I'm absolutely torn regarding Shipwreck. To be frank, it's a mindfuck. Sometimes that's okay, sometimes that's not okay. I'm still trying to decide where Shipwreck falls.
The art, let's start there. The art is great. Phil Hester works wonders with shadows. Some characters look similar - it's fine. The art in Shipwreck is a high point and it is not a mindfuck.
Okay fine, the plot. Essentially, in Shipwreck, there is a guy, Shipwright, who is wandering through...somewhere not-Earth. Probably not-Earth. Several issues pass with this guy meeting strange individuals who make strange pronouncements. It's all kinda compelling, so you're not gonna put the book down. But it's also baffling.
Finally, midway through, events start clicking together. Backstory unspools, revealing some of what's really going on. "Some" being the key phrase there. After finishing Shipwreck I flipped back to page one and started over, my mind brimming with information that redefined the narrative.
That's a good sign, right? When you want to re-read a book because the latter half has brought new truths to the first half? In this case, I'm not so sure. Shipwreck is a quick read anyway, so a re-read wasn't a burden on my time. There is almost certainly a way to write Shipwreck so that it makes sense and is mysterious and compelling on the first go-around, but I don't think Warren Ellis is the kind of guy who treasures narrative coherency. So be it. Shipwreck is worth a read, but just be warned: it's a mindfuck.