Review: Action Comics, the Grant Morrison Edition
Grant Morrison’s run on Action Comics has been met with both high praise and no small measure of bewilderment. But this is a legendary run – you just need to think five dimensionally.
When Morrison was announced as the writer of Action Comics #1, back in 2011, there was a great deal of excitement within the comics community. The man who had given us one of the greatest Superman books of all time, All-Star Superman, seemed a poetic choice as the architect of this brand new history. Morrison spoke of his love for the original Golden Age character, his socialist roots and desire to do good in the world; Superman as a folk tale, before he became the centrepiece of our modern mythology. The young Kal, standing proud and over-confident in his American jeans and self-branded t-shirt, cape flying behind him as he raced from one adventure to the next...
Read the full review at The Beat!
DC Comics: How The Mighty Have Fallen
In September 2011 I made the jump from buying trade collections of comics to also buying the monthly single issues, using DC's New 52 as a jumping on point and getting to grips with how comic book shops actually worked. Less than two years later, my pull list is far larger than I ever expected it to be, but now for the first time I'm looking at a list with zero DC comics on it.
Just one month ago I wrote about the comics I was most looking forward to in 2013, including various DC titles. What happened between then and now that has seen me abandon my erstwhile favourite publisher? Three things: the cancellation of titles that I love; the lack of commitment to progressing women's costumes with the reversion to Power Girl's former look; and the hiring of Orson Scott Card to write a Superman story.
Grant Morrison at the Edinburgh Book Festival – Full and Uncut
Grant Morrison made an appearance at the Edinburgh Book Festival this year to promote Supergods and have a Q&A session with the audience. Lots of talk about Wonder Woman, superheroes, the weaponisation of stories, risk taking, magic and the new Superman.
I did mean to publish this one not long after the interview went up, as I was sitting on it until after the newspaper publication, but I got slightly buried under other work - oops!
I've published my transcript in its entirety once more. I got a lot of good feedback on publishing the interview full and uncut though a couple of people weren't happy that I kept in Grant's tendency to ramble and his Scottishness. To be honest I feel that editing that out can often edit out the intent of what the person is actually saying (particularly for us fast talking Scots!), and while I am careful to keep my quotes up to scratch for a printed publication, it would be near impossible to edit a full transcript and be confident I wasn't misrepresenting the person.
In all my interaction with Grant Morrison the one thing I'm very sure of is his easy going manner, and that a lot of what he says (regardless of how you prefer to quote it) is both earnest and well humoured. Hopefully my interview with Alan Moore will be able to go up full and uncut too!
As always hit the jump for the full article.
Women in Comics: Women in the New 52 Reviewed
It's fair to say that DC have dominated the comic headlines in recent months, with their much hyped reboot/relaunch stirring up a great deal of controversy and interest for those with an existing interest in comics. A relaunch of any kind is guaranteed attention, but in assuring fans that this move was about attracting new readers and increasing diversity, DC found themselves firmly in the spotlight.
All the first issues are now out, and you've no doubt seen some of the more vitriolic criticism already. I've been waiting for the last week of #1's to arrive so that I could sit back and look at the comics as a whole as well as individually. Now my mega-review of women in the New 52 is ready... and it may not be what you are expecting.
Firstly, a huge thank you to Red Hot Comics for selling me all the comics I needed and going to great lengths to procure them! Despite being a huge fan of comics, I've previously only bought trade collections and graphic novels due to not living particularly near a comic shop. So I guess in some ways, I'm both an existing fan and a potential newcomer.
Full and Uncut Interview with Grant Morrison
I interviewed Grant Morrison for the UK broadsheet The Independent on Sunday, but of course the word limit for that was only 1000 words, while Grant happily chatted away for over an hour!
I was going to post up some snippets here but I've been informed by the masses that the full interview in all its lengthy glory is what the fans want! And I am not one to disappoint, particularly as I had a really good time interviewing Grant who is a very lovely and down to earth guy.
Hit the jump for answers on Supergods, Action Comics, Relaunches, socialist vegetarian Superman, Leviathan, women at DC, chaos magic, singing John Lennon, dying comics, the Batgirl of San Diego, and much more.
About a Grrrl
Freelance writer. Comic geek, film addict, metal head, book worm, gamer. Also working on my PhD.
This is a portfolio of my writing from across the internet and in print publications.
Oh, and I'm not a guy. A woman reading comics still surprises some people...