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Seven Against Chaos
Harlan Ellison's 7 Against Chaos
In a distant future, Earth is in grave danger: The fabric of reality itself in unraveling, leading to catastrophic natural disasters, displaced souls appearing from bygone eras, and sudden, shocking cases of spontaneous combustion. The only hope for Earth's survival is a force of seven warriors, each with his or her special abilities. But can these alien Seven Samurai learn to get along in time to find the source of the gathering chaos and save all of reality?
200 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2013
9 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
Harlan Ellison
1,075 books2,790 followersHarlan Jay Ellison (1934-2018) was a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism.
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 24, 2013
Take a giant of Science Fiction like Harlan Ellison, and ask him to write a standalone graphic novel with fan favourite artist of the Concrete stories Paul Chadwick, and what do you get? A story I can only describe as a total clunker.
I really can't understand what went wrong here, but this story has absolutely nothing going for it. The characters are old and tired, barely fleshed out caricatures that elicit no sympathy from me. There was one who got killed in the middle of the story and I couldn't even remember who he was, let alone feel anything for his death. The villain felt like he should have been twirling a moustache, but it's hard to draw a moustache on a giant snake and expect it to work.
The art felt like it came out of the 1970s and not in a good way either.The colouring had none of the subtlety that modern comics have, and the pages layouts at times was painful to look at. The plot showed traces of imagination, but it was dealt with in such a ham-fisted way that any interest was quickly stifled. The world-building was so rushed that it barely registered as such.
I felt that the book might have been better if it had been allowed to breathe, but here a story that needed a lot of space to make it work was crammed into a 200 page single book, and as a result was stifled before it really got going.
I really hate to give anything a 1 star rating, and I can understand why some people liked it, but for me this book is not so much old-fashioned as just old.
I really can't understand what went wrong here, but this story has absolutely nothing going for it. The characters are old and tired, barely fleshed out caricatures that elicit no sympathy from me. There was one who got killed in the middle of the story and I couldn't even remember who he was, let alone feel anything for his death. The villain felt like he should have been twirling a moustache, but it's hard to draw a moustache on a giant snake and expect it to work.
The art felt like it came out of the 1970s and not in a good way either.The colouring had none of the subtlety that modern comics have, and the pages layouts at times was painful to look at. The plot showed traces of imagination, but it was dealt with in such a ham-fisted way that any interest was quickly stifled. The world-building was so rushed that it barely registered as such.
I felt that the book might have been better if it had been allowed to breathe, but here a story that needed a lot of space to make it work was crammed into a 200 page single book, and as a result was stifled before it really got going.
I really hate to give anything a 1 star rating, and I can understand why some people liked it, but for me this book is not so much old-fashioned as just old.
February 6, 2017
An entire sci-fi epic condensed into 200 lusciously illustrated pages, 7 Against Chaos grows grander in scale as it moves along and hones its focus. The climactic scene is pretty much brilliant. Ellison’s narration is as deep as it is eloquent, and every page serves to move this ambitious story quickly along. A great stand-alone graphic novel. Very enjoyable.
May 30, 2013
This is kind of a strange book. Very old-fashioned in its approach, the story is kind of disjointed, as though there are panels missing here and there (and I don't think it was done on purpose--just not the clearest style of storytelling). A mysterious hooded figure puts together a team of seven outcasts from across the various worlds (a terraformed Venus, etc.) of this far future tale, in order to set right a terrible occurrence which seems to be undermining the very fabric of time itself. Why these seven is never entirely clear--they don't seem to have any special importance to the story. Each has his/her own unique abilities, but these play hardly any role in the story or its outcome. It was kind of a weird story overall and I'm not entirely sure what about it appealed to artist Paul Chadwick to spend the time on creating this graphic novel. Just kind of so-so. **ARC provided by NetGalley
August 12, 2020
Graphic novels (a.k.a. comic books a.k.a. what my grandmother used to call funny books) have come a long way. What used to be throw-away stories for kids on pulpy newspaper are now a legitimate literary form, where reputable authors can do things with words and pictures which were heretofore unthinkable.
In 2013, legendary science fiction writer Harlan Ellison teamed up with artists Paul Chadwick and Ken Steacy for a graphic novel entitled “7 Against Chaos”, which was published by DC Comics.
In his later years (he died in 2018), Ellison was still writing and still experimenting with form and structure for his brilliant, iconoclastic, and occasionally controversial ideas. “7 Against Chaos” is classic Ellison.
In the story, set in the distant future, seven “modified”, or super-powered, humans are teamed up to save humanity against an entity that is attempting to wipe out humanity in a unique way: time-traveling to a prehistoric era to make sure that early proto-humans don’t evolve to become homo sapiens.
It is a dark story with hints of inspiration from a bevy of sources: Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”, Alan Moore’s “Watchmen”, and even Ellison’s classic “”Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman”.
While the artwork, in my opinion, leaves a little something to be desired, it does harken back to the early 1960s Jack Kirby-Steve Ditko era, which was very stylized and trippy. Perhaps it was intentional. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t my favorite.
A must-read for Ellison fans.
In 2013, legendary science fiction writer Harlan Ellison teamed up with artists Paul Chadwick and Ken Steacy for a graphic novel entitled “7 Against Chaos”, which was published by DC Comics.
In his later years (he died in 2018), Ellison was still writing and still experimenting with form and structure for his brilliant, iconoclastic, and occasionally controversial ideas. “7 Against Chaos” is classic Ellison.
In the story, set in the distant future, seven “modified”, or super-powered, humans are teamed up to save humanity against an entity that is attempting to wipe out humanity in a unique way: time-traveling to a prehistoric era to make sure that early proto-humans don’t evolve to become homo sapiens.
It is a dark story with hints of inspiration from a bevy of sources: Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”, Alan Moore’s “Watchmen”, and even Ellison’s classic “”Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman”.
While the artwork, in my opinion, leaves a little something to be desired, it does harken back to the early 1960s Jack Kirby-Steve Ditko era, which was very stylized and trippy. Perhaps it was intentional. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t my favorite.
A must-read for Ellison fans.
April 3, 2021
Funny that when you read and watch interviews with Ellison he generally seems to hate "pew pew pew" laser gun sci-fi like Star Wars, because initially this comic seems to follow the same kind of pattern of seven samurai inspired Space Opera. I feel that despite all his pomp in interviews etc. Ellison may not be as crazy and innovative as he makes himself out to be... I'm not saying that to slag him off... it just surprises me that when he writes a comic and has it illustrated by a darling alternative comics artist he comes out with something that's fairly routine which meanders around until it eventually ends. It feels exactly like the kind of pulp sci fi fluff that he's totally against. Maybe he was being ironic? Maybe he was older and more relaxed when writing it? Or maybe he's just some writing machine and just churns stuff out without thinking about it? Maybe he was just having fun that day? Whatever it's supposed to be I quite enjoyed it, just surprised at how unoriginal, formless and tropey it was.
June 4, 2018
Harlan Ellison and artist Paul Chadwick (Concrete) present a tale of seven individuals brought together by an AI that can predict the future. However, those may only be one of several possible futures.
Roark, one-time hero and military hero has been stripped of his glory. With the aid of the fifth-generation computers he searches the future solar system to gather six individuals who can aid him in his mission. Saved at the moment all were about to be killed the group joins Roark to save the future of humanity.
Roark, one-time hero and military hero has been stripped of his glory. With the aid of the fifth-generation computers he searches the future solar system to gather six individuals who can aid him in his mission. Saved at the moment all were about to be killed the group joins Roark to save the future of humanity.
June 17, 2022
Un buon fumetto di fantascienza, che cerca di miscelare la space opera con tematiche da fantascienza più moderna e attuale. E ci riesce abbastanza bene. Ellison sapeva come scrivere e lo dimostra anche quando si dà al fumetto. Certamente però Chadwick ai disegni aiuta.
Al di là di alcune inesattezze, direi che le 3 stelle sono meritate.
Al di là di alcune inesattezze, direi che le 3 stelle sono meritate.
June 8, 2017
Interesting story. Kind of sad in ways and definitely leaves you wondering. It has that old school sci-fi feel that one would expect from Ellison.
September 7, 2025
Stick to your books, school boy.
June 19, 2013
From the beginning, Harlan Ellison was a writer who loved to experiment. He reworked well worn tropes, making them his own. He combined genres. He twisted the familiar, trying to make something new. Indeed, Ellison pioneered so many Science Fiction novelties, that one may well suspect that many of his famous lawsuits for infringements on his plot ideas result, perhaps, from his ideas osmotically binding into the DNA of our collective unconscious. Now pushing eighty (!), Ellison just keeps on experimenting. And so we come to his recent graphic venture, “Seven Against Chaos.”
If you hear that title and imagine you might be getting something borrowing from “Seven Against Thebes,” put that right out of your mind. This is the Seven Samurai (or given the guns, perhaps the western adaption, The Magnificent Seven) all the way. Ellison takes Kurosawa’s tale of seven lonely samurai bound together to save a village, mashes it together with some material that brings to mind the best of the old scifi pulps and serials, and creates something wholly new. Now we have seven lonely citizens of the wider solar system, brought together by a mysterious hooded figure. In exchange for granting each something akin to his or heart’s desire, they will follow the man in the hood through time and space to save the earth, and perhaps save reality.
Ellison’s work here doesn’t exude the sort of subtlety of character found in much of his other work, nor the sheer rage found in his best essays. Instead, he’s taking you on a wild ride that includes everything from robots to space princesses to dinosaurs (and I will say nothing more about either, in order to avoid possible spoilers). What it perhaps lacks in depth, this story more than made up for in sheer delight.
If you hear that title and imagine you might be getting something borrowing from “Seven Against Thebes,” put that right out of your mind. This is the Seven Samurai (or given the guns, perhaps the western adaption, The Magnificent Seven) all the way. Ellison takes Kurosawa’s tale of seven lonely samurai bound together to save a village, mashes it together with some material that brings to mind the best of the old scifi pulps and serials, and creates something wholly new. Now we have seven lonely citizens of the wider solar system, brought together by a mysterious hooded figure. In exchange for granting each something akin to his or heart’s desire, they will follow the man in the hood through time and space to save the earth, and perhaps save reality.
Ellison’s work here doesn’t exude the sort of subtlety of character found in much of his other work, nor the sheer rage found in his best essays. Instead, he’s taking you on a wild ride that includes everything from robots to space princesses to dinosaurs (and I will say nothing more about either, in order to avoid possible spoilers). What it perhaps lacks in depth, this story more than made up for in sheer delight.
July 12, 2013
This is dire. No really, it doesn't even warrant one star. I bought it simply because it had Harlan Ellison's name on it. The whole thing is incredibly old fashioned and, as one reviewer has already noted, disjointed to the pint that you keep thinking that you've turned two pages at once or that they've left some frames out by mistake. I'll give you an example: one character, who's some scientific genius, suddenly becomes telepathic. There's been no mention of this in previous pages and its dealt with as if its common knowledge.
It starts reasonably well with a mysterious hooded figure rescuing a slave from one of Jupiter's moons but very quickly loses all credibility. The woman rescued is some kind of augmented human with claws for hands who dispatches her guards with such competence that you wonder why she didn't escape years ago. None of the characters have any redeeming features and to be honest I gave up 3/4s of the way through and really don't understand why I didn't stop sooner.
The artwork is ok even if the colouring is a bit heavy handed, however the rough panels and character sketches at the back were far superior and I couldn't help wondering why they'd so sterilised the finished thing.
Don't waste your money on this, buy something decent instead.
It starts reasonably well with a mysterious hooded figure rescuing a slave from one of Jupiter's moons but very quickly loses all credibility. The woman rescued is some kind of augmented human with claws for hands who dispatches her guards with such competence that you wonder why she didn't escape years ago. None of the characters have any redeeming features and to be honest I gave up 3/4s of the way through and really don't understand why I didn't stop sooner.
The artwork is ok even if the colouring is a bit heavy handed, however the rough panels and character sketches at the back were far superior and I couldn't help wondering why they'd so sterilised the finished thing.
Don't waste your money on this, buy something decent instead.
December 18, 2013
A new Harlan Ellison project is always a happy occasion. This book feels like something out of the late '60s, but not in a bad way. The story itself is firmly rooted in SF pulp tradition. It's like a classic E.E. "Doc" Smith space opera filtered through a new wave sensibility. Even the artwork is somewhat reminiscent of classic '60s comics work by people like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and even Neal Adams--Kevin Steacy has come a long way over the years. This is Harlan in the mode of some of his earlier classics like "Run For the Stars" and "Life Hutch.". A band of misfits is gathered together to save nothing less than the universe, possibly more than one. The story ranges from the future to the age of dinosaurs, and spans the solar system and beyond. How does Harlan pack so much story into such a compact bundle? Zeus only knows, but he's a past master at it. And not to give co-writer Paul Chadwick short shrift either. Everyone involved in making this book has done outstanding work. Great stuff!
August 9, 2013
This is a very old-school science fiction adventure story, probably not at all what anyone would expect upon seeing Ellison's name on the cover... which is even in the title. Much of his recent prose (what I think of as his more "recent" works, anyway)has been comprised of seemingly intentionally obscure vocabulary and somewhat artificially complex and convoluted sentence structure. Here, however, the story is crystal clear, fast paced, and all straight ahead action. It's a fine, fun epic, fit for fans of Alex Raymond and Lee Falk as well as Kurosawa. The art matches the theme and pace very well, especially the panoramic scenes that reminded me a little of some of the classic work of both Carmine Infantino and Hal Foster. Somewhere in the text it's stated that the setting is the 22nd century while I thought it much more likely to be the 32nd century, but that's a minor quibble. It's a thoroughly enjoyable and very attractive book.
May 18, 2014
Bought because of Ellison's name, and was disappointed. The world feels shallow, characters are flat, writing style doesn't fit a graphic novel at all. Skip it.
February 17, 2021
"If you haven't read Harlan Ellison, you haven't read." ~ Richard Halasz
March 27, 2018
7 Against Chaos
By Harlan Ellison and Paul Chadwick with Ken Steacy
Some of the art is stunning.
The story is okay but lacks some pizzazz.
The layout is at times confusing…segmentation of sorts and page numbers would have helped.
3 stars
Harlan Ellison, science fiction's brightest luminary, has joined forces with multi-award winning artist Paul Chadwick, creator of the incomparable Concrete, to bring you SEVEN AGAINST CHAOS, a graphic novel that is singular, powerful and unpredictable. This extraordinary odyssey of mystery and adventure will take you to the rim of reality and beyond.
In a distant future, Earth is in grave danger: The fabric of reality itself in unraveling, leading to catastrophic natural disasters, displaced souls appearing from bygone eras, and sudden, shocking cases of spontaneous combustion. The only hope for Earth's survival is a force of seven warriors, each with his or her special abilities. But can these alien Seven Samurai learn to get along in time to find the source of the gathering chaos and save all of reality?
https://www.amazon.fr/Harlan-Ellisons...
By Harlan Ellison and Paul Chadwick with Ken Steacy
Some of the art is stunning.
The story is okay but lacks some pizzazz.
The layout is at times confusing…segmentation of sorts and page numbers would have helped.
3 stars
Harlan Ellison, science fiction's brightest luminary, has joined forces with multi-award winning artist Paul Chadwick, creator of the incomparable Concrete, to bring you SEVEN AGAINST CHAOS, a graphic novel that is singular, powerful and unpredictable. This extraordinary odyssey of mystery and adventure will take you to the rim of reality and beyond.
In a distant future, Earth is in grave danger: The fabric of reality itself in unraveling, leading to catastrophic natural disasters, displaced souls appearing from bygone eras, and sudden, shocking cases of spontaneous combustion. The only hope for Earth's survival is a force of seven warriors, each with his or her special abilities. But can these alien Seven Samurai learn to get along in time to find the source of the gathering chaos and save all of reality?
https://www.amazon.fr/Harlan-Ellisons...
March 26, 2020
7 Against Chaos is an excellent capsule of Harlan Ellison. This graphic novel exemplifies how his mind bursts with ideas, and he packs as many concepts as he can into his inventive science fiction stories. Unfortunately, this story sags in the middle and end of the book. On the art front, the choice of Paul Chadwick is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I understand how a wild writer like Ellison would pair well with a pedestrian artist such as Chadwick. If an Ellison story was matched with chaotic art by someone like Bill Sienkiewicz, the combination would be like having a Coke and a cookie: tastes good at first, but quickly becomes too much. On the other hand, Chadwick's art can be an overcorrection of mundanity. The guy whose claim to fame is a book about concrete just cannot handle all that Ellison tries to jam onto a page or in a panel. Overall, 7 Against Chaos is definitely a worthwhile read if you are already a Harlan Ellison fan, but for the average reader, this comic might come across more like a two-star story: exciting ideas dragged down by mediocre art and a plot that runs out of steam.
August 5, 2020
Why do people fervently read Ellison? He just mashes allusions into the dough of over-worn tropes along the most common and predictable plot-lines with fancy science as his only contribution.
I had to struggle mightily to not sling this to the floor to never open it again- frantically promising myself I'd finish it before I was a quarter of the way through. Since it just kept getting worse, pure grit determination alone allowed me to see the end of this turd pile.
Art: I love Chadwick and enjoy Steacy on their own but together they made a mess of this. It's gooey, pasty and cumbersome without any precision where it counts. Steacy's colouring was a glob-job that took away everything I love about Chadwick's lines.
I had to struggle mightily to not sling this to the floor to never open it again- frantically promising myself I'd finish it before I was a quarter of the way through. Since it just kept getting worse, pure grit determination alone allowed me to see the end of this turd pile.
Art: I love Chadwick and enjoy Steacy on their own but together they made a mess of this. It's gooey, pasty and cumbersome without any precision where it counts. Steacy's colouring was a glob-job that took away everything I love about Chadwick's lines.
February 23, 2023
More like a 3.5--It was a really intricately plotted story with some truly unique characters. Ellison did love to make his characters suffer and this book was no exception. It seemed a little "out of the 50's" to me. I know it was written later, but that was the feel I got. I will definitely be thinking about this one.
May 3, 2018
Plot is hack and die. Art is fiercely elegant. I could read another but won't seek any. Hidden (why?) Roark rescues ill-fated team-members from danger, finally offering tailored rewards. But path to villain is more battling minions until mastermind lizard appears.
August 15, 2020
The art is beautiful in this and it's starts out wonderfully, with a seven samurai vibe as the needed characters are gathered. But - it bogs down at the end with too much metaphysical plot and a flat ending that left me wanting.
February 22, 2024
A weird, gripping tale. Ellison is gone, but the magic of his plotting and writing live on. Six misfits are selected by a seventh to find and eliminate an existential threat to the universe itself. On the way to their battle with fate, some find love, some hatred, and some a reason to live.
August 6, 2018
Not the best example of Ellison. It feels muddled and out of focus - not the sharpness and sting one expects.
April 1, 2019
I absolutely love Paul Chadwick. Unfortunately, this collaboration feels very out of place. Seems like it should've been published 50 years ago.
February 25, 2020
An interesting concept, but rather shakily executed.
December 21, 2021
Good very pulpy
April 11, 2022
Very Ellison. Heady, detached. His concise prose conveys things quickly and emotionlessly. Chadwick's art is at times great, at times uneven.
March 17, 2014
Harlan Ellison's 7 Against Chaos is a rare thing for me...a graphic novel. But, being the Ellison fan-girl that I am and having read the synopsis of the book sometime last year, I promptly put it on my Christmas wishlist, my own personal Santa came through, and I found it under the Christmas tree last December 25th. I was very excited that two of my category challenges called for a graphic novel, because I knew I had the very thing just waiting on the TBR pile.
Sometime in Earth's distant future, the planet is in danger--not just physical danger, but the very fabric of reality is being ripped apart. The elite call on once-decorated, but then disgraced General Roark to gather six others with special abilities to save them. With elaborate promises of rewards to come, Urr, the renegade robot; Mourna, the Amazon-like woman with steel claws for hands; Tantalus, the incredibly swift insect-man; Ayleen, a Venusian woman with quite literal fire-power; Hoorn, the stealthy and adept cat burglar; and Kenrus the brilliant, outcast technologist all agree to join Roark on a deadly journey to Earth's past on a mission to save its future.
As a graphic novel, the book is pleasing. It has an old-fashioned feel and reminds me of the comic books I used to buy when I was a preteen. I have a certain nostalgia for those stories--I would read everything from those with a science fiction feel to the mysterious and creepy (think Tales from the Crypt). I enjoyed those far more than most of the graphic novels I have tried in recent years. Paul Chadwick's artwork is fabulous.
The story, however, is a bit clunky. There are instances of Ellison's brilliance, but, as other reviewers on Goodreads have noted, there is a certain lack of continuity as if panels or even pages are missing. I'm not sure if that's a result of Ellison writing in short bursts for each panel or what. One can see the bones of a good story, but it is never completely covered with flesh and made whole. It begins with a bang--and I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of how Roark gathered his colleagues for the e journey. The trip through the black hole is well done and enjoyable as well and there are moments when the Seven face the villain of the piece that are quite good. Over all, a three star outing for an interesting story and great artwork. A more cohesive storyline would have brought up to four.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
Sometime in Earth's distant future, the planet is in danger--not just physical danger, but the very fabric of reality is being ripped apart. The elite call on once-decorated, but then disgraced General Roark to gather six others with special abilities to save them. With elaborate promises of rewards to come, Urr, the renegade robot; Mourna, the Amazon-like woman with steel claws for hands; Tantalus, the incredibly swift insect-man; Ayleen, a Venusian woman with quite literal fire-power; Hoorn, the stealthy and adept cat burglar; and Kenrus the brilliant, outcast technologist all agree to join Roark on a deadly journey to Earth's past on a mission to save its future.
As a graphic novel, the book is pleasing. It has an old-fashioned feel and reminds me of the comic books I used to buy when I was a preteen. I have a certain nostalgia for those stories--I would read everything from those with a science fiction feel to the mysterious and creepy (think Tales from the Crypt). I enjoyed those far more than most of the graphic novels I have tried in recent years. Paul Chadwick's artwork is fabulous.
The story, however, is a bit clunky. There are instances of Ellison's brilliance, but, as other reviewers on Goodreads have noted, there is a certain lack of continuity as if panels or even pages are missing. I'm not sure if that's a result of Ellison writing in short bursts for each panel or what. One can see the bones of a good story, but it is never completely covered with flesh and made whole. It begins with a bang--and I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of how Roark gathered his colleagues for the e journey. The trip through the black hole is well done and enjoyable as well and there are moments when the Seven face the villain of the piece that are quite good. Over all, a three star outing for an interesting story and great artwork. A more cohesive storyline would have brought up to four.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
January 21, 2017
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.25 of 5
I am one of those people who will buy anything that has Harlan Ellison's name on it. I know that his name isn't always a guarantee for the quality of the work inside, but it is more often than not, and I can certainly expect something a little out of the ordinary with Ellison.
And then we get this graphic novel.
I really wanted to believe that someone else wrote the script, based on a Harlan Ellison story, but the credits all point to Ellison as the author which is really too bad because the story was dull.
We're far into the future and the Earth is in danger. Reality is unraveling. Natural disasters are destroying the planet and souls from the past are popping up. Seven aliens with different, necessary abilities come together to save the earth. But they don't exactly get along. So while the planet crumbles, these seven squabble and must learn to accept one another before they can get to work.
With the word "chaos" in the title and the Earth itself in danger, one might expect a rip-roaring adventure, but what we get is a long, heady, nostalgic trip back in time. The book talks to the reader. We are not brought in to the story so much as force-fed the story by an omniscient narrator. This might be great in a short story or a novel, but for a graphic novel, where the art is supposed to help tell the story, we should be told a story. We should be invited in, allowed to participate, but that is not the case.
I don't enjoy be talked at this way and I wanted to get through this as quickly as possible, but there's nothing quick or easy about this book. A challenge is okay, but not if it's simply because it's dull.
The art by Paul Chadwick did not help this story. It definitely reflected the tenor of the story, but it too lacked passion and excitement. I really thought that this might have been a reprint from the 1950's or 1960's as the art had that sort of feel - the sort of flat art with some Jack Kirby'ish cross-hatching to suggest depth.
I wanted to like this. I'm a die-hard Ellison fan, but this one just didn't work for me.
Looking for a good book? Harlan Ellison's 7 Against Chaos is a graphic novel that doesn't entertain or inspire but may have you reminiscing about comics from three decades past.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I am one of those people who will buy anything that has Harlan Ellison's name on it. I know that his name isn't always a guarantee for the quality of the work inside, but it is more often than not, and I can certainly expect something a little out of the ordinary with Ellison.
And then we get this graphic novel.
I really wanted to believe that someone else wrote the script, based on a Harlan Ellison story, but the credits all point to Ellison as the author which is really too bad because the story was dull.
We're far into the future and the Earth is in danger. Reality is unraveling. Natural disasters are destroying the planet and souls from the past are popping up. Seven aliens with different, necessary abilities come together to save the earth. But they don't exactly get along. So while the planet crumbles, these seven squabble and must learn to accept one another before they can get to work.
With the word "chaos" in the title and the Earth itself in danger, one might expect a rip-roaring adventure, but what we get is a long, heady, nostalgic trip back in time. The book talks to the reader. We are not brought in to the story so much as force-fed the story by an omniscient narrator. This might be great in a short story or a novel, but for a graphic novel, where the art is supposed to help tell the story, we should be told a story. We should be invited in, allowed to participate, but that is not the case.
I don't enjoy be talked at this way and I wanted to get through this as quickly as possible, but there's nothing quick or easy about this book. A challenge is okay, but not if it's simply because it's dull.
The art by Paul Chadwick did not help this story. It definitely reflected the tenor of the story, but it too lacked passion and excitement. I really thought that this might have been a reprint from the 1950's or 1960's as the art had that sort of feel - the sort of flat art with some Jack Kirby'ish cross-hatching to suggest depth.
I wanted to like this. I'm a die-hard Ellison fan, but this one just didn't work for me.
Looking for a good book? Harlan Ellison's 7 Against Chaos is a graphic novel that doesn't entertain or inspire but may have you reminiscing about comics from three decades past.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2015
3.5 stars.
On far off Callisto, a substance is mined by modified humans, slaves, who don't live long under the conditions. It doesn't matter: they're just slaves. And the substance is put into pills, taken by those who can afford the most potent aphrodisiac ever made.
A hooded figure with scarred hands finds special modified humans, all differently altered, to make a team of 7 - He gathers is team from Callisto (Mourna, a 7ft tall amazon); Mars (Hoorn, the Faceless Man); Venus (Lady Ayleen, a Phoenix); Titan (Tantalus, a reordered man-insect); Deimos, one of Mars' moons (URR, the Renegade Robot); Ceres in the asteroid belt (Konrus the paranoid technologist); and that makes the team - to fix the problems emerging on Earth, guided by the crisis computers.
The Robed Man, once everyone is safely sequestered away, reveals himself to be Roark, a disgraced, supposedly dead, general, hero of previous wars.
They will travel through time and space and not-space, over 1.2 million years, to fix the change happening in their time, on Earth itself.
They will be changed forever by the trip alone.
The entity causing all the trouble is there, on PastEarth. Its name is Erisssa. It's a telepathic lizard and can control anything from insects to lizard men. Why the heck Erisssa is in a wheelchair is a mystery we never see resolved. And rather silly too, when you see the lizard tail coming out of the back of the chair! Surely a better design could have been worked up??? I also found the Syringe-as-a-Spaceship silly too. What were they thinking??
The human cost is huge, but a compromise is reached. In true Ellison fashion, the ending leaves the reader with a choice: which desired outcome has happened? And were they even successful?
Ellison is 82 this year, not so old, though last I knew, he'd had 5 heart attacks, enough to make anyone want to quit what they'd BEEN doing and go do something VERY different. But I guess a writer has just got to write! His ego hasn't seemed to change any in his old age. ;)
The art looks very Jack Kirby! The writing is excellent thug it does seem 70s-ish.
I did like the anti-slavery theme, though I don't him is was pushed hard enough. Many introduced ideas/facts, like the special aphrodisiac was let go too.
Error: towards the end- "the nexted field protect me again" should have been nested.
On far off Callisto, a substance is mined by modified humans, slaves, who don't live long under the conditions. It doesn't matter: they're just slaves. And the substance is put into pills, taken by those who can afford the most potent aphrodisiac ever made.
A hooded figure with scarred hands finds special modified humans, all differently altered, to make a team of 7 - He gathers is team from Callisto (Mourna, a 7ft tall amazon); Mars (Hoorn, the Faceless Man); Venus (Lady Ayleen, a Phoenix); Titan (Tantalus, a reordered man-insect); Deimos, one of Mars' moons (URR, the Renegade Robot); Ceres in the asteroid belt (Konrus the paranoid technologist); and that makes the team - to fix the problems emerging on Earth, guided by the crisis computers.
The Robed Man, once everyone is safely sequestered away, reveals himself to be Roark, a disgraced, supposedly dead, general, hero of previous wars.
They will travel through time and space and not-space, over 1.2 million years, to fix the change happening in their time, on Earth itself.
They will be changed forever by the trip alone.
The entity causing all the trouble is there, on PastEarth. Its name is Erisssa. It's a telepathic lizard and can control anything from insects to lizard men. Why the heck Erisssa is in a wheelchair is a mystery we never see resolved. And rather silly too, when you see the lizard tail coming out of the back of the chair! Surely a better design could have been worked up??? I also found the Syringe-as-a-Spaceship silly too. What were they thinking??
The human cost is huge, but a compromise is reached. In true Ellison fashion, the ending leaves the reader with a choice: which desired outcome has happened? And were they even successful?
Ellison is 82 this year, not so old, though last I knew, he'd had 5 heart attacks, enough to make anyone want to quit what they'd BEEN doing and go do something VERY different. But I guess a writer has just got to write! His ego hasn't seemed to change any in his old age. ;)
The art looks very Jack Kirby! The writing is excellent thug it does seem 70s-ish.
I did like the anti-slavery theme, though I don't him is was pushed hard enough. Many introduced ideas/facts, like the special aphrodisiac was let go too.
Error: towards the end- "the nexted field protect me again" should have been nested.
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