Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1 – Interview With Grant Morrison

Comic book writer … playwright … occultist extraordinaire. This man needs no introduction. Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2012, Grant Morrison is one of most successful, original, and inventive authors working today. Bam! Smack! Pow! was given a rare opportunity to interview Morrison for his work on Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1. Discussing what attracted him to the character and what makes his Wonder Woman different, we got a glimpse of what drives this mind-bending writer.

Bam! Smack! Pow!: What was it that drew you to Wonder Woman? Why write this character?

Grant Morrison: DC actually came to me and asked if I wanted to write a story for Wonder Woman. I thought it would be pretty exciting. It was something I’ve never done. After a bit of research into the character, the thought of writing the story became more and more interesting.

BSP: Is it correct to say that your Earth One Wonder Woman is an homage to the original William Moulton Marston version? I’m saying this because I see a lot of allusions to bondage.

GM: Yes, very much so. I actually wanted to do something fresh. I didn’t want to reiterate what has already been done for the character. Consequently, the freshest take, for this time, would be the original William Moulton Marston Wonder Woman. If you also look at the original run of the character, when Marston was writing her, you’d notice that it was also the most successful.

And your observation of Wonder Woman: Earth One having a lot of allusions to bondage is a correct one. Marston and his wife were polyamorous. A big part of the character has always been this aspect of kinkiness.

Also, Marston believed that women should rule the world. The general public at that time felt that he was strange, and that his ideas were pretty wild and out there.

BSP: What plans do you have for a Volume Two of Earth One Wonder Woman?

GM:  I’m already planning it. There are plans for three volumes. The second one will start with the Nazis in 1993. Volume One was very much about laying a foundation. After the character is established, we can go forward with even more storytelling. But that’s all I can tell you for now.

BSP: Have you had a screening of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? What are your thoughts on the upcoming film’s incarnation of Wonder Woman.

GM: I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m very much looking forward to it. From what I’ve seen from the trailers and the interviews, the character is very much the opposite of what we’re doing with Wonder Woman: Earth One.

BSP: What’s next on your list? Any masterpieces like The Multiversity to look forward to?

GM: Right now, it’s just Wonder Woman stuff. However, I always have things that I’m constantly diving into — anything to do with storytelling, and that includes television and film stuff.

Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1 will be released on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.