Grant Morrison: The Early Years - Part I: "Zenith" and "Animal Man"

[andy khouri]

CBR News presents the first part of an extended interview with scholar Timothy Callahan, author of "Grant Morrison: The Early Years," an exhaustive analytical look at Morrison's late '80s and early '90s work.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11069

[keithtalent]

The cover is great. From the little I've read of Grant Morrison this appears to capture his approach to fiction well and in a fitting manner.

[keithtalent]

"Just by virtue of the nature of fractals, a story would always be different while always being the same."

"Right."



One for Pseuds Corner?

[andy khouri]

I don't think so, it seems a perfectly reasonable thing to say, especially if you're familiar with Morrison's stuff. The comics are literally structured like fractals. As I understand it, Pseuds Corner is for documenting dubious descriptions.

[Humbert Humbert]

Do we really need an analysis of a book that's out of print for ages and won't be in print for the foreseeable future? I intend to get a copy of this for the Doom Patrol stuff when the final Doom Patrol collection comes out.

[The Adventurer]

I wish Morrison and Rebellion (owners of 2000AD and it's library) would resolve their differences and get a damn Zenith reprint TP series going. Rebellion's been kicking ass in their TP line and Zenith is the last great epic they're got to get back to press (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, and Nemesis the Warlock are all ready cooking out new collections), but Morrison's got issues with it being reprinted because he thinks he owns it (which makes no sense, because he wrote it under contract as a freelance). I don't even like Morrison, but I love 2000AD and just want to read the darn thing.

[dancj]

but Morrison's got issues with it being reprinted because he thinks he owns it

As far as I'm aware that's not the problem. At the time Morrison wrote Zenith 2000ad was owned by Fleetway who mistakenly believed they'd bought the rights to a load of old British comic characters. Morrison included updated versions of a bunch of these characters in Zenith, and then it turned out that Fleetway didn't have the rights to use these characters. Now the ownership rights of these stories are up in the air.

Hopefully it'll be sorted one day as they are great stories.

[Mutate]

I've got most of the 2000ad progs with Zenith, in a pile my friend gave me years ago. I didn't understand it, to be honest, the art was confusing. I think 2000ad seems a kind of limiting comic to work in, and most British writers have been given a better chance in USA comics. I can't imagine 2000ad giving us something like Preacher or Invisibles.

[andy khouri]

Do we really need an analysis of a book that's out of print for ages and won't be in print for the foreseeable future?

Just because ZENITH is out of print doesn't mean it doesn't exist and isn't influential. I've never read a single Zenith story, but reading about Zenith in Callahan's book was genuinely enlightening, because as Callahan says one can see the seeds of all of Morrison's major themes being developed in that series.

[The Adventurer]

I've got most of the 2000ad progs with Zenith, in a pile my friend gave me years ago. I didn't understand it, to be honest, the art was confusing. I think 2000ad seems a kind of limiting comic to work in, and most British writers have been given a better chance in USA comics. I can't imagine 2000ad giving us something like Preacher or Invisibles.

I disagree, 2000AD has spawned some of the best ongoing comic serials I've ever come across in recent memory. Judge Dredd, Nikolai Dante, Sinister Dexter, Caballistics, Inc, The Red Seas, Lobster Random, and other various shorter run strips are all about the best comics I'm currently buying.

Nemesis the Warlock was doing the "weird, violent, psychedelic" storytelling long before Vertigo was a twinkle in DC's Eye. In fact I'd go as far to say, if it wasn't for 2000AD's influence, and giving the majority of British writers/artists their fair shake before crossing the Atlantic, Vertigo probably would never have happened. Really Ellis and Gaiman are the only two mainstream Brit creators who didn't get there start in old Tooth.

[keithtalent]

I don't think so, it seems a perfectly reasonable thing to say, especially if you're familiar with Morrison's stuff. The comics are literally structured like fractals. As I understand it, Pseuds Corner is for documenting dubious descriptions.

You understand it incorrectly. To say that something belongs in Pseuds Corner is to imply that the prose is overblown and pretentious. In this case it looks as if the reference to fractals is a rather unnecessary device intended to make the question sound more weighty and thought out than it actually is- as evidenced by the one word answer.

Interesting interview though. Just that one question that really stuck out as verbal posturing. Looking forward to reading the second interview, which I think I might leave until I've read 'Arkham Ayslum' which is sitting on my shelf.

[Ryan K]

Wow. I'll have to pick this book up.

[king mob]

"Just by virtue of the nature of fractals, a story would always be different while always being the same."

"Right."



One for Pseuds Corner?

Have you sent it into Private Eye?

[king mob]

I can't imagine 2000ad giving us something like Preacher or Invisibles.

Without 2000AD (and everything that came after it such as Warrior, Crisis and Toxic) you wouldn't have Preacher or The Invisibles.

[king mob]

CBR News presents the first part of an extended interview with scholar Timothy Callahan, author of "Grant Morrison: The Early Years," an exhaustive analytical look at Morrison's late '80s and early '90s work.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11069

What, no mention of Captain Clyde?

[andy khouri]

You understand it incorrectly. To say that something belongs in Pseuds Corner is to imply that the prose is overblown and pretentious. In this case it looks as if the reference to fractals is a rather unnecessary device intended to make the question sound more weighty and thought out than it actually is- as evidenced by the one word answer.

I see. Still, I disagree. The relevant part of the conversation was explicitly about fractals. Morrison's work is literally structured like fractals. Maybe if I'd asked about fractals, but I didn't ask about fractals, Callahan brought them up. I don't see how addressing the actual point in question is pretentious, nor do I understand how a remark like that can lend itself weight or importance simply by... existing? I'm not sure how else I'm meant to address a statement about the narrative use of fractals without referencing the narrative use of fractals.

[ultramandingo]

....... acccid archie !!!!!! dang that was a great strip . did titan ever collect the last zenith arc ? the last one i got was the saving multi universe one. but i think there was another one after that (?)

- “Okay, everything after ‘Crisis' didn't happen. This is the pre-‘Crisis' Superman and he's always been around and screw you, John Byrne.”-

[dancj]

I've got most of the 2000ad progs with Zenith, in a pile my friend gave me years ago. I didn't understand it, to be honest, the art was confusing.
You must have jumped in mid-story. Zenith was before Grant Morrison started getting confusing (that really started with The Invisibles - and he never looked back!)

I think 2000ad seems a kind of limiting comic to work in, and most British writers have been given a better chance in USA comics. I can't imagine 2000ad giving us something like Preacher or Invisibles.
Really the only limitations in 2000ad (at least back when I was reading it) is the page count. You're not likely to get a huge 1500 page magnum opus like The Preacher, but in terms of attitude, there's plenty of that in ABC Warriors, Nemesis, sometimes Judge Dredd, Big Dave etc...

[keithtalent]

I see. Still, I disagree. The relevant part of the conversation was explicitly about fractals. Morrison's work is literally structured like fractals.

It is not *literally* structured like fractals, fractals are geometric entities existing in 2 or more physical dimensions. The work of Morrison (at least the story structure which is being referred to in that portion of the interview) is just that a story, not a physical structure. Perhaps that is being uncharitable then, perhaps you meant 'figuratively' rather than literally, or perhaps you hold that something is literally fractal if it has a structure (physical or otherwise) that is repeated within it somehow. But this is not really what it is to be a fractal, two concentric circles do not make a fractal. As I glean from the interview and from the admittedly little I have read of Morrison there is an overarching theme and that that theme is repeated in microcosm throughout. This does not resemble a fractal any more than two concentric circles do. So instead of perpetuating the Callahan's grandiose claims about fractals you could have asked the question in a rather less pseudish manner.


nor do I understand how a remark like that can lend itself weight or importance simply by... existing?

Agreed. That is why it looks pseudish when a remark tries (and necessarily fails) to lend itself weight or importance simply by existing.

I'm not sure how else I'm meant to address a statement about the narrative use of fractals without referencing the narrative use of fractals.

One way is by saying nothing, it is not as if the question brought out some insightful comment from Callahan. Another would be via the journalistic method of paraphrase.

To repeat, the interview overall was interesting. That particular question just jarred, it looked as if (and only looked as if, there is no claim that this was actually what was the case, but all a reader has to go on is what looks to be the case from the text) you were simply engaging in verbal posturing, trying to demonstrate that you could say profound things about fractals. The question was unnecessary, and if intended as an elucidating comment could have been phrased in a way that didn't pay so much lip service to the rather weak hypothesis about fractual structures. Consequently the verbal posturing looked pseudish.

[SiliconDream]

....... acccid archie !!!!!! dang that was a great strip . did titan ever collect the last zenith arc ? the last one i got was the saving multi universe one. but i think there was another one after that (?)

Yep, and a very good one. Among other things, it explains the origin of the Lloigor.

[Froggy]

good interview IMHO