Grant Morrison
A man who is an artist and many other things have been said about.
Take a listen and look for yourself.
Grant Morrison is highly-regarded as one of the most original and inventive writers to work in the comic book industry. He is recognised as being one of the best-selling writers in the medium for the last 20 years.
His revisionist Batman book ARKHAM ASYLUM (with artist Dave McKean) has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and won numerous awards, making it the most successful original graphic novel to be published in America. In 2009, Eidos released the best selling video game BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM inspired by the book.
In his time in comics, Morrison has revived many titles and contributed ground-breaking and top-selling runs of popular stories for the major companies including DC Comics characters; BATMAN, SUPERMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, DOOM PATROL, ANIMAL MAN and for Marvel Comics the best-selling monthly, NEW X-MEN, MARVEL BOY and FANTASTIC FOUR.
In addition he has created a number of revolutionary original series including, We3, THE INVISIBLES, THE FILTH, FLEX MENTALLO, ZENITH, SEBASTIAN O, MARVEL BOY, and the cult classics KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND, THE MYSTERY PLAY, SEAGUY and JOE THE BARBARIAN.
His Graphic Novels and Comic Book collections have been translated into 17 languages and are sold worldwide.
His revisionist Batman book ARKHAM ASYLUM (with artist Dave McKean) has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and won numerous awards, making it the most successful original graphic novel to be published in America. In 2009, Eidos released the best selling video game BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM inspired by the book.
In his time in comics, Morrison has revived many titles and contributed ground-breaking and top-selling runs of popular stories for the major companies including DC Comics characters; BATMAN, SUPERMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, DOOM PATROL, ANIMAL MAN and for Marvel Comics the best-selling monthly, NEW X-MEN, MARVEL BOY and FANTASTIC FOUR.
In addition he has created a number of revolutionary original series including, We3, THE INVISIBLES, THE FILTH, FLEX MENTALLO, ZENITH, SEBASTIAN O, MARVEL BOY, and the cult classics KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND, THE MYSTERY PLAY, SEAGUY and JOE THE BARBARIAN.
His Graphic Novels and Comic Book collections have been translated into 17 languages and are sold worldwide.
In the last 5 years, his books have won a number of major industry awards, including 3 times Eisner Award winning best series ALL STAR SUPERMAN and best limited series SEVEN SOLDIERS. Morrison has also won several Harvey Awards including Best Writer in 2009, a Scream Award and attained Lifetime Achievement status at the British Eagle Awards.
In 2008 Grant wrote the two top selling DC Comics titles FINAL CRISIS, and BATMAN. The controversial BATMAN R.I.P. storyline which has revolutionised the character has been caught in a worldwide press storm with reports of Grant ‘killing Batman’ in every major newspaper and on TV.
He is, in 2011, still at the helm of the BATMAN franchise having created the best-selling BATMAN & ROBIN in 2009, brought Bruce Wayne back into comics continuity in the series, BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE and is wrapping up the saga in BATMAN INCORPORATED, which is currently revolutionising the Batman concept.
As part of his remit at DC Comics, Morrison has also acted as a Consultant developing updated approaches on minor characters and recreating them as springboards for other writers. He has also had award winning and critical success using this revival method for his own maxi-series, Seven Soldiers in 2006. His take on Superman for ALL-STAR SUPERMAN cements his ability to breathe life into old franchises and his 4 year story run on Batman has woven a complex and intriguing best-selling tale not seen in decades.
Often courting controversy, many titles, other than BATMAN, have made headlines; ST.SWITHIN'S DAY - a story about a young man from the North attempting to assassinate Margaret Thatcher - had questions raised in the House of Commons, as did THE INVISIBLES, Morrison's highly-influential six-year long series about a group of occult terrorists (which has been said to have partly inspired the film THE MATRIX). Seen as cutting-edge and subversive, THE INVISIBLES and other series, like THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HITLER and BIG DAVE and DOOM PATROL, have been the subject of both academic discussion and popular media interest.
In 1997, Grant was the first comic book writer to be included as one of Entertainment Weekly's top 100 creative people in America.
In 2008 Grant wrote the two top selling DC Comics titles FINAL CRISIS, and BATMAN. The controversial BATMAN R.I.P. storyline which has revolutionised the character has been caught in a worldwide press storm with reports of Grant ‘killing Batman’ in every major newspaper and on TV.
He is, in 2011, still at the helm of the BATMAN franchise having created the best-selling BATMAN & ROBIN in 2009, brought Bruce Wayne back into comics continuity in the series, BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE and is wrapping up the saga in BATMAN INCORPORATED, which is currently revolutionising the Batman concept.
As part of his remit at DC Comics, Morrison has also acted as a Consultant developing updated approaches on minor characters and recreating them as springboards for other writers. He has also had award winning and critical success using this revival method for his own maxi-series, Seven Soldiers in 2006. His take on Superman for ALL-STAR SUPERMAN cements his ability to breathe life into old franchises and his 4 year story run on Batman has woven a complex and intriguing best-selling tale not seen in decades.
Often courting controversy, many titles, other than BATMAN, have made headlines; ST.SWITHIN'S DAY - a story about a young man from the North attempting to assassinate Margaret Thatcher - had questions raised in the House of Commons, as did THE INVISIBLES, Morrison's highly-influential six-year long series about a group of occult terrorists (which has been said to have partly inspired the film THE MATRIX). Seen as cutting-edge and subversive, THE INVISIBLES and other series, like THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HITLER and BIG DAVE and DOOM PATROL, have been the subject of both academic discussion and popular media interest.
In 1997, Grant was the first comic book writer to be included as one of Entertainment Weekly's top 100 creative people in America.
In July 2011, SUPERGODS, his first major mainstream book will be published by Random House exploring the history of superheroes through the lens of his own experiences as a successful comic book writer.
Morrison has been a member of the WGA since 2003 and has written 3 screenplays, SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS for Dreamworks SKG, WE3, based on his acclaimed innovative DC/Vertigo series for New Line and AREA 51, based on the video game for Paramount Pictures.
Other treatments and scripts are in development in 2011, including SINATORO, an original genre film with Zdonk.
Thunder Road Pictures is currently developing a film adaptation of his latest creator owned series JOE THE BARBARIAN from DC’s adult-oriented Vertigo imprint.
For 2 years from August 2008, Morrison worked as a Consultant with Warner Bros on superhero and genre movies and maintains a relationship with DC Entertainment through the DC Comics division.
In Spring 2011, Warner Bros Animation released the feature based on his multi-award winning DC Comics series, ALL STAR SUPERMAN.
Morrison has been a member of the WGA since 2003 and has written 3 screenplays, SLEEPLESS KNIGHTS for Dreamworks SKG, WE3, based on his acclaimed innovative DC/Vertigo series for New Line and AREA 51, based on the video game for Paramount Pictures.
Other treatments and scripts are in development in 2011, including SINATORO, an original genre film with Zdonk.
Thunder Road Pictures is currently developing a film adaptation of his latest creator owned series JOE THE BARBARIAN from DC’s adult-oriented Vertigo imprint.
For 2 years from August 2008, Morrison worked as a Consultant with Warner Bros on superhero and genre movies and maintains a relationship with DC Entertainment through the DC Comics division.
In Spring 2011, Warner Bros Animation released the feature based on his multi-award winning DC Comics series, ALL STAR SUPERMAN.
He is currently developing a variety of television, film and videogames ideas based on new concepts, including a new sci-fi series, BONNYROAD with Paul McGuigan directing and Stephen Fry producing.
In 2008, Morrison worked on 18 DAYS, an animated serial version of the Indian Epic, MAHABHARATA, for Liquid Comics. A book of the development of the project was released in November 2010.
He has also worked on video games, with stories for Battlestar Galactica and Predator: Concrete Jungle, both by Vivendi Universal. There are current plans to develop original games.
Morrison is the author of two stage plays – ‘Red King Rising’ and ‘Depravity’, which, between them, won a Fringe First Award, the Independent Theatre Award for 1989 and the Evening Standard Award for new drama at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A new adaptation to take ‘Red King Rising’ to the big screen is being discussed.
He has written a number of short stories for popular anthologies including the ‘Hot Blood’ series and Penguin Books ‘Disco 2000’. ‘LOVELY BISCUITS’ a retrospective collection of short stories and theatre scripts was released in 1999 by Oneiros Books. His travel writing also appears in Penguin's ‘Fortune Hotel’ anthology and he has contributed to the architecture book, 'Malaparte: A House Like Me'.
His many articles and features written for the press and television include the media satire column ‘The Smell of Reason’ in Sleaze Nation magazine, pieces for the Glasgow Herald, the Evening Standard and GQ Style, as well as ambient erotic prose for the fetish magazine SKIN TWO.
His artwork has featured in various shows including, the CCA Gallery exhibition ‘Slipstream’ in 1998, at the Irish Institute of Modern Art in Dublin along with Turner Prize winner Douglas Gordon, where he also was a speaker. In 2007, ‘The Invisibles’ was included in the 1st Athens Bienalle, ‘Destroy Athens’ and more recently has featured several times with digital video artists AL+AL in their shows with Metal and FACT in Liverpool.
His life and work has been the subject of film and television documentaries, the feature length ‘Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods’ was released in October 2010.
He is a regular guest on TV and radio and participates in lectures as a prominent ‘counterculture’ spokesman, Previous events include the Unified Fields series of world summits at the Aspen Institute, Disinformation Company seminars and workshops in Manhattan, Los Angeles and the Omega Institute. In 2006 and 2008 at the San Diego Comic-Con, Morrison and Deepak Chopra held two major showcase panels to discuss the ‘Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes’.
Morrison, a practising Chaos magician since 1979, has travelled extensively, and played with various bands. He still writes and records music and stages semi-regular DJ happenings under the aegis of The Beastocracy in Glasgow and London.
Barely educated at Mosspark Primary and Allan Glen's School for Boys, he now lives and works between homes in Glasgow, Scotland and Los Angeles.
Outside of writing, Grant was short listed in the Most Stylish Male category at the 2007 Scottish Style Awards and was profiled in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of GQ Style with a portrait by David Bailey.
He is currently appearing in the music videos for My Chemical Romance’s songs ‘Na Na Na’ and ‘Sing’ as the villainous Korse.
Grant Morrison is represented by Lars Theriot, Ava Jamshidi and Kevin Crotty at ICM.
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