An Addendum to The Tao of Alan Moore & Grant Morrison

Disclaimer! This analysis deals only with the larger-than-life iconic personas of our two titular heroes, as they exist within the public’s imagination, and likely has little to do with the lovely human beings, with those same names, that actually exist in the real world.

THE MYSTERY AS IT STANDS: Alan Moore and Grant Morrison seem to have a contentious relationship, based on conflicting accounts of their shared history.

THE FACTS AS I UNDERSTAND THEM: Both Alan Moore and Grant Morrison seem like very genuine, generous, and gracious people. I have indirectly worked with both, via the RAW Trust, we share several common acquaintances, and I’ve experienced nothing but luminous positivity from either of them.

I do not think that either of them are malicious or dishonest. Therefore, very likely, a misunderstanding has occurred, possibly exacerbated by the foggy memory of expanded consciousness!

PRELIMINARY HYPOTHESIS: I originally cast them as a Discordian Odd Couple, in The Tao of AM & GM, making note of their many diametrically opposed characteristics. Aesthetically, we can easily model them as oil and water, which makes their incompatibility not only sensible, but in a way, inevitable.

GREAT MOMENTS IN COMIC BOOK HISTORY:
Part of the Tales of Illuminatus! #2 Pledge Drive

Though I somehow missed something super obvious in my characterization of their Discordian/Daoist duality:

Moore = ORDER (ANERISTIC PRINCIPLE) [Hodge – Pentagon]
Morrison = DISORDER (ERISTIC PRINCIPLE) [Podge – Apple]

Alan Moore’s Magick is that of the cosmic watchmaker & Grant Morrison’s Chaos Magick is an emergent property of nature. (Though of course each has aspects of the other!)

From the Principia Discordia:
“The Aneristic Principle is that of APPARENT ORDER; the Eristic Principle is that of APPARENT DISORDER. Both order and disorder are man made concepts and are artificial divisions of PURE CHAOS.”

THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE:

Joe Quesada’s art from GM’s previously rejected Marvelman script

Assuming good intentions on both sides, here’s what I think happened:
GM wrote a short spec script, based on AM’s Marvelman continuity, which AM rejected. GM reports that AM sent them a harshly worded rejection letter.

AM doesn’t remember sending any such letter, but it kinda makes sense that he wouldn’t, as it would have been a much more minor incident for AM to send it than for GM to receive it, right?

So from this letter GM gets the impression that AM wishes rather vehement ill on their comic book writing career.

But! Check out this quote from Karen Berger:

“I reached out to Alan and I said, ‘Alan, who else do you see out there that’s really talented?’ And he goes, ‘oh, you really should meet this guy Grant Morrison, he’s got something. He’s only done a few things but, you know.'”

Quote found here: Karen Berger, the Berger Books, and Vertigo
And attributed to: Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD

I did not know this! Grant Morrison got their foot in the door at DC based on a recommendation from Alan Moore!?

So from Alan Moore’s perspective, he helped put GM in a position to succeed.

And I think every other antagonistic incident follows forth from this basic misunderstanding: GM thought AM hurt their career, and AM thought he helped GM’s career.

From this basic misalignment of their realities you end up with 40+ years of “What he say fuck me for?!” from both sides.

And with that, my curiosity on the matter has been satiated:

CASE CLOSED :)))