Obviously, I love seeing these annotations, as someone who spent years doing that back in the 90s for my Starman magazine, (if ever there was a non Grant, non-AM book that needed them). 😀
I've always seen Anton as the kid that got wedgies at school, then made up a Satanic Rule that wedgies justify the response of " destroy them utterly", but nobody else cared and he got wedgied again the very day after he wrote it and was able to destroy absolutely nobody.
Impotence de/ex/e/ec/illorum satanus all apply.
I respect his bottom line of demanding respect, but am aware that demanding anything is an almost fail-safe way to ending up with fuck all or thereabouts.
Which brings me to my point of what I appreciated most and learned the most from reading your reddit Q&A.
Have no points to defend.
That simple.
Anton there is playing siege wars or some shite with his demanding the world conform to his expectations... or receive his unbridled wrath!
The world of course pisses itself laughing, and that's on a good day when it's well humored, which is not every day.
What I picked up from when I read your replies was some i-ching level understanding of how things really work, and it's a thing of such simplicity and great beauty I'm still having to nudge my arse cheeks to fully absorb and internalize.
Grant - I see.. Thanks for peeling back the layers of the cake!
You make the thinking and development process sound so obvious - lol. I'm looking forward to reading the Deadpool/Batman - not sure where to look in Shanghai though. How you describe the relationship between Deadpool and Batman is both refreshing and kinda realeaving.
I read out Batman's "Are you still talking line" to the staffroom and it broke people. Very hyped.
I'll admit, when you put it in plane terms, the level of your procfessionalism is a little daunting - all the influences, constrants, the audience awareness, the sheer excitement - but in a 'standing on a cliff waiting to jump' sort of way. Intimidating but motivating.
I've had a Constantine idea in mind for a while. When I get the time, I'd like to apply your approach. Hopefully, I'll have more success than the last few attempts.
Batman/Deadpool was absolutely hilarious. It's so easy to be impressed with your work, how you shift between narrative MO's chameleon style, there is no doubt that you have mastered the dynamism of technical range that 99% of writers find their own skill void of. Rest assured true believers, Grant Morrison is many things, but he is NOT a one-trick pony. You are just awesome.
I am reminded of the Animal Man days, not because of the meta-fiction, but with the tone and intention of the work. It feels that you are again at play in the fields of DC's cosmo-geography, free to weave and duck and throw any left hook you desire. And that's how it should be.
There's so much to laugh about. Deadpool has never been written better. Batman hasn't been as fun since you left him back in 2013. The first chapter was the obvious standout, I could read a hundred pages of Bats and Pool banter, but this is true of any duo you write. I just recently finished reading your Green Lantern run, and some of my favorite issues are the team-ups with Green Arrow and Flash. You have such a knack for normal conversation that operates with a natural flow of coherence amidst the blitz of comic-book phantasmagoria. It truly feels like these characters are alive when you write them, and continuity always seems massive and sprawling the way the best DC comics are.
I am in love with the idea that the DC and Marvel universes having crossovers are represented by their anthropomorphic simulacra-selves engaging in one-night stands and then parting ways. This is so damn funny, and it connects well with what you spoke about in one of your last posts regarding a writer's understanding of how to portray 'cosmic' story in a fresh and novel way.
The book was a triumph, as was expected, and nobody is surprised. And duh, I had to buy the Quitely variant.
MY QUEST-(for+the)-IONS!
1. I watched Babylon and thought it was absolutely fantastic. Probably the most underrated masterpiece of all time. The final sequence with Manny in the theater hit like a locomotive. Brilliant stuff. But have you read Kenneth Anger's bat-shit expose Hollywood Babylon? Like you, I am a huge fan of his short films, but I was floored with the jagged smear of his prose. Highly recommend.
2. Natural Born Killers, now that was a damn good movie. Thank you for putting me on, one of my new favorite films. I remember being unimpressed by Stone's "Platoon", but this film was a revelation. If the Invisibles was ever adapted onto the screen, it must be like this. Are there any other good Oliver Stone flicks you recommend, or any of your favorite films that carry a similar magic with their arrangement? Also, RDJ gave a career best performance.
3. Tell me about Trent Reznor! His soundtracks for films are all wonderful, and his performance in that one amazing episode of Twin Peaks: The Return was excellent. What of his discography with the Nine Inch Nails would you recommend?
4. I reread Multiversity recently, what a wonderful work that has not yet been surpassed. My favorite was the SOS issue, and Immortal Man is one of my favorite DC deep-cut characters. However, it's hard to beat the masterclass that is Pax Americana. I wonder, does Captain Adam escape from the particle accelerator into the narrative of Superman Beyond, joining the Super-Folk to best Mandrakk, and then bringing back saving grace of 8-fold symmetry to the broken Babylon of Earth-4?
There's always too much to talk about, Grant. Xanaduum gives me life.
I read that "I can see you" and looked to the left with a dimethyltrypta-pen and it happenned in triplicate. Whenever Buddy says it I have to look behind me. J. Ostrander I think must have enjoyed Animal Man but like all DC writers of that time saw you as Mr. Pretentious. Can't wait for the next Robservations.
despite our necessary abscence for a moment, when we heard (read?) the news, we hoped itd be understood that we're with you in spirit. though we break the silence now to groan into the abyss and offer our condolences, we understand the struggle of finding a muse, a reason, to carry on creating for.
sentimental- david vertesi
a portrait of- sorority noise
1979- the smashing pumpkins
black honey- thrice (RK had this song stuck in their head a few days before the most recent announcement of DRAAG openers... of course.)
arrows room 117- mad caddies
the lottery- the used
lights- 1876
my brain- morphine
heresey- nine inch nails
the love song- marilyn manson
irene- vapors of morphine (<this band is the remenents of the band morphine [above] after the lead singer died)
the god of lying (feat. IDLES)- gorillaz
bad company- five finger death punch
wasteland- 10 years 😔✊
we both reached for the gun- christine baranski et al. from chicago film 2002
the other side- vapors of morphine
unlucky rabbits foot- packtion
trick- hottub
wire- worthikids
vida de rico- camilo
they might be gone, but we can still create for them in their memory. sure, the 3 dimensional aspect of them has passed on, but how can you be so sure he isnt sitting next to you by your desk anticipating for the next story or piece to errupt from your mind akin to Athena breaking through Zeus' terrible pain...
while we can agree on the stance of the Tralfamadorians, theres still the human recognition of the liminal space between the dimensions. we hope our mini radio station to you can soothe some aspect of that.
still looking forward to finishing your luvkraft chapters! we haven't gotten around to reading them aloud yet with our mismatched schedule, but the time is nearly upon us, so in the meantime we are sending are well wishes.
regarding the AI aspect, RK and I have been meaning to offer this, but weren't entirely sure if it was a rude ask, so might as well ask it plainly. Instead of using AI images to emphasize your points, would you be willing to send the same type of prompt you would to an AI like DALLE and instead send it to us? we'll take up much less of an environmental impact AND still "generate" and synthesize images.
Another comic where I have to say that I feel like it's made just for me and I have to ask how much of that is me representing your mark like some kind of Bizarro muse and how much of it is because this is what I've been shaped to want.
Here we are: it's the event of the decade, a clash between the most marketable icons in a cinematic tie-in of sorts, it's apparently your last venture into canon adjacency...
And then what strikes me is that the real heart here is tidying up John Ostrander's Suicide Squad. I started to try to explain that to people before realizing that they enjoyed it plenty without understanding that.
I don't know what your relationship with John is like to warrant this. He was the first comics writer who I chatted with online in the 90s. I'd say of his work that he's a tremendous talent I haven't read nearly enough of. I don't know that he's in my top 10 favorites and yet I'd also freely call him a genius and a poet based on extremely limited interactions. I probably know him better as a person than I know his body of work although I enjoyed his Spectre and heard him say brilliant things.
Honestly, this just reinforces my thesis that western comics have been this sort of dive bar where all of the polymaths and poets are and how probably the worst sleazeball with the slimmest portfolio in comics contains multitudes in excess of the entire lineage of Caesars and Pharoahs and Kennedys. By the time you arrive up the ladder to a stalwart like Ostrander, you have a man I wouldn't hesitate more than three seconds about turning the world's control over to. I say this not as a fan or a non-fan but more to the general character of comics as a space and his place in it that I think I could safely assume him to be better suited to running the world than anyone currently attempting it, at least intellectually and creatively.
I suspect I have more faith in the worst monsters and oddest oddballs of comics, that convicted murderer from the 80s Crimson Avenger or Fletcher Hanks, than I'd have in any bank president or public official. The only time I ever seriously thought NFTs or Crypto showed potential was seeing Todd McFarlane gush about them and I suppose that's because I think he probably has a better sense of reality than blockchain engineers with double his IQ saying the same (or opposite) thing.
Comics seem to be the one place in our universe where we actually intersect with a higher reality. All else is somewhat less plausible or credible.
I'll note I'm still an NFT extreme skeptic for those who don't know me. I'm just saying that Todd McFarlane probably moved the needle for me a millimeter by virtue of being comics adjacent more than all the world's economists could put together. It's a statement about comics as a platform and community, not about the value of JPEGs.
I once got recommended a video that, based on the icon, seemed to be arguing that you and Alan were both acolytes of Crowley sent to destroy Western Civilization. I didn't watch it before it was taken down on account of it being three hours long. And that just sounded like an utterly miserable time.
When it comes to comic scripting, how do you go about writing a long conversation? Something that goes well above 24 pages.
Also, having heard you mention a second Sebastian O, I revisited the series and got a Victorian Lupin the Third vibe off them. How familiar are you with the fictions of Arsène Lupin and his descendants?
Obviously, I love seeing these annotations, as someone who spent years doing that back in the 90s for my Starman magazine, (if ever there was a non Grant, non-AM book that needed them). 😀
Holy Chao! What a comic! That genuinely had everything and more. It even got me to go out to my brick and mortar LCS :)))
The "I was designed to function without feet" bit will do numbers for years and years.
And Dan Mora, man, just baffling perfection on every info-rich page.
Looking fwd to more annotations!
Curious to know which signee of the 3rd wall got obscured by the word balloon!
Also! By day I am a mild-mannered high school "creative tech" teacher in North Philly, where we hold weekly meetings for our Comic Book & Manga Club.
BATMAN/DEADPOOL was a big hit with the teens, who usually lean towards the manga side of things.
I've always seen Anton as the kid that got wedgies at school, then made up a Satanic Rule that wedgies justify the response of " destroy them utterly", but nobody else cared and he got wedgied again the very day after he wrote it and was able to destroy absolutely nobody.
Impotence de/ex/e/ec/illorum satanus all apply.
I respect his bottom line of demanding respect, but am aware that demanding anything is an almost fail-safe way to ending up with fuck all or thereabouts.
Which brings me to my point of what I appreciated most and learned the most from reading your reddit Q&A.
Have no points to defend.
That simple.
Anton there is playing siege wars or some shite with his demanding the world conform to his expectations... or receive his unbridled wrath!
The world of course pisses itself laughing, and that's on a good day when it's well humored, which is not every day.
What I picked up from when I read your replies was some i-ching level understanding of how things really work, and it's a thing of such simplicity and great beauty I'm still having to nudge my arse cheeks to fully absorb and internalize.
>"Be water my friend"
What?!
>You heard.
Everything Flows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctYYFETItUc
Grant - I see.. Thanks for peeling back the layers of the cake!
You make the thinking and development process sound so obvious - lol. I'm looking forward to reading the Deadpool/Batman - not sure where to look in Shanghai though. How you describe the relationship between Deadpool and Batman is both refreshing and kinda realeaving.
I read out Batman's "Are you still talking line" to the staffroom and it broke people. Very hyped.
I'll admit, when you put it in plane terms, the level of your procfessionalism is a little daunting - all the influences, constrants, the audience awareness, the sheer excitement - but in a 'standing on a cliff waiting to jump' sort of way. Intimidating but motivating.
I've had a Constantine idea in mind for a while. When I get the time, I'd like to apply your approach. Hopefully, I'll have more success than the last few attempts.
"I was designed to function without feet."
Batman/Deadpool was absolutely hilarious. It's so easy to be impressed with your work, how you shift between narrative MO's chameleon style, there is no doubt that you have mastered the dynamism of technical range that 99% of writers find their own skill void of. Rest assured true believers, Grant Morrison is many things, but he is NOT a one-trick pony. You are just awesome.
I am reminded of the Animal Man days, not because of the meta-fiction, but with the tone and intention of the work. It feels that you are again at play in the fields of DC's cosmo-geography, free to weave and duck and throw any left hook you desire. And that's how it should be.
There's so much to laugh about. Deadpool has never been written better. Batman hasn't been as fun since you left him back in 2013. The first chapter was the obvious standout, I could read a hundred pages of Bats and Pool banter, but this is true of any duo you write. I just recently finished reading your Green Lantern run, and some of my favorite issues are the team-ups with Green Arrow and Flash. You have such a knack for normal conversation that operates with a natural flow of coherence amidst the blitz of comic-book phantasmagoria. It truly feels like these characters are alive when you write them, and continuity always seems massive and sprawling the way the best DC comics are.
I am in love with the idea that the DC and Marvel universes having crossovers are represented by their anthropomorphic simulacra-selves engaging in one-night stands and then parting ways. This is so damn funny, and it connects well with what you spoke about in one of your last posts regarding a writer's understanding of how to portray 'cosmic' story in a fresh and novel way.
The book was a triumph, as was expected, and nobody is surprised. And duh, I had to buy the Quitely variant.
MY QUEST-(for+the)-IONS!
1. I watched Babylon and thought it was absolutely fantastic. Probably the most underrated masterpiece of all time. The final sequence with Manny in the theater hit like a locomotive. Brilliant stuff. But have you read Kenneth Anger's bat-shit expose Hollywood Babylon? Like you, I am a huge fan of his short films, but I was floored with the jagged smear of his prose. Highly recommend.
2. Natural Born Killers, now that was a damn good movie. Thank you for putting me on, one of my new favorite films. I remember being unimpressed by Stone's "Platoon", but this film was a revelation. If the Invisibles was ever adapted onto the screen, it must be like this. Are there any other good Oliver Stone flicks you recommend, or any of your favorite films that carry a similar magic with their arrangement? Also, RDJ gave a career best performance.
3. Tell me about Trent Reznor! His soundtracks for films are all wonderful, and his performance in that one amazing episode of Twin Peaks: The Return was excellent. What of his discography with the Nine Inch Nails would you recommend?
4. I reread Multiversity recently, what a wonderful work that has not yet been surpassed. My favorite was the SOS issue, and Immortal Man is one of my favorite DC deep-cut characters. However, it's hard to beat the masterclass that is Pax Americana. I wonder, does Captain Adam escape from the particle accelerator into the narrative of Superman Beyond, joining the Super-Folk to best Mandrakk, and then bringing back saving grace of 8-fold symmetry to the broken Babylon of Earth-4?
There's always too much to talk about, Grant. Xanaduum gives me life.
Hope you are doing well!
I read that "I can see you" and looked to the left with a dimethyltrypta-pen and it happenned in triplicate. Whenever Buddy says it I have to look behind me. J. Ostrander I think must have enjoyed Animal Man but like all DC writers of that time saw you as Mr. Pretentious. Can't wait for the next Robservations.
future pending...
despite our necessary abscence for a moment, when we heard (read?) the news, we hoped itd be understood that we're with you in spirit. though we break the silence now to groan into the abyss and offer our condolences, we understand the struggle of finding a muse, a reason, to carry on creating for.
sentimental- david vertesi
a portrait of- sorority noise
1979- the smashing pumpkins
black honey- thrice (RK had this song stuck in their head a few days before the most recent announcement of DRAAG openers... of course.)
arrows room 117- mad caddies
the lottery- the used
lights- 1876
my brain- morphine
heresey- nine inch nails
the love song- marilyn manson
irene- vapors of morphine (<this band is the remenents of the band morphine [above] after the lead singer died)
the god of lying (feat. IDLES)- gorillaz
bad company- five finger death punch
wasteland- 10 years 😔✊
we both reached for the gun- christine baranski et al. from chicago film 2002
the other side- vapors of morphine
unlucky rabbits foot- packtion
trick- hottub
wire- worthikids
vida de rico- camilo
they might be gone, but we can still create for them in their memory. sure, the 3 dimensional aspect of them has passed on, but how can you be so sure he isnt sitting next to you by your desk anticipating for the next story or piece to errupt from your mind akin to Athena breaking through Zeus' terrible pain...
while we can agree on the stance of the Tralfamadorians, theres still the human recognition of the liminal space between the dimensions. we hope our mini radio station to you can soothe some aspect of that.
still looking forward to finishing your luvkraft chapters! we haven't gotten around to reading them aloud yet with our mismatched schedule, but the time is nearly upon us, so in the meantime we are sending are well wishes.
regarding the AI aspect, RK and I have been meaning to offer this, but weren't entirely sure if it was a rude ask, so might as well ask it plainly. Instead of using AI images to emphasize your points, would you be willing to send the same type of prompt you would to an AI like DALLE and instead send it to us? we'll take up much less of an environmental impact AND still "generate" and synthesize images.
Another comic where I have to say that I feel like it's made just for me and I have to ask how much of that is me representing your mark like some kind of Bizarro muse and how much of it is because this is what I've been shaped to want.
Here we are: it's the event of the decade, a clash between the most marketable icons in a cinematic tie-in of sorts, it's apparently your last venture into canon adjacency...
And then what strikes me is that the real heart here is tidying up John Ostrander's Suicide Squad. I started to try to explain that to people before realizing that they enjoyed it plenty without understanding that.
I don't know what your relationship with John is like to warrant this. He was the first comics writer who I chatted with online in the 90s. I'd say of his work that he's a tremendous talent I haven't read nearly enough of. I don't know that he's in my top 10 favorites and yet I'd also freely call him a genius and a poet based on extremely limited interactions. I probably know him better as a person than I know his body of work although I enjoyed his Spectre and heard him say brilliant things.
Honestly, this just reinforces my thesis that western comics have been this sort of dive bar where all of the polymaths and poets are and how probably the worst sleazeball with the slimmest portfolio in comics contains multitudes in excess of the entire lineage of Caesars and Pharoahs and Kennedys. By the time you arrive up the ladder to a stalwart like Ostrander, you have a man I wouldn't hesitate more than three seconds about turning the world's control over to. I say this not as a fan or a non-fan but more to the general character of comics as a space and his place in it that I think I could safely assume him to be better suited to running the world than anyone currently attempting it, at least intellectually and creatively.
I suspect I have more faith in the worst monsters and oddest oddballs of comics, that convicted murderer from the 80s Crimson Avenger or Fletcher Hanks, than I'd have in any bank president or public official. The only time I ever seriously thought NFTs or Crypto showed potential was seeing Todd McFarlane gush about them and I suppose that's because I think he probably has a better sense of reality than blockchain engineers with double his IQ saying the same (or opposite) thing.
Comics seem to be the one place in our universe where we actually intersect with a higher reality. All else is somewhat less plausible or credible.
I'll note I'm still an NFT extreme skeptic for those who don't know me. I'm just saying that Todd McFarlane probably moved the needle for me a millimeter by virtue of being comics adjacent more than all the world's economists could put together. It's a statement about comics as a platform and community, not about the value of JPEGs.
I once got recommended a video that, based on the icon, seemed to be arguing that you and Alan were both acolytes of Crowley sent to destroy Western Civilization. I didn't watch it before it was taken down on account of it being three hours long. And that just sounded like an utterly miserable time.
When it comes to comic scripting, how do you go about writing a long conversation? Something that goes well above 24 pages.
Also, having heard you mention a second Sebastian O, I revisited the series and got a Victorian Lupin the Third vibe off them. How familiar are you with the fictions of Arsène Lupin and his descendants?