Supergods

What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

By: Grant Morrison

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

From one of the most acclaimed and profound writers in the world of comics comes a thrilling and provocative exploration of humankind's great modern myth: the superhero.

The first superhero comic ever published, Action Comics #1 in 1938, introduced the world to something both unprecedented and timeless: Superman, a caped god for the modern age. In a matter of years, the skies of the imaginary world were filled with strange mutants, aliens, and vigilantes: Batman, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men - the list of names is as familiar as our own. In less than a century, they've gone from not existing at all to being everywhere we look: on our movie and television screens, in our videogames and dreams. But what are they trying to tell us?

For Grant Morrison, arguably the greatest of contemporary chroniclers of the superworld, these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero - why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are... and what we may yet become.

"Grant Morrison is one of the great comics writers of all time. I wish I didn't have to compete with someone as good as him."
—Stan Lee

©2011 Grant Morrison (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Morrison is ideally suited to the task of chronicling the glorious rise, fall, rise, fall and rise again of comic-book superheroes.... [T]his is as thorough an account of the superhero phenomenon as readers are likely to find, filled with unexpected insights and savvy pop-psych analysis - not to mention the author’s accounts of his own drug-fueled trips to higher planes of existence, which add a colorful element.... [T]hose who dare enter will find the prose equivalent of a Morrison superhero tale: part perplexing, part weird, fully engrossing." ( Kirkus)

"When Mr. Morrison puts care into his close readings, his prose can soar: a philosophical passage in which he breaks ranks with writers he considers to be 'missionaries who attempted to impose their own values and preconceptions on cultures they considered inferior,' and identifies himself with anthropologists who 'surrendered themselves to foreign cultures' and 'weren’t afraid to go native or look foolish,' is among the book’s most engrossing sections." ( The New York Times)

“With a languid and pontificating tone, John Lee narrates Morrison’s long reflection on the history of comic books…From the birth of Superman to the contemporary comic book landscape, Morrison identifies some of the key moments within the world of comics and identifies how the publishers, mainstream culture, and historical events changed the way people think about comics today. Lee’s British accent and cool attitude work in unison to create an image of Morrison that resonates with his public personality.” ( AudioFile)

typical Morrison

Just like his comics this book ranges from brilliant to self indulgent nonsense. As it goes on it becomes less about comics and more about him and his inspirations. I had to walk away from it a few times because it goes on and on about these "trips" he took. when talking about comic history it's top notch but he strays too often and too long for my enjoyment.

Really enjoyable with caveats

The short review here is simply: I have always liked Grant Morrison's work and this is no exception.

The more expanded version is that this is a book that is partially very interesting opinions and insights about landmark comics and the industry as a whole and partially biography. I happen to like both (not in equal measure, but I did still like them) but be aware that both exist and the ratio of each is different depending on where you are in the book. The beginning is more industry and the latter is more biography, although you get some of each all throughout the book.

The other thing I would mention is the narrator. I liked his as far as conveying emotion and his range of accents but also found him to be slower than I cared for. I have only done this for one other book, but once I changed the speed to 1.25x I enjoyed the book much more after that. To be honest I listened to this book in 2 days. This made the book shorter than advertised, but I still felt like I got my money's worth personally and wouldn't expect them to factor in my expedited listening clearly.

Great read for fans of comic book superheroes.

You should know that this is 50% impassioned history of the superhero in popular culture (primarily comic books) and 50% autobiography. Grant Morrison is often self-congratulatory and sometimes too kind to his friends in the industry, but the writing is always entertaining and engrossing. There were many times I found myself disagreeing with Morrison's assessment about certain writers and artists, but this never interfered with my enjoyment. I often wished I had a notebook with me while listening so that I could jot down the names of obscure writer artist teams that I want to read.

Morrison is certainly an expert in the field, a well respected comic book writer and fan from childhood. He also brings a completely unique and compelling viewpoint to this book. There are times when he gets side tracked by his weird drug-induced new-age quasi-religious experiences, but the writing is strong enough that even these passages are engaging.

John Lee's performance is professional and engaging. He gives this book the same level of energy and showmanship he brings to fiction, even switching into appropriate (and utterly believable) accents when reading direct quotes.

A great read for a fan of comics and superheroes, but I'm not sure it offers much of value to the non-fan.

A love song to Comic Book Stories

A detailed history of comic books, and a chronology of his own career. Morrison’s narrative is a truly loving offering to the medium in which he has become a legend.

Get your comic book geek on!!!!!!!

Grant Morrison is a brilliant comic book writer. He's work is always at a cutting edge, engaging and fun.
This historic look at the medium form his perspecitive was entertaining, interesting and informative.
If you love (or loved) comics, you'll get a kick out of this book. Well worth the time to feed your inner geek.

Be prepared for the Full-Morrison!

The only thing that would have made this audiobook any better is if Morrison had narrated it himself. That's not to say John Lee did anything less than a top-notch job, and I understand Morrison's brogue may be a bit difficult for non-Scottish ears, but this is a very personal story. Highly recommended for fans of Morrison and superheroes, but even moreso for anyone who wonders why so many of us still love a medium that many inexplicably STILL think is "just for kids"... and frankly, even if that were true, what's so bad about that?

History meets autobiography meets literature

What did you love best about Supergods?

Watching Grant Morrison evolution through and then upon comic book pulp culture is a fascinating insight into a unique mind. It's like watching a foodie, become a food critic, then chef, then food guru. It's a process of first consumption, then introspection then expression. If you want one of the industry's greatest minds to take you through the history of comics and how it affected him, then then is the book for you.

What other book might you compare Supergods to and why?

This is both history, autobiography and behind the scenes of every one of Morrison's significant projects.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

I love John Lee from Peter Hamilton's Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. His narrative here is beautifully recorded and executed. His performer's desire and skill welcomly peeks through illustrating the myriad quotes in the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Morrison's comics can be very hit or miss, but this is incredibly consistent. It's funny, hauntingly self-aware, witty and incredibly insightful. If you want the answer to "where do you get your ideas", then Morrison has definitely laid his answers on the table here.

Any additional comments?

I know the "magic" section can be out there for some people. I dealt with it in the same way I translate all religious or spiritual jargon. I see it as semantics by which you ingest inspiration and then manifest your will and energy into your life.

what a long strange trip its been

What made the experience of listening to Supergods the most enjoyable?

I like Grant's child like quality at times

What was one of the most memorable moments of Supergods?

you get to find out what he was thinking what he wrote what he wrote and why.

Which scene was your favorite?

when he writes Arkham .

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I like that he had the balls to kill big names in his books

Any additional comments?

when he talks about the Superman and X-men titles and their 9/11 links.......creepy, get those books its cool as hell just to see them in that light.

Classic Morrison

Overall, this book is pretty solid as far as detailed histories of the comic book medium go, although it's a little light on teaching us about being human, as the title suggests. Much like Morrison's comic book work, Supergods is sometimes self-indulgent, in ways can be a little uncomfortable for the listener/reader, or just downright boring. His chapters on the Golden Age are the best- while heavy on Superman, it's a thoroughly detailed section of the book that was very rewarding to hear as a comic book fan who did not live through those years, but has done a great deal of reading on them. However, beyond that, things tend to devolve frequently into personal narrative, and it's clear that Morrison is mostly writing about the books he liked, not comic books in general. Although, that complaint only goes so far when there is such a vast amount of superhero comics out there. We can't expect him to have read everything! My only wish is that he had sometimes taken a bit more of an impartial view of the subject. It's clear that he's more of a DC guy than Marvel, as much of the Marvel material in this book is quickly glossed over, with the exception of the introduction of Spider-Man in 1962. Otherwise, the book is great and John Lee does a excellent job narrating.

Geek Gospel

I know guys who know a lot about comics. I know a lot about comics. But Grant Morrison may be the alpha geek.

Going back to the beginning of superhero time and working forward to the present day - the guy gets into the nitty gritty of the books, the heroes, the creators, the socio-political environment.

It's as if he has actually read and can effortlessly recall every issue of every superhero funny book ever published.

I've been wishing for this book to be written and am blown away by the way that Morrison grounds the book in his personal relationship to the form - and also links it to the cosmic forces that shaped the medium.

I am blown away by this work - but it may not be for everyone. If you can't visualize the difference between the styles of Jack Kirby and Neal Adams then you may need to start elsewhere.