St. Swithin's Day

by Grant Morrison, Paul Grist (Illustrator)

"I hate the rain. Everything bad happens in the rain"...

Comic written by the Scotish talent Grant Morrison.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Grant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.

In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.

Reviews

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un adolescente deprimido busca hacer algo para cambiar al menos un poco el mundo, no pasar desapercibido. Planea matar a la primer ministro de entonces, Margaret Thatcher. Narrado en primera persona mezcla el folclore anglosajón religioso con las frustraciones modernas. Una historia triste con un final no tan predecible.

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly tame (it's the Thatcher assassination book). It doesn't try to justify or politicise his plan; nor is he particularly ill. The target could be anyone, even as the gags are totally time-bound. He's just bored and unhappy, and much less lyrical than the names he drops, Holden Caulfield or Rimbaud.

The Crown , of all things, has a much more searching and serious critique of Thatcher than Grant Morrison the radical. (Though it's also made-up.)

[Matt Graupman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scottish-born Grant Morrison is a comics superstar, recognized for his distinct writing style: tart, intelligent, and misanthropic. British-born Paul Grist is also a comics superstar, well-known for his simple, restrained yet animated B&W drawing style. When I found this book in the discount bins at my local comic shop, I was very excited to see what a collaboration between these two titans would yield. “St. Swithin’s Day” is a melancholy and thoughtful comic but in this political climate, nearly thirty years removed from when it was first published, the book hasn’t aged well. “St. Swithin’s Day” is about a morose young man who, feeling disconnected and alienated from society, decides to kill Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. I’m sure this was obviously controversial when it was first released but, with the increased frequency of mass shootings and the subsequent intense battles over gun control, treating the shooting of another person to placate your own emotions in such a flippant way - even though this is “just” a “funny book” - is even more distasteful now. I couldn’t get over it; the book left a seriously sour taste in my mouth. Grist’s understated work is quite lovely, however.

[Vim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting take on people who wants to do something really exciting in their youth. Although I suggest that readers don't imitate what the character did in this story.

[Chris Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not much of a Grant Morrison fan (mostly because I'm not a fan of modern superheroes), but some of his 1980s work is pleasantly off-centre and very human (Dare, The Further Adventures of Hitler, etc).
This is a bleak, touching story featuring a disillusioned young man who spends most of his time just hanging around the town.
Il
remember that soul-destroying feeling of hopelessness that many of us shared in the late 80s/early 90s, especially in the North of England.
Yes, nothing much happens in this story. That's the point. It's a perfect little gem, and I'm sure Mr. Morrison's DC Comics work is just as poignant. I doubt I'll read any though. Too many other books waiting to be read.
I initially gave this 4 stars, but it's stuck in my head since I finished it. And for that alone, it deserves 5.
Seek out a copy if you can.

[Dimitrije Vojnov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rani Morrisonov one-shot, studija karaktera smeštena u vreme poznog tačerizma, deluje kao BBC Play of the Week koji je na početku karijere snimio kasniji reditelj blokbastera.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely dull - a disaffected youth name-drops disaffected youth protagonists from fiction on the way to "assassinate" Margaret Thatcher.

[ems · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one point during the story, the main character writes NEUROTIC BOY OUTSIDER on his forehead. That should give you an idea of the amount of character development here -- the N.B.O. has pop culture references, imaginary girlfriends and family trouble in exchange for a personality. The story, on the other hand, is interesting, paced well, and has a pretty good ending.

[Ken French · Rating 4 out of 5]

I coincidentally got this comic, about a 19-year old plotting to assassinate Margaret Thatcher, a week before Thatcher died. The book is dark, melancholy, and told entirely through interior monologue. Different from Morrison's more mainstream work.

[Robert Mclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

British comic version of catcher in the rye, with a twist ending.
a good read for fans of well a catcher in the rye, soul to seoul, blankets,lost at sea or any depressing slice of life story.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 1 out of 5]

How did Thatcher ever get into office? I've never heard anything short of (much deserved) vitriol spoken about her from anyone British.