The 85th anniversary issue of Weird Tales features our big list of “The 85 Weirdest Storytellers of the Past 85 Years.” We’re breaking it down online, too: one honoree per day, in no particular order, for 85 days!

We’ve met a few poseurs in our day; ergo, we assert: the comic book writer-rockstar-mage thing only works if you’ve got the skills to pay the bills. Enter GRANT MORRISON (1960– ), who consistently transforms the surreal and non-linear into a crackling good story. Who else has the moxy to turn good old-fashioned superheroes like the X-Men and Justice League inside out, twisting their narrative structures until it’s as unsettling to read about them as it would be to live in the world alongside them? It’s tempting to ask “How does he do that?” — but we know that, as with the great magical texts, Morrison’s secrets are hidden in plain sight. He could tell us, but then he’d have to kill us.

What’s new: In addition to his ongoing gigs as writer of All-Star Superman and Batman, Morrison is at the helm of the giant DC Comics event Final Crisis, which begins the last week of May.