A Kinder, Gentler Machine Gun Hand
Partly inspired by the "What Are You Waiting For?" column over at Fantastic Fangirls, I decided to pick up WE3, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's version of "The Incredible Journey Meets Deathlok." It concerns three domestic animals (dog, cat, and rabbit) who have been turned into cyborg killing machines by the military industrial complex and their adventures when they escape their creators' custody.
It is incredibly violent, beautifully drawn, and without question the warmest, most human thing Morrison has written in years.
Oh, I knew he had a soft fuzzy side. You couldn't read Animal Man (especially the story of Foxy) and not know that. But it's been so long since I've seen it, obscured as it has been for many years behind his love of grand gestures, outre behavior, and sometimes frustratingly oblique plotting. The best thing about the characters (1 the Dog, 2 the Cat, and 3 the Rabbit) are that they're, well, not anthropomorphic--not because of Morrison and Quitely, anyway. The cyborg-makers give them increased cognition and even limited speech, not to mention a whooooooole bunch of really nasty weaponry, but they're still animals. And that, believe it or not, makes them far, far more emotionally engaging than they would be if they were essentially humans wearing animal suits. We worry about them more because they're animals; sure, they may have rocket launchers and needle guns, but we can't escape the feeling that we're responsible for them, that we can save them from the horrors all around them. It was enough to make me give the old hound dog some extra love and attention last night, that's for sure.
I won't say anything about the plot, which is remarkably straightforward, or the art, which is everything you'd expect in a Quitely book, with every squinty eye, thick-soled boot, and spray of arterial blood rendered in loving detail, but I'll say this: I'm delighted that I finally took the opportunity to read it and reconnect with my old buddy from the days of Doom Patrol and Animal Man. Thanks for the idea, FFangirls!
And it's good to see you again, Grant. Welcome back.