The Evolution of the New Superman: An Interview with Grant Morrison

The Evolution of the New Superman: An Interview with Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison, while speaking to Fastcompany.com, admits that he felt the historical "weight" of rebooting the Man of Steel in Action Comics #1, which hits stores on September 7th.

By EdGross - Aug 29, 2011 03:08 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: Fast Company.com

Says Morrison, "I wanted to do something that was as much a part of these times as when (Action Comics) first came out. Superman has always been the champion of the oppressed. I wanted to move away from the standard superhero tales and in the direction of folk tales in the vein of a Paul Bunyan.... I wanted to evoke a more universal human Superman, who was less of a costumed figure representing patriotic authority, and more about struggles on the street."

In the interview he reveals that Superman's costume will evolve over the course of the first six issues, and in his mind there's a very good reason that each step of the evolution includes his red cape: "It came with him from his home planet and is indestructible. No one's depicted it as a security blanket before, protecting him from all harm. It gives it a fairytale feel, before his powers fully develop."

This Superman, he noted, will deal with where he stands in the real world climate, just as he did when the character was introduced in 1938. "I'm definitely aware of the current atmosphere, and have addressed that, not in drawing from the headlines, but symbolically dealing with combating a sense of existential terror," Morrison explains. "Sometimes a perspective from the outside enables you to see the best of what America has to offer."

For the full interview, follow the link.

LORD OF THE RINGS Filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson On Teaming With Colossal To Resurrect The Giant Moa (Exclusive)
Related:

LORD OF THE RINGS Filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson On Teaming With Colossal To Resurrect The Giant Moa (Exclusive)

RUMOR: Elle Fanning May Be In The Mix To Play Jean Grey In Marvel's X-MEN Reboot
Recommended For You:

RUMOR: Elle Fanning May Be In The Mix To Play Jean Grey In Marvel's X-MEN Reboot

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2
kingmonkeyman
kingmonkeyman - 8/29/2011, 3:19 PM
Nice knee patches. What a super bitch
cjkalel
cjkalel - 8/29/2011, 3:40 PM
Cannot wait for this
JM4Superman
JM4Superman - 8/29/2011, 4:05 PM
Action Comics is the only thing i'll be reading from the new 52
AC1
AC1 - 8/29/2011, 4:06 PM
Oh, my God...

Harry Potter is Superman!
Have you no shame Warner Bros, trying to milk both these franchises as far as you can?! Cannibalistic bastards...
duncboy
duncboy - 8/29/2011, 4:19 PM
Wow this is...Super dumb...
valeriesghost
valeriesghost - 8/29/2011, 4:22 PM
I'm looking forward to following action comics from the beginning (kinda) and Grant one of my favorite writers, it couldn't be in better hands IMHO
thewolfx
thewolfx - 8/29/2011, 4:49 PM
what have they done to the king of superheroes ....
phoe1
phoe1 - 8/29/2011, 4:51 PM
how is this modernising the franchise when supes is hanging off a fu_ckin zeppelin???

kingmonkeyman
kingmonkeyman - 8/29/2011, 4:58 PM
If you can afford fake glasses you can afford pants without patches.
Supes17
Supes17 - 8/29/2011, 5:08 PM
I hate the cape.... just let him run around with the t-shirt
alucard365
alucard365 - 8/29/2011, 5:15 PM
this looks interesting, i might give this a look.
AC1
AC1 - 8/29/2011, 5:23 PM
@BluePallando oh God... does that mean Harry's running around Hogwarts naked? Dammit Superman, bring your own clothes next time!
Jimdlux
Jimdlux - 8/29/2011, 5:27 PM
Did he just put his cape in his pocket? This so better flop...
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 8/29/2011, 5:34 PM
i say get rid of the cape and give him a red hoodie or jacket...
Deadshot
Deadshot - 8/29/2011, 6:22 PM
Ah so they took away his iconic red underwear in a lame attempt to make him look more "cool" and instead give him super girls cape and a homeless persons pants?
Knightstalker
Knightstalker - 8/29/2011, 6:37 PM
This has got to be the worst rendition of Superman I've ever seen. He looks like I did when I was a kid with the towel tied around my neck running around the house.
Hannibal_King
Hannibal_King - 8/29/2011, 6:51 PM
Clark looks like Peter Parker. Even still I will read the first issue.
Jimdlux
Jimdlux - 8/29/2011, 7:35 PM
You know...I was just thinking. They have attempted to change Superman's look about 4 times. Each time the look failed and they went back to the original. I'm not worried! The Real Steel Deal will return!!
Knightstalker
Knightstalker - 8/29/2011, 8:25 PM
@Jimdlux.....words of wisdom, to be sure. I guess we will have to weather this storm as well.
RIKSHAWRenegade
RIKSHAWRenegade - 8/29/2011, 10:17 PM
I'm Sorry but this just looks stupid. I won't be reading this no matter how cool someone else thinks it is. In my opinion this all looks like pointless garbage but to each his own. I sure hope their other reboots are worth it because I really don't see this making that much in profits and who the hell wants to see superman dressing like a Bruce Springstein wanna be. Grant Morrisons out of his [frick]ing skull if he thinks this will bring in the readers. Whatever, good luck with this DC, your gonna need it! Wow thats lame!
SuperSomething616
SuperSomething616 - 8/30/2011, 1:30 AM
"It came with him from his home planet and is indestructible. No one's depicted it as a security blanket before"

Actually Grant I think you'll find it was depicted as a security blanket in Lois & Clark: New adventures of Superman...and in Richard Donners 1978 Superman...and I am sure it has been depicted this way many times before...

Seriously though I am not knocking you Morrison cause you da man...but get ya facts straight!!!
kruptedseed
kruptedseed - 8/30/2011, 3:40 AM
Looks like He's making fun of of Smallville. More cheap shoots. It's over, it's done.
VictorHugo
VictorHugo - 8/30/2011, 4:36 AM
Superman can turn coal into diamond, he could afford a full uniform.
1 2
View Recorder