As the discussion spawned by Robert Kirkman’s recent call to arms somehow morphs into an argument about who has done more to hurt comics, Grant Morrison delivers his own sermon on the subject:
I suppose I’m slightly amused by the reformer’s zeal with which each new generation approaches the problem of ’saving’ comics. It reminds me of humanity’s charming, self-regarding notion that it’s our job to ’save’ a planet which has survived fine without us through several mass extinction events, climactic overhauls and planetary disasters.
I’ve been listening to people talk about ’saving’ the ‘industry’ for over 20 years while comics have continued to be published and have, in fact, become better, to the point where the only conclusion I’ve come to is that comics are best ’saved’ by sealing them in Mylar bags! Everything else is just messianic inflation. Just do good books and stop trying to be the savior of a whole medium that’s been doing okay without you and will continue long after you’re gone.
Yes, I think Kirkman’s right, in that I’d like to see more of our creative community unleashing their wild imaginations onto the page and less of the obvious ‘movie pitch on paper stuff’ that’s come about recently as a result of comic creators chasing the Hollywood dollar but I don’t have a problem with writers and artists working on Marvel and DC properties if they enjoy it. I’d rather read a good Green Lantern story by someone who cares than work my way through a ‘creator-owned’ project that’s been created solely to appeal to lowest-common-denominator movie executives.
That comes at the tail-end of a lengthy, and incredibly interesting, interview at IGN.com in which Morrison discusses his approach to Final Crisis and the “Batman R.I.P” storyline, fixing those weird discrepencies involving Final Crisis, Countdown and Death of the New Gods, and his take on characters like Aquaman and Supergirl.
(Via Dean Trippe)
August 28th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Morrison gives the best interviews. Every time I read about RIP and FC, I feel like the comics are going to be great, even though I am more likely than not to stop buying FC. And I like that he has a sense of perspective even when waxing poetic about his own work. That sense of perspective is while his take on the Kirkman Kontroversy is one that make so much sense to me.
August 28th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Have I ever said I love Grant Morrison? I love Grant Morrison.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Even though I can probably count the number of Morrison books I’ve enjoyed on one hand, I agree with everything he just said. Well spoken, sir.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I’m glad you guys enjoyed the interview. Morrison is always a treat to interview, and usually delivers a compelling answer almost regardless of whether your questions are any good. He’s obviously extremely intelligent, and has a lot to say about his work and the industry in general.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
The quality of this interview was head and shoulders above ones I’ve seen conducted elsewhere, with Grant, Dan. Kudos to you.
August 28th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Great interview. Read it this morning and linked to it from my own humble site. Dan did a very nice job.
Grant is always a hoot and eminently quotable. My favorite line: “Why not set time and space right?”
August 28th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
“I’d rather read a good Green Lantern story by someone who cares than work my way through a ‘creator-owned’ project that’s been created solely to appeal to lowest-common-denominator movie executives.”
Exactly correct…at least for fans of the medium.
I have a question for anyone that’s read this article, as much as I love Morrison styled interviews, he’s been kinda spoiling upcoming plot points for Final Crisis rather casually over the last few months, are there spots in this interview that get heavy in spoilers? I’m a big baby about liking to be surprised, lol…won’t cause to stop buying anything, but still.
August 28th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I agree with him about the comics stuff, but I have an impulse to kind of throttle him on that environment stuff… cuz yeah, exactly, without us it’s been fine, but with us is a different story. Anyway.
August 28th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
GM is totally right here.
Kirkman’s notion that Marvel and DC should do kiddie’s stuff while everyone else does more mature, creator-owned work is idiotic both in theory and in practise.
On a different note, does anyone think GM looks kinda like a camp German fitness instructor in that photo?
“I am Hans. I vill make you buff”.
August 28th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Evie, I think the point he’s making is that the environment will recover when we’re gone. Nothing we’ve done, or are capable of doing, will cause more damage than the catastrophe that wiped out the dinosaurs. That wasn’t even the first mass extinction. So he wasn’t really commenting on environmentalism, he was just making a comment on the irrelevance of humans compared to the entire history of the world. We may mess things up, but the planet will go on.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Also, I think he’s trying to get across that we’re not really “saving” the Earth, but just limiting our damage. The planet can save itself as long as we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
It’s a very strange reading of the phrase ’save the planet’ though. No one expects pollution and even nuclear war to literally split the planet in half or anything; people are just calling for ’saving’ the biosphere in more or less the shape we evolved in and hence find comfortable and livable.
August 29th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Good interview, and I’ve liked most of what I’ve read from Morrison in the past, from Arkham Asylum to We3 to JLA to All-Star Superman. But I wish he’d taken his “Just do good books” mantra to heart when it came to taking over Batman. Sorry Grant, it’s just not been a good run.
I don’t know where he’s taking Bruce Wayne in Batman RIP, but I just don’t care to know either. I’ll come back someday when Bruce is (hopefully) back to being himself, (hopefully) being Batman, and Bat-Mite, Damon, and Jason Todd will be nowhere to be found.
August 29th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Oh, and is A-S Superman #12 EVER going to come out?? I’m sorry to see it end, but I still want to read it!
I just think it’s mind boggling, though hardly surprising, that one of the few bonafide successes at DC the past couple of years - both creatively AND commerically - would end after just 12 issues.