Grant Morrison's "Supergods"

I've had it in my iPad for a couple weeks now, along with a bunch of other books I'm too lazy to get to.  Really looking forward to reading it and not understanding any of it, as with all of Morrison's writing.  I also have to run over to the Borders a block away to see what deals are to be had.

It's a book examining the history and meaning of the superhero, and it's also an autobiography. The former is excellent and worth your time - the latter part, well...

Before I continue, let me say that I'm a big fan of Morrison's work. His comics are consistently innovative and fascinating, and his All Star Superman stands as one of the greatest Superman stories of all time.

In Supergods, his version of comic history is very good, his take on Watchmen is appreciative yet critical, his summation of the Image Comics era is the finest I've come across; basically any section of the book where the author excludes himself is outstanding.

After reading the autobiographical sections, I wouldn't want to spend five minutes with the guy. His ego seems boundless. There doesn't seem to be a single cultural trend of the last forty years that Morrison doesn't feel he predicted or innovated. As he moves through the later twentieth century, the origins of every trend in comics, movies, and fashion are seemingly found in his work and/or lifestyle. His "foresight" is repeatedly "vindicated." The world is forever catching up to him.

Plus, he's out of his mind. Morrison believes that he has superpowers, that cyclical trends in culture can be traced to sunspots, that he is a 'chaos magician', that the DC universe is a real place he can visit, and that he has traveled to and communed with other dimensions. No Grant, you haven't. You're just a guy with a fertile imagination who's done a lot of drugs.

Oh, the drugs. Grant, you know what's really, really boring? Listening to someone else describe a dream. Since we didn't experience it ourselves, what may have been a profound and meaningful journey for them is just a string of random details to a listener. Reading about someone's mushroom trip is much like that.

Needed to rant. If you're at all a fan of superheroes, much of the book is worth reading. You'll know which sections to skip.

You're being ridiculously harsh. For one thing, who the fuck picks up a Grant Morrison autobiography without expecting some batshit craziness? Admittedly, I already knew about his 5-D experience in Kathmandu, so I was prepared for that, but what am I reading this book for, a list of supermodels he's fucked? If anything I wanted to read more about his insane magic(k)al rituals and cross-dressing. And as with Alan Moore, it's not as though he doesn't have a sense of humor about this stuff. The sunspot thing is bizarre, but he knows it, and he heavily qualifies it. Likewise, the "fictional reality" thing is just a metaphor or a mode of thought. I mean, come on, use a little poetic license here.

The ego thing? I dunno, I didn't read it as self-celebration when he listed his various projects, I thought he was just talking about his creative process. YMMV, I guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Prankster 

 who the fuck picks up a Grant Morrison autobiography without expecting some batshit craziness? 

 

That's just it - I didn't know I was picking up an autobiography, and I knew next to nothing about the man's personal life prior to reading this. I'm sorry that's changed. I didn't notice a sense of humor about the magic stuff - he seems to take it seriously. (And I can't bring myself to put that 'k' in magic.) I couldn't care less about the cross-dressing; anyone who tells me they're a genuine magician is no one I can take seriously. He may as well tell me his best friend is Bigfoot. Maybe you have to be a bit unhinged to be that creative.  

Just discovered this blog, which features a fascinating three-part takedown of Supergods--specifically one paragraph--and Morrison's current status quo. I have heard a lot of interesting, intelligent criticism of Morrison's apparent embrace of corporatism of late. I think the guy I just linked to is a little harsh--at one point (in the third entry) he honestly seems to argue that the X-Men didn't get grim n' gritty until Morrison took over, which is where he lost me for a bit--but there's a lot of thoughtful ideas there.