My love/hate relationship with Grant Morrison 01

The first thing I ever read from Mr Morrison was his Arkham Asylum story. And I enjoyed it very much. But since then I have found that with any work from Morrison I either love it or hate it,no middle ground at all. So when he started "Invisibles" I didn't bother with it. But just recently I got the above issue in a random lot I won off EBAY. Now I had read the first 5 or so issues of the first volume of Invisibles. And had heard that the later volumes get even weirder. So with this info I sat down to read the 5th issue of the the 3rd volume of Invisibles. And I loved it,sure it was very strange and IIRC Grant has mentioned in many interviews about how while he was writing most of the three volumes that make up the Invisible oeuvre he was on either LSD or magic mushrooms. And while it shows in the writing it is still well written enough for anyone willing to take the time to actually think while reading to understand it. First off the cover by Brian Bolland is just stunning,and I would love to have it reproduced as a poster. The interior artwork by Sean Philips is a perfect choice for this very trippy story. The inks by Jay Stephens help add to the lushness that is the art. The only minor drawback to this comic is now I have a strong urge to go out and either buy all the floppies of all 3 volumes or get the trades. Now I wouldn't recommend this to anyone that doesn't like having to "work" to understand their entertainment,but if you like something that challenges you while you are reading it Invisibles by Grant Morrison and the various artists has to be one of the best. Invisibles Volume 3 issue 5 gets a A-.

TPB winner 04

Animal Man volume 1

Story by Grant Morrison

Art by Chas Truog and Tom Grummett

This is a trade paperback reprinting the first 9 issues of the best series coming out from DC comics in the late 80's. Before this series Buddy Baker AKA Animal Man was a mostly forgetten hero. He has the power to gain the ability of any near by animal. So he can have the strength of a gorilla, or the abiltity to regrown body parts like a lizard.What I love about Buddy is how he is a blue collar hero, since being a superhero doesn't pay that well He does stuntwork to earn money. The comic focuses on Buddy and his family,his wife Ellen,his son Cliff and his daughter Maxine.The first few issues find Buddy coming outta a semi retirement to help out a lab that does tests with animals. He soon finds out that this lab is doing horrible things to their test animals,and with the help of Bwanna Beast,another long forgotten hero,Buddy does his best to correct this wrong doing.These issues also have a funny scene were Buddy comes down stairs in his hero uniform ,but he has a black jacket on top of it. When asked by Ellen why he is wearing the jacket Buddy replies Well I need a place to keep my keys and money,and I feel kinda silly running around in spandex. This small touch is one of many that makes Buddy and his family seem more like real people and not just some charecters in a comic book. After the first animal testing storyline we get a handfull of done in one storys,but there is a underlying story that runs through these issues and many more to come. We see how since Buddy has a connection with animals he becomes a vegaterian,and how he becomes PETA's number 1 hero. We also get to see how Ellen and the kids deal with being the family of a superhero. Issue 5 is the acclaimed "Coyote Gospel" which is a Christ story with a Wile Coyote stand in. This issue is one that divides many people,some people think of it as the best issue of the series,and others hate it with a passion. I will admit that I like it but find it kinda preachy.The trade wraps up with an issue in which Buddy joins Justice League Europe,and since he is now a member of one of the biggest superhero teams,he gets all the perks. Which include a salary,and various home defense devices installed in his home,incase some supervillain wants to get back at buddy by attacking his family. This issue is full of humor and is a nice way to end this trade. One complaint I have heard about this trade is how you can tell it is part 1 of a longer storyline,which it is. But in my eyes it works good as a standalone. The story by Morrison is IMHO some of his best work. I am of the mind that when Morrison is working on a creator owned,or a b-list hero he is one of the best writers out there. But when you put him on an A-list title,he is pure shit. The artwork by Chas Truog for the first 8 issues is nothing to write home about,but isn't bad. It is just average. Issue 9 has very good artwork by Tom Grummett,and this is major step up from the previous 8 issues. The covers are all by Brian Bolland and each one is amazing. I would love to have a book that is just Bolland's various covers for this series,or end a series of posters of these covers. Animal Man Volume 1 gets an A.