Gideon Stargrave
Encyclopedia
Gideon Stargrave is a comics
character
created by Grant Morrison
in 1978
for the anthology comic
Near Myths
.
The character is based on Jerry Cornelius
, as well as J. G. Ballard
's "The Day of Forever
".
in stories written and also drawn by Morrison, before that title was cancelled (Morrison also wrote and drew stories in issues 2 and 5, but they did not contain Stargrave). He made a brief appearance in Food for Thought (a British benefit comic to aid Ethiopian
famine relief ) in 1985.
The character next made an appearance in Morrison's The Invisibles
as an alter-ego of King Mob
, one of that title's main characters.
In this incarnation, Stargrave is used by King Mob
to confuse his enemies during interrogation. Gideon is a '70s spy modelled after James Bond
and Jason King who spends every scene he appears in seducing his partner, and is supposedly the main character of King Mob's works as an author. In this sequence, we see not only the actual Stargrave story but King Mob's cover identity (or probable real world identity) as Gideon Starorzewski, who produces his work under the pen name
Kirk Morrison.
This ties the real creator (Grant Morrison) in with his various fictional creations (Gideon Stargrave and King Mob/Gideon Starorzewski/Kirk Morrison) and bringing together the various creations in a metafictional conceit. Much of the premise of The Invisibles involves the philosophy that language is a perfectly acceptable method of creation so the notion that Gideon Stargrave is a fictional character does not preclude him being also a real person.
has encouraged other authors to use Jerry Cornelius, in a way that borders on open source
, he has posted a number of comments about a couple of authors who, he believes, have directly lifted the character. David Gemmell
is one author, but he reserves most of his scorn for Morrison:
On June 12, 2003:
On March 14, 2003:
Other earlier statements include:
However, in a 1988 interview Morrison said the principal inspiration wasn't Jerry Cornelius but J. G. Ballard
's "The Day of Forever
", although in a much later interview Morrison admitted some influence from Moorcock on parts of the story: "King Mob's 'Gideon Stargrave' stories are direct quotes from the Michael Moorcock-inspired short stories I wrote obsessively when I was 17". He went further in the letters column of Invisibles vol 1. #17 (February 1996):
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
in 1978
1978 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1978.- Year overall :* DC suffers the DC Implosion, the abrupt cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned titles, with the vast majority of the books leaving uncompleted storylines .* Archie Goodwin resigns as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief,...
for the anthology comic
Comics anthology
Comics anthologies collect works in the medium of comics that are too short for standalone publication.- U.S. :- UK :British comics have a long tradition publishing comics anthologies, often weekly...
Near Myths
Near Myths
Near Myths was a comic magazine published in Edinburgh during the late 1970s that only ran for five issues. The initial editor was Rob King and it was produced by Galaxy Media...
.
The character is based on Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius
Jerry Cornelius is a fictional secret agent and adventurer created by science fiction / fantasy author Michael Moorcock. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous sexuality. Many of the same characters feature in each of several Cornelius books, though the individual books...
, as well as J. G. Ballard
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
's "The Day of Forever
The Day of Forever
The Day of Forever, is a short-story collection by J. G. Ballard. It contains the following stories:*"The Day of Forever"*"Prisoner of the Coral Deep"*"Tomorrow is a Million Years"*"The Man on the 99th Floor"*"The Waiting Grounds"...
".
History
The character appeared in issues 3-4 of Near MythsNear Myths
Near Myths was a comic magazine published in Edinburgh during the late 1970s that only ran for five issues. The initial editor was Rob King and it was produced by Galaxy Media...
in stories written and also drawn by Morrison, before that title was cancelled (Morrison also wrote and drew stories in issues 2 and 5, but they did not contain Stargrave). He made a brief appearance in Food for Thought (a British benefit comic to aid Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
famine relief ) in 1985.
The character next made an appearance in Morrison's The Invisibles
The Invisibles
The Invisibles is a comic book series that was published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. It was created and scripted by Scottish writer Grant Morrison, and drawn by various artists throughout its publication....
as an alter-ego of King Mob
King Mob (comics)
King Mob is a fictional character, a revolutionary created by Grant Morrison for The Invisibles.-Character development:The character's name is inspired by the Situationist group King Mob, as well as Morrison himself He is also Gideon Stargrave, one of Morrison's early creations...
, one of that title's main characters.
In this incarnation, Stargrave is used by King Mob
King Mob (comics)
King Mob is a fictional character, a revolutionary created by Grant Morrison for The Invisibles.-Character development:The character's name is inspired by the Situationist group King Mob, as well as Morrison himself He is also Gideon Stargrave, one of Morrison's early creations...
to confuse his enemies during interrogation. Gideon is a '70s spy modelled after James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
and Jason King who spends every scene he appears in seducing his partner, and is supposedly the main character of King Mob's works as an author. In this sequence, we see not only the actual Stargrave story but King Mob's cover identity (or probable real world identity) as Gideon Starorzewski, who produces his work under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Kirk Morrison.
This ties the real creator (Grant Morrison) in with his various fictional creations (Gideon Stargrave and King Mob/Gideon Starorzewski/Kirk Morrison) and bringing together the various creations in a metafictional conceit. Much of the premise of The Invisibles involves the philosophy that language is a perfectly acceptable method of creation so the notion that Gideon Stargrave is a fictional character does not preclude him being also a real person.
Inspiration
Although Michael MoorcockMichael Moorcock
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
has encouraged other authors to use Jerry Cornelius, in a way that borders on open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
, he has posted a number of comments about a couple of authors who, he believes, have directly lifted the character. David Gemmell
David Gemmell
David Andrew Gemmell was a bestselling British author of heroic fantasy. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. He went on to write over thirty novels. Best known for his debut, Legend, Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explore...
is one author, but he reserves most of his scorn for Morrison:
On June 12, 2003:
On March 14, 2003:
Other earlier statements include:
However, in a 1988 interview Morrison said the principal inspiration wasn't Jerry Cornelius but J. G. Ballard
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
's "The Day of Forever
The Day of Forever
The Day of Forever, is a short-story collection by J. G. Ballard. It contains the following stories:*"The Day of Forever"*"Prisoner of the Coral Deep"*"Tomorrow is a Million Years"*"The Man on the 99th Floor"*"The Waiting Grounds"...
", although in a much later interview Morrison admitted some influence from Moorcock on parts of the story: "King Mob's 'Gideon Stargrave' stories are direct quotes from the Michael Moorcock-inspired short stories I wrote obsessively when I was 17". He went further in the letters column of Invisibles vol 1. #17 (February 1996):
External links
- King Mob, Gideon Starorzewski and Gideon Stargrave entry at Everything2, which looks at the links between the characters
- Discussion on the Cornelius/Stargrave links at BarbelithBarbelithBarbelith is an online forum, named after an element in the comic book series The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, initially conceived of as a space for the discussion of Morrison's works.-The Invisibles:...
- The Bomb annontations for The Invisibles volume 1 #17 in which Stargrave appears