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Review: Nameless #2

By Andy Frisk
March 6, 2015 - 01:15

I reached a sort of Grant Morrison reading burn out during his short lived New 52 Action Comics run. With Nameless though, Morrison has won me back over after only two issues. Dare I say to a point where I feel that Nameless just might be Morrison's best work since The Invisibles? Scarily, yes.

What's Happening: Nameless, Morrison's occult expert protagonist who was "occult consultant for MI6 and the SAS" and is now apparently freelance, (a sort of better kept and professional John Constantine), finds himself on the moon advising a bunch of scientists and astronauts dealing with, not only the first murder on the moon, but the approach of a massive asteroid on a collision course with Earth with Enochian markings on it. Oh yes, it's Grant Morrison insane brilliance time...

The Writing: The mash up of occult adventure and mysticism (based in actual Earth-bound historic myth) and high brow sci-fi with a scathing dash of humor sprinkled over top equals Grant Morrison at his best. Morrison has always excelled as a storyteller when working on his own material. Morrison is pulling out all the stops here: strange deaths, Enochian (angelic) language mysteries, insane scientists, an asteroid with an apparent temple built into it, and spacesuits with religious markings on them to "give (them) a fighting chance against free-range thoughtforms." Oh, yes. Morrison is back.

The Artwork: Chris Burnham (a former Morrison collaborator on Batman Incorporated) brings his style of gritty realism and fantastic imagination to full bear here on Nameless. All those crazy ideas listed above? Beautifully imagined by Burnham like no one else could. Burnham really gets Morrison's story flow and far out ideas. He also knows how to bring a horrifyingly gory scene to frightening life as well. His imagining of the sci-fi looking "war in heaven" that Nameless describes that wiped out Planet 5 (the now non-existent planet that once existed between Mars and Jupiter) is nothing short of a visual masterpiece.

The Verdict: Nameless has all the potential to be not only Morrison's best work since The Invisibles, but perhaps his best work ever. This is a series that needs to be read.

Rating: 10 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12