The three titles - Seaguy, We3 and Vimanarama - involve respectively a picaresque hero in a post-utopian world that doesn't need him; cyber-enhanced pets running from their captors in what Morrison calls his "western manga"; and ancient Hindu/Pakistani myths translated into Jack Kirby-style adventures. All are published by DC Comics Vertigo imprint. Morrison also returned to the JLA with the first story in a new anthology series JLA: Classified, tales set within the JLA mythos by various creative teams.

Contents

1 2005 1.1 A partial bibliography 2 External links 3 References

2005

In 2005 DC Comics will publish what it is calling the first ever megaseries. The Grant Morrison-scripted Seven Soldiers of Victory is a reboot of an old DC Comics staple. Morrison's Seven Soldiers will feature new/updated versions of old characters Guardian, Mister Miracle, Klarion the Witch Boy, Bulleteer, Spawn of Frankenstein, Zatanna and Shining Knight. The megaseries will consist of seven interlinked four-issue miniseries with two "bookend" (introductory and conclusive) volumes - thirty issues in all.

In late 2005 DC will release a new Superman maxi-series by Morrison and Frank Quitely. To be called All-Star Superman, the series will not so much revamp or reboot Superman, but present an "iconic" Superman for new readers.

A partial bibliography

• Animal Man - a revival of a moribund DC character.
• Arkham Asylum - a Batman story with a focus on the hero's own complex psychology (or is that psychological complex?) and its dependence on the supervillains. Artist: Dave McKean
• Aztek, the Ultimate Man co-writer Mark Millar
• Bible John -Forensic Meditation on Scottish serial killer Bible John. Artist: Daniel Vallely
• The Doom Patrol
• Fantastic Four 1234. Artist: Jae Lee
• The Filth - (2002-2003) a 13-issue science-fiction miniseries. Artist: Chris Weston
• "Hellblazer - 25 and 26. Reprinted in the trade paperback "Rarecuts", 2005.
• The Invisibles- a psychedelic adventure story greatly indebted to Robert Anton Wilson, and others. Various artists, including Chris Weston, Phil Jimenez, Steve Yeowell, Jill Thompson
• JLA Artists: Howard Porter and John Dell
• Kill Your Boyfriend Artist: Philip Bond
• "King Prawn" - the story of a crippled boy who lives in a fantasy world in which he is superior to all others.
• Marvel Boy Artist: J G Jones
• New Adventures of Hitler -Anti-Margaret Thatcher political satire. Artist Steve Yeowell
• New X-Men
• St. Swithin's Day - a blackly humorous, semi-autobiographical vignette. Artist: Paul Grist
• Seaguy Artist Cameron Stewart
• We3 Artist Frank Quitely
• Vampirella with co-writer Mark Millar
• Vimanarama Artist Philip Bond
• Zenith -Popstar Superhero. Artist Steve Yeowell

A full bibliography can be found at Morrison's homepage.

External links

• Grant Morrison's homepage (http://www.grant-morrison.com/)
• 2000 AD Profile (http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=grantm)
• Grant Morrison page at Superman Through The Ages (http://theages.superman.ws/History/grant.php)

References

• Morrison, Grant. (2003) Pop magic! Book of Lies, pp. 16-25 ISBN 0-9713942-7-X
• Disinformation: The Complete Series Disc 2: DisinfoCon. (1999) Speech by Grant Morrison. Distr. Ryko Distribution.