io9: frank quitely

We3

Graeme McMillan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:00:42 PST

There're so many reasons why We3 shouldn't have worked. A story with three cyborg animals as its main characters, going on an Incredible Journey-style adventure to escape captivity? It sounds almost laughable. But that's reckoning without the heart that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely brought to the execution, as well as just the sheer style of the thing - Quietly especially offers up art that can stop you dead in your tracks here. Both creators are at their best in We3, and the short length makes them cut all deadwood away in order to get to the point as quickly as possible, resulting in a fast-moving story that's both intimate and epic, as well as both sentimental and cynical, depending on which set of characters we're with at that point in the story. Instead of the potential funny animal trainwreck the high concept promised, We3 is pretty close to an example of perfect comics.

And, yes, we know that between this and Laika, we've got two animal-centric comics in our top 10. What can we say? We're pet people.

Next: Y: The Last Man

Must Read: X-Men: New X-Men Omnibus

grae — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:06:27 PDT

Must-read comics are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-read is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale.

Title: New X-Men Omnibus

Date: 2007 (reprinting material from 2001 - 2004).

Vitals: Given the task of refocusing Marvel's X-Men franchise in the wake of the first movie, Scottish writer Grant Morrison twisted the formula around 180 degrees - What if mutations were becoming the norm and the human race was faced with extinction? What would that do to culture, to the role of the X-Men themselves, to their former villains? His answer came in a three-year run on the comic - now collected in one massive hardcover - that worked both as highbrow intellectual piece and mass-audience thriller.

Famous names: Writer Grant Morrison, artists Frank Quietly and Phil Jiminez. And Magneto who was, apparently, right.

Crunchy goodness: 4

Design breakthrough: Morrison's first issue of the series was spent partially taking the characters out of their superhero outfits, with the characters talking about the change: "Suddenly I don't have to look like an idiot in broad daylight."

Most painfully dated moment: Nano-robots threatening to eradicate an entire species? How turn of the century can you get?

Deadliest spoiler: Men with iron masks should never be trusted. What is this world of liars, Xorn?

Review of New X-Men Omnibus at Pop Matters

Must Read: We3

charliejane — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:04:27 PDT

Must-read graphic novels are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale.

Title: We3
Date: 2004-2005

Vitals: Cute animals wear cybernetic super-soldier armor and go on a killing rampage. OMG cute puppy, cat and rabbit! They just want to frolic and scamper, but the military wants to turn them into engines of death.

Famous names: Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely

Crunchy goodness: 5

Spinoffs/Sequels/Copycats: New Line Cinema has optioned We3 as a movie, with a script by Morrison. The three animal protagonists would be all CGI.

Quotable: The animals have basic speech capabilities, thanks to computer implants. The cat mostly says "stink boss," while the dog keeps asking if it is "gud dog."

Social message: Grant Morrison uses the cute (and heavily armed) beasties to preach against animal experimentation, a theme in his work going back to Animal Man in the 1980s.

9th Art Review by Matthew Craig

Must Read: All-Star Superman

charliejane — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:11:09 PDT

Must-read graphic novels are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale.

Title: All-Star Superman
Date: 2005-present

Vitals: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely create their own zany tribute to the Silver Age Superman, with stories about Superboy, a wackier version of Jimmy Olsen, and the Bizarro world. These pop-sci-fi stories straddle a serious undercurrent: Superman is slowly dying after overexposure to solar radiation.

Famous names: Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant

Crunchy goodness: 5

Elevator pitch: What if instead of Superman's supporting cast "grounding" him as usual, they catapulted him into a psychedelic supernova made of cheese?

The shit: Lex Luthor, in prison, lectures Clark Kent about his hatred of Superman, never realizing whom he's talking to. Luthor is vain, deluded, petty — and more magnetic than he's ever been.

Design breakthrough: Superman's trappings look alien and cool for the first time in years. His Fortress of Solitude is huge and over-the-top, containing the Titanic, a space-shuttle and a baby sun-eater. The headquarters of PROJECT is trippy and shiny. And Jimmy gets to wear a crazy iridescent rainbow coat. It's futuristic and colorful.

All Star Superman Review