Annihilator #1 Review: Morrison strikes Back
Reading time: 3 minutes
If DC Comics’ The Multiversity was one dashing side of the Grant Morrison we have come to know and love over the course of decades, Annihilator is the other side. The title is cryptic for the sake of intriguing readers, digging them deeper into the Morrisonian-sized hole that continues to be coming down the psychedelic pipe. As such, it is hard to judge the title based on the merit of one issue alone, as there are so many different directions that this comic book can go after the following representation the issue has shown of the unique vision Morrison is trying to craft. This story has a rhythm and pace all its own, which accounts for why it is written in the style that it is. The comic book is wholly unique, and ends up treating itself as such.
The title follows Russ Spass, a popular screenwriter that is on his way to writing one of the most wildly imaginative narrative epics that Hollywood has seen this side of the last couple decades. Of course, Spass has more than a couple of personal issues that render him mostly incapable of normal human thought or speech. Instead the booze addled, drug induced psycho indulges in the perverse. Spass enjoys the weird served with a hooker or two.
In fact Spass is so well fleshed out as a very specific type of weirdness, that it is slightly disheartening to not get more context on some of the other characters that are in this book, including the twist that comes at the middle of the issue. The plot is very loose in this title, but it follows the hero moving into a new apartment, getting ready to write a screenplay that has the hope of being adapted in a massive new franchise which is supposed to make an absurd amount of money.
When describing the comic without greater plot quirks, it almost sounds like a normal story. The aforementioned Spass is a very eccentric writer not much different from Morrison himself. After Russ falls to his lowest point in the entire story, things start getting even weirder. With so many different angles and directions that are being added to the comic, there are a number of different branching paths this series has at its disposal. The freedom for Morrison must be liberating, as the author can do anything he wants at this point in the story revolving around the central character.
Frazer Irving’s craft is a special kind of crazy in this issue. The artist goes out of his way to capitalize on the obscene. He uses the page layout to his advantage here, and starts breaking down some of the typical forms and conventions that fans are used to seeing in the modern comic book space. The colors here (also crafted by Irving) are half the magic, as the story continues to draw readers deeper into its frayed world with more visual charm. The other thing about Irving’s art that is a great deal of fun is the fact that the artist is playing within the context of his own world to develop something further. When Morrison is the only thing filtering what you draw, the pages you craft are likely going to be barely hindered with imagination deficits. After all, there is an abundance of pages in each issue that just have ridiculous amounts of layouts or unexplained touches that really add some depth to the full package experience.
Annihilator is just getting started, and as a result attaching any kind of score to the title just seems completely unnecessary at this point. If the story interests the reader at all, it is worth going down the pipe and investing money towards taking this journey into the surreal with Morrison and Irving.
Annihilator #1 scores seven out of ten questions to wait and see where this storyline goes?
- Who is the Annihilator?
- Is Max Nomax a real person?
- Does Hollywood make the monster?
- Does the monster make Hollywood?
- Are you actually reading this?
- Where the hell is this story going?
- Is Morrison falling off the tails this time?
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