Susan Hated Literature

A serious house on serious earth
Writ: Grant Morrison Illustrator: Dave McKean
See also: Librarything ; Other reviews ; Read for RIP III

From the journals of Amadeus Arkham: In the years following my mother’s death, I think it’s true to say that the house became my whole world.

I think one the main reasons I picked this book up was because of the illustrator. I love Dave McKean’s style. But the fact that the story was written by Grant Morrison certainly didn’t hinder my purchase. After all he did produce the weirdness that was Lovely Biscuits, not to mention one of my favourite comics of all time, We3. And I really wasn’t disappointed with Arkham Asylum.

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As I mentioned in my last proper post Carl’s RIP challenge is on again. And as part of the first Peril I have to “Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose”. So, my list is:

• Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer - Its got vamps and werewolves, but I’m not sure that it is really scary. Still they fit with the whole supernatural theme of Hallowe’en, right?
• The Host by Stephanie Meyer - Alien abduction! But as it is Meyer I’m guessing it isn’t going to be that scary. But you never know, not til you read it.
• Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Dave McKean. Batman, in the asylum, written by Morrison. It’s got to be weird and scary.
• The Giant O’Brien by Hilary Mantel - I don’t think this is a horror, but it is described as a dark gothic tale which involves a doctor becoming obsessed with the giant Charles O’Brien and his desire to dissect him. Fun fun fun.

I may also add a few more when I look through the list of unread books. We’ll see.

Edited to add And I’m already adding books. First up I am Legend which I meant to read ages and ages ago but never got around to it. Thanks Andi.

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ISBN: 1902197011
Author: Grant Morrison
6 short stories plus an introduction by Stewart Home.

First line:
Blind in the city of light, Patricia walked carefull back through the Cimitiere Pere-Lachasie

Contents:
• The Braile Encyclopaedia
• The Room Where Love Lives
• Red King Rising
• Lovecraft in Heaven
• Depravity
• I’m A Policeman

I suppose weird would be a good one review of this collection, but I already knew that from the blurb. The blurb I didn’t actually read until after I bought the book. Weird, disturbing, but very readable would be a slightly longer review. Actually considering some of the descriptions and occurances, these stories are very readable.

Two of the 6 stories here are scripts, Red King Rising is a discussion/confrontation between a 13 year old Alice, and her creator, in the form of Lewis Carroll. The other Depravity features Aleister Crowley. Actually the majority of the prose here uses figures that you will be familar with. Lovecraft, for example^[1] features as well as those I’ve already mentioned.

If you’ve liked other work by Morrison you may enjoy this. Personally I doubt I’d reread it, but it was interesting, in a wtf way.

Grant Morrison.com | Pop Image | Book Diary | Crack Comics

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ISBN: 1401204953
Author: Frank Quitely & Grant Morrison
DDC: 741.5973

I heard about this comic over at The Woolamaloo Gazette, and when I took a look on the forbiddenplanet site it was quite cheap around nine euro I think, so I impulse purchased.

The plot is sort of Homeward Bound meets violence, death and the army. Three animals have been modified, equipped with armour, guns and taught how to speak, and are employed by the USAF as assassins. But the time has come for them to be decomissioned.

The rest of the book is their attempt to escape, and in the words of 1 we3 home now.

Sounds a bit Disney-esque, and it could easily have been quite “ah, purty animals go home.” But it isn’t. The animals don’t really say all that much. How much conversation can you expect from a dog, a cat and rabbit? So a lot of the book lets the artwork do the story-telling. And very effectively, imo.

I mentioned in my review of The Astonishing X-Men that I’m not a huge comic book/graphic novel reader, but that’ll change if I find more like this.

This is a very sad, moving book, and almost every other review I’ve read of it mentions how affecting it is. So I won’t say “enjoy”, but I do think it is worth picking up.

10/10, comic, graphic novel, sci fi

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