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little interview at The Pulse on this with Grant:
BY JENNIFER "Zeta Beams!" CONTINO
Although Grant Morrison never met Julie Schwartz, he was a fan of the man's work and influence. Now, he's getting a chance to lend his unique voice to one of Schwartz's sci-fi staples, Adam Strange in this week's DC Comics Presents: Mystery in Space. Yesterday we talked with artist Jerry Ordway, today we chat with Morrison to find out a few details about this sci-fi DC staple.
"All the comics I liked when I was a kid were edited by Julie," Morrison told THE PULSE. "I don't think I was aware of him as a personality until my teens when I became a full-on comic fanatic. The men [in Schwartz edited comics] were all educated, rational pioneer types with capable, brilliant girlfriends. Everything seemed very modern and sexy in Julie's books. [Schwartz was] a great editor of the old school. I think Julie was more of an encouraging figure rather than a storyteller himself but I loved his Madison Avenue take on comic covers - every one of his books had a brilliant, intriguing, poetic cover which sold the comic all on its own."
He told us he thought Schwartz's greatest contribution to comics was "The Schwarz hero - the 'Right Stuff' man who won't crack up or whine or let you down like some '80s superhero."
Morrison wanted to be a part of this event for one reason. "It was me giving thanks for this man's contribution to my field and for all the great comics that enriched my imagination and led me down the path to being a writer."
Although it only took Morrison a few seconds to figure out what story to go with the cover of Mystery in Space # 82, he did admit Adam Strange wouldn't have been his choice. "I'd rather have had The Flash," he confided, then told us his initial thoughts when he heard his subject matter was Adam Strange. "'Groan. I hate Adam Strange. Why did it have to be him ?'"
Morrison isn't familiar with the Silver Age sci-fi comics, particularly Mystery in Space. "I used to think of these kind of books as the ones you bought if you couldn't get a real super-hero comic," Morrison said. "I have no idea what happens in the original story. I'm sure it's much better than mine. Mine's nothing like the original (or maybe it is - I hope not) but is a neat little twist ending tale shot through with a Jack Kerouac style 'beat' poet commentary about Julie, Adam Strange, and the Silver Age, which is probably the bit that will confuse today's easily confused readership."
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