If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

"It's about a way of seeing that transforms the world": Grant Morrison on Luda and everything else

The iconic writer talks about their first prose novel, drag, what fills the nothingness at the heart of things, and growing old gracefully

Grant Morrison
Image credit: Allan Amato

As I’ve said more than once, to paraphrase Jarvis Cocker, I am not Grant Morrison though I have the same initials.

I’ve always had an affinity for the writer, going all the way back to their Zoids and Zenith work way back in the late '80s (I’m old), and that’s something that’s only grown more true in the subsequent decades where they’ve moved in different directions at a time when I’ve found myself particularly receptive to what they’re writing. The '90s one-two punch of The Invisibles and Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery, arguably two of their defining works, felt particularly potent, but I could say the same about things like The Filth or Seven Soldiers of Victory: The Bulleteer.

That’s especially true when it comes to their latest venture, Luda. Their first full-length novel — they’ve written short prose before, as well as the non-fiction prose Supergods — it’s a glamorous, over-the-top confession on behalf of the protagonist, one-time drag supernova Luci LaBang, that encompasses a history of pantomime, a series of lessons in magical thinking, and an increasingly paranoid relationship with Luci’s co-star, the eponymous Luda, amongst many other things. It’s extravagant, hilarious, heartbreaking, and — thrillingly to someone who grew up just outside of Glasgow — entirely Scottish. It feels like the most Grant Morrison thing they’ve ever written, and it resonated with me as I eagerly read it.

Subscribe to Popverse to read this article

Become a member and get first access to tickets and badges to our events, photo ops, exclusive content, and more.

Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news

Related topics
About the Author
Graeme McMillan avatar

Graeme McMillan

Staff Writer

Popverse staff writer Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.