SCOTTISH comic book writer Grant Morrison knows all about superheroes. They’ve spent their entire career penning stories about some of the industry's most famous names, from Superman and Batman to the X-Men.
But for someone with such experience, it might surprise you to know Morrison is only just about to publish their debut novel.
Luda, the story of a leading drag artist who begins to feel threatened by their young protégé in the fantastical world of Gasglow, is due for release on October 13 – and Morrison says they see plenty of similarities with their other work.
“Bruce Wayne puts on all that leather gear and calls himself Batman. All that imagery can be turned into a video for drag artistry so easily,” Morrison told The National.
“That idea of becoming something different is directly related to superheroes.”
Humble beginnings
Programmes like RuPaul's Drag Race are among the most popular items you’ll find on TV today, but drag is something which has always been of interest to the writer, who is originally from Glasgow.
They fondly remember what first sparked their interest, explaining that drag artistry has been a major part of their life since they were around 10 years old.
“It came from reading a comic book about a guy called Danny Merlin, who was a young magician,” Morrison explains.
“He was my hero for a while and he wore this fancy outfit with a belt, so I dressed up as him and remember thinking I looked like a supermodel.
“It was in this moment that I realised you could be anything you want, you could dress up and look different.”
Morrison stresses that the book is for people who feel “there are multiples within us”.
“There’s a joker in there, a good guy, a bad guy. I have many selves within me and I’ve learned to organise and identify all of these.
“I want to talk about those people like me who feel like we’re constantly adopting different roles.
“And so the book is about what happens when a new, younger version of yourself turns up on the scene and that became the very simple story of Luda.
“It’s master vs pupil basically.”
The writing process
Morrison admits that their agent has been trying to get them to write a novel for around 20 years but the opportunity simply hadn’t presented itself.
Luda even went through a few different forms before the final format was decided on.
“The original idea was actually to do this as an audiobook so it was written to be read aloud,” the writer explains.
“It was initially a novella as well, meaning that it was quite short, but then it became a full-blown novel.”
Given it was the only form of writing Morrison was yet to tackle, it would be understandable to think there would be a few challenges.
But the writer says that working on something new was more exciting than anything else.
“I really enjoyed it because everything I’ve done has been so different. I’ve done screenwriting, I’ve done shows on TV, I love the comics.
“I have a different way of approaching them all. I love tailoring my material to the medium and with Luda I was left asking what the f*** is a novel.”
So, has it fostered a passion for more novel writing?
“Nobody has asked me to do anymore yet,” Morrison says, laughing.
With their talent though, you suspect anything is possible.
