Hi Reddit! We’re Grant Morrison, writer and creator of the comic HAPPY!, and Patton Oswalt, star of HAPPY! the TV series on SYFY. Ask us anything before tonight’s all-new episode.

Grant! You’re my favorite writer ever and you sent me down a path of reading that wound up with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Cormac McCarthy, Ursula Le Guin, and Thomas Pynchon. Thank you for everything- more than I can really articulate.

Damian Wayne is such lovely creation. Did you anticipate audiences would truly end up loving the little shit?

Happy! is miraculous. Is this the kind of demented Morrisonia that you would have envisioned taking root in television, ahead of some of your other, less brutal stuff? For instance, it seems “Joe the Barbarian” could have been an easier choice, but Happy! is a home run.

I thought Damian would be popular but I also intended for him to die and not screw up future writers Batman stories. Readers really liked him, so he's still around.

Happy always had something special about it, some odd magic, so it's no surprise to me it was the first of my stories to reach the telly.

Hey Grant,

1. Do you think we live in a simulation, and if so what is the role of interdimensional aliens in it?
2. Is there really a “magician war” between you and Alan Moore?
3. Do you know when the best of Heavy Metal TPB will come out?

Thanks! Have a great day!

1. Not sure - but we're determined to turn it into one.
2. No. I'm too busy trying to defeat Grindelwald.
3. No idea, sorry.

Hey Grant, thanks for doing this AMA! And Patton you are amazing.

Question for Mr. Morrison:

• Do you still perform ritual or chaos magick?
• Do you consider yourself an occultist these days, and do you have any advice for anyone interested in getting into ritual magick?

Absolutely.

Do the research, don't believe anything, and experiment.

Hey Grant,

As a follow up to /u/deadpool902, have you been watching the new Doom Patrol? Any opinions? I'll be honest when I say I'm not much of a comic reader but that show is moving me to read your Doom Patrol run.

Read my Doom Patrol run!

Hey Grant,

I loved your take on the X-Men! You brought the X-Men into the 21st century with some bold story choices. Was there ever any pushback from Marvel at the time over the direction you wanted to take the title? Also, would you ever be interested in writing for that title or a specific X-Men character again in the future?

Marvel were cool with it. I don't like to go back to a character I've done before - except for Batman.

Hello Grant! Thanks for doing this, I’m a huge fan of your work.

With you working with Ezra Miller on the Flash, I have to ask, do you ever see yourself coming back to the book? I love Emergency Stop and the Human Race, and I would love to see more from you, solo, on the Flash.

Thanks for coming by!

Green Lantern is my only current regular comic book , so no. But The Flash does show up in Season 2 of Lantern.

Hi Grant!

• What's your favorite thing about Patton?
• Out of all the comics you've written, are there any that stand out above the rest?
• Are there any story ideas you've wanted to write, but never had a chance yet?

Hi Patton!

• What's your favorite thing about Grant?
• Every time I catch you show up in a movie or TV, I'm always excited because you're so funny. Not really a question, I guess, but how do you do it?
• I still watch King of Queens reruns all the time, do you have any funny stories from behind the scenes?

My favorite thing about Patton is his laser death-eye when it's trained on hypocrites and life haters. I like The Filth the best. I'll get to them.

I have been loving Happy! and Doom Patrol! Really amazing to see content like this on TV (never thought I'd see the day!) Thanks to everyone involved with these shows for the bold and stunning work!

Mr Morrison, to me your writing deals with enormous themes like individuality vs conformity, etc, with lots of contrast between the character's viewpoints and actions. Do you find it is better to lay out the groundwork and plan these themes in advance or do they just spring up while you are working?

Istart out with a big plan then deviate from it.

Hey grant! I'm a huge fan and inspiring comic book writer. Can I get your blessing?

Patton, I also perform stand up. Can I get yours as well?

Bless ye, my child. Go forth and dazzle!

Bless ye, my child. Go forth and dazzle!

Hey guys. I loved Happy! Season 1, and I can't wait to find the time and start watching Season 2. It is my favorite comic-to-TV adaptations to come out. I have one question for each of you.

Grant, Your current Green Lantern run is the best comic title right now. It is such a great story that is dense with a bunch of lesser known characters from the past that are not utilized as much anymore. How do you go about starting a story that has so much reference material in it and then incorporating it into a modern title like this one?

Patton, One of my favorite internet series is the CollegeHumor Batman clips with Pete Holmes. In my opinion, you playing the Penguin really fit, and that skit was one of my favorites of the bunch. Could you ever see yourself reprising that role in a more serious movie/show that is live action or animated? Or playing any comic villain for that matter?

Thanks for taking the time to do this AMA guys!

I do a lot of research into the character and dig out all the weird forgotten stuff that I like.

Grant, thank you so much for everything man. I can’t really put into words how appreciative I am to have had The Invisibles, Kid Eternity, Animal Man, or really any of your work keep me company during my darkest times. I have two main questions if that’s cool:

1. Vimanarama is one of my favourite comics of yours. It has so much heart. How did the idea for that story come about?

2. I love Doctor Strange, especially the psychedelic Ditko-era stuff. Have you ever felt interested in writing him and giving that world your own unique spin? How do you feel about the character in general?

Thanks :)

Glad you like Vimanarama. Doctor Strange., me too. I also loved the Engelhart/Brunner run. I don't have enough emotional attachment to Marvel characters to have much interest in him beyond that.

Hello Grant Morrison! Would you ever consider writing Dick Grayson again?

I love the character but no current plans.

Hi Grant, I noticed that you titled an issue of The Invisibles "Venus as a Boy" and that there are many other musical references in your work. Are you a Björk fan ( I'm going to see her perform in NYC next month) and what music has been inspiring to you lately? I'm absolutely in love with your work by the way. Thank you ✌️

I like Bjork. Nobody rings my bells like Momus and luckily for me he puts out an album every year.

Hey Grant just wanted to ask 2 things.

1. Since you finally got your hands on Hal Jordan i was wondering how different your JLA run would be if the emerald twilight storyline never happened and if Hal your was your GL and not Kyle during JLA

2. im just wondering but theres a certain i know WHO LOATHES SUPERMAN to death. so much so when he read your All-Star Superman. he and i kid you not unironically was 100% for lex luthor and thinks he was right about everything. thoughts on that ?

thanks for everything and i just bought your ominbus New X-men run. cant wait to try it out !

patton i got no questions for you but i loved you in ratatouille...... thats all

Hal wouldn't have been as much fun as Kyle and we'd have lost the brotherly relationship with the Flash.

I also agree with Luthor some times - Superman, though, is just an idea. The idea can save real lives as I discovered when a page in All-Star Superman was responsible for preventing suicide.

Hey Grant,

In high school, your New X-Men run blew my mind in regards to what could be done with the comic book medium (It was my first taste of your writing, I hadn’t read Animal Man or Doom Patrol at that point). If you had twelve more issues to write on that book, what would have happened in them?

I planned to have some gifted humans join the school - is a guitar playing prodigy the equal of a mutant talent?

Grant, What happened to the Aliens Vs Dinosaurs project? It was such an amazingly ridiculous concept, how did it come about?

It wound up pretty good - imagine Apocalypse Now meets Jurassic Park! Don't know what the current status is.

Hello Grant,

First off let me say thank you for featuring the Lakota Sioux with Man of Bats storyline. They get very little representation in media.

Are you ever going to reprint your plays, Red King Rising and Depravity? I think your perspective would be a welcome addition to the theatrical world. I introduce Clive Barker's theatrical work (he just reprinted a few of his plays) to everyone I can.

Many thanks!

Thanks. the appalling conditions on the so-called 'reservations' are very similar to parts of the West of Scotland. No plans for the plays at the moment but they were collected in the rare 'Lovely Biscuits' book from Dave Mitchell's Oneiros Press.

What is the very best cheese?

I hate all cheese - i hate cheese even more than I hate C-3PO.

First, I'd like to say that Happy! is amazing and one of the best shows on TV right now. I also have a question for Grant: It was announced last year that you are working on a TV show of The Invisibles. Can you give us any news about the project so far? And will the show take place in the 90' like in the comics, since the story ended in 2012?

Development on The Invisibles is underway at UCP!

Grant,

Have you and Chris Claremont ever crossed paths? I always thought it was funny how he said that while he hated what you did to the characters the writing was so damn good he couldn't stop reading.

We had lunch and he was very nice but I know he didn't like what I did.

Grant, everyone is obviously telling you how much we have enjoyed your work and I'm no different!

However, you get accused of making Batman too powerful.

What made you want to write Batman as the unbeatable character?

Also, how the hell did you find The Batman of Zur-en-arhh in the obscure pages of the past?

Thank you sir!

My Batman was beaten, drugged and unconscious at the mercy of his enemies. He almost died at Darkseid's hand. He was constantly bruised and bloody. I don't know where the 'Batgod' idea comes from.

Hello Grant! huge fan of your work, I have two questions for you.

• Do you think you've written all you can about Superman?
• Do you have plans to break into different mediums, like video games?

never say never as they say but I have no current thoughts on the subject of Superman.

I have a games company here in Scotland and have written stuff for Predator and Battlestar Galactica in the past, so yes.

Grant, whats your favourite current comic series?

I haven't read any comics for a long time.

Hey Patton! As a bit MSTie and a fan of your performance on MST3K, I was wondering what your favourite episode to shoot was.

Hey Grant! I'm a huge fan of your work too. I'm usually able to understand most of what's going on in your work, but on Nameless I was completely lost. Was there any particular reason you made Nameless so out-there?

Nameless was about how I was feeling at the time. The energy came out in that form.

Patton: Deputy Bob is the best character to ever appear on television. Not a question, just an observation.

Grant: Now that Happy! is wildly successful, any chance of finally getting that Invisibles adaptation we all secretly crave?

Yes.

Hey Grant, youve gotten me through a lot of hard times. Flex Mentallo and JLA WWIII make me cry every time. I was wondering, have you ever wanted to go back and rewrite one of your comics and do something different? If so, any particular?

I would rewrite everything all the time on an ongoing basis. None of it ever feels finished to me.

Hi Grant!

I love so many of the characters you have given us over the years. Danny the Street being one of my favorites of all time.

Did you ever think we would see a live action version of Danny the Street and what were your thoughts on how they were portrayed?

Haven't seen it yet - but Danny had to happen.

What do you both love most about working with Chris Meloni?

His relentless creativity and energy. And his ass. His ass. Chris Meloni's ass.

Hi Grant! I just wanted to express how much your work has affected me. I go back to reading the Final Crisis cycle constantly to pick myself up or feel inspired (I think it might be my favorite story ever), and All-Star Superman honestly changed my life. Not only did it make Superman my favorite superhero, it changed the way I look at how I interact with the world, and I can't thank you enough for that.

As for questions, what advice would you have for someone trying to get into comics today?

P.S. I can't wait for the Earth-20 crew to show up again, I saw Abin-Sur on a cover for The Green Lantern, and I'm super excited! Thanks for doing this, have a great day!

i have no idea what it must be like to break into comics today - I started out when Pharaoh was riding a dinosaur to work and things have changed immensely since then. Have something to say and a love of the characters for sure. Hope you enjoy GL issue 9 and 10 our multiverse story.

Hey. Question for both of you. What made you realize people would actually pay attention to the things you had to say?

Do they?

Mr. Morrison I've been a fan of you long before Happy! ever since I've read your Doom Patrol run. Mr. Nobody and the Brotherhood of Dada are my favorite villains ever. What I want to ask though is where you came up with the characters for the Cult of the Unwritten Book?

They all came from dreams.

Hi guys! I cant remember if this was covered in the show so far...but I need to know if Happy poops. And if so, what does he poop?

Thanks for everything!

Happy poops DREAMS...

Hi, Mr. Morrison. Thank you for your art and for doing this AMA.

​

I'm not a very creative person myself, so I'm fascinated by artists and the creative process. You're part of an amazing artistic scene that elevated genre literature in general, and DC comics & Doctor Who tie-in fiction in particular, by being bold and experimental. And by taking genres and artforms that were generally looked down upon seriously. Yourself, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Peter Milligan, Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Mike Carey, Clive Barker, Lawrence Miles, Lance Parkin, etc.

​

Some of you knew each other; some of you didn't. Some of you were friends; some of you couldn't stand each other. But all of you, consciously or unconsciously, fed off of each other and pushed one another to create some of the greatest works of modern genre fiction. Your legacy, both as individuals and as a collective art scene, is staggering. What was it like to be part of that?

Amazing. Like being around at the time of the Pre-Raphaelites, or the Romantics, the Beats or the Bloomsbury Group. So many incredible imaginations.

Hey Grant!

First off I just want to thank you for writing all these amazing comics, from All Star Superman to Animal Man to Klaus to Doom Patrol, your works have really managed to show me the wonders of comics and the medium, so thank you :)

Could you reveal any details of your Teen Titans pitch for DC Comics in the 90s?

Thanks so much and have a nice day!

I can't remember anything about it although I'm sure it was influenced by Bob Haney.

Grant first of all thank you for all of the wonder and joy you have brought me throughout my life. Your work means a lot to me and countless others. I have a few questions please stick with me!

What has been your favorite run to write? And what should we expect going forward with Happy?

I was surprised to see it was getting a second season because the story had seemingly concluded. Will you be writing any more Happy comics?

Wishing you well!

No more Happy comics - all our ideas are going into the show - and when we get to season 3 we have plans to get even madder. Can you guess which holiday we go to next after Christmas and Easter?

Hey guys! I have two questions, if that's alright.

1. Is Happy season 2 going to be coming to Netflix? I don't have cable so I'm a bit behind, but I streamed the first season and really liked it, so I'm crossing my fingers that this most recent season will make its way onto Netflix too.

2. This one's more of a personal one for Patton, but I've been binging your comedy specials as of late and I've kinda fallen in love with you in the process? I know I'm probably sitting at a lonely table for one here, but I just can't help it, I find you totally adorable. But that's enough gushing from me. Anyways, I was wondering if you've ever had/currently have any big-time celebrity crushes? (That is, aside from your lovely wife, of course.)

Thanks in advance!

1. I'm sure it will.

Ehi Grant! Sorry for the silly question but... Is your wife the first one in world to know about your epic and amazing comics ideas? What does she think? Thanks for everything, your stories really saved me. Ps. My boyfriend loves you and your works more than me, but it's ok if the other one is a special person like you.

Yes! Kristan hears them first. You'd have to ask her what she thinks about my gibbering flights of fancy. Your boyfriend doesn't really...

Hello Grant, First of all, Thank You. For your work. For your passion. Your comics changed my life, literally, and that process is also in progress right now. So, Thank You. Really. My question is simple: what do you think of the evolution of the comics medium in the last years? Is this a new Era of Comics (the Prismatic Age, maybe)?

Ps. Come to italy, please!

I think comics are in a bit of a rut right now to be honest. There's always good work and stand-out creators but look at the difference in storytelling styles between 1965 and 1985. Then look at the progress in comic book storytelling over the last 20 years. Has anything changed since The Ultimates?

Hey Grant ! Big fan of your work, and you too Patton.

This question's directed to Grant. Mr Morrison, I am currently in the midst of reading your, dare I say iconic, Doom Patrol run. Prior to this, I have read your run on Animal Man too. I cannot begin to say what a profound effect it had on me, and how reading the Arkham Asylum TPB, which had your script breakdown, respect the comic book industry, more as a whole.

What gave you the inspiration to create such unique storylines, with characters that would never fit in within a mainstream comic, but are still endearing, in their own unique way ?

Secondly, the all out bizzarity of some of your creations, like Danny the Street, and the seemingly overarching theme of ditching the status quo, where did you draw content from, while writing such amazing, bonkers and yet, at the same time philosophical stories ?

And Patton, what do you think ?

It's all based on life and people I meet. I like turning experience into symbol and allegory.

Hey, Grant, hey, Patton! Grant, would ever consider putting together a magick textbook something like Liber IV or do you think your work in something like The Invisibles is enough?

I've been thinking about it for ages - but my piece in Heavy Metal said everything I have to say about magic at the moment.