Many writers have came into the comic book industry and left an impact but few have done it the way that writer Grant Morrison has. Constantly reinventing the idea of what comic books should be about, no other writer has showed us exactly what comics are capable of. Throughout his Career he has written so many stories that it's hard to just come out and say what his best is. There are still some things that I have not had the chance to read just yet but I have thought long and hard and I believe that this may be my definite Top 10 list of his works. So, lets get started...
10. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
I had to go ahead and get this one out of the way. One of the best selling graphic novels of all time, this comic book changed the whole idea and the way some look at Batman. While the actually plot may not be great, the layered symbolism that is in every single page, almost every single panel, make up for it. Don't get me wrong though, the story of Arhham's history itself is quite good. Morrison stated that his original intention was to make this comic look similar to an independent film and in many ways, he accomplished that goal. Dave Mckean's art gives the whole vibe that we aren't actually reading a Batman comic, but instead having some nightmarish dream. It's actually hard for me to even rank this as a Batman comic most of the time because it just feels like a work of art and Batman is just a sweet bonus.
9. Doom Patrol
The wacky adventures of the Doom Patrol may be some of the best stories told in a comic book title. Morrison had proven himself to be a wonderful writer on Animal Man and DC decided to stick him on Doom Patrol to boost the sales. Having told us nothing but obscure and abstract stories with Buddy, Doom Patrol turned out to be the perfect home for Morrison. Doom Patrol needed a writer that could keep up with weird and strange ideas needed to make the title work. Instead of taking the book back to it's roots, he decided to just replant the whole damn thing. Introducing a whole crew of new characters, Morrison created a world that had no place in our own. While at times the book may seem to just be a little weird for the sake of being weird, it still kept you entertained and laughing. Morrison's Doom Patrol team would constantly go up against things that could never make any logical sense, not even in a fictional way. From the Scissor Men, to the Brotherhood of Dada, and to even the Candlemaker, the Doom Patrol were never short of insane illogical villains and that is one of the things that makes this series so great.
8. Seaguy Vol. 1 & 2
Morrison claims that Seaguy is going to be his “Watchmen” and while the third volume isn't out yet, the series already deserves a place with the best of Morrion's work. While Seaguy is obviously a superhero story, it's also a story of commercialism and control. If anything, this series is Grant Morrison's “1984”. Nothing is what it seems in the world of Seaguy and Mickey's Eye will do all it can to keep him out of their hair. This story is so layered and yet never loses it's ability to keep you attached. On one hand you have the story of the rise of the superhero and what he stands for. On the other, you have a story of a society that has been taken over and run by a manipulating government. And on another hand, you have the story of maturity. As the story progresses, Seaguy goes from being naive and gullible to questioning the world around him. He starts to see the flaws of the world and decides to do what he can about it. Just about anyone can relate to Seaguy if they pay attention to whats going on. This isn't one of those books where Morrison comes out and tells you everything. You have to learn for yourself.
7. The Filth
While not his best, this is probably the perfect Grant Morrison story. Filled with metaphors and hidden themes out the ass, this is also probably Morrison's most pretentious works as well. While that may be, it doesn't take away from the story however. You can't help it, you get grabbed in and dragged through the life of Greg Freely. You enter into a world of madness and fear but you still continue reading to just see what happens next. Each issue will surprise you more than the one before it. Like most Morrison stories, the world isn't as it seems but this time, it's a lot more terrifying place than Morrison had once led his readers to believe.
6. Final Crisis
I cannot for the life of me, understand why this book did so bad. I think it's the perfect superhero book. It's so epic and true to the DC universe. While it did takes me three times to read it and some slight research, it was well worth it when I realized that this was more than just your average beat em' up superhero story. This was a tale of the DC universe itself. This was THE ultimate tale of good and evil. This may be one of Morrison's most complex books, if not the most. I have tried to figure out a way to explain the plot to people but it's impossible. You either end up over simplifying it or making it sound insanely ridiculous. While this also ties into his Batman work, it has to be considered a separate piece of work. The “death” of Batman is just a minor part to this huge epic. While most will not agree with me, I consider this to be the ultimate DC story. Each time you read Final Crisis, you catch something that you may not have caught before. It could be a minor plot point, a different perspective, or maybe even a theme that you didn't notice that Morrison was hitting on. While it may not be for every DC fan, it is for the ones that love everything that DC has brought us over the past 70 years.
5. New X-Men
Morrison didn't work in the Marvel universe for too long but he did create one of his best works in there. While New X-Men, like Final Crisis, rubbed some of the fans the wrong way. It was an ultimate X-Men story that showed us that our favorite mutants were in need of a serious change. The X-Men were once one of the most popular comic books ever but in the 90's, the stories were beginning to get extremely repetitive. Nothing new or challenging was being created with the team and instead we were getting the same old stories time and time again. Morrison came onto the book and mixed things up extremely. He even used the characters themselves as a voice-box of how every thing was never too threatening. Scott for instance always knows that in the end the team would win against anything that got in their way. Morrison even broke up Scott and Jean and created the love affair between Scott and Emma. New X-Men was never weak in it's writing and Morrison clearly knew what made the team worked and what needed to change. The art however, wasn't always up to par with the storytelling. At times you would have to read a page over and over just to figure out what was happening. Quietly was suppose to be the full-time artist but couldn't keep up with the deadlines of a monthly title. To be honest, if it wasn't for the art being the way it was, this may have been higher on my list.
4. Animal Man
Animal Man is what put Morrison on the map. This was his first breakthrough work and it caused quite a stir in the comic book community. This is meta-fiction at it's best and Morrison created a comic book that broke down all barriers. He used the title to address issues with animal cruelty and still kept a book that kept you guessing what was going to happen next. This is the beginning of many of the themes we would see in his later DC work. It also in some ways works as an companion piece to Final Crisis. I can't even imagine what it was like for the readers of Animal Man when this was coming out each month. When I read the trades, I practically went through them all in a week's time because it was just that addictive. You fall in love with Buddy and his family. At times the book almost feels like a odd family sitcom more than a superhero book. The ending of this series is probably one of most remembered endings in any comic. Morrison comes out and simplifies everything he has been telling us to remind us that it's just a story, none of it's real. By doing that though, he makes it more than just a story. He turns fiction into something real and true. The book we are holding is a real event that happened, right there in our hands.
3. Batman/Batman and Robin/Return of Bruce Wayne/Batman INC.
I most confess that I have been a huge Batman fan for as long as I can remember. This is probably why his work on the Dark Knight makes it so high on my list. This is opposite of what he did in Arkham Asylum. This Batman is confident and for the most part sane. While he does go through a little stint of insanity during RIP, he breaks out of it and overcomes it. Morrison learned that it wasn't Batman that was the main character of Batman comics but Bruce Wayne. He covered all 70 years of work on the character as something that happen to one man in a 15 year period. He created an ultimate enemy for Batman and used Bruce's own past against him. While Morrison is still working with the character, I have no doubt in my mind that this will always be in my Top 10. At the rate it is going, it may even make it's way up to number one. Even the direction he has taken the book now is pure genius.
2. Flex Mentallo
Many consider this the best comic book by Morrison. While like most of Morrison's work, it is a tribute to comic books themselves. Instead of using the perspective of the Superheroes, he uses the readers in this particular work. It's the ultimate comic book about comic books. Because of a lawsuit, DC is now afraid to release this book into trade. It really is a shame because if any of Morrison's work deserves to be collected and revisited over and over again, it is Flex Mentallo. Hopefully DC will overcome this fear and we fans will be rewarded with a worthy collected edition. Maybe in hardcover? One can always dream.
1. All-Star Superman
Of course All-Star Superman would be number one. Sure, it's not as complex as his other work or as deep, but it is obviously his most meaningful and has his ever writing is in these 12 issues. Every issue in this wonderful series if pure gold. There isn't one weak moment in All-Star and each character is written to perfection. This is more than a Superman story, this is a tribute to the greatest comic book hero of all time. Each character is written to represent the perfect version of themselves. Jimmy Olsen in this story is a tribute to the character himself. Here we are given the perfect Lex Luther as well. He is the ultimate evil genius. Morrison created a Superman that anyone of us can relate to. He is the good in all of us. If you ever hear anyone say that there is nothing that can be done with the character anymore, give them this book and prove them wrong. The relationship between Superman and Lois is one that we can actually care about. They work so well with each other. I don't know what Morrison tapped into when writing this series but the dialogue is so smooth and fluent. Like I said, everyone is written to perfection.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Who is Peter Milligan?
Sure, there are the great comic book writers that we all know by name. We have Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, Stan Lee, Chris Clairmont and so on. But one name that I see that constantly gets overlooked is Peter Milligan. Who is Peter Milligan? Well, he is a British comic book writer that came into the scene during the Brit-wave of comics. With names like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison on the list at the same name, Milligan just got the short end of the stick. This does not mean however, that he is less talented than any of the names I just listed. Actually, the opposite may be true in some perspectives.
I have not read the entire library of Peter Milligan and sadly the only way to find some of his stuff is through the internet. Milligan has many great books that haven't been put into trade or if they were then a lot of them hasn't been reprinted for quite some time now. In a way, I am still a newby to Millgain compared to those who have read his entire body of work but I have based an opinion on the guy from what of his I have read so far. I have read X-Force/X-Statix, Enigma, Face, The Eaters, The Extremist, most of Egypt, the first trade of Shade: The Changing Man, and the first trade of Greek Street. All of these have been extremely good and completely original. Each character is written to perfection and completely believable. Milligan can strike up a tale just as obscure and psychedelic as Morrison but do it with character development that is up to par with Gaiman.
X-Force and X-Statix was one of the the first parody type comics I ever read and it is probably one of the best comic book runs ever written. Milligan took the idea of the Superhero in the Marvel Universe and made them into nothing more than mere celebrities. Fame was now their main concern and each act of heroism that they committed was just for publicity. The Eaters was a silly, almost comical graphic novel about a cannibalistic family going on a road trip. Enigma was about identity and was a great deconstruction of the superhero genre, at times maybe even better than watchmen. The Extremist is about escaping the numbness of the world and finding something to escape into. Out of all the Millgan stuff I have read, The Extremist may be the darkest and most terrifying. While I don't feel I should express much of an opinion on Egypt, Shade, or Greek Street yet, I can say that so far they are all well written and I am especially looking forward to getting more of Shade. The first issue of that series was so amazing and obscure, that I can honestly say that I have never read anything like it.
Another talent that I noticed that Milligan has over a lot of other writers is the ability to cram as much story into one single issue and it still not coming out looking rushed. Only the best writers can pull this off and I am noticing more and more in comics, that there isn't much in a single comic book issue anymore. This is a sad thing when the price of comics only gets higher and higher and the amount of story that we get is continuously getting shorter. Whenever I get done with a single issue of a comic book, I want to feel satisfied. I want to be left wanting more, but not because the story was written half-ass. I want to be left wanting more because the story was engaging and creative. When you start seeing splash pages on about every other page, then there is something extremely wrong with the industry. But that is a topic for another time.
While I have not read everything that Milligan has to offer (which is a lot), I have read enough to where I would easily place him in my top comic writers. If he can grab my attention with me only reading a small fraction of his work, then he has to be one hell of a writer. It's a shame that the he doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. It's a shame that his classic Vertigo stuff hasn't been reprinted or that Greek Street got canceled way before it had much a chance to take off. I hear that Milligan is writing Hellblazer at the time though and from what I am hearing, it may be the best run that the title has seen yet.
I have not read the entire library of Peter Milligan and sadly the only way to find some of his stuff is through the internet. Milligan has many great books that haven't been put into trade or if they were then a lot of them hasn't been reprinted for quite some time now. In a way, I am still a newby to Millgain compared to those who have read his entire body of work but I have based an opinion on the guy from what of his I have read so far. I have read X-Force/X-Statix, Enigma, Face, The Eaters, The Extremist, most of Egypt, the first trade of Shade: The Changing Man, and the first trade of Greek Street. All of these have been extremely good and completely original. Each character is written to perfection and completely believable. Milligan can strike up a tale just as obscure and psychedelic as Morrison but do it with character development that is up to par with Gaiman.
X-Force and X-Statix was one of the the first parody type comics I ever read and it is probably one of the best comic book runs ever written. Milligan took the idea of the Superhero in the Marvel Universe and made them into nothing more than mere celebrities. Fame was now their main concern and each act of heroism that they committed was just for publicity. The Eaters was a silly, almost comical graphic novel about a cannibalistic family going on a road trip. Enigma was about identity and was a great deconstruction of the superhero genre, at times maybe even better than watchmen. The Extremist is about escaping the numbness of the world and finding something to escape into. Out of all the Millgan stuff I have read, The Extremist may be the darkest and most terrifying. While I don't feel I should express much of an opinion on Egypt, Shade, or Greek Street yet, I can say that so far they are all well written and I am especially looking forward to getting more of Shade. The first issue of that series was so amazing and obscure, that I can honestly say that I have never read anything like it.
Another talent that I noticed that Milligan has over a lot of other writers is the ability to cram as much story into one single issue and it still not coming out looking rushed. Only the best writers can pull this off and I am noticing more and more in comics, that there isn't much in a single comic book issue anymore. This is a sad thing when the price of comics only gets higher and higher and the amount of story that we get is continuously getting shorter. Whenever I get done with a single issue of a comic book, I want to feel satisfied. I want to be left wanting more, but not because the story was written half-ass. I want to be left wanting more because the story was engaging and creative. When you start seeing splash pages on about every other page, then there is something extremely wrong with the industry. But that is a topic for another time.
While I have not read everything that Milligan has to offer (which is a lot), I have read enough to where I would easily place him in my top comic writers. If he can grab my attention with me only reading a small fraction of his work, then he has to be one hell of a writer. It's a shame that the he doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. It's a shame that his classic Vertigo stuff hasn't been reprinted or that Greek Street got canceled way before it had much a chance to take off. I hear that Milligan is writing Hellblazer at the time though and from what I am hearing, it may be the best run that the title has seen yet.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Preludes and Nocturnes
Preludes and Nocturnes collects Sandman Issues 1-8:
“Sleep and the Just”
“Imperfect Hosts”
“...Dream a Little Dream of Me”
“A Hope in Hell”
“Passengers”
“24 Hours”
“Sound and Fury”
“The Sound of Her Wings”
“Wake up, Sir”
The start of something beautiful. That phrase is the best way to describe Preludes and Nocturnes. The first book itself, isn't as nearly as elegantly written as the rest of the series, but that's okay. This is the beginning, the starting point. This is where the reader doesn't know what waits for them at the end of the road. At first glance, Preludes and Nocturnes could almost just be another Swamp Thing rip-off and in someways it kind of is. Neil Gaiman openly admits that Alan Moore's Swamp Thing was one of his main influences when starting the series and throughout the earlier issues, you see little hints of Swamp Thing here and there. But the thing is, Neil Gaiman isn't Alan Moore. Slowly his writing in the series started to improve and by the time you get to the very last issue “The Sound of Her Wings”, you realize what possibilities may lay ahead.
While though the first book may be rough around the edges, there is still some great stuff here. And even though many claim to say the first great issue of the series is “The Sound of Her Wings”, I tend to disagree. To me, the first time the series really grabbed me would have been two issues before that. “24 Hours” is probably one of the most terrifying issue of any comic I have ever read period. Watching strangers being trapped in a dinner and manipulated by a mentally deranged man into revealing all their secrets and desires and then just letting them revert back to animal behavior is absolutely terrifying. To me, this is when the series changed. What really made the issue so much different than all the ones before it? I personally believe that it was the lack of Dream. Neil Gaiman would do fill in type stories like this one in later issues and every time it would just work. That is one of the most interesting things about the Sandman series. Dream isn't necessarily the main character at all times. Sure, you are reading the epic story of Morpheus, The Sandman but you always get a glimpse of how his presence effects the rest of the world.
Before “24 Hours”, there are still great moments here and there. The first issue of the series is still a great introduction to the series and all the guest stars in this book are pretty nice as well and don't take away from the storytelling too much. We get to see Etrigan and John Constantine, both who were is Moore's Swamp Thing. While I feel that Gaiman may write Constantine a little different than Moore did, I still enjoy this interpretation of him. He seems a little more sympathetic and not as much of a manipulator as he was in Swamp Thing. Dream's journey into Hell isn't as epic as it is later in the series, but there are still moments that make up for that.
As a Sandman fan, I have always been very critical of Preludes and Nocturnes. After reading it a second time, I feel that maybe I was a little too harsh on the book. Sure it's not a great book but it's not a bad one either. It's still better than most. People reading it for the first time will probably still get wrapped up into the story and have the urge to carry on in the series and for those of us that have already read it, there is still little things here and there that we can get a kick out of. The fact that it's the weaker of the other Sandman books really proves that the series just got better and better as it went on. It may not be a wonderful start but it is definitely the start of something beautiful.
“Sleep and the Just”
“Imperfect Hosts”
“...Dream a Little Dream of Me”
“A Hope in Hell”
“Passengers”
“24 Hours”
“Sound and Fury”
“The Sound of Her Wings”
“Wake up, Sir”
The start of something beautiful. That phrase is the best way to describe Preludes and Nocturnes. The first book itself, isn't as nearly as elegantly written as the rest of the series, but that's okay. This is the beginning, the starting point. This is where the reader doesn't know what waits for them at the end of the road. At first glance, Preludes and Nocturnes could almost just be another Swamp Thing rip-off and in someways it kind of is. Neil Gaiman openly admits that Alan Moore's Swamp Thing was one of his main influences when starting the series and throughout the earlier issues, you see little hints of Swamp Thing here and there. But the thing is, Neil Gaiman isn't Alan Moore. Slowly his writing in the series started to improve and by the time you get to the very last issue “The Sound of Her Wings”, you realize what possibilities may lay ahead.
While though the first book may be rough around the edges, there is still some great stuff here. And even though many claim to say the first great issue of the series is “The Sound of Her Wings”, I tend to disagree. To me, the first time the series really grabbed me would have been two issues before that. “24 Hours” is probably one of the most terrifying issue of any comic I have ever read period. Watching strangers being trapped in a dinner and manipulated by a mentally deranged man into revealing all their secrets and desires and then just letting them revert back to animal behavior is absolutely terrifying. To me, this is when the series changed. What really made the issue so much different than all the ones before it? I personally believe that it was the lack of Dream. Neil Gaiman would do fill in type stories like this one in later issues and every time it would just work. That is one of the most interesting things about the Sandman series. Dream isn't necessarily the main character at all times. Sure, you are reading the epic story of Morpheus, The Sandman but you always get a glimpse of how his presence effects the rest of the world.
Before “24 Hours”, there are still great moments here and there. The first issue of the series is still a great introduction to the series and all the guest stars in this book are pretty nice as well and don't take away from the storytelling too much. We get to see Etrigan and John Constantine, both who were is Moore's Swamp Thing. While I feel that Gaiman may write Constantine a little different than Moore did, I still enjoy this interpretation of him. He seems a little more sympathetic and not as much of a manipulator as he was in Swamp Thing. Dream's journey into Hell isn't as epic as it is later in the series, but there are still moments that make up for that.
As a Sandman fan, I have always been very critical of Preludes and Nocturnes. After reading it a second time, I feel that maybe I was a little too harsh on the book. Sure it's not a great book but it's not a bad one either. It's still better than most. People reading it for the first time will probably still get wrapped up into the story and have the urge to carry on in the series and for those of us that have already read it, there is still little things here and there that we can get a kick out of. The fact that it's the weaker of the other Sandman books really proves that the series just got better and better as it went on. It may not be a wonderful start but it is definitely the start of something beautiful.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Sandman Entries
I have thought about it for a while now and decided that I would write about Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. It's my favorite comic book series of all time and more than that, it is probably one of the most acclaimed comic book series of all time. Why is that exactly? Is it over hyped by millions of comic book fans and Gaiman fans? Or is it really as good as people claim it to be? The answer is as simple as this...
It's really that good.
The problem with writing about Sandman is the fact that I can't actually say anything new. This comic book has been the topic of more discussions and articles than just about any other comic book ever created. As a matter of fact, I am looking at a book called “The Sandman Papers”, which is a collection of articles, written by various people on the Sandman series. But since, I love the series so much and I really want to get this blog going, I decided why the hell not.
Just so that I can keep a fresh mind as I write these entries, I decided to go back and reread the entire series. Actually, I wanted to reread the entire series anyway, so that is just a bonus really. But as I go through each book, I will write an entry on just that particular book. For those of you who have not had a chance to read the series, I will most definitely spoil major plot points. The Sandman epic was written in 75 issues and collected into 10 volumes (books). Those are as followed.
Preludes and Nocturnes
The Doll's House
Dream Country
Season of Mists
A Game of You
Brief Lives
Worlds' End
The Kindly Ones
The Wake
Enjoy.
It's really that good.
The problem with writing about Sandman is the fact that I can't actually say anything new. This comic book has been the topic of more discussions and articles than just about any other comic book ever created. As a matter of fact, I am looking at a book called “The Sandman Papers”, which is a collection of articles, written by various people on the Sandman series. But since, I love the series so much and I really want to get this blog going, I decided why the hell not.
Just so that I can keep a fresh mind as I write these entries, I decided to go back and reread the entire series. Actually, I wanted to reread the entire series anyway, so that is just a bonus really. But as I go through each book, I will write an entry on just that particular book. For those of you who have not had a chance to read the series, I will most definitely spoil major plot points. The Sandman epic was written in 75 issues and collected into 10 volumes (books). Those are as followed.
Preludes and Nocturnes
The Doll's House
Dream Country
Season of Mists
A Game of You
Brief Lives
Worlds' End
The Kindly Ones
The Wake
Enjoy.
A New Blog, A New Day
Earlier this year, I didn't have enough time to work on a blog at all. Now that it seems that I will have the time, I decided to start over. What's the reason anyone really creates a blog? I think my main reason is that I simply enjoy writing. I am a comic geek in a sense, so that will probably be what the majority of my post will be about but just to give anyone a heads up that may want to read, I figured that I would explain a little about myself. I am a 22 year old male (turn 23 later this month) and I enjoy all types of storytelling. I enjoy comics, movies, novels, poetry, and anything else that may possess the power to tell a deep and compelling story. Most of what I chose to write about will probably have to do with some form of storytelling. At times I may write about any random topic that just comes to my head or any particular topic I may want to write about. I am an atheist, so I may even talk about that from time to time.
This is something that I have really been wanting to do but have just been too lazy to actually do it. Who knows, maybe I will get distracted and never return to this again. Maybe I will keep it updated on a regular bases. Guess only time will tell.
This is something that I have really been wanting to do but have just been too lazy to actually do it. Who knows, maybe I will get distracted and never return to this again. Maybe I will keep it updated on a regular bases. Guess only time will tell.
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