Really? It sounds tasty, but I was turned down each time I applied for the job.

The book sort of goes off the rails with him entering the industry itself. Here is where it just devolves into a self-congratulating retrospect about how much of an insightful rock star genius Morrison thinks he is. I knew the guy had a penchant for self-promotion, but cripes, I didn't realize what a pretentious windbag the guy is. He regards his importance to the history of comics with near delusion, with each of his works being an even more important landmark than the last.

Particularly grating is Morrison titling the age when he rose to comics superstardom as "The Renaissance" and acting as if it was the dawn of some new approach to superhero storytelling rather than the extension of the deconstruction and self-reference begun by far more talented and genuinely innovative creators in Frank Miller, Alan Moore, and other giants of the medium. I mean, really, is there much difference between the super-competence and "gritty badass" personalities of The Authority and Frank Miller's Batman in DKR? Rather than the transition of the superhero to an "assured twenty-something" age, it's still the "look how big my dick is" mentality of the teenage "power fantasy" work done in previous decades, just better written.

From this book, you'd imagine this guy was the next Stan Lee rather than a guy who had done a few really popular Superman, Batman and JLA stories, along with a few Vertigo series with small cult followings. I've enjoyed some of his work but this book's final section is eye-roll inducing to the Nth degree.

Granted that Vertigo set a higher bar than most, but Morison's Vertigo material isn't particularly memorable compared to his contemporaries. I'd put him several notches below Warren Ellis, for example.

Also (IMO), the accolades he receives for his superhero work is as much due to the low bar set by others as his own ability. He's pretty damn good, but he's Marv Wolfman good, not Alan Moore good. Don McGregor good, but not Steve Gerber good.

Where would you place him among Silver Age writers?

Maybe Bob Haney? He created Metamorpho, who I could see Morrison coming up with. Plus, a lot of Haney's stories had that over-the-top, weird-for-the-sake of weird that is a Morrison trademark. Entertaining, but sometimes they made me question what the fuck was going on.

Also (IMO), the accolades he receives for his superhero work is as much due to the low bar set by others as his own ability. He's pretty damn good, but he's Marv Wolfman good, not Alan Moore good. Don McGregor good, but not Steve Gerber good.

Batman has exacting standards. I, however, do not.

Hint, hint.

Man-Thing's got an Omnibus coming out this summer (all the material from both Essentials, which I have, and then some).

I'm not sure Hanzo will like it, though. He's pretty predictable in his tastes.

I'm not sure Hanzo will like it, though. He's pretty predictable in his tastes.

No one calls Hanzo an asshole.

NO ONE.

Nice backhand you have there.

Oh yeah?! Well, I'm going to buy it tomorrow and LOVE it, just to prove you wrong!

The exchange Jay hoped to provoke --

So much fail.