What is the greatest Grant Morrison-created character?

[tangentman]

Morrison actually based Jane on Truddi Chase — or, more accurately, on "the Troops for Truddi Chase," who wrote their autobiography, "When Rabbit Howls," about being multiple. It challenges a lot of what psychologists think they know about multiplicity. It's a mind-blowing book. Check it out.

You beat me to that reference! I've also read the book, and it was a provocative eye-opener for its time. Chase's "Troops" helped bring Dissociative Identity Disorder to the public consciousness in a similar manner as Sybil.

Morrison actually seemed spot-on about some aspects of DID. We saw lost time, the specific roles of certain alters, the pathological roots in severe trauma. One could easily believe that the horrors Kay Challis experienced could result in such a fractured identity!

[Hawk_fan]

Not a Damien Wayne fan.

I'd have to go with Bulleteer.

[dancj]

The first trade We Who Are About to Die is decent, but brought down a bit by the Blackest Night crossover issues. The last six issues, however, have been great, and those are the ones that feature the return of the Morrison characters and Ambush Bug.

I'll bear that in mind when I read it - Cheers

[Jody Garland]

I've always found it interesting that, when compared to Marvel, DC actually has a fair number of these types of stories. I can't think of a single 'complete character arc' for any Marvel character, but DC has Ennis' Hitman, Ostrander's Spectre (arguable, I suppose, but the real meaty character work began and ended with Ostrander's run), Crazy Jane and Robinson's Starman.

Very true. Renee Montoya got a similar arc from Central to 52, the Question had a complete arc in the O'Neil series. I'm sure there's more, but that proves the point.

As for Red Son Superman, Millar based it around one of Morrison's ideas- specifically, the ending was Morrison's.

[Free-Man]

Whoever used him in Hush Returns botched the character, but Robinson wrote a kick ass Prom in the villain one shot and personally I thought he was aces in CFJ. Despite the problems with that series I always thought that Prometheus came across very well, if a little one note with just shooting everything.

I hope he makes his return in the pages of Robinson's JLA.

Robinson didn't write FOE, I think that was Sterling Gates.

Nah. I think Robinson wrote the character as a god. The initial scariness behind the character (at least for me anyway) came from the fact that he was so cold and calculating that he was able to isolate the JLA and pick them off one by one.

Robinson just wrote him as a guy who beat everyone up in what was basically a shootout, and it relied too much on plot induced stupidity for it to work for me.

[Reptisaurus!]

You beat me to that reference! I've also read the book, and it was a provocative eye-opener for its time. Chase's "Troops" helped bring Dissociative Identity Disorder to the public consciousness in a similar manner as Sybil.

Which led to, what,

(A) Thousands upon thousands of cases being reported,

(B) Pretty much all at once,

(C) Most of 'em tied to stories of (*sigh*) satanic ritual abuse

(D) And virtually all of 'em located in North America.

The words "Pull the other one, it has got bells on" spring to mind all independent like.

As far as fads go, this strikes me as... well, I wanted to say silly, but somehow that doesn't strike me as the right word for therapists coercing women into having false memories of satanic abuse.

Morrison actually seemed spot-on about some aspects of DID. We saw lost time, the specific roles of certain alters, the pathological roots in severe trauma. One could easily believe that the horrors Kay Challis experienced could result in such a fractured identity!

Well, I am not that one.

When you separate out all the b****** it's certainly possible that Multiple Personality Disorder actually exists, but it ain't like we're dealing with proven scientific facts here.

I, of course, remain skeptical.

(Although I ALWAYS remain skeptical. It's part of my charm.)

And, honestly, I can't think of a way of verifying these claims without putting actual abuse victims through a battery of unpleasant tests, which doesn't really seem worth it.

[C-Cool]

I always have a soft spot for JLA Prometheus... even if his character has been destroyed to all heck.

Second would be Damian, then Bulleteer, and then... Animal Man's Grant Morrison?

[Wilder Midnight]

danny the street.

[kantboy2]

Grant Morrison.



Seriously.

[marvelprince]

Robinson didn't write FOE, I think that was Sterling Gates.

Nah. I think Robinson wrote the character as a god. The initial scariness behind the character (at least for me anyway) came from the fact that he was so cold and calculating that he was able to isolate the JLA and pick them off one by one.

Robinson just wrote him as a guy who beat everyone up in what was basically a shootout, and it relied too much on plot induced stupidity for it to work for me.

Well for me what was scary about Prom was that he knew so much about the heroes, but only wanted to beat them because they were heroes. Thats it. No plans for world domination and the JLA just happen to get in his way. He seeks them out and takes them down. I could care less if we see him lay traps for each individual member like he did last time (which wouldn't have made sense for him to do this time since that didn't work last time). All I needed was to see that no matter who it was he was taking on, he was ready. Made even more-so from the fact that he succeeded in his plan caused me to love him even more.

[Rebis]

As far as fads go, this strikes me as... well, I wanted to say silly, but somehow that doesn't strike me as the right word for therapists coercing women into having false memories of satanic abuse.

When you separate out all the b****** it's certainly possible that Multiple Personality Disorder actually exists, but it ain't like we're dealing with proven scientific facts here.

Wow ... ! Right now I'm a little stunned —*not from your statements, but from the fact that I just spent a good 20 minutes writing a thorough response, but this message board did some funky thing after I hit "reply" and it all got lost. That bites.

I've not the time or will to try to recapture it all. Just the highlights:

I'm no expert on multiplicity (and I never even read or saw Sybil), but When Rabbit Howls taught me a lot. I absoultely believe it's real, and I think Morrison does too. (That doesn't mean it's not woefully and/or hilariously misrepresented in a variety of pop-culture outlets, from soap operas to Oscar-nominated movies.)

To be honest, the only reason I tracked down the book is because he praised it in an early lettercol of Doom Patrol. I believe he even noted that Truddi Chase/the Troops' story was far more fantastic than anything he could imagine. Which is saying a serious lot!

Anyway, you may certainly disregard its veracity, but I encourage you to read it anyway. It's a mind-blowing book, just like Morrison says. (She/they introduce all sorts of concepts, like the fact that they do not see themselves as possessing a "disorder" and do not wish to be integrated.) If nothing else, Truddi and her/their book inspired one of Morrison's greatest creations, so we can be thankful for that. (Indeed, the entire power of the conclusion to his long Doom Patrol run is predicated on the way that people like us, in the real world, react to people like Jane/Truddi. It's amazing, goose-bump-inducing stuff that hits you in the gut.

(Btw, how could anyone feel pulled out of the story by Morrison's take on multiplicity? Doom Patrol bursts, from start to finish, with outrageous concepts. Jane seems tame compared to her other protagonists: A human brain kept alive in a series of robot bodies and a hermaphrodite inhabited by a negative spirit!)

Finally: It's been many years since I read Rabbit, but I don't recall anything at all about satanic abuse. From what I remember, her systematic trauma came from her crazy mother and her chillingly sadistic stepfather. It's horrific stuff, to be sure, but certainly much more of a common occurrence than any systemic satanic or cult-driven abuse, which you mention. I don't know anything about any rash of claims of ritual abuse in the wake of the book; it might've happened, but I doubt it. I am guessing that instead, you're mistakenly conflating this story with one or two other, much more highly publicized cases from that time period, in which young kids at a day care contended they were abused by the entire staff. [shrug] I could be wrong.

In any event, as Danny the Street might say: bona to vada! (Don't know how to say "nice chatting with you" in Danny parlance.)

[Reptisaurus!]

I don't know anything about any rash of claims of ritual abuse in the wake of the book; it might've happened, but I doubt it. I am guessing that instead, you're mistakenly conflating this story with one or two other, much more highly publicized cases from that time period, in which young kids at a day care contended they were abused by the entire staff. [shrug] I could be wrong.

Yeah, it sounds unbelievable and I wouldn't trust me either...

But it IS always worth it to take a minute or two to double-check with google.

Here, for instance, is a bit from Cecil Adams, the world's smartest human. (tm)

Keep in mind I was arguing that "bringing Dissasociative Identity Disorder to Public Consciousness" wasn't really a GOOD thing, overall.

Anyway, you may certainly disregard its veracity, but I encourage you to read it anyway. It's a mind-blowing book, just like Morrison says. (She/they introduce all sorts of concepts, like the fact that they do not see themselves as possessing a "disorder" and do not wish to be integrated.) If nothing else, Truddi and her/their book inspired one of Morrison's greatest creations, so we can be thankful for that. (Indeed, the entire power of the conclusion to his long Doom Patrol run is predicated on the way that people like us, in the real world, react to people like Jane/Truddi. It's amazing, goose-bump-inducing stuff that hits you in the gut.

Okay - It does sound like it's got some interesting ideas, at least. I'll see if the library has it.

(Btw, how could anyone feel pulled out of the story by Morrison's take on multiplicity? Doom Patrol bursts, from start to finish, with outrageous concepts. Jane seems tame compared to her other protagonists: A human brain kept alive in a series of robot bodies and a hermaphrodite inhabited by a negative spirit!)

I didn't say I was "pulled out of the story." I assumed the character was based on a psychological fad which had been completely discredited

- But, upon further research, I'll amend that to, "A psychological fad that has been ALMOST completely discredited." I was wrong in my initial statement.

In any event, as Danny the Street might say: bona to vada! (Don't know how to say "nice chatting with you" in Danny parlance.)

Yeah, I'm probably changing my vote to Danny the Street, who totally felt like a fleshed-out, functional character to me - In a way that many of Morrison's characters don't, exactly.

[Gabe De Los Muertos]

Morrison has said he's created over a thousand characters... But I really love Damian. Dr. Hurt, Professor Pyg, Flamingo, Leo Quintum, Crazy Jane, Danny the Street, Prometheus, ect. are great as well.

[xorn87]

The Brotherhood of Dada


Crazy Jane


WE3

[inferno]

King Mob!