Posted in: Comic Show, Comics, san diego comic con | Tagged: comic con, Comics, dc, entertainment, grant morrison, little fish comic book studio, multiversity, san diego, san diego comic con, sdcc, sdcc2016

Chatting With The Youthful Grant Morrison Super-Fan From SDCC

By Joe Glass

You may remember from SDCC my report on the Grant Morrison Multiversity panel, where I noted (as did everyone else there, Morrison included I'm sure) an incredibly excitable young fan of the popular writer.

I may not have made it clear in the previous report, but a big part of why I noted the young fan was not just his infectious enthusiasm and explosive excitement; no, more than that, it became clear quickly that he was operating on a level of comics understanding far beyond what I'd normally expect of his age…certainly more than I could at his age.

And when he then got up for fan questions (first in line, naturally), he spoke about the Multiversity with in many respects a great level of understanding than I have in it now.

I wasn't the only person to have noted this precociously intelligent young man, rather several people mentioned how remarkably smart this eager kid was and his knowledge of comics, including Multiversity's Rian Hughes.

Indeed, the reason the young man stuck in my mind was simple…I was left with the impression that I had just been given a super-advance sneak preview of the next big thing in comics – in maybe ten years time.

Thankfully, through his really quite exciting school Little Fish Comic Book Studio, I've been put in touch with that Morrison super-fan, a young man named Adrian A. Perez.

Make a note of the name, guys!

Joe Glass: Hi Adrian! Firstly, thank you so much for speaking with us here at Bleeding Cool. Hope you had a fantastic San Diego Comic Con?

Adrian A. Perez: Thank you very much it is an honor and a pleasure to talk with you guys.

I think this year was my favourite out of the five years I have been going to comic con.

JG: Back at the show, it certainly seemed that you're a massive Grant Morrison fan. Why do you like his work so much?

AP: Well, I think the stories he tells are the most crazy and unbelievable things ever conceived. There is no shortage of creativity when it comes to Grant Morrison. I mean everything from All Star Superman to WE3 was all just mind blowing. My favourite thing about Morrison is the feeling you get when you read stuff like Final Crisis and Multiversity. The feeling of having your mind turned to goo and then having it re-formed. The best way to really describe it is being confused while being really excited.

JG: Definitely seemed that you're a big fan of Multiversity too, which is a really dense and some would say difficult to follow series. Why do you love it so much?

AP: I have always had an interest in the multiverse but I have never had a clear definition of the whole concept. When Multiversity was announced I was the happiest kid on earth. The main reason I love it so much (there are multiple reasons but we would be here all day.) is that I get to see all the variations of the characters we love and not just be stuck watching the same thing.

JG: You asked Grant about if he'd considered writing a comic or graphic novel set in one of the various Earths in Multiversity. Is there a particular Earth you'd like to see?

AP: Yes. That would have to be Earth-36, which is my favourite earth. For those of you who don't know what earth 36 is, it is based on Big Bang Comics, which ripped off the Justice League. Grant Morrison explained it to me this way (read in Scottish accent) "So Big Bang Comics ripped off the Justice League so I just did the same thing to them. A rip off of a rip off." Earth-36 is home to Justice 9, which includes characters like Red Racer and Optiman.

JG: Are you just a Morrison fan, or do you like other books too?

AP: Besides being a Morrison fan I love DC heroes like Swamp Thing and Bwana Beast (which DC should do more stories with) and I love all the Marvel and DC movies. But at heart I am a true Morrison fan.

JG: What ones are you reading?

AP: Currently I am reading titles like Justice League, Justice League United, Swamp Thing, Earth 2 and more.

JG: I understand you study comics at the Little Fish Comic Book Studio. Do you enjoy it? What kind of things do they teach you about comics?

AP: To answer the question; yes, I love it there. For people who don't know what Little Fish is, it is a comic book drawing / writing studio based in San Diego that was founded by Alonso Nuñez. Every Saturday Matt Dunford, one of the instructors, teaches me comic history while Alonso teaches me how to draw and write comics. We learn everything from pencilling to complex figure drawing.

JG: And lastly, do you want to make comics yourself when you're older? Are you someone we should be looking out for in a few years' time?

AP: Of course! To answer your first question; I would love to work at Marvel and/or DC as a Writer/Penciler. And to answer your final question; don't forget, my name is Adrian A. Perez and one day I hope to be in the comic business!

JG: He's already super-eager and clued up on comics and going to a school that teaches comics (yes, apparently they have those, which is awesome), and he's learning how to make them. Personally, I wish I had had that: as a creator, it would have been amazing to me to be able to study and learn about my beloved medium in a school environment, and if I knew more about comics at a younger age, who knows where I'd be now in my creative endeavors.

So keep an eye out in a few years, people. Adrian A. Perez just might be the next big thing in comics.

Joe Glass is a Bleeding Cool contributor, and creator/writer of LGBTQ superhero team comic The Pride, which is available on Comixology and at The Pride Store. He is also a co-writer on Welsh horror-comedy series, Stiffs, which can be bought at the Stiffs Store and is now also available on Comixology. You can follow him on twitter and tumblr.

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