You like Joss Whedon?

(not sure why I sound like a F.O.B in the title)
So here it is. I am not sure of what is going to happen on Saturday, I found multiple things to write about, but I wanted to write something that would interest more than just me.

For this Side Note Saturday I compare two men, one from comic land and one from tv land ( there are some exceptions) and see how they duke it out!

MORRISON:

For those of you who are not comic book fans you are probably asking: who is Grant Morrison ?
Well, Grant is one of my favorite comic book writers. This last Thursday I read his Batman & Robin series and I am currently reading The Final Crisis, a series in which Batman dies.  One of Morrison's most acclaimed works in the Batman saga is Arkham Asylum.  It was one of the first graphic novels to use symbolic writing and graphics and leaves Batman's true self up to great interpretation. I personally love Morrison's dark scripts that are ridden with conspiracy, but I know many who would differ in opinion.

WHEDON:

Joss Whedon. I doubt there are many people who do not know this name. He is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Serenity, Dollhouse, and Angel. At some point in time I have been obsessed with at least one of Whedon's series (not Angel). His shows are like Veronica Mars with a supernatural twist. Most include strong female leads,  only the ones not shown on WB were canceled before their time, and I pretty sure all have made it to comic books. What many might not know about Whedon is that he actually wrote his own installment of X-men by the name of Astonishing X-men.  I read this complete series about a year ago, but I am in the process of re-reading it and it still does not fail to keep me on my feet.

WHEDON VS. MORRISON

           Both Morrison and Whedon wrote installments of X-men. I did not know this before coming up with this topic and have not read Morrison's X-men. Therefore, I will not be comparing these two upon how they write comics.
            Instead, I recommend to people who watch Joss Whedon shows to get into Morrison comics. If you never thought you would like comics or just don't know where to start, now and here is the time. As I am sure you already know, the comic book industry is making a HUGE comic back (HAHAHA) which only means old issues and classics that have been circulating in the system are begging to be rediscovered.

The following list is why I think these two go hand in hand:

• Strong Female Leads: You don't see this much in Morrison because he just doesn't have that many females there in the first place! But, when he does bring in BatGirl in Batman&Robin she is bad-ass. She basically outsmarts Dick Grayson in every way and straight up saves his butt in the end. In addition, Dick isn't a complete dick, he's actually kind of a weenie. He's got lots of deep issues to resolve and doesn't kick ass half as well as Bruce Wayne.
• Originality: Both authors have an authenticity to them.  For instance, you always know when you are watching a Joss Whedon show and the same goes for Grant Morrison's comics. I don't know if that makes any sense, but I guess what I feel when watching or reading either is a sense of Extreme Awesome Conspiracy BAMF personality with some messed up dark undertones. 

Examples:  

• Whedon: Buffy gettin all into Spike. 
• Morrison: Robin's Mom trying to kill Batman by taking over his body.

Read Whedon's X-men, he does excellent character development and a pretty elaborate plot line. BUT, if you leave that comic wishing for a bit more grit and mystery move on to Morrison. I would not start with Arkham, but instead work on the his Batman series or give his series The Invisibles a try ( I have not read it). If you have a craving for more Batman, then you should send me a comment and I will give you my opinion of a starter guide. Also, if you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but don't like Whedon's X-men, don't give up! There is new series out by Image Comics called Morning Glories. Keep in mind that this series is still ongoing, so you will have to wait for larger compilations to make it to the shelf, but it is definitely worthwhile.

       Anyway, the whole point of this is: if you like Whedon, you will like Morrison ( or Loeb....ooppsies!).

Other Articles I was Lookin At:


Talk about Double Identity ( wish I was from Africa)


TOPS of the TOPS

(TBA! SORRY!)