Warren Ellis is My Go To Comic Guy.

 

Do you have a go to guy for comics? You know the guy who may or may not have made your favorite story or arc, but who you know that when you see their name on the cover you are going to get at least a good read. Who is it? Frank Miller? Mark Millar? Alan Moore? Or maybe Neil Gaiman? For me it is Warren Ellis.

Now he didn’t create my favorite character, that would be Frank Miller’s Deadly Little Miho. He not the writer who invest me the most emotionally, that distinction would go to Greg Rucka. He doesn’t write my all-time favorite title, that is Nick Spencer’s Morning Glories. Ellis is more like a favorite bartender who knows how you like your drink and makes it perfectly every time.

I knew Warren was prolific but until I started researching for this piece I didn’t know just how much he has put out. He even wrote a lot of the back story and contributed to the creepy vibe on the video game Dead Space. But a lot of his stuff is in the main DC and Marvel ‘verse. That why I missed so much of it. I have stated over and over that I am not a real big fan of the Big Two. In fact of the seven titles I discuss here only one belongs in the World-616 Marvel cannon, and that one had to fight tooth and nail to get accepted in their main world.

Next Wave:

OK, let’s start with Ellis’ brilliant deconstruction of the classic comic book team. I already said in previous post that I wish the Next Wave team had more screen time. So as said by the band Thunder Thighs in the team’s theme song (Can you name another twelve issue series that has its own theme song? I can’t.) “Next Wave roll call!” Monica Rambuae: She is the black female ex-leaders of the Avengers, ‘Earth’s mightiest heroes.” Relegated form the leader of the best of the best, to a team that at the best takes suggestions. It is like going from an officer in the army to herding like cats. Arron Stack: AKA Machine Man, a sentient robot who was created by the grand master himself Jack Kirby. Of course Kirby would probably role over in his grave if he saw what Ellis did with his creation, turning Aaron into a beer swigging anti-organic robo-supremacist. Tabby Smith: Was the X-man known as Boom Boom, here she is a cop hatting kleptomaniac who can blow things up with her mind. Elsa Bloodstone: Once a Buffy the vampire slayer clone, Ellis gave her a complete makeover with an English accent and red hair and the ability to kick the butt of robotic Samaria with a shovel. The Captain: His name is the captain. The only Ellis original creation on the team. He went by Captain (Insert curse word here), until captain America kicked the crap out of him on behest of every superhero who ever used the word captain in their name.

There is cool, then there is Elsa Bloodstone, posing before she kicks the butt of a robo Samaria with a shovel cool

Next wave is a parody of the Superhero genre from an insider. OK, I got to warn you it gets silly. How silly. Parachuting kolas of doom silly. But under all the silliness, super-villains wearing a pail as a helmet there is undoubtable British wit. Many comic book foibles are address. Like the team leader being a competent woman of color who has experience leading THE team of the MU, who is now relegated to the C-list of mainstream titles. The team has more women than men, and well the men are Neanderthal goat lickers.

Be warned Kolas of Doom are silly. But still kind of awesome too.

This is what Ellis has to say about it. “I took The Authority and I stripped out all the plots, logic, character and sanity. (…) It’s an absolute distillation of the superhero genre. No plot lines, characters, emotions, nothing whatsoever. It’s people posing in the street for no good reason. It is people getting kicked, and then exploding. It is a pure comic book, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. And afterwards, they will explode.” I guess I am destined to meet Warren Ellis and get kicked in the face by him, and then explode because I think it is genius.

The Authority

The Authority making the world better by kicking people’s butts.

One of W. Ellis first super hero teams was the Authority. This team is different from the JLA or the X-Men In that they will do whatever it takes to make a better world. Up to and including topping the US government. T heir’s is a world where super powerful menaces routinely take out entire cities. And well the Authority probably does just about as much collateral damage. They think more like soldiers than a traditional four color superhero team. In ways this makes them more realistic. They aren’t out to kill innocents but realize that it is the price that may have to be paid when you are dealing with super powered enemies.

Jenny Sparks is one of my most favorite characters ever. A foul mouth alcoholic, she is the spirit of the Twentieth Century, allowing to live for a hundred years, and her mood is affected by the times she lives in. (She becomes depressed during the depression and selfish in the seventies.) The cynicism of the era allows her to develop a world view that believes she can make a better world by use if force. Apollo and Midnighter are the tams Superman and Batman expys (and gay lovers) Jack Hawksmoore has the power to tap into the genius loci of a city. The Engineer has had her blood replace with nannies and unlike many other supers is also out making the world better by building wind farms in Africa, and trying to cure diseases between fighting city destroying entities. Swift has wings and claws, and though not being a titan like the others more than holds her own. She is also the only non-Ellis created character on the team.

This title can be dark, but in way it is more realistic because of this. the world view not the city destroying enemies. The team got its name because they feel that their powers gives them authority. Their hearts may be in the right place but they can defiantly be anti-heroes. A good alternative world view of them can be seen in the movie Superman Vs. The Elite, based on the comic what’s so Funny About Truth Justice and the American Way? When a thinly disguised version of the Authority takes on Supes in a battle of will and philosophies.

Down

Deanna Ransome, doesn’t need the man or any man to tell her what to do.

This is a four episode mini-series set in the current real world. I picked up all four issues a few years back in a local comic book store’s quarter a title bin. It stars Dianna Ransome and undercover cop who has a berserker button that is set off when men hurt women. On one mission she went of a shooting spree, when a thug killed a woman. Her bosses instead of putting on trial give her an option. It seems that the current crime lord of NYC was an uncover cop who went native. They want her to assassinate him.

Dianna is an interesting character because she walks the tight rope between two opposing forces, each trying to seduce her, to their side. For Dianna her personal code of honor is more important than the law or personal feelings and loyalties. She is hard wired to protect and avenge other women. And in classic comic book form when she is given two no win options she creates her own third choice.

Red

And this is Moses in condition Green.

My first contact with Red, was the trailers for the Bruce Willis movie RED. I bought the title before I saw the movie and as in most cases the book is better than the movie.  I like the movie, it just isn’t as intense of the comic book. In the movie Bruce Willis’ Frank Moses, is a hyper trained agent with a congenial live and let live, but you miss with me and mine you will be sorry attitude. In the comic book Moses it a literal kill machine. Not just a good agent but someone capable of taking out entire squads of Special Forces without wrinkling his suit. He is symbolic of the American war machine, unlimited over kill, but completely amoral, he is just a weapon, the right or wrong of his use is decided upon by those who send him out, he is indifferent, once told what to do. Another difference is in the movie RED stands for Retired and Extremely Dangerous. In the book red is the color code for an agent actively on a mission.

If only I could look that good at that age.

You can kind of get the idea that Ellis, who is from England has a thing against us Americans. I don’t see it that way. I think he has a more cynical few of American institutions like the CIA. And I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. Sometime if you are too close to something then you can’t see the flaws in them. And Ellis’ world is interesting not despite the flaws, but because of them.

Global Frequency.

This is the first title that I consciously associated with Warren Ellis, and until Morning Glories came around it was my favorite title. It has two main recurring characters. Amanda Zero the enigmatic mysterious covert op, who runs a team of 1,001 agents that are specialist on, well among all of them, they have an expert on everything, from computer science, nuclear physics to aggressive interrogation. And her computer/coms women Aleph. There is literally up to 999 supporting characters. Global Frequency is mainly high tech techno-thriller, but they did on occasion venture into sci-fi, and realm of the paranormal.

Miranda Zero and Aleph

Global Frequency is often called the most popular show that never screened. The pilot stared Michelle Forbes as Amanda Zero. I eagerly awaited for it debut but only to be crushed when the network dumped it because the pilot go leaked on the internet. You can find it out there it is worth checking out if only to see how are entertainment universe if a sadder place without it.

I want my GTV.

Planetary

The Planetary field team. Elijah Snow, Jakarta Wagner, and The Drummer. First name The last name Drummer.

I love Portland because its motto is “Keep Portland Weird.” That is the same reason that I love Planetary with its motto of “It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.” In this world things that happened only in books and movies here really happened. So there is an island full of Godzilla like monsters. Main character Elijah Snow, who is ageless, is taught how to investigate by Sherlock Holmes. The planetary field team investigates these bizarre mysteries with dual gun wielding Hong Kong ghost cops, copies of James Bond and Doc Savage. All the time battling an evil version of the Fantastic Four.

I love pop culture and I love literature, so of course I love Planetary. Among other things this title is fun. Yes it has Ellis’ darkness, but it is still a fun world. It sort of diverged from the Wildstorm world it was originally set in and developed a personality of its own. To the point that key world shaking events that happen in Authority (Also set in the Wildstorm Verse) are never referenced. But who wouldn’t want to live in a world where your favorite movies and books are all true and span said world looking for artifacts?

Ministry of Space

A friend loaned me his copies of Ministry of Space, saying it would be right up my alley. And he was right. It is based on an alternative world where the English bombed the American teams capturing the Nazi rocket scientist who in the real world gave the US, a hand up in the space race. This is shocking for the intentional ‘blue on blue’ violence but also because how it could have changed the world.

This changed world is much more Buck Rodgers than the real one. It is a world where the UK monopolized space travel. Landing on the moon in 196, and sending an atomic space ship with a crew of 700 to Mars. It is revealed that the British secretly funded its space research, by using a recovered stash of gold taken from Jews by the Nazis. And that the Empire as thrived in space but has digressed many ways including a black female pilot having to sleep in a ‘non-white male’ quarters in a space station.

Transmetropolitan

Freedom of speech cyber-punk style.

Thank goodness that the Estacada Oregon public library has all the Transmetropolitan TPB’s. The main character is Spider Jerusalem is a cyberpunk Hunter S Thompson. An old school gonzo journalist in the future. He takes on an evil crazy and murderous president of the US. I am not a big fan of X+Y=Z descriptions of books, but Fear and loathing in Las Vegas + Necromancer = Transmetropolitan is a pretty right on description.

Now Spider is not alone in his holy crusade. He has his two filthy assistants. Abused rookie reporter Yelena Rossini. And ex-nun/ex-striper/current body guard Channon Yarrow. Spider may be the star but these two put upon girls are the stories’ heart. And true to form they can give back to Spider as good as he gives. Even such worthies as Sir Patrick Stewart (Who would make an awesome Spider in a Transmetropolitan movies) has publicly said he wanted to have sex with the filthy assistants. They are awesome characters. And with Spider and the girls out there fighting the good fight, I feel better about the future.

Like I said Ellis is a pretty prolific writer. So there are a lot of stuff I haven’t read yet. Among them are Black gas, Black Sumner, and Switch Blade Honey. I am just glad I still have more Warren Elis titles to go to.