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Planetary #3-4
Planetary #2
Elijah Snow ya ha encajado las piezas del puzle. Jakita y Drums, en cambio, no acaban de ver la lógica de su plan, pero le seguirán hata el final. El enemigo está contra las cuerdas y ninguna de sus artimañas le podrá ayudar. El hombre del siglo, el líder de Planetary, se dispone a asestar el golpe definitivo...
Diez años después concluye Planetary, el cómic mainstream más importante de la última década.
Una edición prologada por el creador de Buffy, Joss Whedon, y con todos los extras de la Absolute Edition estadounidense.
Diez años después concluye Planetary, el cómic mainstream más importante de la última década.
Una edición prologada por el creador de Buffy, Joss Whedon, y con todos los extras de la Absolute Edition estadounidense.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 9, 2007
2 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,971 books5,766 followersWarren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 24, 2010
A lot of the magic from the first act of PLANETARY is lost as Ellis changes the narrative to the conflict between The Four and Snow. That's not to say that there aren't great "historical fiction" stories that are as good as the ones from the prior volume. Snow's adventure in tracking down Sherlock Holmes is just one of those. Ellis manages to continue his genre commentary even as he pushes the main narrative forward, having a laugh with the Lone Ranger and westerns even.
As the main narrative pushes forward though, we begin to see more and more of Planetary's raison d'etre through Snow's eyes: when he says Planetary exists to ensure the world "stays strange," he's not just talking about keeping the hidden mystery archaeology of the world a secret, but exposing the benefits of these finds to change the world for the better. This all culminates in the final showdown with The Four, which yields a prize Snow has sought all along.
I was very satisfied by the ending of this story. I was worried that we would be subjected to a typical Ellissian grotesquery in which Crazy Shit Happens and Clever Conclusions Abound. It's actually one of the most upbeat conclusions Ellis has ever written, and I value the rebellious positivity that's maintained throughout PLANETARY as a result.
Of course, the stories contained in this volume represent the best work of illustrator John Cassaday's career. The pencil lines are much cleaner, much more transparent, and you can tell that he is illustrating in conjunction with colorist Laura Martin. The effects are really a treat, and there's plenty of Mad Craziness made actual on the pages that challenges even the greatest scenes from the first few issues.
I am disappointed that a few key stories did not appear in either of these ABSOLUTE collections. PLANETARY/AUTHORITY was a great Ellis-written tale that could have blended ably with the main PLANETARY narrative, and PLANETARY/BATMAN was a fun one-off that worked as its own story within the narrative (also presented by the original creative team). These are my only complaints in that it's not really an "absolute" collection and thus doesn't warrant the full stars.
That being said, it's still an AWESOME story and an AWESOME collection.
As the main narrative pushes forward though, we begin to see more and more of Planetary's raison d'etre through Snow's eyes: when he says Planetary exists to ensure the world "stays strange," he's not just talking about keeping the hidden mystery archaeology of the world a secret, but exposing the benefits of these finds to change the world for the better. This all culminates in the final showdown with The Four, which yields a prize Snow has sought all along.
I was very satisfied by the ending of this story. I was worried that we would be subjected to a typical Ellissian grotesquery in which Crazy Shit Happens and Clever Conclusions Abound. It's actually one of the most upbeat conclusions Ellis has ever written, and I value the rebellious positivity that's maintained throughout PLANETARY as a result.
Of course, the stories contained in this volume represent the best work of illustrator John Cassaday's career. The pencil lines are much cleaner, much more transparent, and you can tell that he is illustrating in conjunction with colorist Laura Martin. The effects are really a treat, and there's plenty of Mad Craziness made actual on the pages that challenges even the greatest scenes from the first few issues.
I am disappointed that a few key stories did not appear in either of these ABSOLUTE collections. PLANETARY/AUTHORITY was a great Ellis-written tale that could have blended ably with the main PLANETARY narrative, and PLANETARY/BATMAN was a fun one-off that worked as its own story within the narrative (also presented by the original creative team). These are my only complaints in that it's not really an "absolute" collection and thus doesn't warrant the full stars.
That being said, it's still an AWESOME story and an AWESOME collection.
January 24, 2021
Reseña de toda la serie.
Leer Planetary es toda una experiencia. No es solo la fijación de Warren Ellis, su guionista, por el inmenso multiverso, es la plasmación de este embeleso sobre el papel. Ya desde su argumento, la obra hace promesas: un hombre centenario es contratado por una compañía clandestina encargada de explorar, esconder y salvaguardar los secretos del mundo. Su primer capítulo establece todo lo necesario para fascinar al lector: la Tierra es apenas una imperceptible mancha en uno de los casi dos mil universos que componen el espacio cuántico, existe una brecha de nombre pomposo ("La Sangría") que permite cruzar los espacios entre mundos y hay un grupo de cuatro superseres dispuestos a descubrir sus secretos por todos los medios posibles. Es un planteamiento brillante que, una vez terminada la historia, gana mucho más: sus personajes apenas están tocando la esquirla superior de la punta de un iceberg que se extiende y ramifica por un número inconcebible de universos. Parece imposible que no se despierte algo en la curiosidad de cualquier lector; mi experiencia va más allá: ese primer capítulo son promesas de mundos ajenos, exóticos, superiores a nosotros. Y ahí es donde entra la primera decepción y, a la larga, la mayor ilusión. Jamás se explora todo el potencial de una premisa tan grandiosa, pero poco tarda Ellis en desviar la atención hacia sus personajes y varios conflictos que rozan lo político. No es esa épica que prometía, pero sí otro tipo de historia fascinante.
Los primeros capítulos de Planetary son, cuando menos, decepcionantes. Parecen plantar semillas de forma confusa, exploran conceptos con muy poca profundidad y cambian de género a cada nueva entrega sin un propósito fijo. Solo se empiezan a unir las piezas de este complicado puzle en 3D proyectado en el 2D del multiverso cuando llega la segunda mitad. Hasta entonces, el cómic parece buscarse sin encontrarse nunca, pero ese duodécimo capítulo establece por fin todos los elementos necesarios para crear una gran épica con un giro de guion que, aun siendo altamente predecible y bastante flojo, tiene la potencia suficiente como para, una vez más, despertar promesas. Desde ahí, el cómic no deja de entregar. Capítulo tras capítulo, somos partícipes de la gran batalla entre el mandamás de Planetary y los Cuatro, un combate antes mental que físico. Aquí, Ellis tira todo por la borda y decide que su cómic no va a ser la típica historia de superhéroes, no señor, esto va de guerras a escala planetaria (jé), dimensional y multidimensional. Es más, la guerra puede que sea el hilo conductor de la trama, pero esta es antes un suspense continuo que no un cómic de acción. Sin perder este último elemento, la segunda mitad de Planetary se dedica a recoger aquellas semillas de los primeros capítulos y hacerlas crecer, expandirlas, ramificarlas y terraformar nuevos mundos para continuar la cosecha.
No quiero destripar nada del argumento. Esos quince capítulos finales hablan por sí solos en un continuo crescendo que lleva al glorioso final. Y sí, no engaño a nadie si digo que todo lo relativo al personaje de Ambrose me da bastante igual, pero es que Planetary consigue que me importe, no por él, sino por sus protagonistas. Snow, Jakita y el graciosete de los palillos (vale, se llama Drummer, pero me parecía justo llamarlo por lo que es) es un grupo muy potente y, si cerramos todavía más el círculo, no tardaremos en descubrir que es Snow el que merece toda la atención. Sin él, la trama no existiría y sus adláteres serían meros figurantes en la historia del cómic. Es un personaje complejo que se va desarrollando con cada nuevo capítulo hasta su clímax narrativo. Su cercanía al antihéroe lo hace interesante, magnético y hasta atractivo (porque tendrá cien años, pero eso tan solo es más experiencia en el arte del amor); no puedo plantearme Planetary sin Snow, sus miradas condescendientes, sus respuestas tajantes y el halo de misterio que lo rodea. Un misterio que, con maestría absoluta, ha sabido mantener y destapar poco a poco Warren Ellis a lo largo de once largos años. No es fácil mantener tal continuidad temática en una historia tan compleja y, sin duda, haberse tenido que aguantar las ganas de revelar sus mejores secretos a cada nueva entrega debe de haber sido todo un suplicio. Ellis sufre por nosotros y nosotros nos reímos, nos fascinamos y nos emocionamos con su dolor.
Hay muchos elementos confusos en Planetary. Gran parte de sus capítulos tiende a explicarse, quizá, demasiado poco, y otros pecan de cientificismo excesivo, pero poco importa cuando todo está lo suficientemente bien hilado como para poder seguir los puntos esenciales de su argumento. Aquí, la física cuántica, los Heisenbergs, Schrödingers y las nanomoléculas son un aderezo para hacer veraz su historia. Mi desconocimiento absoluto de las ciencias por ser un pipa de letras no me permite confirmar los datos presentados por Ellis, pero confiaré en él y le daré un gallifante por la labor de investigación. Por lo demás, el guion juega inteligentemente con los saltos en el tiempo, las distintas localizaciones y el brillante ensamblaje de toda la historia.
No podría dejarme sin mencionar a Cassaday. La mitad de lo que es Planetary se debe a su dibujante, un hombre con una mano de oro que hace de cada nuevo giro de página un momento de sorpresa y pasmo. Ha habido ocasiones en las que me he sentido tentado por girar la página antes de tiempo solo para poder maravillarme ante los delineados, los espacios, las expresiones de Cassaday y la paleta de Laura Martin. Ellis ha tenido tanta suerte de encontrar a Cassaday como este la ha tenido con el guionista. Parece casi una relación simbiótica en que ambos intentan superar al otro con cada nuevo capítulo y terminan creando un conjunto magistral mientras Martin sigue el ritmo a ambos. No puedo hacer más que cantar las alabanzas del dibujante y su colorista; su obra habla por sí sola.
Al final, Planetary es algo más que un cómic de ciencia ficción. Es una historia que invita a la reflexión sobre el lugar que ocupamos en el universo, sobre la existencia de la especie humana y sus vilezas. Es un conato de fábula que desafía nuestro mundo, traspasa las barreras dimensionales y nos empuja a ver más allá de las noticias, los satélites y la ficción. Quiere hacernos sentir una fascinación por un mundo que, quizá, sea mucho mayor de lo que imaginamos. Pone a prueba nuestra imaginación, reta nuestra percepción sobre aquello que nos rodea y nos plasma el cosmos en sus estados más micro y más macro. Plantea los inconvenientes de jugar con aquello que nos supera y nos da las armas para sobrepasar el obstáculo. Nos enseña que la ficción es tan solo el primer paso y que allí fuera está el circuito. Ahora, sabemos que el nuestro es un mundo extraño.
Leer Planetary es toda una experiencia. No es solo la fijación de Warren Ellis, su guionista, por el inmenso multiverso, es la plasmación de este embeleso sobre el papel. Ya desde su argumento, la obra hace promesas: un hombre centenario es contratado por una compañía clandestina encargada de explorar, esconder y salvaguardar los secretos del mundo. Su primer capítulo establece todo lo necesario para fascinar al lector: la Tierra es apenas una imperceptible mancha en uno de los casi dos mil universos que componen el espacio cuántico, existe una brecha de nombre pomposo ("La Sangría") que permite cruzar los espacios entre mundos y hay un grupo de cuatro superseres dispuestos a descubrir sus secretos por todos los medios posibles. Es un planteamiento brillante que, una vez terminada la historia, gana mucho más: sus personajes apenas están tocando la esquirla superior de la punta de un iceberg que se extiende y ramifica por un número inconcebible de universos. Parece imposible que no se despierte algo en la curiosidad de cualquier lector; mi experiencia va más allá: ese primer capítulo son promesas de mundos ajenos, exóticos, superiores a nosotros. Y ahí es donde entra la primera decepción y, a la larga, la mayor ilusión. Jamás se explora todo el potencial de una premisa tan grandiosa, pero poco tarda Ellis en desviar la atención hacia sus personajes y varios conflictos que rozan lo político. No es esa épica que prometía, pero sí otro tipo de historia fascinante.
Los primeros capítulos de Planetary son, cuando menos, decepcionantes. Parecen plantar semillas de forma confusa, exploran conceptos con muy poca profundidad y cambian de género a cada nueva entrega sin un propósito fijo. Solo se empiezan a unir las piezas de este complicado puzle en 3D proyectado en el 2D del multiverso cuando llega la segunda mitad. Hasta entonces, el cómic parece buscarse sin encontrarse nunca, pero ese duodécimo capítulo establece por fin todos los elementos necesarios para crear una gran épica con un giro de guion que, aun siendo altamente predecible y bastante flojo, tiene la potencia suficiente como para, una vez más, despertar promesas. Desde ahí, el cómic no deja de entregar. Capítulo tras capítulo, somos partícipes de la gran batalla entre el mandamás de Planetary y los Cuatro, un combate antes mental que físico. Aquí, Ellis tira todo por la borda y decide que su cómic no va a ser la típica historia de superhéroes, no señor, esto va de guerras a escala planetaria (jé), dimensional y multidimensional. Es más, la guerra puede que sea el hilo conductor de la trama, pero esta es antes un suspense continuo que no un cómic de acción. Sin perder este último elemento, la segunda mitad de Planetary se dedica a recoger aquellas semillas de los primeros capítulos y hacerlas crecer, expandirlas, ramificarlas y terraformar nuevos mundos para continuar la cosecha.
No quiero destripar nada del argumento. Esos quince capítulos finales hablan por sí solos en un continuo crescendo que lleva al glorioso final. Y sí, no engaño a nadie si digo que todo lo relativo al personaje de Ambrose me da bastante igual, pero es que Planetary consigue que me importe, no por él, sino por sus protagonistas. Snow, Jakita y el graciosete de los palillos (vale, se llama Drummer, pero me parecía justo llamarlo por lo que es) es un grupo muy potente y, si cerramos todavía más el círculo, no tardaremos en descubrir que es Snow el que merece toda la atención. Sin él, la trama no existiría y sus adláteres serían meros figurantes en la historia del cómic. Es un personaje complejo que se va desarrollando con cada nuevo capítulo hasta su clímax narrativo. Su cercanía al antihéroe lo hace interesante, magnético y hasta atractivo (porque tendrá cien años, pero eso tan solo es más experiencia en el arte del amor); no puedo plantearme Planetary sin Snow, sus miradas condescendientes, sus respuestas tajantes y el halo de misterio que lo rodea. Un misterio que, con maestría absoluta, ha sabido mantener y destapar poco a poco Warren Ellis a lo largo de once largos años. No es fácil mantener tal continuidad temática en una historia tan compleja y, sin duda, haberse tenido que aguantar las ganas de revelar sus mejores secretos a cada nueva entrega debe de haber sido todo un suplicio. Ellis sufre por nosotros y nosotros nos reímos, nos fascinamos y nos emocionamos con su dolor.
Hay muchos elementos confusos en Planetary. Gran parte de sus capítulos tiende a explicarse, quizá, demasiado poco, y otros pecan de cientificismo excesivo, pero poco importa cuando todo está lo suficientemente bien hilado como para poder seguir los puntos esenciales de su argumento. Aquí, la física cuántica, los Heisenbergs, Schrödingers y las nanomoléculas son un aderezo para hacer veraz su historia. Mi desconocimiento absoluto de las ciencias por ser un pipa de letras no me permite confirmar los datos presentados por Ellis, pero confiaré en él y le daré un gallifante por la labor de investigación. Por lo demás, el guion juega inteligentemente con los saltos en el tiempo, las distintas localizaciones y el brillante ensamblaje de toda la historia.
No podría dejarme sin mencionar a Cassaday. La mitad de lo que es Planetary se debe a su dibujante, un hombre con una mano de oro que hace de cada nuevo giro de página un momento de sorpresa y pasmo. Ha habido ocasiones en las que me he sentido tentado por girar la página antes de tiempo solo para poder maravillarme ante los delineados, los espacios, las expresiones de Cassaday y la paleta de Laura Martin. Ellis ha tenido tanta suerte de encontrar a Cassaday como este la ha tenido con el guionista. Parece casi una relación simbiótica en que ambos intentan superar al otro con cada nuevo capítulo y terminan creando un conjunto magistral mientras Martin sigue el ritmo a ambos. No puedo hacer más que cantar las alabanzas del dibujante y su colorista; su obra habla por sí sola.
Al final, Planetary es algo más que un cómic de ciencia ficción. Es una historia que invita a la reflexión sobre el lugar que ocupamos en el universo, sobre la existencia de la especie humana y sus vilezas. Es un conato de fábula que desafía nuestro mundo, traspasa las barreras dimensionales y nos empuja a ver más allá de las noticias, los satélites y la ficción. Quiere hacernos sentir una fascinación por un mundo que, quizá, sea mucho mayor de lo que imaginamos. Pone a prueba nuestra imaginación, reta nuestra percepción sobre aquello que nos rodea y nos plasma el cosmos en sus estados más micro y más macro. Plantea los inconvenientes de jugar con aquello que nos supera y nos da las armas para sobrepasar el obstáculo. Nos enseña que la ficción es tan solo el primer paso y que allí fuera está el circuito. Ahora, sabemos que el nuestro es un mundo extraño.
April 25, 2021
Kao što sam rekao u recenziji prve knjige, ovo je strip kojeg želim imati na polici. Možda se i počastim jednom. Nije najbolji strip kojeg sam čitao ali ima ono nešto.
March 28, 2013
Impresionante. Magnífico. Una pasada cómo engancha este cómic y cómo se supera número a número. Eso sí, deja con la sensación de haber dejado algún pequeño cabo suelto, pero aún así, con lo disfrutable que es, se perdona.
Uno de los mejores cómics americanos que haya leído, junto a The Authority o Rising Stars.
Uno de los mejores cómics americanos que haya leído, junto a The Authority o Rising Stars.
November 30, 2020
Bastante impresionante.
September 28, 2013
Planetary Vol. 1-4 written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by John Cassaday
Ever since Allan Moore and Frank Miller re-suited up superheroes with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, comics and writers have been playing catch up. Some have done this well, but most have either drown in their basically soap opera ways or strangled themselves with the reality Moore and Miller brought. Not too many comics have matched what they did in the 80’s but Planetary is one of those comics that built something good on the foundation Moore and Miller laid. This isn’t so much a comic book as it is just a really good story that happens to be told in a comic book format. That’s one of the things many writers trying to emulate Moore and Miller’s realism forgot along the way. Realism wasn’t the focal point of the comic. The focal point was telling a good story that just happened to be in the comic book format. Ellis and Cassaday’s Planetary is totally story driven. It doesn’t get caught up with the standard Marvel and DC comic book hijinks; it treats storytelling just as if you’re reading a book, only this book happens to have pictures.
I’ve read some other works by Ellis and this is by far the best thing I’ve read that he’s written. The story line is laser focused, as he builds the story arc with each issue, while also laying the ground work to come with subtle hints at foreshadowing. There isn’t an issue where the storyline isn’t pushed forward or some characters are developed better. Nothing is wasted. The ideas Ellis brings to light in each issue are simply mind blowing. They combine everything from Star Trek, Star Wars, Fringe, and every science article or sci-fi movie known to man, and Ellis did all of this with, surprising, only 27 issues. Whereas Marvel and DC can’t even do a single good idea with 100 plodding issues. Ellis treats this series like it’s his own dissertation on comics as he combines all sorts of nerd ingredients from Tarzan, Doc Savage, The Lone Ranger, The Fantastic Four, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, to The Shadow (to name just a few). He combines them in a way that doesn’t feel gimmicky because a lot of them are built into the mythology of the story. They aren’t just there for the nerds to goo goo and gaga over. They actually serve a purpose. Into this world, and story line, Ellis drops three good characters Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner, and the Drummer and then with each issue he builds on their history and character. Ellis also isn’t afraid to let this characters change either, when circumstances dictate some kind of change, his characters change. Another curve ball is thrown into the mix as Ellis and Cassaday create an actual female character that goes against all Marvel and DC stereotypes of women. She actually wears normally clothes and isn’t over sexuality. Believe it or not she’s a real type of female character. I think this is one of greatest things about this series because so often women in comics are completely treated like a piece of meat: over large breasts, pouty expressions, skimpy/revealing clothing, and over sexualized poses, thankfully Jakita goes against every stereotype in comics.
Cassaday is a blessing to have drawn every issue of this series. His panels move the story along with a great pace and his splash pages serve their purpose: to enhance a situation or an idea with the extreme largeness of it. It’s like watching a mini movie only with still pictures. His style is distinctly his; there’s no one else out there that is anywhere near his style. It’s realistic without being too detailed but yet has enough comic touches that will help to establish it as a superhero book.
Ever since Allan Moore and Frank Miller re-suited up superheroes with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, comics and writers have been playing catch up. Some have done this well, but most have either drown in their basically soap opera ways or strangled themselves with the reality Moore and Miller brought. Not too many comics have matched what they did in the 80’s but Planetary is one of those comics that built something good on the foundation Moore and Miller laid. This isn’t so much a comic book as it is just a really good story that happens to be told in a comic book format. That’s one of the things many writers trying to emulate Moore and Miller’s realism forgot along the way. Realism wasn’t the focal point of the comic. The focal point was telling a good story that just happened to be in the comic book format. Ellis and Cassaday’s Planetary is totally story driven. It doesn’t get caught up with the standard Marvel and DC comic book hijinks; it treats storytelling just as if you’re reading a book, only this book happens to have pictures.
I’ve read some other works by Ellis and this is by far the best thing I’ve read that he’s written. The story line is laser focused, as he builds the story arc with each issue, while also laying the ground work to come with subtle hints at foreshadowing. There isn’t an issue where the storyline isn’t pushed forward or some characters are developed better. Nothing is wasted. The ideas Ellis brings to light in each issue are simply mind blowing. They combine everything from Star Trek, Star Wars, Fringe, and every science article or sci-fi movie known to man, and Ellis did all of this with, surprising, only 27 issues. Whereas Marvel and DC can’t even do a single good idea with 100 plodding issues. Ellis treats this series like it’s his own dissertation on comics as he combines all sorts of nerd ingredients from Tarzan, Doc Savage, The Lone Ranger, The Fantastic Four, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, to The Shadow (to name just a few). He combines them in a way that doesn’t feel gimmicky because a lot of them are built into the mythology of the story. They aren’t just there for the nerds to goo goo and gaga over. They actually serve a purpose. Into this world, and story line, Ellis drops three good characters Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner, and the Drummer and then with each issue he builds on their history and character. Ellis also isn’t afraid to let this characters change either, when circumstances dictate some kind of change, his characters change. Another curve ball is thrown into the mix as Ellis and Cassaday create an actual female character that goes against all Marvel and DC stereotypes of women. She actually wears normally clothes and isn’t over sexuality. Believe it or not she’s a real type of female character. I think this is one of greatest things about this series because so often women in comics are completely treated like a piece of meat: over large breasts, pouty expressions, skimpy/revealing clothing, and over sexualized poses, thankfully Jakita goes against every stereotype in comics.
Cassaday is a blessing to have drawn every issue of this series. His panels move the story along with a great pace and his splash pages serve their purpose: to enhance a situation or an idea with the extreme largeness of it. It’s like watching a mini movie only with still pictures. His style is distinctly his; there’s no one else out there that is anywhere near his style. It’s realistic without being too detailed but yet has enough comic touches that will help to establish it as a superhero book.
July 28, 2011
El tomo 1 prometía un final apoteósico, y la verdad que lo consigue, contando el relajado epílogo y todo. Quizás sentí que le faltó un poco de batallas desaforadas, pero eso es más un problema mío, que estoy acostumbrado a que todo se resuelva a las piñas (en ficción, claro) en vez de con la cabeza. Pero eso de ningún modo es un defecto, sino otro motivo para sacarse el sombrero frente a Ellis. Y a Cassaday. Y a de Martin. Y a Riera, que sus traducciones siguen siendo bastante buenas, pese a los errores que siempre se pasan producto de la falta de corrector (o a la presencia de uno incompetente). Las historias cortas me parecieron de lo más interesantes y la historia larga que une a todas, más todavía. A ver qué opino cuando me lo compre, lo relea íntegro y haga una súper rerreseña, libro en mano, metiendo todos los friqueos que se me vayan ocurriendo en el camino.
May 1, 2014
Un final de lujo.
Nuestros protagonistas han descubierto su procedencia. Ahora Elijah puede controlar la situación y ayudar a Jakita y a Drums a llegar al final.
Sólo por la cantidad de personajes conocidos que aparecen y cómo se entrelazan sus realidades con los de Planetary merece la pena (Sherlock Holmes, Tarzán, el Llanero Solitario...).
No voy a aportar muchos mas datos pero creedme no dejéis escapar esta obra de arte.
Nuestros protagonistas han descubierto su procedencia. Ahora Elijah puede controlar la situación y ayudar a Jakita y a Drums a llegar al final.
Sólo por la cantidad de personajes conocidos que aparecen y cómo se entrelazan sus realidades con los de Planetary merece la pena (Sherlock Holmes, Tarzán, el Llanero Solitario...).
No voy a aportar muchos mas datos pero creedme no dejéis escapar esta obra de arte.
July 12, 2016
Ellis and Cassaday conclude their amazing "archaeology of the weird" meta-mystery, continuing to mine comics and movies and pulp fiction tropes to astonishing effect, all the while framing it in an engaging struggle against a conspiracy of greed and hubris. Triffic work.
February 20, 2022
The ambition and complexity are off the charts on this one. Snow "fights" the Four, but he's actually fighting a whole universe of injustice. And he fucking wins. Or the fight turns out to be worth it. And it's fucking beautiful.
Ellis is the best comic book writer ever as far as I know. An incredible read.
Ellis is the best comic book writer ever as far as I know. An incredible read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2015
Commento qui per entrambi i volumi, così da dare un giudizio complessivo della serie.
Per quanto riguarda l'edizione, il grosso formato valorizza i disegni stupendi a scapito della comodità di lettura.
Come da buona tradizione WildStorm, Ellis cerca di creare un mondo supereroistico 'grigio' dove anche i buoni fanno uso della violenza e della tortura. Il fine, sostanzialmente, giustifica i mezzi. Ciononostante, non è un fumetto che cede alla violenza gratuita: quando c'è ha sempre un senso.
In più, vengono ripresi alcuni miti marveliani e riletti sotto una chiave più tenebrosa: in questo caso i fantastici 4 diventano dei cattivi avidi di conoscenza e superpoteri. Non sono, però, l'unica citazione, tant'è che si può assistere ad una scena che riprende le avventure di Zorro e addirittura a una vignetta che rievoca Sandman e sua sorella Death. Il compito di Ellis è quello di mostrare come dietro l'acquisizione di un potere ci siano tanti meccanismi psicologici, complessi e articolati: ogni potere può provocare le proprie turbe, le proprie paranoie, le proprie frustrazioni. Non ci sono più paladini, ma uomini con grandi poteri.
Ellis mostra un'ottima conoscenza del mezzo seriale: ogni storia - inizialmente inserita in un singolo spillato - è autoconclusiva, la quale, però, aggiunge un pezzetto a un quadro più grande. Forse, questo può risultare uno dei difetti della serie: infatti, inizialmente sembra essere l'accumularsi di varie storie - affascinanti, a dire il vero - che, però, non sembrano portare da nessuna parte. Solo dopo parecchio tempo - circa la fine del primo volume - si inizia a individuare una macronarrazione che dà senso a tutti i piccoli episodi: ogni tanto ne appare uno più significativo degli altri che mette insieme le informazioni ricavate dagli altri episodi per spiegare il senso di quanto appena visto. La presenza di questi episodi aumenta nel secondo volume, il quale diventa sempre più denso via via che ci si avvicina al finale in un crescendo molto rapido e intenso.
La storia risponde a un gusto tutto anni Novanta, il quale nutriva grandi speranze nel Duemila come futuro post-umano, in cui tutti avremmo avuto la possibilità di allargare la propria coscienza. Il Drummer non è nient'altro che la rappresentazione fantastica di un ragazzo del Duemila che grazie al web ha accesso ha una vasta quantità di informazioni. La rilettura in chiave spiritualistica delle teorie quantistiche, invece, continua una lunga tradizione fantascientifica ben consolidata dal Secondo Dopoguerra in poi.
Particolare notare come Ellis preannunci il passaggio da uno stile supererostico di violenza fisica (rappresentato da Jakita) a uno stile più riflessivo, in cui si fa uso dell'intelligenza anziché della forza bruta (rappresentato dal Drummer). Forse, con questo Ellis ha voluto dire che il futuro del fumetto supereroistico avrebbe visto l'avvento di una narrazione più 'matura' e legata a intrecci più complessi, a discapito di una vecchia narrazione che privilegiava gli scontri aperti e le belle immagini di combattimento. Col senno di poi, si può dire che ha avuto ragione, anche se persistono esempi di fumetti 'picchiaduro' che rispondono a un gusto meno sofisticato.
E' una bella prova, in fin dei conti. Il finale, nell'impossibilità di mostrare chissà quale scoperta per l'umanità, si limita a una vittoria personale e particolare del gruppo. Di fatto, si chiude con un pizzico di romanticismo dopo una narrazione molto intellettualistica, visti i continui rimandi alle teorie quantistiche e alle riflessioni sulla presenza del mito nel mondo contemporaneo.
Per quanto riguarda l'edizione, il grosso formato valorizza i disegni stupendi a scapito della comodità di lettura.
Come da buona tradizione WildStorm, Ellis cerca di creare un mondo supereroistico 'grigio' dove anche i buoni fanno uso della violenza e della tortura. Il fine, sostanzialmente, giustifica i mezzi. Ciononostante, non è un fumetto che cede alla violenza gratuita: quando c'è ha sempre un senso.
In più, vengono ripresi alcuni miti marveliani e riletti sotto una chiave più tenebrosa: in questo caso i fantastici 4 diventano dei cattivi avidi di conoscenza e superpoteri. Non sono, però, l'unica citazione, tant'è che si può assistere ad una scena che riprende le avventure di Zorro e addirittura a una vignetta che rievoca Sandman e sua sorella Death. Il compito di Ellis è quello di mostrare come dietro l'acquisizione di un potere ci siano tanti meccanismi psicologici, complessi e articolati: ogni potere può provocare le proprie turbe, le proprie paranoie, le proprie frustrazioni. Non ci sono più paladini, ma uomini con grandi poteri.
Ellis mostra un'ottima conoscenza del mezzo seriale: ogni storia - inizialmente inserita in un singolo spillato - è autoconclusiva, la quale, però, aggiunge un pezzetto a un quadro più grande. Forse, questo può risultare uno dei difetti della serie: infatti, inizialmente sembra essere l'accumularsi di varie storie - affascinanti, a dire il vero - che, però, non sembrano portare da nessuna parte. Solo dopo parecchio tempo - circa la fine del primo volume - si inizia a individuare una macronarrazione che dà senso a tutti i piccoli episodi: ogni tanto ne appare uno più significativo degli altri che mette insieme le informazioni ricavate dagli altri episodi per spiegare il senso di quanto appena visto. La presenza di questi episodi aumenta nel secondo volume, il quale diventa sempre più denso via via che ci si avvicina al finale in un crescendo molto rapido e intenso.
La storia risponde a un gusto tutto anni Novanta, il quale nutriva grandi speranze nel Duemila come futuro post-umano, in cui tutti avremmo avuto la possibilità di allargare la propria coscienza. Il Drummer non è nient'altro che la rappresentazione fantastica di un ragazzo del Duemila che grazie al web ha accesso ha una vasta quantità di informazioni. La rilettura in chiave spiritualistica delle teorie quantistiche, invece, continua una lunga tradizione fantascientifica ben consolidata dal Secondo Dopoguerra in poi.
Particolare notare come Ellis preannunci il passaggio da uno stile supererostico di violenza fisica (rappresentato da Jakita) a uno stile più riflessivo, in cui si fa uso dell'intelligenza anziché della forza bruta (rappresentato dal Drummer). Forse, con questo Ellis ha voluto dire che il futuro del fumetto supereroistico avrebbe visto l'avvento di una narrazione più 'matura' e legata a intrecci più complessi, a discapito di una vecchia narrazione che privilegiava gli scontri aperti e le belle immagini di combattimento. Col senno di poi, si può dire che ha avuto ragione, anche se persistono esempi di fumetti 'picchiaduro' che rispondono a un gusto meno sofisticato.
E' una bella prova, in fin dei conti. Il finale, nell'impossibilità di mostrare chissà quale scoperta per l'umanità, si limita a una vittoria personale e particolare del gruppo. Di fatto, si chiude con un pizzico di romanticismo dopo una narrazione molto intellettualistica, visti i continui rimandi alle teorie quantistiche e alle riflessioni sulla presenza del mito nel mondo contemporaneo.
May 28, 2013
This second half of the Planetary series becomes more purposeful than the first half. Where the first half journeyed through a landscape of the fantastic world (running in with versions of popular pulp and comic heroes, for example), the second half focuses on why they do those things. Some of the fun of the first half is traded in for a serious, deliberate motive of taking down the Four (an egotistical version of the Fantastic Four).
What it still carries in it, however, is a love of comic books. By playing on archetypes established by Marvel and DC, Ellis is able to create a whole new look at familiar faces. Everything we loved about the first half of the series is at risk of being destroyed by the Four who wants to keep all information of the strangeness of the world to themselves.
The characters are fantastic, the world created is very rich in depth and history, and the art is some of Cassaday's best. Highly recommended read to any fan of comic books or pulp stories of fantasy and fiction.
What it still carries in it, however, is a love of comic books. By playing on archetypes established by Marvel and DC, Ellis is able to create a whole new look at familiar faces. Everything we loved about the first half of the series is at risk of being destroyed by the Four who wants to keep all information of the strangeness of the world to themselves.
The characters are fantastic, the world created is very rich in depth and history, and the art is some of Cassaday's best. Highly recommended read to any fan of comic books or pulp stories of fantasy and fiction.
May 17, 2012
Enjoyed this as much or maybe even more than the first half of the series. At first I was a little hesitant when they shifted from cool-story of the month to longer deeper story lines. However, the payoff was worth it. Have a few quibbles about some of the resoultions, but they are minor.
Trying to avoid spoliers, but when The Drummer (that's right, the character'a name is: first name-The, second name-Drummer) talked about what it is that Elijah Snow does, I had a lump in my throat. It was great storytelling.
Trying to avoid spoliers, but when The Drummer (that's right, the character'a name is: first name-The, second name-Drummer) talked about what it is that Elijah Snow does, I had a lump in my throat. It was great storytelling.
October 30, 2013
For the person who wants great storytelling, good art, and compelling characters Planetary is the one for you. With some stories the story ends and you forget many of the characters. In Planetary the characters are memorable because their familiar yet unique. It is high minded without being overbearing. For a fan of Watchmen or 1602 I recommend Planetary in any format.
October 22, 2020
Well worth the journey!
PLANETARY #13 –
“We, the extraordinary, were conspiring to make the world better.” – Sherlock Holmes
PLANETARY #14 – Zero Point
“The truth is in here.”
PLANETARY #15 – In The Beginning. Creation Songs.
“And he didn’t need a red cape to do it. he just had to be him.”
PLANETARY #16
“I am not afraid of you, Mr Snow.”
PLANETARY #17 – In The Lost City of Opak-Re
“But you are here. And he is dangerous.”
PLANETARY #18 – The Gun Club
“There’s a whole planet on your side.” – John Stone
PLANETARY #19 – Mystery in Space
“A ship this size, this old, with its own ecosystem.. they could have evolved there.” – Dr Kwelo
PLANETARY #20 – Rendezvous
“We wait. We just wait.” - Snow
PLANETARY #21 – Death Machine Telemetry
“We contain universes there are vastnesses in every grain of sand.” – Melanctha
PLANETARY #22 – The Torture of William Leather
“Now we see what kind of ghost man you are.”
PLANETARY #23 - Percussion
“If I’m leaving, can I break their stuff?” – Little Drummer Boy
PLANETARY #24 – Planetary Systems
“Life on Earth is surrounded by protective systems. Astonishing complexity. Great mystery.” - Snow
PLANETARY #25 – Join the Four, Seize the World
“What will be become? When we go through?” - Kim
PLANETARY #26
“You think the word matters so much, don’t you?” – Randall Dowling
PLANETARY #27 -
“Well’s pal who made his time machine in 1888 only went forward ..”
PLANETARY #13 –
“We, the extraordinary, were conspiring to make the world better.” – Sherlock Holmes
PLANETARY #14 – Zero Point
“The truth is in here.”
PLANETARY #15 – In The Beginning. Creation Songs.
“And he didn’t need a red cape to do it. he just had to be him.”
PLANETARY #16
“I am not afraid of you, Mr Snow.”
PLANETARY #17 – In The Lost City of Opak-Re
“But you are here. And he is dangerous.”
PLANETARY #18 – The Gun Club
“There’s a whole planet on your side.” – John Stone
PLANETARY #19 – Mystery in Space
“A ship this size, this old, with its own ecosystem.. they could have evolved there.” – Dr Kwelo
PLANETARY #20 – Rendezvous
“We wait. We just wait.” - Snow
PLANETARY #21 – Death Machine Telemetry
“We contain universes there are vastnesses in every grain of sand.” – Melanctha
PLANETARY #22 – The Torture of William Leather
“Now we see what kind of ghost man you are.”
PLANETARY #23 - Percussion
“If I’m leaving, can I break their stuff?” – Little Drummer Boy
PLANETARY #24 – Planetary Systems
“Life on Earth is surrounded by protective systems. Astonishing complexity. Great mystery.” - Snow
PLANETARY #25 – Join the Four, Seize the World
“What will be become? When we go through?” - Kim
PLANETARY #26
“You think the word matters so much, don’t you?” – Randall Dowling
PLANETARY #27 -
“Well’s pal who made his time machine in 1888 only went forward ..”
September 6, 2020
The first book was very disjointed but this was amazing.
December 22, 2020
Contiene la misma calidad visual y literaria que la mitad anterior. Un final digno dónde explica todo lo que fue planteado en el primer capítulo.
April 15, 2021
It gradually gets better to the point it blowing my mind at the end
5 stars
5 stars
April 22, 2021
3.6/5
Things got interesting once the story started making more sense.
Things got interesting once the story started making more sense.
December 1, 2025
still brilliant
September 22, 2024
I love comics, but have to admit that, while their cred is well and widely established in genre fiction, only a few reach the level of their text-based cousins. The Planetary series is among them. Equal parts superhero, mind-blowing science fiction, and pulp filtered through a Weird Fiction lens, it takes some of the 20th century's greatest myths, including Sherlock Holmes, the Lone Ranger (!?), and kaiju (!??!), as well as a dark take on the Fantastic Four, and turns them sideways. At first I was a little put off by the lack of a linear, serial narrative, until I realized that the series wasn't telling a story so much as building a mythology.
But while it's true that any true comics fan adores crossovers, the two that end this volume, one with the JLA and the other with Batman, fell a little short for me. The artwork is nowhere near the level of Cassaday's, and the stories seemed out of place in the narrative, and out of character for the members of Planetary.
I'm glad I came to the series after it was already done. I can't imagine waiting the decade or so it took for the entire thing to reach completion. I'll be coming back to this, possibly in print form to fully appreciate John Cassaday's mind blowing artwork; that's how much I liked it.
But while it's true that any true comics fan adores crossovers, the two that end this volume, one with the JLA and the other with Batman, fell a little short for me. The artwork is nowhere near the level of Cassaday's, and the stories seemed out of place in the narrative, and out of character for the members of Planetary.
I'm glad I came to the series after it was already done. I can't imagine waiting the decade or so it took for the entire thing to reach completion. I'll be coming back to this, possibly in print form to fully appreciate John Cassaday's mind blowing artwork; that's how much I liked it.
August 24, 2010
Glad to finally get to finish this series, and glad it wasn't a let down. It really did feel like Ellis had the entire thing charted out from the get-go over ten years ago, it's just that it took ten years for all 27 issues to come out!
July 11, 2011
Absolutely in my top five comics. Planetary essentially fights an unbeatable Fantastic Four and it's tremendous. I felt a sense of urgency for Planetary throughout the whole book and I loved every minute of it.
April 6, 2014
The only Absolute that I needed to own (along with Book 1) because Planetary is my personal favorite and what I do consider the best limited series in comics ever. Warren Ellis truly is my "can do no wrong" writer.
February 9, 2013
Warren Ellis flawlessly concludes this epic story and somehow doesn't botch the ending. The payoff is glorious, and I can't wait to reread it all again! It's also a treat to see the evolution of John Cassaday's art go from great to outstanding.
July 26, 2010
While I think the series loses steam, it's wonderful to have the whole story in one oversized collection. It's the kind of thing I'll re-read often.
August 29, 2010
The awesome continuation in the golden work of absolute planetary.
September 25, 2010
I don't think I understood 100% of it, but the stuff I did understand was awesome. The first volume had an issue or 2 that I thought was out of place, but not this volume. Every issue was a home run.
October 23, 2010
Warren Ellis has a great love of comics and pulp stories and Planetary shows that. It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way.
August 2, 2013
If ever a comic deserved the A4 glossy hardback treatment, this is the one. It's just glorious.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews