Q&A: Grant Morrison

At Suicide Girls, Grant Morrison talks about Seven Soldiers, his audience, and, of course, drugs and magic:

Morrison: I've never felt that I 'had to' write superhero stories in lieu of more honest work. The superheroes work just fine for me and seem to be able to express all manner of things I need to express. The superhero as a metaphor can carry a lot of weight and meaning if you want it to. All stories come from someone's experience and say at least something about the human condition by their very nature. It all depends on the audience. I think comics were more interesting when they were written for children because when people write for children it seems to free them up to be less self-conscious. Traditional American superhero comics are being written for an older audience now. I think that since superhero comics started being aimed at adults they've become a bit too self conscious and a bit less visionary. I don't know why that is because adults should enjoy fantastical stuff as much as any child.

Suicide Girls: Who would you like to be reading the superhero comic books that you do?

Morrison: I write for the intelligent 14 year old because that's how old I was when I really got into comic books in a big way. I was a smart kid and I liked Jim Starlin's Warlock and Dr. Strange by Steve Englehart because even though they were written and drawn by heads doing cosmic, philosophical acid stuff it was still soap opera action comics with monsters and villains and it fed me on so many levels.