Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol

[I, Brian]

Anyone read much of Grant Morrion's work, especially on Doom Patrol?

There are few stories I've read which can remains as surreal and imaginative - yet capture something original and engaging - but this is what happened when Grant Morrison took on Doom Patrol and made it his own.

For some general plot summaries, check out this page:
http://www.rpi.edu/~bulloj/Doom_Patrol/stories.html

Danny The Street, Men from NOWHERE, Ultraist Geomancers...??

Great stuff.

[I, Brian]

Let's also open this up for other works by Grant Morrison - including Animal Man and Zenith, the later of which is one of the most original traditional super-hero stories after Watchmen.

[knivesout]

I've read several single issues of Doom Patrol from Morrison's era, but never managed to find an entire run. Hopefully I'll be able to locate the trade paperback at some point. The second Animal Man, Origin of the Species tpb is available at a nearby second-hand store. Should I buy it?

[I, Brian]

I'm afraid I haven't unpacked my Animal Man issues - but I remember them as relatively weak compared to Doom Patrol, though still with typically strong Morrison flavours, such as "what is reality", surreal characters, etc. I think someone else took over the writing half-way through my reading, which may be clouding my judgement somewhat.

[Princess Ivy]

not really read doom patrol, and got turned off animal man series when it caught him 'marking his territory' just felt they were taking things to literally for my tastes.

[I, Brian]

Animal Man was a bit variable - the only two issues that struck out where when Animal Man became part of a Road Runner cartoon, and another when a new writer came on board, and had Animal Man tear out a horses throat with his teeth.

[Princess Ivy]

yeah, hate to say it, but it is a bit of a 'generic' super power, and not been spectacularly handled, imho.

[I, Brian]

I'd agree - Animal Man was different but I don't remember it shining out particularly. I'm sure there were some interesting stories, but relative to Sandman, Hellblazer, and Doom Patrol, it was somewhat weak.

[Leto]

Grant morrison also got his hand on Hellblazer ? When ?

I'm not especially fond of his work - which I've discovered with New X-men and the Filth. For me is was just a copycat of older stories under a glam-trash (think Pete Doherty for the exact idea) gloss. All buzz, no talent. (once again to my eyes).

[I, Brian]

I meant that in the stable of DC Vertigo comics, Animal Man wasn't a strong one, especially in comparison to Sandman, Hellblazer, Doom Patrol...

However, I think Grant Morrison may have scripted a couple of issues for Hellblazer - I would have to check as it sort of rings bells but I'm not sure why. I know Neil Gaiman definitely wrote a Hellblazer - issue #25, I think, which was about leylines, and at the time of original reading seemed a little weak.

Not read his X-men work, but what Morrison works really well at is challenging the reader to question our place in reality - what is real? - but not every comic can allow that sort of philosophical introspectiveness in their remit.

Heck, even Neil Gaiman once wrote for adult magazines, though I'm not convinced those short stories would have much conceptually in common with Sandman.

[Leto]

Neil Gaiman wrote on Hellblazer, if not in the actual serie by including John Constantine and the Trenchcoat brigade in Books of Magik.

Sorry, but I think with Morrison it is really a matter of taste. I don't feel challenged by his writing, just bored by what I see as a marketing gig. Maybe because I saw heard of his concepts told again and again by start-uppers during the Internet bubble.

[I, Brian]

Did you ever read his Doom Patrol series? I would definitely suggest it was a high point of his writing, and worth looking at - it might seem a little pretentious and arty but his use of concepts is good as he pretty much moves away from any kind of normal superhero story.

I quite enjoyed Zenith, too, especially (I think it was the second) series when super heroes from all different realities had to team up to fight the Lloighor under the control of Maximan - some derivative Cthulhu Mythos in there, but Grant threw a nice couple of twists into the story.

[Leto]

Unfortunatly, yes. Have friend who praised him for so long that I gave it a try. And no, nothing special. He's a skilled writer but not a talented one, as Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman or Warren Ellis can be considered.

[knivesout]

Regarding Animal Man being a rather generic superhero, I had a look at the blurbs on some of the tpbs. Blurbs of course are selling pitches, but for it's worth they say that the whole concept of the Animal Man series was to take a run-of-the-mill hero and show him having his awareness expanded to the point where he started realising what he was - a made-up hero in someone's comic book.