fajrdrako | Some thoughts on Warren Ellis

Recent reading:

Planetary: Leaving the 20th Century by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday. I read an issue of Planetary before - a crossover with Batman that featured different Batmans of different eras and styles. So I had an idea of what to expect: a dimension-hopping white-haired hero named Elijah Snow, written in Ellis’s sharp, original style that busts cliches and keeps finding new ways of looking at material.

Now I’ve read this actual TPB of Planetary and I’m still not sure what the theme of the comic is. It hardly matters: the stories are fun. Basically they are (as so many Warren Ellis stories are) a platform for Ellis to say what he wants to say and do what he wants to do. I have no problem with that.

And how could I not like a story that begins with the words: “1995. The truth is in here.”

Protagonist Elijah Snow was an American born in the mid-eighteenth century and decided at a young age to learn the secrets of the world, which turned out to include the prolongation of his life. In the first story here, he meets up with Sherlock Holmes. In another story he goes to Africa and meets a Tarzan-like character, with interesting commentary on racism and history. Another, “Hark”, was in the style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. “Zeropoint” examines the science fiction nature of Thor’s hammer from Marvel, without ever mentioning Thor. My favorite involved the first attempt to send men to the moon - in the mid-eighteenth century, using the projectile technology of the time.

All the stories are interesting reconsiderations of familiar themes. All are beautifully illustrated by John Cassaday, the artist who also draws Astonishing X-Men so well.

~

While I’m on the subject of Warren Ellis, I was amused by his comments about a recent press conference:

Yesterday, I did a Marvel phone conference with retailers and journalists. I told the assembled worthies that Marvel were launching a porn line using their old Star Line group of children's properties, and that Mark Millar's summer 2006 book was called "Anal ALF."

"Any questions?" Marvel's John Dokes asked brightly, remembering with bitterness that I'd promised to keep it clean. And there was deathly silence on the line. "I do it for the children," I said.

And more seriously, while talking about one of his coming projects:

Like I said, it's a writing challenge. Blows the cobwebs out a bit. Makes you focus on the craft a bit. Sometimes it's worth sitting down and thinking, what *does* make a Marvel character work? (Answer: tragedy.)

So I thought about that: is it true? It's true of most mutants, I think, except maybe Kitty Pryde. It's certainly true of Daredevil, Elektra, Spider-Man and Cable. Except that some of the most interesting, tragic aspects of Cable's life have been retconned away - I think. Is it true of the Fantastic Four? Tony Stark? Thor? I don't think so; but it's a one-word answer that deserves some pondering.