People have been calling Grant Morrison the one, true rock star of the comics biz for years. It’s really a wonder he didn’t make the leap to an actual rock music video long ago.
My Chemical Romance has released the music video for their new single "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and it features Morrison as an appropriately-outlandish supervillain who duels with MCR’s latest alter-egos, the Fabulous Killjoys, in the desert. The video was teased last month, but this is the full-blast, bonafide real deal. With vending machine-distributed ray guns, roller-skating stripe-adorned superheroes and Halloween masks a’plenty, this very much looks like a Morrison comic in motion. Actually, the lyrics and shock jock’s monologue very much sound like the wild words he’d write, as well, which brings up Morrison’s interesting history and symbiosis with MCR’s front man, Gerard Way. == TEASER ==
Before he started the band, Way was actually an intern at DC years ago and, during his internship, he got to know Morrison around the time of THE INVISIBLES. Considering their connection, it’s really no surprise that Way’s comic, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, draws some clear inspiration from Morrison’s seminal DOOM PATROL run. Hell, Way even got the shaman sigil man to write the intro for the trade. Now, it’s clear he’s returning the favor in what’s looking like it’ll be a series of story-based music videos relating to MCR’s new concept album DANGER DAYS: THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS.
Bear witness to the MTV-borne video below...This is definitely the best of both worlds for me. I loved the theatricality MCR used for their last album, WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE, and it gives me so much joy to see this kind of surrealism achieving such mainstream success. And it’s cool that movie and music people are finding out how interesting a personality Morrison is. You’d all do right to look for TALKING WITH GODS, the documentary about him, and SINATORO, the indy movie’s he’s writing.
Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of HYBRID BASTARDS! & UNIMAGINABLE . Order them on Amazon here & here.
Log in to comment