Morrison Books

Sorry, I really don't have any good comments on this, because I haven't had any classes to use it with right now. Maybe later in the fall classes I might be able to use it then.

Thank you.
Bessie Roberts

Morrison's FUNDAMENTALS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION is his other book (third best, in my opinion, behind Jo Ann Brewer's book and Stephanie Feeney's book). This is essentially the same excellent text with a well-done added section on Programs and Services For Children.

Like Morrison's other text, it's full of alot of stuff in just a little over 530 pages, but it's a one-stop reference.

The only problem is the price: $95. You can get the other three books for less money with essentially the same information.

In general, though, it's a fine, fine book.

I have used this text for two years in my Foundations class that I teach at a local college. I personally like the broad scope of information that is contained, but considered the 1997 version outdated from the start..i.e., no brain research; In additon, I do not think the work is well written at all. It is confusing and hard to follow. As an example, he mentions Socrates and Plato, but does not say why (Chapter three, page 62). I could site other examples but "brevity is the soul of wit"! Thanks :)

I've used this book as a reference because of the tremendous amount of information it holds. The information is up to date and presented in a clear way. Early Childhood Education Today is easy to read, comprehend, and utilize as a college student.

I am majoring in Birth through kindergarten Education, and I feel that this book is well worth the money. With its many colorful charts and their detailed descriptions, it is an easy way to get the sometimes complicated information understood. This, along with the helpful websites and each chapters' focus questions, this book is a "must have!"

Two similar storylines here, but one of them is an inter-company crossover. The second part of the trade is JLA-Wildcats, from the blue Superman era.

For the Wildstorm era, they all get along fairly nicely, particularly when Zealot works out Wonder Woman can take all she has and more.

The Ultramarine part is a US government created Superman that has the problem of not having the smart people that the JLA does, so they get infiltrated and taken over. Throw in Gorilla Grodd, the Justice League out of action, it is up to the Batman, and the Batman clone's sidekick to save the day.

Pretty mediocre, really, although giant insane gorillas are usually entertaining, as is the lecture about how easily his followers are bought for bananas.


3 out of 5

Any Morrison is good Morrison and any problems I had with his previous JLA work had more to do with the sometimes awkward and usually overblown artwork. McGuiness is a perfect partner in crime for this story, however, as his tight, expressive linework really sings.

It's a neat little superhero tale on its own, but, in the broader context, is an important prequel to Grant's "Seven Soldiers of Victory." There were a number of puzzling questions in my mind after I finished SSoV and this mini cleared several of them up nicely.

First off, JLA, as written by Grant Morrison, is THE superhero comic of all time. Exciting, reinvigorating, packed full of details and characterization! Ah, such characterization! And history, too! By history, I mean, JUSTICE LEAGUE history. Grant's run on JLA was a heartfelt love letter to all incarnations of the JLA, especially the Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman-led JLA. His run on this comic was the inspiration for The AUTHORITY (and no doubt influenced ULTIMATES as well as Jeph Loebs' run on Superman/Batman) ; widescreen, epic superhero extravaganzas of pure imagination and fun.

I can understand where some may be disappointed by the story featured in ULTRAMARINE CORPS, but in order to fully appreciate its many details, plot points, characters and events, one truly must be versed in Morrison's JLA run as well as his SEVEN SOLDIERS mega-meta-event, and even his current BATMAN run. This is not some marketing ploy hatched to sell comics; it's simply great storytelling of the truly EPIC quality and stature. One of the best aspects of Grant's work is that he always gives stuff to chew and mull over; his comics are never of the disposable, throwaway and forget about type. The more times you read them, the more you glean from them. Talk about your value for money!

Taking stock of the ULTRAMARINE CORPS, the infant universe of QWEWQ -- Grant first made mention of this back in issue 12 of JLA, Part 3 of the ROCK OF AGES arc; when Mote says to Green Lantern: "YOU SHOULD TAKE TIME TO SEE AND REMEMBER THESE WONDERS..." that's not an aside, that's foreshadowing at it's most subtle and skillful -- any aspiring writers would be wise to study Morrison's work for how to lay out a story in the long term and plant seeds that come to perfect fruition in due time. Now, QWEWQ gives birth to NEH-BUH-LOH, one of the prime villains of SEVEN SOLDIERS.

The Ultramarine Corps were introduced in the EXECUTIVE ACTION arc from JLA #s 24-26. Superbia, the floating city, was introduced right at the end of that arc, and, until Morrison wrote the ULTRAMARINE CORPS arc, I longed to see what he could/would do with such a great concept (which is, no doubt, a nod to Jack Kirby's SUPERTOWN, only with a more "AUTHORITY-esque/Post-WATCHMEN" spin put on it. The characters of Knight and Squire have also returned recently in the pages of Morrison's BATMAN -- the CLUB OF HEROES arc so exquisitely drawn by JH Williams III.

I find it interesting and a little frustrating to read reviews of this arc that dismiss it as weak or under-developed and it really is an indication of readers' inability/unwillingness to share in Morrison's vision.

I can tell that Morrison is having a blast playing in the DC-verse, where he feels truly at home. Who else but Morrison would equip Batman with such diverse and kooky stuff such as: a Dalek, the head of the IRON GIANT and the claw of the Robot from LOST IN SPACE? What? You didn't see that? It's all on display in Bats' "sci-fi closet" -- "DON'T TELL MY FRIENDS IN THE GCPD ABOUT THIS, ALFRED," indeed! This sequence PERFECTLY sums up the essential nature of Batman; how the character has changed over the decades and yet still manages to command such interest and awe. With this scene, Grant gives nods to the following: the 60's live-action TV series (Alfred hands Bats the Red Phone complete in a glass dome on a tray!), the 50s kooky, sci-fi era (sci-fi closet), and even straddles the current era with the post-Wertham censorship/Batman deputised-in-daylight era: "my friends in the GCPD" ("friend" being a nod to that "lame" era of the deputised Batamn; GCPD in my mind referencing the recent GOTHAM CENTRAL series). The fact that this neither undermines or diminishes Batman in the slightest is testament to Grant's skill at deftly handling the DC characters with such a level of respect -- a trait that Frank Miller certainly should take note of!

Morrison's dialogue in this arc is no slouch at all! Superman berating the defeated apes: "A bunch of dumb slogans, a few bananas and you belong to anybody, it seems. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves." And Morrison knows not to overload it all with too much talking - I love the bit where Batman winks his approval at the Squire. Genius!

On the art side, Ed McGuinness's pages are nothing short of spectacular. One should grab copies of the single issues in order to truly behold and appreciate his layouts. Superb stuff!

Overall, this a great, great story. A good swan song for Morrison's JLA as well as a good intro to SEVEN SOLDIERS. Editorial at DC perhaps could have written more detailed notes (actually referring to the SEVEN SOLDIERS link on the back copy, for example. Hint!)

JLA/WILDCATS -- at first this reads like just a filler type of story, But then, that's the genius of Morrison. EVERY TIME he gets me more on the subsequent reads!

Val Semeiks art is, as usual, classy and story-centric. Truly one of those under-rated artists that produce so much work and yet never seem to get the glory, Semeiks always (just like Grant's Animal Man cohort, Chas Truog) tells the story visually without degenerating into mere overblown pin-ups. Substance over style.

I generally have a problem with these type of cross-overs anyways. The fact that Morrison not only had to contend with the Blue Superman, but also a WILDCATS that were missing a couple of their original members, arguably undermined the "wow!' factor so necessary for these type of comics. But Morrison being Morrison, he pulls it off better than most could have. What probably sours this more than it should, is the fact that his and Jim Lee's "WORLDSTORM" revival of the WILDCATS is currently in comic book limbo after only ONE issue. Still, that one comic was/is still better than the 8-9 issues combined that Miller and Lee have produced on All-Star Bats! Now THAT is a comic deserving of one's bile and ridicule. Talk about out-Schumachering Joel Schumacher! Ouch!

With Grant Morrison and Ed McGuinness you might expect a lot from this book but they fail to entertain.

The first half is a 3 issue series that introduces a host of new heroes, kills many of them, and exiles them to another dimension. It is confusing, characters are barely introduced or explained and the threat is fairly dull.

In the second half of the book the JLA has a dull, dated, 90s team-up with the Wildcats. They meet, they fight, they team-up. Nothing of interest happens.

Give it a miss.

Grant Morrison is an amazing writer, perhaps the Alan Moore of his generation, so don't let what you find here in JLA: Ultramarine Corps fool you. The author of such amazing runs on JLA, New X-Men, Doom Patrol, Animal Man, and All-Star Superman launched JLA Classified with a three part arc collected here, in which the JLA is busy in a pocket universe, leaving Batman as the only hero to take on Gorilla Grodd after the Ultramarines get taken out. No worries though, 'cause Bats has robot versions of his fellow JLA members to go into battle with as he tries to avoid becoming dinner for Grodd. The art is from Ed McGuiness, so you get a pretty solid mix of well drawn/cartoony art. The second story is a pretty lame team up/crossover with the JLA and the Wild C.A.T.S., which lacks any sort of the personality or intrigue that usually populates Morrison's work. The Ultramarines story from JLA Classified is a fun diversion, but definitely not that close of a worthwhile effort from Morrison that we usually get. All in all, JLA: Ultramarine Corps is worth a look for JLA and/or Morrison fans, but you could do better.

Two similar storylines here, but one of them is an inter-company crossover. The second part of the trade is JLA-Wildcats, from the blue Superman era.

For the Wildstorm era, they all get along fairly nicely, particularly when Zealot works out Wonder Woman can take all she has and more.

The Ultramarine part is a US government created Superman that has the problem of not having the smart people that the JLA does, so they get infiltrated and taken over. Throw in Gorilla Grodd, the Justice League out of action, it is up to the Batman, and the Batman clone's sidekick to save the day.

Pretty mediocre, really, although giant insane gorillas are usually entertaining, as is the lecture about how easily his followers are bought for bananas.


3 out of 5

Any Morrison is good Morrison and any problems I had with his previous JLA work had more to do with the sometimes awkward and usually overblown artwork. McGuiness is a perfect partner in crime for this story, however, as his tight, expressive linework really sings.

It's a neat little superhero tale on its own, but, in the broader context, is an important prequel to Grant's "Seven Soldiers of Victory." There were a number of puzzling questions in my mind after I finished SSoV and this mini cleared several of them up nicely.

First off, JLA, as written by Grant Morrison, is THE superhero comic of all time. Exciting, reinvigorating, packed full of details and characterization! Ah, such characterization! And history, too! By history, I mean, JUSTICE LEAGUE history. Grant's run on JLA was a heartfelt love letter to all incarnations of the JLA, especially the Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman-led JLA. His run on this comic was the inspiration for The AUTHORITY (and no doubt influenced ULTIMATES as well as Jeph Loebs' run on Superman/Batman) ; widescreen, epic superhero extravaganzas of pure imagination and fun.

I can understand where some may be disappointed by the story featured in ULTRAMARINE CORPS, but in order to fully appreciate its many details, plot points, characters and events, one truly must be versed in Morrison's JLA run as well as his SEVEN SOLDIERS mega-meta-event, and even his current BATMAN run. This is not some marketing ploy hatched to sell comics; it's simply great storytelling of the truly EPIC quality and stature. One of the best aspects of Grant's work is that he always gives stuff to chew and mull over; his comics are never of the disposable, throwaway and forget about type. The more times you read them, the more you glean from them. Talk about your value for money!

Taking stock of the ULTRAMARINE CORPS, the infant universe of QWEWQ -- Grant first made mention of this back in issue 12 of JLA, Part 3 of the ROCK OF AGES arc; when Mote says to Green Lantern: "YOU SHOULD TAKE TIME TO SEE AND REMEMBER THESE WONDERS..." that's not an aside, that's foreshadowing at it's most subtle and skillful -- any aspiring writers would be wise to study Morrison's work for how to lay out a story in the long term and plant seeds that come to perfect fruition in due time. Now, QWEWQ gives birth to NEH-BUH-LOH, one of the prime villains of SEVEN SOLDIERS.

The Ultramarine Corps were introduced in the EXECUTIVE ACTION arc from JLA #s 24-26. Superbia, the floating city, was introduced right at the end of that arc, and, until Morrison wrote the ULTRAMARINE CORPS arc, I longed to see what he could/would do with such a great concept (which is, no doubt, a nod to Jack Kirby's SUPERTOWN, only with a more "AUTHORITY-esque/Post-WATCHMEN" spin put on it. The characters of Knight and Squire have also returned recently in the pages of Morrison's BATMAN -- the CLUB OF HEROES arc so exquisitely drawn by JH Williams III.

I find it interesting and a little frustrating to read reviews of this arc that dismiss it as weak or under-developed and it really is an indication of readers' inability/unwillingness to share in Morrison's vision.

I can tell that Morrison is having a blast playing in the DC-verse, where he feels truly at home. Who else but Morrison would equip Batman with such diverse and kooky stuff such as: a Dalek, the head of the IRON GIANT and the claw of the Robot from LOST IN SPACE? What? You didn't see that? It's all on display in Bats' "sci-fi closet" -- "DON'T TELL MY FRIENDS IN THE GCPD ABOUT THIS, ALFRED," indeed! This sequence PERFECTLY sums up the essential nature of Batman; how the character has changed over the decades and yet still manages to command such interest and awe. With this scene, Grant gives nods to the following: the 60's live-action TV series (Alfred hands Bats the Red Phone complete in a glass dome on a tray!), the 50s kooky, sci-fi era (sci-fi closet), and even straddles the current era with the post-Wertham censorship/Batman deputised-in-daylight era: "my friends in the GCPD" ("friend" being a nod to that "lame" era of the deputised Batamn; GCPD in my mind referencing the recent GOTHAM CENTRAL series). The fact that this neither undermines or diminishes Batman in the slightest is testament to Grant's skill at deftly handling the DC characters with such a level of respect -- a trait that Frank Miller certainly should take note of!

Morrison's dialogue in this arc is no slouch at all! Superman berating the defeated apes: "A bunch of dumb slogans, a few bananas and you belong to anybody, it seems. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves." And Morrison knows not to overload it all with too much talking - I love the bit where Batman winks his approval at the Squire. Genius!

On the art side, Ed McGuinness's pages are nothing short of spectacular. One should grab copies of the single issues in order to truly behold and appreciate his layouts. Superb stuff!

Overall, this a great, great story. A good swan song for Morrison's JLA as well as a good intro to SEVEN SOLDIERS. Editorial at DC perhaps could have written more detailed notes (actually referring to the SEVEN SOLDIERS link on the back copy, for example. Hint!)

JLA/WILDCATS -- at first this reads like just a filler type of story, But then, that's the genius of Morrison. EVERY TIME he gets me more on the subsequent reads!

Val Semeiks art is, as usual, classy and story-centric. Truly one of those under-rated artists that produce so much work and yet never seem to get the glory, Semeiks always (just like Grant's Animal Man cohort, Chas Truog) tells the story visually without degenerating into mere overblown pin-ups. Substance over style.

I generally have a problem with these type of cross-overs anyways. The fact that Morrison not only had to contend with the Blue Superman, but also a WILDCATS that were missing a couple of their original members, arguably undermined the "wow!' factor so necessary for these type of comics. But Morrison being Morrison, he pulls it off better than most could have. What probably sours this more than it should, is the fact that his and Jim Lee's "WORLDSTORM" revival of the WILDCATS is currently in comic book limbo after only ONE issue. Still, that one comic was/is still better than the 8-9 issues combined that Miller and Lee have produced on All-Star Bats! Now THAT is a comic deserving of one's bile and ridicule. Talk about out-Schumachering Joel Schumacher! Ouch!

With Grant Morrison and Ed McGuinness you might expect a lot from this book but they fail to entertain.

The first half is a 3 issue series that introduces a host of new heroes, kills many of them, and exiles them to another dimension. It is confusing, characters are barely introduced or explained and the threat is fairly dull.

In the second half of the book the JLA has a dull, dated, 90s team-up with the Wildcats. They meet, they fight, they team-up. Nothing of interest happens.

Give it a miss.

Grant Morrison is an amazing writer, perhaps the Alan Moore of his generation, so don't let what you find here in JLA: Ultramarine Corps fool you. The author of such amazing runs on JLA, New X-Men, Doom Patrol, Animal Man, and All-Star Superman launched JLA Classified with a three part arc collected here, in which the JLA is busy in a pocket universe, leaving Batman as the only hero to take on Gorilla Grodd after the Ultramarines get taken out. No worries though, 'cause Bats has robot versions of his fellow JLA members to go into battle with as he tries to avoid becoming dinner for Grodd. The art is from Ed McGuiness, so you get a pretty solid mix of well drawn/cartoony art. The second story is a pretty lame team up/crossover with the JLA and the Wild C.A.T.S., which lacks any sort of the personality or intrigue that usually populates Morrison's work. The Ultramarines story from JLA Classified is a fun diversion, but definitely not that close of a worthwhile effort from Morrison that we usually get. All in all, JLA: Ultramarine Corps is worth a look for JLA and/or Morrison fans, but you could do better.

That other review must be from a disgruntled author. Patt Morrison's book is filled with historical information about the Los Angeles River, plus wonderful anecdotes and a very readable style--I bought it because I saw it on the LA Times BESTSELLER list for six weeks and decided to see what I was missing. The people who put it on the list by buying it know what's great--I love this book. A book doesn't have to be long like Gumprecht's to be fulfilling. Plus this book has compelling photographs that tell their own incredible story. Hooray for Patt Morrison and Mark Lamonica!

I'm a big fan of "urban archaeology" but except for a few cool bridges (if you've ever been to the movies you've seen them) there's not much goin' on these days along the LA river. Its interesting as a story but photographicly its pretty dull, even as an industrial landscape.

Its like books on Rt. 66. 99% of what made it interesting isn't there anymore.

Admittedly, there aren't many books devoted to the LA river so we have to make do with what's available. Unfortunately, if you're looking for an in-depth historical biography, this certainly isn't it. Entertaining, maybe -- a big maybe. The text is so lightweight and airy, I half expected it to drift away. The Blake Gumprecht book is more thoroughly researched and thought out, and a much better choice.

Than this poorly written, haphazard history. The photos aren't even coffee book table quality and are often so cropped as to delete important features that the author may have actually described. This is not for a serious historical reader or for a photo composition review. It fails on all counts.

This book is done in a table top format and should be within reach at all times- at least for all Angelinos and natural flowing river advocates. It is not a scholarly treatment and not meant to be, rather, it is an anecdotal effort to bring awareness of the *existence* of the river and bring people up to speed via a quick overview of the history and current affairs of the river. This is accomplished with good text and photos by Patt Morrison (Los Angeles Times columnist, extraordinaire) and Mark Lamonica (a great photographer).

It is ironic that the first Europeans settled and founded Los Angeles *because* of the river, never mind the Indians that were here first and had revered the river for centuries for it's life providing qualities, yet in so many years and due to huge population growth, demands for ever increasing water volume caused people to start looking elsewhere, ie., wells, lake diversions, catch-basins, etc. The river became a nuisance from it's pesky habit of changing it's course through periodic floods and then ran dry for much of the year. Eventually, the river was channeled and turned into a huge concrete drainage ditch- not a pretty site. Access to the river was fenced-off, so it pretty much became ignored. Well, not quite.

Very dedicated people (including Patt Morrison) have been drawing attention to the river and calling for it's revitalization as a river complete with native flora/fauna. "Friends of the L.A. River" is one such group and there are many more. There are significant stretches of the river that have been rehabilitated to a more natural and original condition and many would love to see this happen over the entire 51 mile run it makes from the headwaters in the San Fernando Valley all the way to Long Beach where it meets the Pacific Ocean- and this is doable! The river just needs more attention drawn to it and that is the essence of this book.

If anyone wants a more scientific (hydrology, meterology, etc.), scholarly and historically fact filled book about the river, check out what most people refer to as the definitive science and history of the river: "The Los Angeles River: It's Life, Death, and Possible Rebirth" by Blake Gumprecht (Patt Morrison references it in her book). In combination, these 2 books give a compelling voice of hope to the continuing revitalization and respect for Rio L.A.

This book has a unique way of presenting the information full of informative tables and figures. I really liked it because it gives a new dimension for the ID. Although, it is my second book I have read about this filed, I am feeling confident of my understanding of it.

This is my college textbook and I hate it. I find that I have to take notes to make sense of the text. Sometimes I find that I have to back track in my notes & add content that seems misplaced in order.

I have other books I like better.

Carol P., Doctoral Student

This book was the text for a graduate-level instructional design course at my university. It was written in a "chatty" way for people who had never done instructional design before, explaining things ad nauseum. Unfortunately, most of us had at least some design experience, forcing us to wade through a lot of non-value-adding reading.

Interestingly, Amazon has wisely paired this book with "A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment" in its recommendations. The authors were particulary weak on Needs Assessment. Our class was lost on this topic, and most of us turned to outside sources. Actually, most of the outside sources (all available on the Internet for free) were more useful than the book.

Also, the authors wrote something to the effect of, "We're not particularly into the concept of 'learning styles,' so we're not going to address it." I thought that was pretty arrogant.

There is some good information in the book, but you have dig to find it and do some thinking to apply it. I also had to condense my reading into something like a "Spark Chart" to I could retrieve important information quickly without wading through all the text.

Meanwhile, I've been reading reviews in Amazon to try to find a "real" instructional design book to buy...

I have used this text in several editions, both as a reference in my work as an Instructional Developer and as a one of several suggested ID texts I've used in teaching this subject.

It is one of the most comprehensive basic texts for the entire ID process, providing information not available in other more simplified texts. For this reason, you do not tend to read it as you would a novel. You read it in sections, to learn and apply, and you return to it later to validate your work and learn more.

One of its biggest benefits is that it presents situations and examples that can easily be applied to training in the "real world" of work, that is, in on-the-job training. It is not solely oriented toward K-12 and above educators, although it does have applicable examples for this area too.

As an ID practitioner and instructor for many, many years, I recommend this book as a basic and reference text for anyone truly interested in learning and using Instructional Design.

I have had to read this text for a doctoral level curriculum class. Frankly, it is a very dry, uninteresting presentation of curriculum theory and models. This is a serious flaw, considering this is a textbook designed to instruct learners how to design effective and stimulating curriculum. In addition, the authors do not seem to understand their audience. They appear to be directing their instruction toward business, industry and technology. However, there is an occasional reference toward educators, hardly recognizing that curriculum instruction is directly related to context of area concentration. The shifting back and forth between learning theories and characteristics in list format is distracting. A good text should act as a tool for guidance. This one totally misses the mark.

This book is gorgeous. If you love the young, pouty lion-god, you will love the photos in this book. If you're interested in the rest of the Doors...look elsewhere. This book is largely a paraphrase of Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's _Strange Days_. Yeah, yeah, we already read that one.

I have every book written about Jim Morrison collected over the past 20-plus years, plus every performance available on either VHS or DVD, including his film HWY. Dylan Jones has written an indepth, detailed account of Morrison's life, in which he was neither glamorized nor trashed. This book shows Morrison as a human being and not the overblown myth created since his passing. "Dark Star" works best as a reality check against the numerous tomes that lauded Morrison and contributed to his icon status. Jim couldn't live up to the sexy rock star image in real life, hence, his sabbatical to Paris to get away from the Lizard King persona he so carefully crafted. Of course, unless Morrison made a 180-degree change in the way he was living his life (and abusing his body), if he were alive today, he would be considered a "washed up" relic from the 1960s. This book is for those of us who lived through the 1960s and remember the decade for all it was, not just peace and love. We had Vietnam and we couldn't vote until age 21... and for many of our generation who had no choice, the end WAS always near....

I bought this book and had it finished in one week. Thomas does and excellent job of describing the life of Jim Morrison, AKA the lizard king, it was one of turmoil and confusion. But Morrison was quite an intellect and poet. Many of the Doors songs spawned from books Morrison had read and he had an unquenched love for the beat generation works, mythology and philosophers. On stage he was an amazing showman and gave the fans what they wanted. But all too many times he would become unruly and downright deplorable. Yet he still was a tremendous thinker, and was the perfect image of a rock and roll star. He truly was a remarkable poet and writer, it is too bad he left the Earth so soon.

Jones' contempt for Morrison oozes out of every page. It is so vicious, you will be left wondering why he subjected himself to the seeming torture of typing Morrison's name

This a strange book for me indeed. I loved the photos, especially those of The Doors performing, but the writing is bad and depressing. Dylan Jones fails to do anything to capture the essence of Jim Morrison's art and instead writes a book that basically paints a depressing picture. It appears he takes a lot of gossip as truth (though Morrison was known for his "wild child" activities) and I don't understand why so much effort was put into such a gorgeous-looking book when the writing burns the main character. Jones obviously does not understand or feel anything about The Doors considering he called "Waiting For The Sun" a disappointing work and trashes a great song like "Not To Touch The Earth." I'm also surprised he has so many pictures of Morrison at concerts when he totally trashes his moves and wild performances on stage. This is a weird book in that it has so many great pictures, it is a photographic record, but the writing does not strive to dissect The Doors art, it only focuses on the negative aspects of the life of Jim Morrison. I very much more enjoyed the biography "Break On Through" which was smoothly written and treated the bad stuff with style and really dissected Morrison's work. Great photos, disappointing book.

If you're planning to teach Morrison, don't bother purchasing this book; for lit instructors, it isn't going to provide profound insights. "Approaches to Teaching the Novels of Toni Morrison" was far more helpful in my experience.

This is definitely my recommendation for a "one-stop" analysis of Morrison's fiction. I do not agree with all of David's opinions - we all have them. However, like an archeologist excavating a buried treasure, he meticulously unravels the meaning behind the language, the naming of the characters, the technique behind the delivery. He further demonstrates how Morrison makes use of biblical doctrine, musical structure and myth in her work. The analysis of Paradise is by far the most intelligent, well-written critique I've read to date. Toni Morrison Explained provides a range of possible interpretations for the reader to ponder and ultimately integrate with our own experience of the Nobel novelist writings. Kudos to David for doing the work required to experience Morrison's fiction on a whole `nother level.

It's wonderful to read analyses of Morrison's extremely complicated novels written by a real person, in real language that isn't phony, confusing, or pretentious. Ron David writes as a real person would talk, something that I found extremely enjoyable (although I can see where some would find it annoying). I love that, while he praises Morrison as the finest author of our time, he is not afraid to point out and openly criticize much of her writing, particularly THE BLUEST EYE. I thoroughly enjoyed what he had to say about JAZZ; if anything, he makes you feel better about not understanding all of her writings. David's admittance that he doesn't understand what the hell JAZZ was all about is enough to make us all feel better about not understanding it, either. His style is wonderfully intimate, friendly, and easily readable. This book is highly reccommended to anyone who has struggled with Morrison. It also made me feel proud to discover that many readers are never even able to finish her books--and I've read four.

In this book one will find information about Morrison's novels which is universally known. It is a kind of anthology of bit and pieces of reviews and critiques; it is bereft of anything original. What is missing is any attempt by the author to analyze subtextually any of the novels. I found the chapter on "Jazz" woefully inadequate and chatty. If, according to the author's admission, he did not understand "Jazz," why on earth did he assay an attempt to "analyze" it. I think Oprah could have done a better job!!!

Even if you have never read any of Toni Morrison's work, reading this commentary and explication is such an enjoyable experience, you might put aside that other book that you haven't yet finished. David has a technique and style of drawing you into his unique approach to literary criticism--which this is not--and to chatty and healthy conversation about what Toni Morrison did or did not do, and what her books really mean. Eye-opening and quite entertaining, this work will likely be consulted by many a student in many a literature course, and by many a fan of Morrison. It jusy might open the door to a whole new school of interpretation!

The Authority bust up a gambling ring that likes to bet on crazier and crazier things as a prelude, then they go to war against a multi-reality corporation that has an overinflated opinion of itself. A bit of an Aliens parody here, as well. The art is not as good as previous eras, really, and the story perhaps a little rushed. A boy as monster movie finishes it off.

The collected edition is quite an unremarkable piece of dreck.

When Warren Ellis and his successor, Mark Millar, were kicking the U.S. comic book industry in the groin on the previous volume of the Authority series, they did so because there is genuine authenticity to their approach. They proved to the mainstream publishers that the super-hero genre should be written intelligently as well as incorporate mature content that can be targeted for adults who have had enough of Daddy Fanboy Comics that so many writers analy regurgitate month after month. Mark Millar's groundbreaking & innovative run on The Authority series scared DC Comics so much that they pulled the plug on the title that was gaining in both popularity and sales.

It appears that the boneheads in the DC offices came to realize that they killed a cash cow just for the sake of appeasing hypocritical egos who have a limited vision of the comic book medium. I gather that some brainiac obviously figured out that it may be a good idea to resuscitate the title to prey on the gullibility of the fans and feed off its legacy. Enter Robbie Morrison who has been assigned the task of ushering Warren Ellis & Bryan Hitch's creation into a new era.

Morrison obviously has no idea what The Authority is about and blatantly insults those who support what Mr. Ellis & Mr. Millar created for the comic book fan who wants more out of the super-hero genre. These prolific writers were not shy of utilizing coarse language, inserting violent acts or casting the members as people who enjoy sex into their script to demonstrate the harsh brutality of these characters' exploits, their private lives as well as flesh out their personas. It formed part of the series' breakthrough style but it is not and never has been the sole focus of the stories that Ellis & Millar created.

Robbie Morrison's bastardized vision of The Authority is one where a thin plot and weak characterization is disguised by excessive vulgarity besides random acts of murder. There is no redeemable writing merit that can bring forth any viable, entertainment value to the comic book reader. The obscene dialogue is so forced that the cast resembles a group of naive, nine year olds who want to impress their schoolmates by using the *F* word in every sentence but have no idea what it means. Actually, I would not be surprised if Robbie Morrison was hired to make a mockery out of the title's legacy while DC makes a quick buck by whoring the franchise.

Do not expect to be dazzled whatsoever by Dwayne Turner's effort. The pencil work is sketchy at best which added by the heavy inking & shading by Sal Regla makes the overall appearance of the art dreadful. The background work is appreciable in some panels while others have those dreadful lines that pencillers such as Rob Liefeld are so fond of using to save themselves application as well as time. Whether it be the members of The Authority, the victims they protect or the evil beings they must defeat, Turner's renderings makes each and every one of appear like lifeless mannequins.

Whether it be the case or not, the overall production of the art work looks rushed and inconsistent. A hard pill to swallow considering the asking price of this collected edition.

It is apparent that this era of The Authority is meant for shock value purpose to appeal to that segment of the readership that believes that using the word *a-hole* in a comic makes it sooooooooo cool. DC and Wildstorm have mistakenly deluded themselves that what made the previous series a success rested on it being absurdly offensive. Truthfully, a warning label on the cover should actually state;

Suggested For Immature Readers.

This trade edition contains the first six issues (nos. 0-5) of The Authority vol. 2. This Morrison/Turner run on The Authority tends to get unfairly criticised by fans who compare it to the launch team of Millar/Hitch. Nevertheless, the stories contained in this issue are essential stories in the title's continuity and should be considered a "must have" by any serious fans of the title.

Continuity (no spoilers):
"Reality Incorporated" nicely dovetails with the story "The Circle" which was featured in "The Authority" vol. 1 and spins off into a classic politically-tinged Authority tale of interstellar exploitation. This run contains some of the cheekiest scenes and lines between Apollo and the (frequently unmasked) Midnighter as well as genuinely charming domestic vignettes. If you're interested specifically in the gay angle, you should know that this book features some of the only panels of Apollo and Midnighter in bed together. Look for some welcome exploration of Engineer's character as well.

The Creative Team:
Morrison's scripts are just fine. He expands on Millar's character concepts without unduly distorting them. There's nothing here that breaks concept. He introduces and continues to develop Millar's subtext of global political unease with The Authority's methods.

The art team of Dwayne Turner and Art Regla lacks the elegant stylishness of Hitch and Neary but they are consistent in capturing attractive likenesses of the characters and creating imaginative and sweeping vistas in the many two-page layouts. My only reservation is that I find Regla's inks a bit heavy and some of the colouring overly saturated, but this is obviously a matter of taste.

This TBD also has the advantage of being almost entirely the product of a single creative team, which makes it a clean, consistent reading experience in this single volume format. The only exception is the final, stand-alone story "Behemoth" which is pencilled and inked by Tang Eng Huat. This issue deserves a note of its' own. Huat's art is highly mannered, unusually psychedelic and - for many people accustomed to conventional comic art - highly unpleasant. For all that, it's rather good once you get used to it. I wouldn't want a whole run by Huat, but this one is a valid experiment.

The Language:
Yes, they say the "f" word and use other blue language. It's an adult comic and clearly marketed and labelled as such. They also kill people and do quite a bit of property damage. If you're a fan of The Authority you already know this. If this sort of thing doesn't suit your taste, stick to Disney comics.

This is the second collection of Robbie Morrison's run on the Authority. I have read both and since they comprise one large story I will comment on them together. Morrison had the unfortuneate luck to follow Millar and Ellis who put together quite a great run of Stormwatch/Authority comic tales. While they were pushing the boundries with the topics and their dark takes on superheroes, they were writing good original stories. Morrison starts off with the earth being invaded and devestated story that has been done over and over in this comic alone. I am surprised there is anything left of the earth. He resorts to excessive profanity, violence and sex. He seems like someone who is just saying f*ck because he thinks that it is shocking. It seems so out of character for the heroes to constantly be swearing when they never did before. It might be okay if the writing was top notch, but it isn't. The art however is good, though not Turner's best work. I would skip this one and pretend it didn't happen.

The book was good in researching the rumours that Jim Morrison is still alive, and tells some which was unknown. I have been reading it all day, and the only problem I have is it's only 80 pages, which is a little too short. Worth a read.

Don't expect too much, it's rather dissapointing.

Is he still alive and living in L'America? Well, we still don't know.

Respect to Bob for making the effort though.

After reading this book I felt assured knowing that Morrison has been dead all this time, but disappointed in the lack of research. This author interviewed no one of importance, scarcely addressed any theories of murder or OD and was content telling the reader what happened on each day of search minute after boring minute. Great topic to write about, but The End fell short in many areas.

Those interested in the subject of Morrison's death owe a great deal of gratitude to Seymore, whose dogged perseverence resulted in the release of several major documents held by Paris police, including the report of Alain Ronay, the full police report of Pam Courson, et cetera. Nevertheless, Seymore fails to follow up on some fascinating issues, and largely believes the Courson /Ronay story without questioning the underlying validity of those testimonies or looking very deeply into the situation. Much of the book could be subtitled, "Bob's Irritations With Parisian Bureaucracy," and it often seems as if Seymore is desperately trying to pad what is already a short book. He fails to read his own material very closely for places where witness testimony is provocatively contradictory, primarily (I believe) because his main thrust in doing research into Morrison's death was to discover that he was still alive. Sorry, Mr. Seymore...

The book was not what I expected. I didn't find the book to be very clever or humorous. It was a disappointment.

I love Allan Morrison's wee little books with Scottish colloquialisms. This one is quite a little gem, especially if you're trying SASL. (Scots As a Second Language ;-)

It's neat, compact, cute, hilarious, easily fits in your pocket and comes complete with a glossary (something curiously lacking in some other Scottish tomes). I'd also like to add that learning even a handful of these little sayings to memory will endear you to any Scot. A couple of favorites:

"De ye think I'm up the Clyde on a bike?"
(Do you think I'm an idiot?)

"Sodgers wi' big guns beat sodgers wi' pretty dresses."
(Being practical is more important than being presentable)

"Som would flay a louse fer it's skin."
(Some people are so mean that they'd skin a flea for it's skin).

A true delight, well worth the money and easy to understand. A charming volume for anyone studying Scots.

More of a humorous look on Scotland and the oddball sayings you heard your Gran pronounce at every turn. Billed as "gannies' common sense", Scottish grannies are known for taking every thing in stride and always have a saying for each situation. The wee look into these staid philosophises that anchored a way of life is a delight. Accompanying the sayings are cute pen and ink cartoons.

This slim book has over 500 sayings and is a great present for that Yank with Scottish roots!

This is one of the smallest books I have ever read, and was amusingly illustrated by Rupert Besley, who has worked on several other Scottish humor books. The book has over 500 sayings in Lollands (Lowland Scots English -- Robert Burn's language) grouped into 34 categories such as Business, Death, Observations on Life, Love, Marriage, Money, and Work. A one-page glossary of a few of the Scots words is included, but readers unfamiliar with Scots English would be advised to also have Collins' "Scots Dictionary" handy for some of the other words not listed. Under each proverb is the author's interpretation of the meaning, usually based on the category it is filed under. I did not always agree with Mr. Morrison's "translation", as I felt many of the sayings had broader applications than he allowed, or the translations could have been phrased differently to better bring out the point of the proverb. But that is minor quibbling over personal taste. The real beauty of the book is that, here in one slim volume, are several generations worth of shrewd comments on life, as seen through the eyes of our Scottish ancestors. I found it interesting that many sayings I have seen elsewhere called "old English proverbs" had a close relative in Scots. It makes one wonder which actually came first, and whether the saying is actually English, or has been misattributed. All-in-all a fun little book, and a great "bathroom reader". If nothing else, it will help you practice sounding like a canny auld Scot! [This review appeared in somewhat different form in the March issue of "The Tartan Tattler", the newsletter of the Scottish Club Of Tulsa.]