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Desolation Jones #1-6
Desolation Jones: Made in England
A former field agent for M16, Michael Jones was the first surviving victim of the Desolation Test, a radically dangerous procedure cooked up by the British government. Jones was intravenously kept alive while being force-fed a steady diet of horrific data and images non-stop as stimulants were continuously pumped into his body—keeping him conscious and alert for a solid year.
Now retired from the agency, Jones lives in Los Angeles, acting as a private investigator to the secret underground community of ex-spooks who have come in from the cold, and who have no one else to turn to.
Collecting the first six issues of the Eisner-nominated series by Warren Ellis and J.H. Williams III! Michael Jones was a British spy who'd seen better days—but things took a turn for the worse once he fell into the Desolation Project's hands. Now he's the preeminent detective for an elite clientele—the underground community of ex-spooks in gritty L.A.
Now retired from the agency, Jones lives in Los Angeles, acting as a private investigator to the secret underground community of ex-spooks who have come in from the cold, and who have no one else to turn to.
Collecting the first six issues of the Eisner-nominated series by Warren Ellis and J.H. Williams III! Michael Jones was a British spy who'd seen better days—but things took a turn for the worse once he fell into the Desolation Project's hands. Now he's the preeminent detective for an elite clientele—the underground community of ex-spooks in gritty L.A.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
8 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,972 books5,772 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 94 reviews
May 6, 2015
Los Angeles, the city of angels, is full of ex-spooks. Former secret government agents who’ve done, and had done to them, terrible things and are now living out their early retirement years in LA - unable to leave. Jones is one such ex-spook, a survivor of the mysterious Desolation Project in England, who also freelances as a covert detective.
A wealthy old man contacts him to recover a precious item: a reel of secret home-made porn by Adolf Hitler himself, filmed in his bunker! But as Jones is about to discover, the Hitler porn is the red herring in a case that becomes more complicated by the hour as several people begin gunning for him!
Desolation Jones is basically Warren Ellis writing his version of Raymond Chandler’s LA Noir stories. The pieces are all there: the world-weary detective with the shady past, running from something horrible via intoxicants; the femme fatale, the employer, the job, the crooks, the underworld businesses and rackets. It’s written in Ellis’ signature grumpy/sarcastic/witty style where the characters’ dialogue is biting and funny, and I loved that.
Chandler and noir in general though is not my bag and that’s why I found the comic overall kinda average. It’s your usual gumshoe stuff, usual tropes, same beats, even down to the bait and switch at the end, and you either enjoy that genre stuff or you don’t; I’m in the latter.
That’s not to say Desolation Jones isn’t any good - it’s definitely got its moments. The biggest draw, even over Ellis’ writing, is JH Williams III’s incredible art. If you’re reading Sandman: Overture or have read the Batwoman comics he drew, you’ll know his art style is insanely imaginative. Same applies to Jones whose story utilises Williams’ skills perfectly.
We have watery/murky flashbacks, fantastically framed fight choreography, warm, even glorious, hallucinations (Jones’ mind is fucked) of angels here and there, and warped, druggy sequences to rival Ralph Steadman. If you’re a fan of the artist like me, this is a must-read comic purely for the art.
What’s surprising in the script is the sober look at the modern porn industry in a scene that sneaks up at you right in the middle of the book. It’s realistic, humanises the women involved, convincing, dark, unpleasant and moving all at once - a stark contrast to the jovial madness that makes up most of the book. Transmetropolitan had moments like that and so does Desolation Jones and it’s that unpredictable quality to switch gears suddenly is what I love about Ellis’ scripts.
It’s a shame it didn’t become a series but I doubt Williams could’ve maintained the pace given the painstakingly high quality of his work, and it’s not a bad standalone book anyway. The plot’s a bit same-y for me to totally love but if you’re a noir fan, Ellis’ homage to Chandler’s stories will be right up your alley. Desolation Jones is a fine, disturbed modern equivalent for Philip Marlowe.
A wealthy old man contacts him to recover a precious item: a reel of secret home-made porn by Adolf Hitler himself, filmed in his bunker! But as Jones is about to discover, the Hitler porn is the red herring in a case that becomes more complicated by the hour as several people begin gunning for him!
Desolation Jones is basically Warren Ellis writing his version of Raymond Chandler’s LA Noir stories. The pieces are all there: the world-weary detective with the shady past, running from something horrible via intoxicants; the femme fatale, the employer, the job, the crooks, the underworld businesses and rackets. It’s written in Ellis’ signature grumpy/sarcastic/witty style where the characters’ dialogue is biting and funny, and I loved that.
Chandler and noir in general though is not my bag and that’s why I found the comic overall kinda average. It’s your usual gumshoe stuff, usual tropes, same beats, even down to the bait and switch at the end, and you either enjoy that genre stuff or you don’t; I’m in the latter.
That’s not to say Desolation Jones isn’t any good - it’s definitely got its moments. The biggest draw, even over Ellis’ writing, is JH Williams III’s incredible art. If you’re reading Sandman: Overture or have read the Batwoman comics he drew, you’ll know his art style is insanely imaginative. Same applies to Jones whose story utilises Williams’ skills perfectly.
We have watery/murky flashbacks, fantastically framed fight choreography, warm, even glorious, hallucinations (Jones’ mind is fucked) of angels here and there, and warped, druggy sequences to rival Ralph Steadman. If you’re a fan of the artist like me, this is a must-read comic purely for the art.
What’s surprising in the script is the sober look at the modern porn industry in a scene that sneaks up at you right in the middle of the book. It’s realistic, humanises the women involved, convincing, dark, unpleasant and moving all at once - a stark contrast to the jovial madness that makes up most of the book. Transmetropolitan had moments like that and so does Desolation Jones and it’s that unpredictable quality to switch gears suddenly is what I love about Ellis’ scripts.
It’s a shame it didn’t become a series but I doubt Williams could’ve maintained the pace given the painstakingly high quality of his work, and it’s not a bad standalone book anyway. The plot’s a bit same-y for me to totally love but if you’re a noir fan, Ellis’ homage to Chandler’s stories will be right up your alley. Desolation Jones is a fine, disturbed modern equivalent for Philip Marlowe.
January 10, 2025
The Big Sleep but for edgy comic book fans that want the MacGuffin to be a film canister of Adolf Hitler's porn.
Exquisite drawing by J.H. Williams III. Not quite his best work, but he's always fantastic.
Exquisite drawing by J.H. Williams III. Not quite his best work, but he's always fantastic.
September 4, 2007
Quite possibly the best comic I've ever read, and massive props to Warren Ellis for writing it. The characters are interesting and varied, the artwork is excellent, the story is both very dark and very funny, and the dialogue is top-notch.
The premise is that the city of Los Angeles serves as a prison-without-walls for exiled members of the international intelligence community. Some of them have been experimented on by their governments, but the end result is almost invariably not enhancement, but damage. They are all damaged, flawed, lonely people trying to find meaning as invisible men and women in an invisible cage: as the main character, Michael Jones himself puts it, they're a bunch of old, caged wolves, all penned up together, and all too often innocents find themselves caught in struggles between them.
Warren Ellis' writing style comes out very strongly here, with his observations on the darker side of the human experience cropping up frequently. His observations on the porn industry are particularly gut-wrenching, gleaned as they were from a female porn-star friend of his who later committed suicide. All in all, there is a very noir sort of feel to the graphic novel: indeed, this story arc is very much a tribute to "The Big Sleep."
The premise is that the city of Los Angeles serves as a prison-without-walls for exiled members of the international intelligence community. Some of them have been experimented on by their governments, but the end result is almost invariably not enhancement, but damage. They are all damaged, flawed, lonely people trying to find meaning as invisible men and women in an invisible cage: as the main character, Michael Jones himself puts it, they're a bunch of old, caged wolves, all penned up together, and all too often innocents find themselves caught in struggles between them.
Warren Ellis' writing style comes out very strongly here, with his observations on the darker side of the human experience cropping up frequently. His observations on the porn industry are particularly gut-wrenching, gleaned as they were from a female porn-star friend of his who later committed suicide. All in all, there is a very noir sort of feel to the graphic novel: indeed, this story arc is very much a tribute to "The Big Sleep."
November 11, 2010
Another self-centered, curmudgeonly asshole protagonist from Ellis, so why do I always find them so charming? Well, it's always good to write what you know. The albino thing seems to be a pattern, too: Elijah Snow, Jones, then Fell (at least on the covers). You can never escape the wrath of the Evil Albino.
Well-written, as usual, especially after suffering through the New Vegas one-shot. Then again, Ellis has a great artist behind him. Williams' characters are emotionally responsive, recognizable, and interesting, and the way he changes the art style with the mood gives a pleasing variety without straying too far from the characteristic look of the book.
I'm hesitant to mention, due to 'can't unsee', though maybe it's just me, but Williams' hands always look off. There's a lack of depth and internal structure there that I found ceaselessly annoying, especially in comparison to his great faces and design work. They say the measure of an artist is how he draws the hands, but Williams is much better than his hands would indicate.
I mentioned Ellis' love for unlovable characters, but Jones takes it in a whole new sociopathic direction. He's beyond antihero, he's more like a charming, downtrodden villain who we sympathize with because he's fighting people worse than himself.
Ellis is definitely pushing the boundary in this neo-noir spy story, and doing it well, because Jones' heartlessness isn't played for shock value; somehow, callousness ends up as the emotional center of the story.
The 'ugly men, beautiful women' characters get a bit annoying, especially when Jones starts collecting a strong-women harem, something else Ellis is fond of, though he fights off the urge doggedly. The plotting is a bit abrupt, but there are indications that he was working toward a larger arc. Too bad he'll probably never get there.
Ah well, I long ago learned to appreciate what I do get instead of driving myself mad over what could have been (except for the Moebius/Jodorowski European Dune; that still smarts). Desolation Jones is a good book, even if Ellis never gets back to it. It's not his strongest work, and despite some similarity in style with other Ellis stories, it stands on its own.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
Well-written, as usual, especially after suffering through the New Vegas one-shot. Then again, Ellis has a great artist behind him. Williams' characters are emotionally responsive, recognizable, and interesting, and the way he changes the art style with the mood gives a pleasing variety without straying too far from the characteristic look of the book.
I'm hesitant to mention, due to 'can't unsee', though maybe it's just me, but Williams' hands always look off. There's a lack of depth and internal structure there that I found ceaselessly annoying, especially in comparison to his great faces and design work. They say the measure of an artist is how he draws the hands, but Williams is much better than his hands would indicate.
I mentioned Ellis' love for unlovable characters, but Jones takes it in a whole new sociopathic direction. He's beyond antihero, he's more like a charming, downtrodden villain who we sympathize with because he's fighting people worse than himself.
Ellis is definitely pushing the boundary in this neo-noir spy story, and doing it well, because Jones' heartlessness isn't played for shock value; somehow, callousness ends up as the emotional center of the story.
The 'ugly men, beautiful women' characters get a bit annoying, especially when Jones starts collecting a strong-women harem, something else Ellis is fond of, though he fights off the urge doggedly. The plotting is a bit abrupt, but there are indications that he was working toward a larger arc. Too bad he'll probably never get there.
Ah well, I long ago learned to appreciate what I do get instead of driving myself mad over what could have been (except for the Moebius/Jodorowski European Dune; that still smarts). Desolation Jones is a good book, even if Ellis never gets back to it. It's not his strongest work, and despite some similarity in style with other Ellis stories, it stands on its own.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
February 5, 2009
A film noir story on acid with a lot of porn references thrown in for good measure. Brilliant, dark, surreal and clever.
L.A. has been turned into the a sort of open prison/ retirement community for burned out spies and government test subjects where the test went wrong.
'Desolation' Jones is a mix of both and acts as a sort of trouble shooter/ investigator for the 'powers that be' that run the city.
His first case involves a retired General who has had something stolen from his special porn collection at the same time that one of his daughters has run away from home.
The case him takes him back and forth from the ex-spy community to the porn industry and back again. We meet an interesting collection of seedy, bizarre and sympathetic characters involved along the way.
Really great stuff as Ellis mashes together spies, PIs, bits of weird sci-fi, philosophy and a look at big cities.
Great stuff that would make a great TV show.
L.A. has been turned into the a sort of open prison/ retirement community for burned out spies and government test subjects where the test went wrong.
'Desolation' Jones is a mix of both and acts as a sort of trouble shooter/ investigator for the 'powers that be' that run the city.
His first case involves a retired General who has had something stolen from his special porn collection at the same time that one of his daughters has run away from home.
The case him takes him back and forth from the ex-spy community to the porn industry and back again. We meet an interesting collection of seedy, bizarre and sympathetic characters involved along the way.
Really great stuff as Ellis mashes together spies, PIs, bits of weird sci-fi, philosophy and a look at big cities.
Great stuff that would make a great TV show.
November 27, 2009
AMAZING art. Panels that I just stared at and constantly flipped back to, especially the action scenes. So beautiful.
Loved the charaters. Jones reminds me of some of my favorite characters from Hellblazer, Fell, ... others with intense and strong male charaters, though Jones is probably the craziest I've read. He's a bad guy, no question about it. The reader feels sympathy for this bad man because other bad men have hurt him. That sympathy doesn't go away just because the reader discovers some of the bad tings that Jones did in his life.
I also loved Jones' visions (more beautiful art) and his backstory was great, extremely frightening, and full of potential for further original story lines.
Loved the charaters. Jones reminds me of some of my favorite characters from Hellblazer, Fell, ... others with intense and strong male charaters, though Jones is probably the craziest I've read. He's a bad guy, no question about it. The reader feels sympathy for this bad man because other bad men have hurt him. That sympathy doesn't go away just because the reader discovers some of the bad tings that Jones did in his life.
I also loved Jones' visions (more beautiful art) and his backstory was great, extremely frightening, and full of potential for further original story lines.
April 28, 2011
Now let's clear up some misconceptions. Yes, there is an awful lot of violence in this book. Our hero commits murders as if they were no more moving nor onerous than blowing his nose, and the only person for whom he seems to feel anything approaching a positive emotion is a woman who can make people throw up simply by being at them. And yes, there is a long, long, and very forcefully expressed, speech about what it's like being a porn actress, that leaves one with no illusions at all, and what one might call porn exotica does provide the mcguffin. And yes, pretty well all the characters are refuse from one or other intelligence agency's experiments gone awry, which provides a background that explains some of the easy violence.
But that isn't what this is about. All that is just part of establishing the milieu, a world of easy morals, lies within lies, quick violence, no law as such, beautiful easy dames and tough guys. Let's just put it this way: the hero's a LA private detective and his case involves a retired general with three daughters: the bossy one, the nice one and the one who's into sex way too much for her own good. Yup, this is The Big Sleep for the twenty-first century.
And with that understanding, everything falls into place. Jones' emotional disconnect from the world may have a more gruesome explanation than Marlowe's, but it creates the same effect: of an amoral detective driven only by his own sense of justice and dislike of being made a patsy. And as a piece of noir fiction, this works terribly well. But where it goes one better is that it is satirical noir. This isn't just about blackmail. It's about blackmail over pictures of Hitler's todger. Everything is just that little bit too bright, too strange, and it creates just the right amount alienation to make one wonder whether all of this is serious, whether what we think is the plot actually is the plot at all, and whether perhaps we're missing the main act because we've been distracted by a side-show. And then, almost on the last page, we learn that we have.
The art-work, as you would expect from the illustrator of Promethea: Book One, is superb. Page layout is toyed with, we wander in and out of black-and-white, the images of characters are stylised so as to not show the speaker saying stuff but to show what it is their words are saying about them (to hilarious effect in the long porn-star speech), and it is, overall, beautiful to look at. So, putting it all together, a fine book, and I hope we see more or Mr Jones' adventures.
But that isn't what this is about. All that is just part of establishing the milieu, a world of easy morals, lies within lies, quick violence, no law as such, beautiful easy dames and tough guys. Let's just put it this way: the hero's a LA private detective and his case involves a retired general with three daughters: the bossy one, the nice one and the one who's into sex way too much for her own good. Yup, this is The Big Sleep for the twenty-first century.
And with that understanding, everything falls into place. Jones' emotional disconnect from the world may have a more gruesome explanation than Marlowe's, but it creates the same effect: of an amoral detective driven only by his own sense of justice and dislike of being made a patsy. And as a piece of noir fiction, this works terribly well. But where it goes one better is that it is satirical noir. This isn't just about blackmail. It's about blackmail over pictures of Hitler's todger. Everything is just that little bit too bright, too strange, and it creates just the right amount alienation to make one wonder whether all of this is serious, whether what we think is the plot actually is the plot at all, and whether perhaps we're missing the main act because we've been distracted by a side-show. And then, almost on the last page, we learn that we have.
The art-work, as you would expect from the illustrator of Promethea: Book One, is superb. Page layout is toyed with, we wander in and out of black-and-white, the images of characters are stylised so as to not show the speaker saying stuff but to show what it is their words are saying about them (to hilarious effect in the long porn-star speech), and it is, overall, beautiful to look at. So, putting it all together, a fine book, and I hope we see more or Mr Jones' adventures.
October 15, 2015
I wonder how many times the phrase "Hitler's Homemade Porn" was used in this trade? I remember reading it so many times, but seriously this wasn't too bad. Written by Warren Ellis about a man who was created to feel no pain, and used to work for the UK's Special mission squad.
September 12, 2022
I don’t know why I even care about Jones but I do.
November 10, 2024
In “Desolation Jones,” L.A. is the place where ex-intelligence members go to retire. Jones is one of these retirees. He has survived the “radically dangerous” “Desolation Test,” a test from MI6 in Jones was “intravenously kept alive while being force-fed a steady diet of horrific data and images non-stop as stimulants were continuously pumped into his body—keeping him conscious and alert from a solid year.”
Now he is serving as a private investigator. His latest mission? A collector is being extorted for his copy of Hitler’s homemade films. Of course, it ends up being way more complicated than this.
There are hints of science fiction but even more crime tropes. This has all the tropes of crime noir. I’m curious to see where the story goes from here.
This isn’t for the squeamish!
Now he is serving as a private investigator. His latest mission? A collector is being extorted for his copy of Hitler’s homemade films. Of course, it ends up being way more complicated than this.
There are hints of science fiction but even more crime tropes. This has all the tropes of crime noir. I’m curious to see where the story goes from here.
This isn’t for the squeamish!
September 24, 2018
This is... Very weird.
July 10, 2019
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3+/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
February 10, 2017
Warren Ellis, Warren Ellis...¿que se vera en tu cabeza?.
Jones es el ultimo agente sobreviviente al suero Desolation, y esta viviendo/exiliado en L.A donde existe un sub-mundo de agentes de múltiples agencias del mundo, que viven como pueden en la ciudad, y ahora, un tipo delo mas creepy le pide que le recupere sus películas porno protagonizadas y dirigidas por Hitler. Ellis nos llevara por una trama muy sucia, rasposa, llena de diálogos filosos y situaciones que no te esperas, con una construcción épica de personajes, además,se acompaña de un J.H.Williams III ( pedazo de nombre,para pedazo de artista) que lo borda en cada diseño, pagina, viñeta, el tipo te sorprende en cada ilustración, pasando por unas tintas preciosas, una construcción de pagina superdetallada y novedosa, sin perder un ápice de dinamismo en su Storytelling.
Jones es el ultimo agente sobreviviente al suero Desolation, y esta viviendo/exiliado en L.A donde existe un sub-mundo de agentes de múltiples agencias del mundo, que viven como pueden en la ciudad, y ahora, un tipo delo mas creepy le pide que le recupere sus películas porno protagonizadas y dirigidas por Hitler. Ellis nos llevara por una trama muy sucia, rasposa, llena de diálogos filosos y situaciones que no te esperas, con una construcción épica de personajes, además,se acompaña de un J.H.Williams III ( pedazo de nombre,para pedazo de artista) que lo borda en cada diseño, pagina, viñeta, el tipo te sorprende en cada ilustración, pasando por unas tintas preciosas, una construcción de pagina superdetallada y novedosa, sin perder un ápice de dinamismo en su Storytelling.
February 25, 2017
Warren Ellis a reduzir-se ao seu essencial. Um anti-herói amoral, que acaba por fazer a coisa certa no final de uma sequência de acções violentas, escapado à normalidade graças a efeitos perversos de experiências científicas secretas. Personagens quase autistas no seu foco específico que auxiliam o herói. Submundos ocultos, onde pululam os soldados e agentes de teorias da conspiração, neste caso específico a cidade de Los Angeles como prisão dourada para ex-operacionais de serviços secretos. Perversos endinheirados, de imoralidade particularmente enviesada, deleitando-se com o mais impensável do escabroso. Mundos que coexistem com a nossa visão de normalidade, mas escapam por completo ao nosso olhar. São tendências típicas deste argumentista, bem exploradas numa aventura cheia de acção cinética de um destroço dos serviços secretos britânicos exilado na cidade dos anjos, contratado por um ex-general da CIA para lhe recuperar o mais precioso dos artefactos da sua colecção de amadas perversões: uma bobine de filme que regista para a posteridade as proezas de Hitler na cama. Um ponto de partida para uma avalanche amoral de violência.
April 5, 2020
This is a graphic novel that I find myself re-reading often, and it never disappoints! This is a dark, disturbing and very mature book - featuring a cast of wonderfully twisted people, headed up by the lead character Michael Jones - an ex-MI6 agent living with the aftermath of the Desolation Test - a secret Government procedure, the details of which the reader is given tantalising glimpses of during the book.
This is part spy thriller, part detective story, part horror story - all brilliantly pulled together by Warren Ellis, one of the best comic writers out there!
The only disappointing thing about this book, is that there isnt any more of it. This book collects issues 1-6 of the original comic, and was followed by two more issues before it stopped, something I find baffling, as I cannot be the only person crying out for more Jones!
But then maybe it is this brevity that makes Desolation Jones so special, something to savour and cherish. However you look at it, it's a great story with some fascinating characters and some wonderfully original ideas. Well worth a read!
This is part spy thriller, part detective story, part horror story - all brilliantly pulled together by Warren Ellis, one of the best comic writers out there!
The only disappointing thing about this book, is that there isnt any more of it. This book collects issues 1-6 of the original comic, and was followed by two more issues before it stopped, something I find baffling, as I cannot be the only person crying out for more Jones!
But then maybe it is this brevity that makes Desolation Jones so special, something to savour and cherish. However you look at it, it's a great story with some fascinating characters and some wonderfully original ideas. Well worth a read!
October 6, 2008
After barely surviving the "Desolation" experiment (kept awake for an entire year whilst getting horribly tortured), the skeletal, beyond-grizzled former M16 operative Jones is trapped in L.A. with his Brit accent and Goth photophobia. Soon, he is involved in a mystery which is a total ripoff of (and homage to) The Big Sleep. Ha ha, get it? A year of sleep deprivation, and now this?
The cadged mystery is catalyzed by a McGuffin -- Hitler's homemade porn reel -- which is so over-the-top & awful, it works only as a parody of McGuffins in general. But the plot moves like the Big Sleep: randomly, suspensefully, with moments of tender affection inflecting a warm, alienating skein of flesh, violence, and double-crossing. You end up loving the characters, cinematography, and dialog, but forgetting the nonsensical plot. I loved it.
The cadged mystery is catalyzed by a McGuffin -- Hitler's homemade porn reel -- which is so over-the-top & awful, it works only as a parody of McGuffins in general. But the plot moves like the Big Sleep: randomly, suspensefully, with moments of tender affection inflecting a warm, alienating skein of flesh, violence, and double-crossing. You end up loving the characters, cinematography, and dialog, but forgetting the nonsensical plot. I loved it.
January 7, 2012
No es lo mejor que le leí a Ellis ni a ganchos. pero sigue siendo un excelente "policial negro de ciencia ficción" y los dibujos de Williams elevan el-ya-de-por-sí-bueno-guion a la categoría de obra de arte. Me gusta todo, desde los diseños a los armados de página, los colores, las técnicas pictóricas aplicadas a varias escenas en particular. Y por el lado del argumento, quizás la parte detectivesca no es demasiado brillante de por sí, pero los diálogos y el laburo con los personajes (todos bastante hijosdeputa) están muy pero muy bien logrados. Lástima que, como leí en un FAQ hace poco, Ellis dice que ve menos que improbable que se retome la serie en algún momento :(
April 11, 2009
Chilling mix of noir, spy thriller, X-Files conspiracy, and scatological grotesquery with elements of The Big Sleep and Delillo’s Running Dog (Hitler porn…I wrote Hilter first which reminds of that Monty Python skit) that should appeal to fans of Ellis’s Fell series and Crooked Little Vein. The ending is unbelievably bleak.
December 12, 2008
This is a futuristic story of LA turned into a prison for those who had been experimented on, including our skeletal, incredibly damaged british ex secret agent hero. Warren Ellis continues to thrill me with his writing, even though the darkness is often overwhelming, he counters with great humor.
December 23, 2017
Michael Jones was an MI6 agent who was deemed unfit for the field becase of his drinking and dereliction of duty charges. He goes through the Desolation program, a traumatic experience that leaves him scarred.
He gets a mission to investigate colonel Nigh who had Hitler's home porn reels stolen from him. Yeah, it's like that. But why not make fun of Hitler? Jones also meets Nigh's older daughter who believes he was asked to find her runaway younger sister Paula. Jones' journey through the rough world of pornography will leave several people dead and show us the kind of man Jones really is.
He gets a mission to investigate colonel Nigh who had Hitler's home porn reels stolen from him. Yeah, it's like that. But why not make fun of Hitler? Jones also meets Nigh's older daughter who believes he was asked to find her runaway younger sister Paula. Jones' journey through the rough world of pornography will leave several people dead and show us the kind of man Jones really is.
August 2, 2025
Serie avvincente fino al sesto volume con ottimi frammenti, fino a raggiungere l'eccellenza in svariati passaggi.
Il linguaggio e l'atmosfera sono intrisi di cinismo e calibrati da una narrazione veloce che ben si adatta al ritmo violento e malato, eliminando, tuttavia, la possibilità di rendere il fumetto superficiale.
È da ritenersi concluso a seguito del primo caso analizzato, delineando così la natura ambigua di Jones e andando a immaginare un vissuto traumatico senza bisogno di storie autocommiseranti.
Il linguaggio è diretto e permette una connessione fredda e razionale, evitando di far sviluppare un inutile pietismo.
Questo è da apprezzare moltissimo.
Il settimo volume, rimanendo attaccati al fatto che Desolation Jones è una serie incompleta, diventa praticamente inutile. Detesto sempre, poi, il cambio dell'artista durante un progetto.
Il settimo volume è caotico e, valutandolo come opera a sé stante, insoddisfacente. Un grande calo.
Credo che l'ottavo volume sarà più o meno lo stesso, a questo punto.
Il linguaggio e l'atmosfera sono intrisi di cinismo e calibrati da una narrazione veloce che ben si adatta al ritmo violento e malato, eliminando, tuttavia, la possibilità di rendere il fumetto superficiale.
È da ritenersi concluso a seguito del primo caso analizzato, delineando così la natura ambigua di Jones e andando a immaginare un vissuto traumatico senza bisogno di storie autocommiseranti.
Il linguaggio è diretto e permette una connessione fredda e razionale, evitando di far sviluppare un inutile pietismo.
Questo è da apprezzare moltissimo.
Il settimo volume, rimanendo attaccati al fatto che Desolation Jones è una serie incompleta, diventa praticamente inutile. Detesto sempre, poi, il cambio dell'artista durante un progetto.
Il settimo volume è caotico e, valutandolo come opera a sé stante, insoddisfacente. Un grande calo.
Credo che l'ottavo volume sarà più o meno lo stesso, a questo punto.
January 31, 2019
I wasn't sure what this was about beyond the cover blurbs, which weren't that helpful.
Seems like something close to plot elements from The Big Sleep. Elderly father, rebellious daughters in trouble, and an historical MacGuffin tying them to blackmail and several seedy types in Los Angeles. One twist for this book is that LA is the "home" (prison?) for expended secret agents that have been cast out of their respective agencies.
Jones, as well as two female compatriots that help along the way, were experimented on by their previous employers giving them abilities that aren't always useful or desired. I liked each of the women and wanted more interactions with them.
Good action, good art, some teases at the backgrounds of the characters. Seems there were only two more individual issues published of the series before cancellation.
Seems like something close to plot elements from The Big Sleep. Elderly father, rebellious daughters in trouble, and an historical MacGuffin tying them to blackmail and several seedy types in Los Angeles. One twist for this book is that LA is the "home" (prison?) for expended secret agents that have been cast out of their respective agencies.
Jones, as well as two female compatriots that help along the way, were experimented on by their previous employers giving them abilities that aren't always useful or desired. I liked each of the women and wanted more interactions with them.
Good action, good art, some teases at the backgrounds of the characters. Seems there were only two more individual issues published of the series before cancellation.
December 25, 2023
A dive into Espionage and Ero….XXX
You don’t realize how much of a dive into the world of Adult Entertainment until the third part of the book. While the espionage is what starts the ball rolling on the book it’s the background erotic stuff that really puts the story together. The lead character through all of this is oblivious as to what’s going on around him. M. Jones just deals with having had too much alcohol in his body to do his job. Add to that having too much of whatever experimental drugs were given to him to care about being alive. In the end death is his only friend, the problem is that friend ignores him but Jones wishes that it wouldn’t.
You don’t realize how much of a dive into the world of Adult Entertainment until the third part of the book. While the espionage is what starts the ball rolling on the book it’s the background erotic stuff that really puts the story together. The lead character through all of this is oblivious as to what’s going on around him. M. Jones just deals with having had too much alcohol in his body to do his job. Add to that having too much of whatever experimental drugs were given to him to care about being alive. In the end death is his only friend, the problem is that friend ignores him but Jones wishes that it wouldn’t.
November 15, 2018
Warren Ellisin "Desolation Jones" (Wildstorm, 2006) on futuristiseen Los Angelesiin sijoittuva yksityisetsivätarina, jossa sukelletaan "enkelten kaupungin" likaisiin pohjamutiin. Joku on varastanut rikkaan ja kovin sairaan vanhuksen omistaman nauhan, joka kuuleman mukaan sisältää Adolf Hitlerin tuhmia kotivideoita. Väkivaltaa on paljon, samaten kohtalokkaita naisia.
Lukaisihan tämän kertaalleen, vaan enpä niin kamalasti pettynyt kuullessani, ettei jatkoa ole luvassa.
Lukaisihan tämän kertaalleen, vaan enpä niin kamalasti pettynyt kuullessani, ettei jatkoa ole luvassa.
February 25, 2024
On one level it’s an interesting approach to try and do the Garth Ennis Boys/ Preacher style gross out stuff but give it some emotional heft, but on another level it’s kind of fascinating we never spotted Ennis as a wrong ‘un earlier because he’s clearly working through some weird stuff here. Jones is essentially a hairier, less philosophical and more violent Spider Jerusalem and, honestly, the art does most of the heavy lifting here. A strange little book really
February 16, 2017
This was a real nice book; it's a shame the series didn't continue. Williams III did such great work here. Can't remember if this was his first post-Promethea work, but still... amazing stuff. It had such an interesting premise, too, with decommissioned spooks "trapped" in LA and Jones only doing jobs for the "community."
December 30, 2018
This must be Ellis at peak miserable dirty old man. The pitch is Bond gets subjected to IPCRESS then put out to pasture as a diamond hard boiled detective in LA where all the other washed up spooks get dumped. There is a lot to like here, particularly the art work, but ultimately it's a bummer of a story that lives up to its name.
November 5, 2019
Lástima que Warren Ellis dejó esta serie colgada, porque el arco inicial es increíble; el mundo que rodea al protagonista es muy original y la historia es divertida. Otra cosa que levanta el tomo es el dibujo de Williams que le mete un diseño y armado de página que impacta. El tomo trae un primer arco de 6 revistas que termina, y otro de 2 que queda inconcluso.
October 31, 2021
A graphic novel genetically engineered to be as annoying as possible to read digitally. Former spies are confined to LA when their time is done, including Desolation Jones, now a superpowered PI on the trail of stolen porn starring Hitler.
December 30, 2021
Violento, sexual, sucio... Una historia de novela negra de manual, llevado al cómic con un cuidado y unas ilustraciones absolutamente espectaculares. Es bastante difícil dejar de leer así que casi que te lo leerás del tirón.
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