From Warren Ellis, the creator of PLANETARY and TRANSMETROPOLITAN, comes one of the internet's most influential commentaries on comic books, culture, and beyond. Warren Ellis' e-mail column "Bad Signal" shows that he is a modern master of the short form essay, as his biting wit makes even the most esoteric of topics into must-read material. By his own admission, BAD SIGNAL is Warren Ellis on the move, emptying his head of thoughts and shoving them into a handheld computer with a wireless modem plugged into it, so that he can instantly bug four thousand people with useless e-mail from public toilets all over the world. This second volume collects his humorous and insightful columns from 2002-2003.
Warren 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.
Like several other readers have said, it's amazing just how interesting a series of blog posts from years ago can be. I love the excerpts of Ellis at the pub and the stories of his travels. It's also cool to hear about his late night writing and the way he likes to write in hotels. Just fascinating overall, at least for an Ellis fan.
Interesting to see Warren Ellis’ short form writing from early 2000s, great illustrations. I found it a bit cumbersome to read for a short read. (Even though I love his writing typically)
More highlights from Warren Ellis’ Bad Signal email list in the early 2000s. It’s an interesting snapshot of the mind of a good writer, watching how Ellis works through certain ideas over time and proposes notions that challenge comics industry gospel. Not for the general reader, but the Warren Ellis fan will appreciate it.