Comic review: Nameless #1 (by Grant Morrison): Am I missing something here?

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chris Burnham
Publisher: Image comics
Released: 4th February 2015

The last Grant Morrison book that I purchased was his Multiversity #1 for DC comics, and after reading it, very slowly (three times over) I put it aside feeling utterly confused, not very impressed, and even less entertained.

I’m not sure if it’s something that happens when writers get a ‘name’ but I’m getting the strong sense that Grant Morrison is writing for himself these days, and that the reader can either try to keep up, or they can get lost.

Nameless #1 starts off with some family murdering nastiness. It then moves onto a treasure hunting chase sequence involving weird alien swamp creatures before disorientating the reader with references to 9/11, Egypt and Syria. It then does the dream sequence thing, and concludes with an end of the world, meteorite is going to hit the planet, can the team of specialists save us narrative. It’s like that silly old Armageddon movie with Bruce Willis, but on a weird drug trip.

There’s a lot of stuff happening to get your head around, but amidst the unnecessary swearing, the Indiana Jones treasure hunting, and the dizzying haphazard nature of it all, it just about makes sense, which already makes it a far better book than ‘The Multiversity #1.’

The art is great. Chris Burnham has his own unique style, he’s great at drawing grotesques and weirdness, so working with Morrison makes logical sense. Morrison writes weird, and Burnham draws it even weirder. It’s the perfect creative team, but is the actual story any good? Does it inspire, does it intrigue, does it incite, does it excite?

Err, not really. It’s kind of blah, unfortunately.

The book is an escaped budgerigar mad on freedom, repeatedly banging it’s head upon every closed window in the house when it needs to stop, focus, and fly out of the open window that is right in front of it.

And who is this ‘Nameless’ man that the book is focussing upon? Why should I care about him? He’s not exactly Clint Eastwood or Han Solo. He’s just a scruffy, mouthy, unremarkable looking dude in a vest. Perhaps if he was drawn (and written) as a more interesting character I would have cared, but all I get from him is arrogance and lots of swearing. Is he supposed to be somebody that I dislike? I don’t like reading about people who I dislike, but perhaps that’s just me, perhaps I’m the weird one here, who knows?

Other reviewers will undoubtedly call this book ‘trippy,’ and I would agree with them, because that’s exactly what it is. If you are into that kind of thing then light up, chill out and enjoy. My review is coming from the point of view of a straight-laced, tea and crumpets reality junkie, so the book isn’t really aimed at me. I don’t hate it, but it stirs no strong emotions, just slight annoyance at the needless complexity and mild irritation at the bloke in a vest protagonist. I might be missing something here, but I can’t get anything out of this one.

Rating: 5/10