What do you think?
Rate this book
Trees (Collected Editions)
Ein Feind
Wenn in den Schatten der Bäume die Alpträume lauern…
In der nahen Zukunft bewegt sich das Weltgeschehen in den Schatten der Bäume: in China erreicht ein junger Maler die „spezielle Kulturzone“ einer Stadt unter Bäumen; in Italien trifft eine junge Frau mit Verbindungen zu einer faschistischen Gang auf einen alten Mann, der sie schreckliche Fertigkeiten lehren will; in Svalbard entdeckt ein Forschungsteam unerwartet, dass die Bäume nicht friedvoll schlummern, sondern eine furchtbare Bedrohung für die Menschheit bedeuten.
Vor zehn Jahren sind sie gelandet. Überall auf der Welt. Tatenlos standen sie auf der Erdoberfläche wie Bäume, stumm verharrten sie in ihrer allumfassenden, erdrückenden Präsenz. Vor zehn Jahren lernten wir, dass intelligentes Leben in den Weiten des Universums tatsächlich existiert – doch sie sahen die Menschen weder als lebendig noch als intelligent an …
Warren Ellis (TRANSMETROPOLITAN, RED) und Jason Howard (SUPER DINOSAUR, ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN) liefern mit ihrer neuen Comicreihe TREES einen schaurigen Sciencefiction-Titel, der durch einem außergewöhnlichen Plot zu glänzen weiß.
In der nahen Zukunft bewegt sich das Weltgeschehen in den Schatten der Bäume: in China erreicht ein junger Maler die „spezielle Kulturzone“ einer Stadt unter Bäumen; in Italien trifft eine junge Frau mit Verbindungen zu einer faschistischen Gang auf einen alten Mann, der sie schreckliche Fertigkeiten lehren will; in Svalbard entdeckt ein Forschungsteam unerwartet, dass die Bäume nicht friedvoll schlummern, sondern eine furchtbare Bedrohung für die Menschheit bedeuten.
Vor zehn Jahren sind sie gelandet. Überall auf der Welt. Tatenlos standen sie auf der Erdoberfläche wie Bäume, stumm verharrten sie in ihrer allumfassenden, erdrückenden Präsenz. Vor zehn Jahren lernten wir, dass intelligentes Leben in den Weiten des Universums tatsächlich existiert – doch sie sahen die Menschen weder als lebendig noch als intelligent an …
Warren Ellis (TRANSMETROPOLITAN, RED) und Jason Howard (SUPER DINOSAUR, ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN) liefern mit ihrer neuen Comicreihe TREES einen schaurigen Sciencefiction-Titel, der durch einem außergewöhnlichen Plot zu glänzen weiß.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published February 11, 2015
48 people are currently reading
5205 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 719 reviews
December 28, 2016
When I read this today, I experienced a strange sort of excitement combined with dread.
I thought to myself, "Yay! Another Warren Ellis book!" Then, almost immediately, I thought. "I shouldn't even pick it up though. I'm tired of getting volume 1 of a story from him, then never seeing anything else...."
And yes, I'm aware of the irony. But to be fair, I only have one unfinished series. Ellis has teased my heart with Fell, Desolation Jones, Doctor Sleepless, Injection, Captain Swing, Ignition City....
But of course I picked it up anyway. Because I love everything this man writes. And I'd rather have my heart broken by him, than get 20 volumes of half-baked schlock from someone else...
And I read it, and it's good. Though it broke my heart a little because it introduced about 20 new characters and settings, which means if the series isn't continued it's just going to bug my OCD even more....
But coming on here to review it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is a second volume out.
So yeah. This one is doubly worth your time. And there's more to come...
I thought to myself, "Yay! Another Warren Ellis book!" Then, almost immediately, I thought. "I shouldn't even pick it up though. I'm tired of getting volume 1 of a story from him, then never seeing anything else...."
And yes, I'm aware of the irony. But to be fair, I only have one unfinished series. Ellis has teased my heart with Fell, Desolation Jones, Doctor Sleepless, Injection, Captain Swing, Ignition City....
But of course I picked it up anyway. Because I love everything this man writes. And I'd rather have my heart broken by him, than get 20 volumes of half-baked schlock from someone else...
And I read it, and it's good. Though it broke my heart a little because it introduced about 20 new characters and settings, which means if the series isn't continued it's just going to bug my OCD even more....
But coming on here to review it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is a second volume out.
So yeah. This one is doubly worth your time. And there's more to come...
March 3, 2016
all sorts of things happen under the shadow of these monstrous "Trees" - silent alien invaders that appear to be giant pillars, reaching past the clouds. the story asks: can anything good grow under the shadow of a tree? the answer is mixed: in China, a new San Francisco is born as queers and iconoclasts of all stripes flock to a city that the Chinese government now wants nothing to do with (or do they?)... in Italy, a fascist gang finds itself at odds with surprising enemies... in the Arctic Circle, strange black flowers begin to grow, even in metal...
there's a lot that I appreciated here. Ellis is a humanistic progressive who appreciates young people and, with this book at least, has an advocate's perspective when it comes to gender and sexual orientation. he can make people sound and feel real, and the situations he creates can have a surprising poignancy that makes subsequent tragedy feel all the more horrible.
but honestly, I'm not too interested in all of that - and all of that amounts to over three-quarters of the story. the poignant parts moved me and the violent parts angered me, but I wanted more of the alien pillars and more of the creepiness. more of the black flowers! I didn't need questions answered but I wanted to feel as if the mystery was at least as important as the human drama. well I suppose Ellis should write how he wants to write; his amazing body of work certainly gives him that right. for now I will keep reading this series because man, the mystery he's created is super intriguing.
the art by Jason Howard works just fine. nothing particularly amazing, but I did like how the shadows and the limited palette made everything feel closed in, even scenes set in wide expanses. and he's pretty good at drawing people who are somewhat cartoonish in appearance but still look like actual people. he should work on his feet though, not everyone was born with big paddles like myself. the best part of the art is the gallery of wonderfully stark and eerie covers.
there's a lot that I appreciated here. Ellis is a humanistic progressive who appreciates young people and, with this book at least, has an advocate's perspective when it comes to gender and sexual orientation. he can make people sound and feel real, and the situations he creates can have a surprising poignancy that makes subsequent tragedy feel all the more horrible.
but honestly, I'm not too interested in all of that - and all of that amounts to over three-quarters of the story. the poignant parts moved me and the violent parts angered me, but I wanted more of the alien pillars and more of the creepiness. more of the black flowers! I didn't need questions answered but I wanted to feel as if the mystery was at least as important as the human drama. well I suppose Ellis should write how he wants to write; his amazing body of work certainly gives him that right. for now I will keep reading this series because man, the mystery he's created is super intriguing.
the art by Jason Howard works just fine. nothing particularly amazing, but I did like how the shadows and the limited palette made everything feel closed in, even scenes set in wide expanses. and he's pretty good at drawing people who are somewhat cartoonish in appearance but still look like actual people. he should work on his feet though, not everyone was born with big paddles like myself. the best part of the art is the gallery of wonderfully stark and eerie covers.
September 8, 2015
“A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;”
From the poem, Trees by Joyce Kilmer, who was named after a rest stop on the Jersey turnpike.
This is one of those high concept graphic novels that is supposed to separate the smarty pants intelleggshualls from the Neanderthal shallow comic readerslike me. If I read it and like it and appreciate it for its obtuseness, my pea-sized brain will grow just a bit bigger.
I like Warren Ellis. I’ve liked his capes and cowls stuff, his writing is usually laden with wit and is layered enough to offer something beyond the surface story, but here I think he’s bitten off more mulch than he can chew.
The story: KABOOM! Giant trees from outer space implant themselves all over the Earth!!
And then:
Do nothing…
…for ten years.
Trees attacking
Their very presence alters our lives in small, subtle ways. We get several perspectives: a growing bond between an aging professor and a young woman who’s a dissatisfied member of a group of extortionists, a Norwegian tracking station where a British scientist is puzzled by some plants evolving strangely near the Arctic Circle and a Chinese city where sexual roles are slowly dissolving. And nothing much about the trees, except a Somalin war lord wants to exploit one of them. 'Cause it’s real tall and he can fire artillery at someone else from way up on top.
Jason Howard really sells Ellis’ tree-lined mumbo jumbo with some fine art work.
It’s not until the final issue that things really start to heat up
When trees attack!
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;”
From the poem, Trees by Joyce Kilmer, who was named after a rest stop on the Jersey turnpike.
This is one of those high concept graphic novels that is supposed to separate the smarty pants intelleggshualls from the Neanderthal shallow comic readers
I like Warren Ellis. I’ve liked his capes and cowls stuff, his writing is usually laden with wit and is layered enough to offer something beyond the surface story, but here I think he’s bitten off more mulch than he can chew.
The story: KABOOM! Giant trees from outer space implant themselves all over the Earth!!
And then:
Do nothing…
…for ten years.
Trees attacking
Their very presence alters our lives in small, subtle ways. We get several perspectives: a growing bond between an aging professor and a young woman who’s a dissatisfied member of a group of extortionists, a Norwegian tracking station where a British scientist is puzzled by some plants evolving strangely near the Arctic Circle and a Chinese city where sexual roles are slowly dissolving. And nothing much about the trees, except a Somalin war lord wants to exploit one of them. 'Cause it’s real tall and he can fire artillery at someone else from way up on top.
Jason Howard really sells Ellis’ tree-lined mumbo jumbo with some fine art work.
It’s not until the final issue that things really start to heat up
When trees attack!
November 23, 2015
Ten years ago alien life made contact with humanity - by putting what look like giant waste pipes all around the planet and every so often pumping toxic waste out of them! But that was it. They didn’t bother making “first contact” or talking to us because it seems like we don’t interest them. As it says in the opening monologue, “we learned that there is intelligent life in the universe but that they did not recognise us as intelligent or alive”. Instead, Earth is to be their alien landfill - what else would you expect from misanthropic Warren Ellis? I love it!
The story begins ten years after the trees (the giant alien waste pipes) appeared and the world has changed. Environments have altered: Manhattan has flooded, democratic governments have toppled to be replaced by fascistic ones. Though war still prevails, particularly amongst the African nations and China is still happily ignoring basic human rights. Also, the Chinese set up a “special cultural zone” around their tree, allowing artists and whoever wanted to live there, experiment with an alternate form of life.
On the surface you might think this would be a humans vs aliens storyline and expect some kind of concerted and focused fightback against the invasion - but it’s not. Instead humanity has learned to live with the trees and the book is instead about day to day life and human individuals surviving in this new world with the trees as background, but still “exerting a silent pressure” on us - an inspired take on the alien invasion template.
I read this book as single issues which, while good, wasn’t that impressive month by month because it felt like Warren Ellis had written this long story, intended to be read as a singlular narrative, and then chopped it up into eight issue-sized pieces. Re-reading all of the issues together in one go definitely reinforces that feeling and actually makes for a different, much better reading experience.
The characters’ storylines feel much more involving and interesting too. There’s Eligia, a young woman, in Cefalu, Italy who is the sex slave of a local mob leader. She wants to break free of her dependence on him and become self-sufficient, asking a mysterious old man for help. In the Chinese city of Shu, a young artist called Tian Chenglei arrives to draw the trees and falls in love. In Mogadishu, Somalia, the head of state decides to use their tree - the world’s smallest - to wage war on a nearby neighbour over a territorial dispute. And in Blindhail Station, Spitzbergen, Norway, a team of international scientists make a startling discovery about the trees.
It’s a credit to Ellis that he sets up an alien invasion storyline then totally ignores the aliens and makes the humans and what they do amongst themselves be even more fascinating than any action-heavy approach could achieve. Our characters’ storylines also emphasises the idea that the aliens don’t view us as intelligent or civilised when there’s so much violence and bloodshed in the book - humans killing other humans for power, money, sex, etc. Why would they see us otherwise? We must seem like idiotic barbarians to a more advanced culture!
It also shows our reactions to the trees with us humans attempting to show that we still have control over some things like each other even though we have no control over the trees or any ability to get rid of them. Their toxic waste decimates Rio de Janeiro in the opening scene and there’s no retaliation! Ellis further develops this futuristic world by making the point that cities with trees face decreasing populations and economies leading to the characters’ problems in the story. It’s a really clever, inspired take.
As great as the characters’ stories are in this first book, Ellis does acknowledge the aliens’ purpose towards the end by bringing about their first “communication” of sorts to us. I especially like how Ellis isn’t rushing things and telling the story he wants at his own speed. It’s an exciting finale to the first act of this series and makes me anticipate the next volume all the more.
Jason Howard’s covers to the series have been terrific - some of the best comics covers I’ve seen in the last year! They’re very stylish, eye-catching with a wonderful use of colour giving each issue a unique look. The interiors are also wonderful with very dynamic action scenes, beautifully captured landscapes with the trees as silent monoliths in the background, and the characters are drawn very expressively. Howard’s range is impressive too, confidently drawing city scenes like Cefalu and Shu as masterfully as the more barren regions of Spitzbergen and Mogadishu. Great colours, great art - I hope Jason Howard gets a lot more work and recognition after people read this book.
Trees Volume 1 is an outstanding comic. It’s Ellis’ most interesting book since Supergod and definitely one of his best and most original stories ever. With an able collaborator in Jason Howard, Warren Ellis has created a fantastic work here that’s highly recommend to fans of quality comics.
The story begins ten years after the trees (the giant alien waste pipes) appeared and the world has changed. Environments have altered: Manhattan has flooded, democratic governments have toppled to be replaced by fascistic ones. Though war still prevails, particularly amongst the African nations and China is still happily ignoring basic human rights. Also, the Chinese set up a “special cultural zone” around their tree, allowing artists and whoever wanted to live there, experiment with an alternate form of life.
On the surface you might think this would be a humans vs aliens storyline and expect some kind of concerted and focused fightback against the invasion - but it’s not. Instead humanity has learned to live with the trees and the book is instead about day to day life and human individuals surviving in this new world with the trees as background, but still “exerting a silent pressure” on us - an inspired take on the alien invasion template.
I read this book as single issues which, while good, wasn’t that impressive month by month because it felt like Warren Ellis had written this long story, intended to be read as a singlular narrative, and then chopped it up into eight issue-sized pieces. Re-reading all of the issues together in one go definitely reinforces that feeling and actually makes for a different, much better reading experience.
The characters’ storylines feel much more involving and interesting too. There’s Eligia, a young woman, in Cefalu, Italy who is the sex slave of a local mob leader. She wants to break free of her dependence on him and become self-sufficient, asking a mysterious old man for help. In the Chinese city of Shu, a young artist called Tian Chenglei arrives to draw the trees and falls in love. In Mogadishu, Somalia, the head of state decides to use their tree - the world’s smallest - to wage war on a nearby neighbour over a territorial dispute. And in Blindhail Station, Spitzbergen, Norway, a team of international scientists make a startling discovery about the trees.
It’s a credit to Ellis that he sets up an alien invasion storyline then totally ignores the aliens and makes the humans and what they do amongst themselves be even more fascinating than any action-heavy approach could achieve. Our characters’ storylines also emphasises the idea that the aliens don’t view us as intelligent or civilised when there’s so much violence and bloodshed in the book - humans killing other humans for power, money, sex, etc. Why would they see us otherwise? We must seem like idiotic barbarians to a more advanced culture!
It also shows our reactions to the trees with us humans attempting to show that we still have control over some things like each other even though we have no control over the trees or any ability to get rid of them. Their toxic waste decimates Rio de Janeiro in the opening scene and there’s no retaliation! Ellis further develops this futuristic world by making the point that cities with trees face decreasing populations and economies leading to the characters’ problems in the story. It’s a really clever, inspired take.
As great as the characters’ stories are in this first book, Ellis does acknowledge the aliens’ purpose towards the end by bringing about their first “communication” of sorts to us. I especially like how Ellis isn’t rushing things and telling the story he wants at his own speed. It’s an exciting finale to the first act of this series and makes me anticipate the next volume all the more.
Jason Howard’s covers to the series have been terrific - some of the best comics covers I’ve seen in the last year! They’re very stylish, eye-catching with a wonderful use of colour giving each issue a unique look. The interiors are also wonderful with very dynamic action scenes, beautifully captured landscapes with the trees as silent monoliths in the background, and the characters are drawn very expressively. Howard’s range is impressive too, confidently drawing city scenes like Cefalu and Shu as masterfully as the more barren regions of Spitzbergen and Mogadishu. Great colours, great art - I hope Jason Howard gets a lot more work and recognition after people read this book.
Trees Volume 1 is an outstanding comic. It’s Ellis’ most interesting book since Supergod and definitely one of his best and most original stories ever. With an able collaborator in Jason Howard, Warren Ellis has created a fantastic work here that’s highly recommend to fans of quality comics.
June 29, 2018
I liked the premise, and this is the kind of story that Warren Ellis usually excels at. 'Trees', however, is an example of his occasional tendency to burn out after a strong start, slowing the momentum to a crawl as if unable to decide on a direction... usually indicating that the project isn't premium-grade Ellis. To be clear: 'Trees' is definitely NOT premium Ellis. This is one of those scripts he writes with his left hand while his right hand takes care of the 'important' work. I'm not sure what's most important to Ellis now, what stokes his creative fires - writing novels, maybe? - but there is none of the anarchistic zeal that defines his best material in 'Trees'. It's a paycheck, and a movie-pitch... call it 'left-handed story-telling' (my apologies to lefties... in your case, reverse the analogy).
The massive, world-encompassing alien phenomenon is intriguing, but the mystery of the trees gets lost in a patchwork soap opera involving unconvincing characters from around the world. The personal melodrama - for example, a Chinese artist's sexual confusion after joining an unlikely community of freethinkers that has congregated around the base of an extra-terrestrial tree - seems trite and irrelevant in the shadow of a looming extinction-level event. Even the researchers actively involved in uncovering the secrets of these bizarre organisms (you can probably guess their purpose, but I won't offer any explanations for those determined to read this tepid tale) seem mostly uninterested in them, and Ellis gives us more snarky arguments and shallow conflict. The plot moves forward at a crawl, as Ellis drags the minimal suspense out for as many pages as he can, stretching a thin story to the snapping point.
Jason Howard obviously has some skills, judging by the eye-catching cover designs, but his interior art... no. Ugly and rushed-looking, IMO:
While Ellis is clearly treading water with 'Trees', he's not the only problem. The art matches the story perfectly with its mediocrity. I don't like disparaging an artist's work, but with the ever-growing number of truly talented people vying for jobs, there's no reason for putting up with lazy, uninspired art. Jason Howard has a style that catches the eye, but it quickly becomes apparent that it's a hack approach; it's quick and sketchy, but it's also over-rendered, an attempt to camouflage a very limited grasp of the basics. Awkward, unnecessary cross-hatching runs rampant throughout 'Trees'... and I'll leave it at that.
The sub-par character design and figure rendering made it even harder to engage with the story; how does someone get to the level Clark is at without mastering hands? Jeebus, that's ugly:
To be fair, art isn't quantitative; maybe you're into over-scribbled, under-considered styles. The same applies to story-telling: I think this is one of those Warren Ellis books I wish he'd never written, but you might enjoy a tale that comes roaring out of the gate at 150mph with a pretty good idea, then inexplicably drops into first and does slow figure-eights. I'm far from an Ellis hater; I've got somewhere between thirty and forty of his collections in my actual, dead-tree library: from Transmetropolitan to Stormwatch, the Authority and Planetary... from Global Frequency to Gravel, Freakangels and the rest of his Avatar titles. Ellis is NOT in the same class as Alan Moore, or even Grant Morrison (at least in my opinion, some people obviously disagree... you know who you are); but he's a far better writer than 'Trees' would lead you to believe.
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
The massive, world-encompassing alien phenomenon is intriguing, but the mystery of the trees gets lost in a patchwork soap opera involving unconvincing characters from around the world. The personal melodrama - for example, a Chinese artist's sexual confusion after joining an unlikely community of freethinkers that has congregated around the base of an extra-terrestrial tree - seems trite and irrelevant in the shadow of a looming extinction-level event. Even the researchers actively involved in uncovering the secrets of these bizarre organisms (you can probably guess their purpose, but I won't offer any explanations for those determined to read this tepid tale) seem mostly uninterested in them, and Ellis gives us more snarky arguments and shallow conflict. The plot moves forward at a crawl, as Ellis drags the minimal suspense out for as many pages as he can, stretching a thin story to the snapping point.
Jason Howard obviously has some skills, judging by the eye-catching cover designs, but his interior art... no. Ugly and rushed-looking, IMO:
While Ellis is clearly treading water with 'Trees', he's not the only problem. The art matches the story perfectly with its mediocrity. I don't like disparaging an artist's work, but with the ever-growing number of truly talented people vying for jobs, there's no reason for putting up with lazy, uninspired art. Jason Howard has a style that catches the eye, but it quickly becomes apparent that it's a hack approach; it's quick and sketchy, but it's also over-rendered, an attempt to camouflage a very limited grasp of the basics. Awkward, unnecessary cross-hatching runs rampant throughout 'Trees'... and I'll leave it at that.
The sub-par character design and figure rendering made it even harder to engage with the story; how does someone get to the level Clark is at without mastering hands? Jeebus, that's ugly:
To be fair, art isn't quantitative; maybe you're into over-scribbled, under-considered styles. The same applies to story-telling: I think this is one of those Warren Ellis books I wish he'd never written, but you might enjoy a tale that comes roaring out of the gate at 150mph with a pretty good idea, then inexplicably drops into first and does slow figure-eights. I'm far from an Ellis hater; I've got somewhere between thirty and forty of his collections in my actual, dead-tree library: from Transmetropolitan to Stormwatch, the Authority and Planetary... from Global Frequency to Gravel, Freakangels and the rest of his Avatar titles. Ellis is NOT in the same class as Alan Moore, or even Grant Morrison (at least in my opinion, some people obviously disagree... you know who you are); but he's a far better writer than 'Trees' would lead you to believe.
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
May 7, 2020
Definitely not what I've come to expect from Warren Ellis. I typically love everything he does. This book is beyond boring. It moves at a glacier's pace.
November 23, 2015
This is a very interesting book and really strange as well. It's definitely unlike your average comic.
At a high level it's about these giant Alien columns that arrived on earth ten years ago and how it is affecting people around them and how they are trying to figure out what they are and what they are doing there.
However, there is tonnes more going on which I'm sure will come to fruition later down the storyline. Some of this is a bit like Zero if you've read that; secretive, not giving much away.
There are also transgendered relationships in this and people trying to find who they are as a person etcetera. Certainly more interesting than someone coming out the closet. Like I said this is an interesting book.
The book itself as a TPB is big. It's got 8 issues in it and it ends in a cliff hanger. I think this will be a big series and I'm intrigued to see where it will lead.
At a high level it's about these giant Alien columns that arrived on earth ten years ago and how it is affecting people around them and how they are trying to figure out what they are and what they are doing there.
However, there is tonnes more going on which I'm sure will come to fruition later down the storyline. Some of this is a bit like Zero if you've read that; secretive, not giving much away.
There are also transgendered relationships in this and people trying to find who they are as a person etcetera. Certainly more interesting than someone coming out the closet. Like I said this is an interesting book.
The book itself as a TPB is big. It's got 8 issues in it and it ends in a cliff hanger. I think this will be a big series and I'm intrigued to see where it will lead.
May 28, 2015
This is an alien invasion story that isn't about aliens at all. In fact, the invasion itself acts mostly as a catalyst for stories that might have happened anyways, if slightly differently. And it's a book that I have some mixed feelings about.
I appreciate Ellis for writing a science fiction book that's so solidly human. There are a few characters and stories that I was able to care deeply about. But as a whole, this feels unfinished. Apparently, it's still an ongoing series. I think I'll watch for the next volume, because I suspect that this volume will feel more satisfying once I get more of the story. Because I can also see how this would have been less than compelling read as single issues. I think this is the kind of thing that's meant to be read as one story.
I appreciate Ellis for writing a science fiction book that's so solidly human. There are a few characters and stories that I was able to care deeply about. But as a whole, this feels unfinished. Apparently, it's still an ongoing series. I think I'll watch for the next volume, because I suspect that this volume will feel more satisfying once I get more of the story. Because I can also see how this would have been less than compelling read as single issues. I think this is the kind of thing that's meant to be read as one story.
February 5, 2015
Thanks to NetGalley for a Free ARC of this.
So this is a book I'd almost put into a category with East by West...it's by a talented creator, and published by Image, and most importantly, I have absolutely no idea how to rate it! (I'm thinking about 3.5 stars would be acceptable)
Warren Ellis is a very very talented writer, able to evoke and communicate great passions, and this book is no different...the only issue is, I'm not quite sure what's going on.
The "Trees" arrived from space 10 years ago, all over the world, and have just sat there, doing almost nothing at all, while life continues all over the Earth. However, recently, there's been a discharge of toxic acid or something from the Trees of Rio, killing many.
The more I read this, the more interesting the trees became, but then I started to wonder if maybe the trees were just a gigantic MacGuffin? Thrown in to take our attention and make us focus on them instead of everything else? I mean they can't be a total MacGuffin, because they do end up doing something, but is it nearly as important to the story as we might think? I'm not entirely sure.
To me, this seemed to become a story about humanity, our failures and triumphs all together. The artist community of China is a peak of the good things about acceptance and community, where people are allowed to be people...until they're not.
The Italian community where the evils of Facism reign, of servitude and violence and intimidation...until they don't.
The Norwegian Science Post where the thinkers and scientists examine the growth of what appear to be black poppies from around one of the trees growing in the midst of the Arctic Circle...but they're not poppies...they're something else. Even among the best minds, we see discord and anger flourish, mistrust, paranoia and jealousy even...
In Somalia, we see the leader of a nation who is wise, a world renowned economist who has done wonders with the aid given to his nation. This man follows the rules of numbers, until it becomes something that he uses to either ignore the human numbers or worse, justify the death soon to be dished out by his regime.
In NYC we see a city that has fallen apart, ruled by gangs, of whom the NYPD are simply another gang. One man wants to become Mayor, so that he can change things, and unite his city again.
The common thread is that each city under trees has fallen apart in some way, and someone wants to put it together, or solve it, or change the situation.
So have the trees really done nothing? Or have they actually gradually pushed certain people to throw off the status quo and remake things in another way? Or would this cycle have happened regardless of the presence of the trees?
Is Ellis telling us that he believes that we're not intelligent life, and that we will stagnate until we do something about it? Or is he saying we won't do anything about the situations until we get that little nudge or push to do so?
From what appears to be a very strange Sci-Fi Graphic Novel, what we really get is a philosophy paper presented in the form of an illustrated story. The beauty of that is, that each one of us can interpret it however we see fit. Until there's a second volume, or until Mr. Ellis lifts the veil for us, that is.
Not conventional by any stretch, but I minored in Philosophy at school, so it's fun to get into thought exercises like this.
I grant, this will NOT be for everyone, it's got some action, for sure, but I think the greater purpose is to present us with some questions, or ideas to mull over. If you're in the mood to be mentally engaged and challenged, by all means, give this a shot. If you'd rather just be entertained, maybe you might try something else.
Thanks again to NetGalley for the free digital ARC.
So this is a book I'd almost put into a category with East by West...it's by a talented creator, and published by Image, and most importantly, I have absolutely no idea how to rate it! (I'm thinking about 3.5 stars would be acceptable)
Warren Ellis is a very very talented writer, able to evoke and communicate great passions, and this book is no different...the only issue is, I'm not quite sure what's going on.
The "Trees" arrived from space 10 years ago, all over the world, and have just sat there, doing almost nothing at all, while life continues all over the Earth. However, recently, there's been a discharge of toxic acid or something from the Trees of Rio, killing many.
The more I read this, the more interesting the trees became, but then I started to wonder if maybe the trees were just a gigantic MacGuffin? Thrown in to take our attention and make us focus on them instead of everything else? I mean they can't be a total MacGuffin, because they do end up doing something, but is it nearly as important to the story as we might think? I'm not entirely sure.
To me, this seemed to become a story about humanity, our failures and triumphs all together. The artist community of China is a peak of the good things about acceptance and community, where people are allowed to be people...until they're not.
The Italian community where the evils of Facism reign, of servitude and violence and intimidation...until they don't.
The Norwegian Science Post where the thinkers and scientists examine the growth of what appear to be black poppies from around one of the trees growing in the midst of the Arctic Circle...but they're not poppies...they're something else. Even among the best minds, we see discord and anger flourish, mistrust, paranoia and jealousy even...
In Somalia, we see the leader of a nation who is wise, a world renowned economist who has done wonders with the aid given to his nation. This man follows the rules of numbers, until it becomes something that he uses to either ignore the human numbers or worse, justify the death soon to be dished out by his regime.
In NYC we see a city that has fallen apart, ruled by gangs, of whom the NYPD are simply another gang. One man wants to become Mayor, so that he can change things, and unite his city again.
The common thread is that each city under trees has fallen apart in some way, and someone wants to put it together, or solve it, or change the situation.
So have the trees really done nothing? Or have they actually gradually pushed certain people to throw off the status quo and remake things in another way? Or would this cycle have happened regardless of the presence of the trees?
Is Ellis telling us that he believes that we're not intelligent life, and that we will stagnate until we do something about it? Or is he saying we won't do anything about the situations until we get that little nudge or push to do so?
From what appears to be a very strange Sci-Fi Graphic Novel, what we really get is a philosophy paper presented in the form of an illustrated story. The beauty of that is, that each one of us can interpret it however we see fit. Until there's a second volume, or until Mr. Ellis lifts the veil for us, that is.
Not conventional by any stretch, but I minored in Philosophy at school, so it's fun to get into thought exercises like this.
I grant, this will NOT be for everyone, it's got some action, for sure, but I think the greater purpose is to present us with some questions, or ideas to mull over. If you're in the mood to be mentally engaged and challenged, by all means, give this a shot. If you'd rather just be entertained, maybe you might try something else.
Thanks again to NetGalley for the free digital ARC.
October 29, 2015
Trees, Volume 1 sets up the situation; it's in the pretty near future ten years after aliens have come to Earth and set up posts people name "trees." Not much happens in various city scenes like Cefalu and Shu or barren regions such as Spitzbergen and Mogadishu. I thought the art was okay. We shift back and forth between three basic sites. See Sam Quixote's review for more details.
One group of young people seems to be researching some kind of black flower that is spreading. One old guy is drawing the trees, and a young person, too. The old guy trains a young woman (who happens to be an Italian mobster's sex slave!) to figure out how to resist the mobster, and also to maybe begin to create some kind of resistance/rebellion. . . which would look like the basis for some kind of pushback, possibly revolution against the aliens. What did she teach this young grasshopper, and how, and what? It's not clear, it's vague, and disappointing. He is the wise Italian professor, mysterious and. . . vague.
I guess the point is to ask if people actually care if the planet is being poisoned to death. Chaos reigns politically and economically. This black death seems to be coming. .. after ten years of not much happening.
And not much happens in the story so far, either, as most of the people seem really passive, but I suppose that is the point, the set up. Who cares? This one woman, it looks like. Most of the tree researchers seem passive.
And what about me? I am sort of neutral about it at this point. I like the premise, these mysterious trees that get plopped down everywhere and people generally seem stunned. I'm not a huge Ellis fan, but I am a little intrigued by this one, to see what he comes up with. I'll read some other reviews to see what others think--of two people I respect a lot, Sam really liked it, Eisnein didn't like it, and both wrote compelling reviews--and read the next one, I guess.
One group of young people seems to be researching some kind of black flower that is spreading. One old guy is drawing the trees, and a young person, too. The old guy trains a young woman (who happens to be an Italian mobster's sex slave!) to figure out how to resist the mobster, and also to maybe begin to create some kind of resistance/rebellion. . . which would look like the basis for some kind of pushback, possibly revolution against the aliens. What did she teach this young grasshopper, and how, and what? It's not clear, it's vague, and disappointing. He is the wise Italian professor, mysterious and. . . vague.
I guess the point is to ask if people actually care if the planet is being poisoned to death. Chaos reigns politically and economically. This black death seems to be coming. .. after ten years of not much happening.
And not much happens in the story so far, either, as most of the people seem really passive, but I suppose that is the point, the set up. Who cares? This one woman, it looks like. Most of the tree researchers seem passive.
And what about me? I am sort of neutral about it at this point. I like the premise, these mysterious trees that get plopped down everywhere and people generally seem stunned. I'm not a huge Ellis fan, but I am a little intrigued by this one, to see what he comes up with. I'll read some other reviews to see what others think--of two people I respect a lot, Sam really liked it, Eisnein didn't like it, and both wrote compelling reviews--and read the next one, I guess.
April 12, 2017
Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.
Yes, please.
I really, really enjoyed this volume. It was what Arrival would be if it was a comic book, except with a lot more characters.
After my streak of bad comic books, I didn't even expect much from Trees. I was definitely pleasantly surprised.
Trees tells the story of the world 10 years after people discovered that aliens exist. The "trees" appear all over the world. Wherever there is a tree, life is much darker and harder, and bad people choose the shadow of the trees.
There are several stories which follow different locations where there is a tree (Rio, Cefalu, New York, Shu (China), Mogadishu, etc.). Some of the people there are barely surviving, while some thrive on the darkness.
It might seem like the entire volume has too many plots and characters, but I, personally, thought that it was a brilliant way to set up the story. Every tree location has a completely different event unfolding and all of them will be important for the future fight. And if so many cities seem unnecessary to some readers, I should remind that every time they present only one city in a similar futuristic plot, people always go "But what about the rest of the world?" Because of this, I fully support the fact that we have all kinds of sub-plots, and nothing seemed out of place to me. On the contrary, every story seemed just right for what is to come in the series.
I also really liked the art of Trees. It was simple but tasteful and pretty. There were scenes including death and sex, but they were not brutal and disgusting, and instead, they seemed mild and satisfying. This, for me, shows that the creators were sure enough of the quality of the book that they didn't need to shock the readers with unnecessary vulgarity.<
I am really looking forward to the next volumes of Trees!
Yes, please.
I really, really enjoyed this volume. It was what Arrival would be if it was a comic book, except with a lot more characters.
After my streak of bad comic books, I didn't even expect much from Trees. I was definitely pleasantly surprised.
Trees tells the story of the world 10 years after people discovered that aliens exist. The "trees" appear all over the world. Wherever there is a tree, life is much darker and harder, and bad people choose the shadow of the trees.
There are several stories which follow different locations where there is a tree (Rio, Cefalu, New York, Shu (China), Mogadishu, etc.). Some of the people there are barely surviving, while some thrive on the darkness.
It might seem like the entire volume has too many plots and characters, but I, personally, thought that it was a brilliant way to set up the story. Every tree location has a completely different event unfolding and all of them will be important for the future fight. And if so many cities seem unnecessary to some readers, I should remind that every time they present only one city in a similar futuristic plot, people always go "But what about the rest of the world?" Because of this, I fully support the fact that we have all kinds of sub-plots, and nothing seemed out of place to me. On the contrary, every story seemed just right for what is to come in the series.
I also really liked the art of Trees. It was simple but tasteful and pretty. There were scenes including death and sex, but they were not brutal and disgusting, and instead, they seemed mild and satisfying. This, for me, shows that the creators were sure enough of the quality of the book that they didn't need to shock the readers with unnecessary vulgarity.<
I am really looking forward to the next volumes of Trees!
December 26, 2017
I'm really beginning to enjoy Warren's style of slow build. It reminds me of stories like IT or 20th century boys and that's a good thing.
So Trees is about 3 individual stories all somehow connecting in small ways. One is about a boy going to a place that is accepting of all styles of life (sexually as well so like trans/gay/bi, so on) Another story is about a woman trying to figure out her needs and wants and meets a older man who may be able to gift her with those abilities to gain that. Last story is about (I believe) scientist trying to discover what these "Trees" are (aliens basically) and if they really are dormant or something far worse is coming.
Good: I really dug the fact we're getting three VERY different stories in one. Yet the part that connects them is they all feel like everyone is showing/coming into whom they really are. Now if that's a good thing or a bad thing is left up to the viewer but they are all very different, and no single voice is told here. I also enjoyed the art style and the way it looks and feels, very unique to the setting. The highlights are the story about the boy coming to a new place that is more accepting and the story of the Italian woman figuring out how to make it on her own. Both stories contain interesting moments and shocking revelations.
Bad: The story felt a tad rushed at the end and I would have liked it stretched just another issue or two to get used to the characters more. I also thought the third story here, the one with the scientist was easily the weakest and most forgettable of the bunch.
Overall it probably lands around a 3.5 for me but since I think it's unique and very different than mostly anything I read I'ma bump it to a 4 on here. Trees is a slow burn but once you get through it you'll be thinking about it for awhile. Can't wait to check out volume 2!
So Trees is about 3 individual stories all somehow connecting in small ways. One is about a boy going to a place that is accepting of all styles of life (sexually as well so like trans/gay/bi, so on) Another story is about a woman trying to figure out her needs and wants and meets a older man who may be able to gift her with those abilities to gain that. Last story is about (I believe) scientist trying to discover what these "Trees" are (aliens basically) and if they really are dormant or something far worse is coming.
Good: I really dug the fact we're getting three VERY different stories in one. Yet the part that connects them is they all feel like everyone is showing/coming into whom they really are. Now if that's a good thing or a bad thing is left up to the viewer but they are all very different, and no single voice is told here. I also enjoyed the art style and the way it looks and feels, very unique to the setting. The highlights are the story about the boy coming to a new place that is more accepting and the story of the Italian woman figuring out how to make it on her own. Both stories contain interesting moments and shocking revelations.
Bad: The story felt a tad rushed at the end and I would have liked it stretched just another issue or two to get used to the characters more. I also thought the third story here, the one with the scientist was easily the weakest and most forgettable of the bunch.
Overall it probably lands around a 3.5 for me but since I think it's unique and very different than mostly anything I read I'ma bump it to a 4 on here. Trees is a slow burn but once you get through it you'll be thinking about it for awhile. Can't wait to check out volume 2!
March 13, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Earth has been invaded by a very different form of extra terrestrial, trees. They landed on earth 10 years ago and remain a dormant but intrusive presence. Mankind is forever changed by their landing and in the 4 separate storylines we see a young artist come to the big city to draw the trees and experience life outside his small village, a research team that is studying the trees and finds black flowers growing from them, a young woman who is mentored by an older man to take over a local gang and a news crew report on would be dictator using the trees for military purposes.
I really enjoyed this story it was certainly different to other graphic novels I've read. For the most part the interweaving stories were interesting with the exception of the news report storyline which I felt didn't really go anywhere although that might change in future volumes. Character wise no one really stood out too much, most characters were fleshed out well enough to add more to the storyline but there was no one that I really became too invested in.
My favourite parts were about the young painter who begins a journey of discovery not related to the trees but to the people he interacts with in the city. Sexuality is explored in this segment which while slightly out of place with the overall storyline, had a nice message about acceptance and being who you are.
One thing that really bothered about this was the abrupt ending, incredibly jarring.
Overall, an interesting concept that might have been even stronger had it concentrated on fewer storylines.
Earth has been invaded by a very different form of extra terrestrial, trees. They landed on earth 10 years ago and remain a dormant but intrusive presence. Mankind is forever changed by their landing and in the 4 separate storylines we see a young artist come to the big city to draw the trees and experience life outside his small village, a research team that is studying the trees and finds black flowers growing from them, a young woman who is mentored by an older man to take over a local gang and a news crew report on would be dictator using the trees for military purposes.
I really enjoyed this story it was certainly different to other graphic novels I've read. For the most part the interweaving stories were interesting with the exception of the news report storyline which I felt didn't really go anywhere although that might change in future volumes. Character wise no one really stood out too much, most characters were fleshed out well enough to add more to the storyline but there was no one that I really became too invested in.
My favourite parts were about the young painter who begins a journey of discovery not related to the trees but to the people he interacts with in the city. Sexuality is explored in this segment which while slightly out of place with the overall storyline, had a nice message about acceptance and being who you are.
One thing that really bothered about this was the abrupt ending, incredibly jarring.
Overall, an interesting concept that might have been even stronger had it concentrated on fewer storylines.
February 3, 2020
This didn’t work for me. I was at my library over the weekend, browsing the graphic novel section. I was drawn to the cover of Trees and the science fiction/ alien plot pulled me right in. Listen to this: ten years ago, these massive alien like “trees” (giant massive pillars reaching far beyond the clouds) landed on the ground within several major cities. These structures have shown no overt activity towards the humans – with the exception of removing its waste every so often, which lands outside of the structure. It appears that these structures do not identify the humans as being of intelligent life form. The plot centers on the economic, cultural, and societal impact around these shadow zones. There is a zone left alone as a sort of "experiment" while another is used for research purposes. In another, the government has collapsed and a gang of sorts has taken over. How awesome does this plot sound? Unfortunately, my initial excitement was short-lived.
The plot became convoluted by too many characters that suffered from shallow character development. There were key climatic situations that came on so abruptly that it left me very confused. Certain plot points should’ve been fleshed out more. In a graphic novel, by nature, there is limited space – so this space needs to be maximized and reserved for the dialogue and narration that would provide the most impact. The art was just fine – nothing spectacular.
I will continue reading the next volume because the plot is very interesting and unique. There was a lot to unpack by the end of Volume 1. It was pure and utter chaos.
The plot became convoluted by too many characters that suffered from shallow character development. There were key climatic situations that came on so abruptly that it left me very confused. Certain plot points should’ve been fleshed out more. In a graphic novel, by nature, there is limited space – so this space needs to be maximized and reserved for the dialogue and narration that would provide the most impact. The art was just fine – nothing spectacular.
I will continue reading the next volume because the plot is very interesting and unique. There was a lot to unpack by the end of Volume 1. It was pure and utter chaos.
February 19, 2020
Volume 1 of Trees was an intriguing read that I managed to get through relatively quickly. I found it to be very fascinating as it examined the impact of an extraterrestrial arrival on every facet of life spanning from everyday relationships to the world's climate and politics.
July 7, 2015
I've had a tough time with Ellis' comics in the past, almost always because of my own expectations/baggage. Transmetropolitan is an objectively a fantastic comic, but after a career in intelligence, the military and law enforcement, I have an allergic reaction to crime and those who stick their fingers in the institutional eye. Needless to say, Spider Jerusalem is not my friend. I am also intensely character focused, and Supergod is a reflective/epistolary style tale which is long on plot and short on character development.
So, I went into Trees with some uncertainty, and am pleased to report it was banished immediately. Trees is a fantastic work of science fiction, which revisits the theme of Supergod (beings so powerful, with an agenda so foreign to humanity that we are to them as cockroaches are to us) and does it much better. This is because Trees takes the time to develop compelling characters, and to tell their stories in "present tense" moving forward in time. Because, unlike Supergod, the reader doesn't know the ending, we can get attached to the evolution of characters over time, which is the essential ingredient in all great stories.
Added to this is Ellis' signature weirdness, his ability to truly push the creative envelope and explore the edges of a normally highly conservative milieu. He joins China Mieville in creating truly experimental, boundary-bending genre fiction, and he makes me think in ways I don't normally, even when doing so makes me uncomfortable.
Trees is a great contribution to the comics literature, and Ellis' best work I've read to date.
So, I went into Trees with some uncertainty, and am pleased to report it was banished immediately. Trees is a fantastic work of science fiction, which revisits the theme of Supergod (beings so powerful, with an agenda so foreign to humanity that we are to them as cockroaches are to us) and does it much better. This is because Trees takes the time to develop compelling characters, and to tell their stories in "present tense" moving forward in time. Because, unlike Supergod, the reader doesn't know the ending, we can get attached to the evolution of characters over time, which is the essential ingredient in all great stories.
Added to this is Ellis' signature weirdness, his ability to truly push the creative envelope and explore the edges of a normally highly conservative milieu. He joins China Mieville in creating truly experimental, boundary-bending genre fiction, and he makes me think in ways I don't normally, even when doing so makes me uncomfortable.
Trees is a great contribution to the comics literature, and Ellis' best work I've read to date.
April 21, 2015
I read this as it came out monthly and didn't care for it much. It would always be put at the bottom of my pile and was one of those 'I guess I better read this now' titles.
It reads so much better closer together and in a couple of sittings, and turns out to be a good science fiction thriller.
Faith in Warren Ellis - restored!
It reads so much better closer together and in a couple of sittings, and turns out to be a good science fiction thriller.
Faith in Warren Ellis - restored!
September 1, 2017
Is this Warren Ellis' "Blue Period"? Is he not-so-secretly a nihilist and he's returning to the kind of bleak futures of Transmet, without the anger to fight back against the force that keeps people from having a happy life?
February 7, 2015
4.5 Stars rounded up
I don't really actually have much to say about this one (obviously a good way to start a review.)
The beginning is meh; it takes the first four comics to get a good feel of whats going on. It's fairly difficult to pull off four different storylines in comics that average somewhere around 20 pages. But Ellis and Howard successfully manage it.
Would I recommend this for everyone that enjoys mature content comic books and graphic novels? Ehhh, no. It's really about what speaks to you. One storyline is very political, another is a bit obsessively disastrous, a third is essentially about a mafia-style overtake, and then the fourth--the one that sucked me in and broke my heart--is about gender identity and love and loss. Recently, I wrote a paper for school surrounding gender identity and essentially about what it means to be a human, and I wish I had read this before writing that because I would have spent less time molding my point of view into readable, well-thought out words and I would have posted these two pictures.
I'll spoiler them just in case you're not into seeing clips of content from the graphic novel.
I don't really actually have much to say about this one (obviously a good way to start a review.)
The beginning is meh; it takes the first four comics to get a good feel of whats going on. It's fairly difficult to pull off four different storylines in comics that average somewhere around 20 pages. But Ellis and Howard successfully manage it.
Would I recommend this for everyone that enjoys mature content comic books and graphic novels? Ehhh, no. It's really about what speaks to you. One storyline is very political, another is a bit obsessively disastrous, a third is essentially about a mafia-style overtake, and then the fourth--the one that sucked me in and broke my heart--is about gender identity and love and loss. Recently, I wrote a paper for school surrounding gender identity and essentially about what it means to be a human, and I wish I had read this before writing that because I would have spent less time molding my point of view into readable, well-thought out words and I would have posted these two pictures.
I'll spoiler them just in case you're not into seeing clips of content from the graphic novel.
April 19, 2020
Ten years before the story begins, alien "trees" landed all around the world. These massive branchless pillars emplaced themselves and then...just ignored us.
Ellis uses this backdrop to hop around the globe and tell small local stories. A young artist from a tiny village moves to the city and has his mind opened. A scientist discovers a mysterious flower at an Arctic research station. A professor mentors a dissatisfied neo-fascist trophy girl in the Italian countryside. The trees are largely incidental.
This is a slow-starter, to be sure. Ellis takes his sweet time setting the stage, but when events come to a head, everything clicks. It's worth the wait.
--------------------------------------
Second read: The trees are a hell of a hook. Raising my rating from 4 to 5 stars.
Ellis uses this backdrop to hop around the globe and tell small local stories. A young artist from a tiny village moves to the city and has his mind opened. A scientist discovers a mysterious flower at an Arctic research station. A professor mentors a dissatisfied neo-fascist trophy girl in the Italian countryside. The trees are largely incidental.
This is a slow-starter, to be sure. Ellis takes his sweet time setting the stage, but when events come to a head, everything clicks. It's worth the wait.
--------------------------------------
Second read: The trees are a hell of a hook. Raising my rating from 4 to 5 stars.
May 26, 2025
It was a blast to revisit this one even though we never got a satisfying conclusion to it. 2 of the 3 story threads here aren't continued at all in the next 2 volumes (except as a teaser at the end of volume 2).
The series as a whole is probably just a 3-star even though each book gets a 4 from me just because it's all just the beginning of a much larger story we'll never get to read.
The series as a whole is probably just a 3-star even though each book gets a 4 from me just because it's all just the beginning of a much larger story we'll never get to read.
February 11, 2015
Man this was bleak but the cliffhanger has me tottaly wanting more.
February 28, 2015
Ten years prior to the start of this story, aliens had arrived on Earth. Unfortunately, all they did was plant/land massive Trees, which messed with the local environments. For the most part this was through seismic change and people’s fearful reactions, but some did eventually release toxic acid which killed everyone around them, while another has strange flowers growing near it. In the entire time the Trees have been there no alien has made contact, regardless of how hard humanity has tried to force them to. Because of this failure to communicate, most humans have learned to ignore them, even moving away if they can.
Thankfully, Warren Ellis goes beyond the usual alien encounter story. This isn’t an immediate fight for survival, but rather, a story that follows various individuals across the globe who are forced to face the changes brought about by their silent neighbours.
The cast of this story sounds like the set up for an inappropriate joke. There is a confused artist who moves to the experimental Chinese city of Shu. A Somalian head of state, a young lady under the protection of a fascist gang leader, as well as her new mentor, and entire team of scientists and engineers set up in a remote, frozen Norwegian location.
Unlike inappropriate jokes, however, there really wasn’t anything funny about this. This is more of a slow paced, thought provoking look at how humans react and interact during a crisis situation. Unfortunately, it was just a little too slow for me. I didn’t really care for any of the characters, and right up until the end there was very little action. I can appreciate the buildup, however, and I look forward to the story actually going somewhere.
Upon first look, I found the art to be a little jarring. There were so many extra lines, it was hard to tell if the Trees were supposed to look organic and similar to Earth trees, or if they were smooth and metallic. However, the art quickly grew on me, especially with the great scenic imagery and the expressiveness of the characters’ faces.
Oh, and with all these alien Trees, not one Groot joke? Sheesh.
(I received this free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for this honest, if poorly written, review.)
Thankfully, Warren Ellis goes beyond the usual alien encounter story. This isn’t an immediate fight for survival, but rather, a story that follows various individuals across the globe who are forced to face the changes brought about by their silent neighbours.
The cast of this story sounds like the set up for an inappropriate joke. There is a confused artist who moves to the experimental Chinese city of Shu. A Somalian head of state, a young lady under the protection of a fascist gang leader, as well as her new mentor, and entire team of scientists and engineers set up in a remote, frozen Norwegian location.
Unlike inappropriate jokes, however, there really wasn’t anything funny about this. This is more of a slow paced, thought provoking look at how humans react and interact during a crisis situation. Unfortunately, it was just a little too slow for me. I didn’t really care for any of the characters, and right up until the end there was very little action. I can appreciate the buildup, however, and I look forward to the story actually going somewhere.
Upon first look, I found the art to be a little jarring. There were so many extra lines, it was hard to tell if the Trees were supposed to look organic and similar to Earth trees, or if they were smooth and metallic. However, the art quickly grew on me, especially with the great scenic imagery and the expressiveness of the characters’ faces.
Oh, and with all these alien Trees, not one Groot joke? Sheesh.
(I received this free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for this honest, if poorly written, review.)
August 12, 2016
I love Warren Ellis's work.Transmetropolitan and FreakAngels are in my top 5 graphic novels and even Planetary is very good in pulpy kind of way so naturally I had highest expectations, after first volume I am not sure what to think or how to feel about Trees.Problem is that there are to many parallel stories and Volume 1 just feels like small intro into all of them I will need to see more to fully form opinion ( except for story in China, I like that one a lot already).
One thing is sure, this is his most ambitions work and I think it will be either his best or his worst series.
One thing is sure, this is his most ambitions work and I think it will be either his best or his worst series.
August 19, 2025
Fascinating concept — enormous alien tower-like structures land across the planet, but then for the next decade totally ignore humanity. However, from that basic beginning, the book then focuses on four individual stories in China, Italy, Somalia and the Arctic, only the latter of which directly revolves around the "trees."
So…interesting book and a strong enough beginning that I am moving right on to #2 (of 3) — although too soon to tell if this will be really awesome or a huge disappointment; so for now, a mid-grade 3.
So…interesting book and a strong enough beginning that I am moving right on to #2 (of 3) — although too soon to tell if this will be really awesome or a huge disappointment; so for now, a mid-grade 3.
Read
January 15, 2016Huh. This isn't one that I would rail against, and I probably still won't, but I see a lot of people I follow on Goodreads rated this really highly. I like Warren Ellis a lot, and I figured this one would be a slam dunk.
The quick version here is that I count 5 storylines (Utopia Sex Town, NYC, Africa, Arctic, South America) and 2 of those 5 were compelling to me.
NYC made no sense to me. At least one of the trees (these giant alien things that plant themselves into the Earth) vented a bunch of acid all over the place. Would people really stick around a Manhattan where there was one of these things in the middle of the city and one just offshore, possibly on Staten Island? What becomes of Wu-Tang?
By that same token, Utopia Sex Town made sense. If no one wants to live near the trees because it's dangerous, it totally makes sense that societal outcasts would make a home near the tree, where no one else wants to live and no one else would bother them. It's kind of poetic and romantic, this idea that people who had to hide and be in danger in regular society found a home somewhere that EVERYONE was unsafe and nothing was certain. So that story worked, but more on it in a second.
The Africa thing I didn't get. They put missiles on top of one of the trees? So fucking what? I don't understand the significance here. Could be my density, but how is that different than just building a really tall thing and putting a weapon on top of it? Or more to the point, weapons in space? I might have missed it. The significance could be on the page and I missed it.
The Arctic story worked because they were in the area specifically to study trees. Rad. I get it.
The South American story I understood, but just didn't care about. A girl who is some gang member's old lady is swept up by this old man who teaches her how to be a magic spy while they're in Aleister Crowley's house? To what end? Why is any of this happening?
That's a 2 out of 5 for stories.
But then there was another thing.
This story begins ten years after the trees hit Earth. But the actual excitement starts near the end of this volume, so I would argue that the STORY starts ten years and ONE WEEK after the trees show up. I could have used some compression on this timeline.
That's Trees. Now should we have a discussion about race in comics?
My sister sent me an article related to this topic last week, and we had a bit of a text row about it. The short version, I got all in a tizzy because the HuffPo version of an article did some things that I thought were lacking in journalistic integrity, but that's not important and I don't want to replay a whole text conversation here.
What I do want to do is give comics a little credit.
In general, there are a lot of active discussions about race portrayals in media. That's a no-duh statement if there ever was one. And the more I thought about it, the more I think comics are doing a better job of embracing multiculturalism than most other mediums. I'm not saying that they are doing things perfectly, but I still think they're actually making some pretty big steps.
For example, I have trouble thinking of a medium that has made more serious efforts over a longer period to reach non-white fans. I think this is something that comics genuinely care about.
I'm not a historian here, so I might screw this up.
Let's start in the 60's and 70's. I've been re-reading Amazing Spider-Man comics from this era, and there are multiple stories about social and political issues. Panels like these are not unusual:
These panels, to me, are quite reflective of some of the discussions I see today. And let's keep in mind that these are occurring in The Amazing Spider-Man, the book about a boy bitten by a radioactive spider who fights a guy named Dr. Octopus. This isn't taking place in some weird indie book about feelings and first loves and shit. Nobody is mentioning Peter Parker OR Spider-Man.
In 1972 we saw the introduction of John Stewart, a black Green Lantern, and I thought this quote about his creation was really interesting:
The decision to make the character black resulted from a conversation between [Green Lantern co-creator Neal] Adams and editor Julius Schwartz, in which Adams recounts saying that given the racial makeup of the world's population, "we ought to have a black Green Lantern, not because we’re liberals, but because it just makes sense."The character was DC's first black superhero.
I think what interests me is that even in this time, people were talking about politicized agendas and whatnot. Also, that it wasn't en economic decision, which some comics fans accuse comics of making. It's not a grab for money.
During the era of 1984-1986, Stewart was THE Green Lantern, replacing Hal Jordan.
There were several other black characters in the 60's and 70's, which I think were underused at the time, but have found more play today. They include Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage (a personal favorite in his more recent appearances), Falcon, War Machine.
And then there a couple in the 90's that I find particularly interesting. Spawn, from the early 90's, was a black man who returns from the dead hideously burned. What existed of his black skin is nothing but scars upon his return. Spawn #1 sold over 1.7 million copies, which is unheard of today. Marvel's Secret Wars #8, the top-selling book of December 2015, sold just under 170,000 copies.
Deathlok is also an interesting one. He's the cyborg, technological counterpart to Spawn's mysticism, and a product of the late 80's who carried his own title.
I find these to be really interesting cases because the characters were black, they held their own books, and the question of what race means after coming back from the dead is kinda fascinating. Screw post-racial America, what is post-life America, and how does race fit in? That, to me, is a really interesting question, and the kind of things comics can do that other mediums don't.
But here's where I think things get really interesting, mostly in the 90's and 2000's, and where we see what comics (and comics-based movies) have done that others haven't.
Characters that were white don't always stay white.
This is a good thing to my mind, but something that I don't think we've given comics adequate credit for.
Nick Fury, Captain America, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, The Human Torch, Heimdall. Characters that were white and then weren't. Also, there are some change-em-ups that should be noted, such as the new Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which replaces Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur, and the change of Thor to a woman.
The reason this is something I bring up is because not only are comics putting black characters in their pages, but on the covers, with the names of formerly white characters.
And the reason I bring that up is to ask the question, What other medium has made this leap?
I don't recall any characters from Friends being replaced with a black person. Was there a black Joey I don't remember?
I don't believe we've seen a black James Bond as of yet, and there are 23 of those movies at this point?
Where's the black Super Mario?
Comics still have a long way to go, like everyone and everything. No doubt about it. But I feel like comics have been pushing the boundary a lot more than other media has, and they've been doing it for a long time. They've tried some different methods, black lead characters, black B plots, and more recently, utilizing existing characters to put more books with black characters into readers' hands.
And I will be an outspoken member of the comics community in saying that this is not a bad thing to do. It's a bad thing to do when the stories are a naked cash grab, when the only purpose is to make another issue #1 because those always sell better. But if the stories are good and the art is good, then that's all Win to me. And having read a lot of the titles listed above, I don't feel that naked cash grab describes what's happening today, nor does it describe any of the things I've talked about so far.
I'm not saying we should stop asking comics to get better. I'm merely saying that, from my perspective, comics are moving faster and working harder than other media, and they're taking a step that others have not.
And with that in mind, I'd like to make two lists here.
List the First: My Favorite, Less-Often-Thought-Of Black Superheroes:
Jack-in-The-Box (Astro City)
Cyborg (Teen Titans animated)
Blade
Tesla Strong (Tom Strong)
Venus Dee Milo (X-Statix)
Cloak (especially in Marvel Civil War)
And now, an irresponsible list, some black superheroes whose names could EASILY have made for the titles of Blaxpolitation films:
Sistah Spooky
Catspaw
Jakeem Thunder
Shango The Thunderer
Black Ice
Bling!
Midnight Sun
N'Kantu, the Living Mummy
Coal Tiger
The quick version here is that I count 5 storylines (Utopia Sex Town, NYC, Africa, Arctic, South America) and 2 of those 5 were compelling to me.
NYC made no sense to me. At least one of the trees (these giant alien things that plant themselves into the Earth) vented a bunch of acid all over the place. Would people really stick around a Manhattan where there was one of these things in the middle of the city and one just offshore, possibly on Staten Island? What becomes of Wu-Tang?
By that same token, Utopia Sex Town made sense. If no one wants to live near the trees because it's dangerous, it totally makes sense that societal outcasts would make a home near the tree, where no one else wants to live and no one else would bother them. It's kind of poetic and romantic, this idea that people who had to hide and be in danger in regular society found a home somewhere that EVERYONE was unsafe and nothing was certain. So that story worked, but more on it in a second.
The Africa thing I didn't get. They put missiles on top of one of the trees? So fucking what? I don't understand the significance here. Could be my density, but how is that different than just building a really tall thing and putting a weapon on top of it? Or more to the point, weapons in space? I might have missed it. The significance could be on the page and I missed it.
The Arctic story worked because they were in the area specifically to study trees. Rad. I get it.
The South American story I understood, but just didn't care about. A girl who is some gang member's old lady is swept up by this old man who teaches her how to be a magic spy while they're in Aleister Crowley's house? To what end? Why is any of this happening?
That's a 2 out of 5 for stories.
But then there was another thing.
This story begins ten years after the trees hit Earth. But the actual excitement starts near the end of this volume, so I would argue that the STORY starts ten years and ONE WEEK after the trees show up. I could have used some compression on this timeline.
That's Trees. Now should we have a discussion about race in comics?
My sister sent me an article related to this topic last week, and we had a bit of a text row about it. The short version, I got all in a tizzy because the HuffPo version of an article did some things that I thought were lacking in journalistic integrity, but that's not important and I don't want to replay a whole text conversation here.
What I do want to do is give comics a little credit.
In general, there are a lot of active discussions about race portrayals in media. That's a no-duh statement if there ever was one. And the more I thought about it, the more I think comics are doing a better job of embracing multiculturalism than most other mediums. I'm not saying that they are doing things perfectly, but I still think they're actually making some pretty big steps.
For example, I have trouble thinking of a medium that has made more serious efforts over a longer period to reach non-white fans. I think this is something that comics genuinely care about.
I'm not a historian here, so I might screw this up.
Let's start in the 60's and 70's. I've been re-reading Amazing Spider-Man comics from this era, and there are multiple stories about social and political issues. Panels like these are not unusual:
These panels, to me, are quite reflective of some of the discussions I see today. And let's keep in mind that these are occurring in The Amazing Spider-Man, the book about a boy bitten by a radioactive spider who fights a guy named Dr. Octopus. This isn't taking place in some weird indie book about feelings and first loves and shit. Nobody is mentioning Peter Parker OR Spider-Man.
In 1972 we saw the introduction of John Stewart, a black Green Lantern, and I thought this quote about his creation was really interesting:
The decision to make the character black resulted from a conversation between [Green Lantern co-creator Neal] Adams and editor Julius Schwartz, in which Adams recounts saying that given the racial makeup of the world's population, "we ought to have a black Green Lantern, not because we’re liberals, but because it just makes sense."The character was DC's first black superhero.
I think what interests me is that even in this time, people were talking about politicized agendas and whatnot. Also, that it wasn't en economic decision, which some comics fans accuse comics of making. It's not a grab for money.
During the era of 1984-1986, Stewart was THE Green Lantern, replacing Hal Jordan.
There were several other black characters in the 60's and 70's, which I think were underused at the time, but have found more play today. They include Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage (a personal favorite in his more recent appearances), Falcon, War Machine.
And then there a couple in the 90's that I find particularly interesting. Spawn, from the early 90's, was a black man who returns from the dead hideously burned. What existed of his black skin is nothing but scars upon his return. Spawn #1 sold over 1.7 million copies, which is unheard of today. Marvel's Secret Wars #8, the top-selling book of December 2015, sold just under 170,000 copies.
Deathlok is also an interesting one. He's the cyborg, technological counterpart to Spawn's mysticism, and a product of the late 80's who carried his own title.
I find these to be really interesting cases because the characters were black, they held their own books, and the question of what race means after coming back from the dead is kinda fascinating. Screw post-racial America, what is post-life America, and how does race fit in? That, to me, is a really interesting question, and the kind of things comics can do that other mediums don't.
But here's where I think things get really interesting, mostly in the 90's and 2000's, and where we see what comics (and comics-based movies) have done that others haven't.
Characters that were white don't always stay white.
This is a good thing to my mind, but something that I don't think we've given comics adequate credit for.
Nick Fury, Captain America, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, The Human Torch, Heimdall. Characters that were white and then weren't. Also, there are some change-em-ups that should be noted, such as the new Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which replaces Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur, and the change of Thor to a woman.
The reason this is something I bring up is because not only are comics putting black characters in their pages, but on the covers, with the names of formerly white characters.
And the reason I bring that up is to ask the question, What other medium has made this leap?
I don't recall any characters from Friends being replaced with a black person. Was there a black Joey I don't remember?
I don't believe we've seen a black James Bond as of yet, and there are 23 of those movies at this point?
Where's the black Super Mario?
Comics still have a long way to go, like everyone and everything. No doubt about it. But I feel like comics have been pushing the boundary a lot more than other media has, and they've been doing it for a long time. They've tried some different methods, black lead characters, black B plots, and more recently, utilizing existing characters to put more books with black characters into readers' hands.
And I will be an outspoken member of the comics community in saying that this is not a bad thing to do. It's a bad thing to do when the stories are a naked cash grab, when the only purpose is to make another issue #1 because those always sell better. But if the stories are good and the art is good, then that's all Win to me. And having read a lot of the titles listed above, I don't feel that naked cash grab describes what's happening today, nor does it describe any of the things I've talked about so far.
I'm not saying we should stop asking comics to get better. I'm merely saying that, from my perspective, comics are moving faster and working harder than other media, and they're taking a step that others have not.
And with that in mind, I'd like to make two lists here.
List the First: My Favorite, Less-Often-Thought-Of Black Superheroes:
Jack-in-The-Box (Astro City)
Cyborg (Teen Titans animated)
Blade
Tesla Strong (Tom Strong)
Venus Dee Milo (X-Statix)
Cloak (especially in Marvel Civil War)
And now, an irresponsible list, some black superheroes whose names could EASILY have made for the titles of Blaxpolitation films:
Sistah Spooky
Catspaw
Jakeem Thunder
Shango The Thunderer
Black Ice
Bling!
Midnight Sun
N'Kantu, the Living Mummy
Coal Tiger
September 6, 2015
I loved almost everything about this book. For starters, it was probably the most original sci-fi story I've seen in a while. The pacing is incredible: considering it's Warren Ellis writing another book about first contact with alien life, I thought it would be a slow, heady series of interlocutors used by Ellis as pawns. Instead, we're eased into the world in a way that allows for intrigue, real characters with depth, possibly untrustworthy narrators, and by the end of the thing, we get to really see the shit hitting the fan.
Also, a big draw to this comic is for anyone like me who's been demanding more diverse representation in comics for years. Rather than just checking off some boxes on a [usually singular, minor] character (gay? sure. trans? i guess that's what they want. why not black too? now where's my Ally Award?), Ellis gives us not one, not two, but an explicitly unknown, larger number of trans and queer characters (at least in the Chinese plotline). And we get explicit but fitting conversations about men's historical exploitation and oppression of women! And how a healthy world embraces gender on a continuum and heteronormativity has been holding us back in so many ways, and, and, and by the last page, there are going to be some sad and devastating things.
So far, Ellis has flipped a sufficient number of tropes with style, and I eagerly await the progression of this series.
Also, a big draw to this comic is for anyone like me who's been demanding more diverse representation in comics for years. Rather than just checking off some boxes on a [usually singular, minor] character (gay? sure. trans? i guess that's what they want. why not black too? now where's my Ally Award?), Ellis gives us not one, not two, but an explicitly unknown, larger number of trans and queer characters (at least in the Chinese plotline). And we get explicit but fitting conversations about men's historical exploitation and oppression of women! And how a healthy world embraces gender on a continuum and heteronormativity has been holding us back in so many ways, and, and, and by the last page, there are going to be some sad and devastating things.
So far, Ellis has flipped a sufficient number of tropes with style, and I eagerly await the progression of this series.
March 10, 2015
5* Received from Netgalley.
Trees is a truly original graphic novel which I enjoyed very much, predominantly sci-fi in genre. There are multiple story lines running concurrently throughout the story, all with a backdrop of the "trees," alien edifices which one day landed on earth and have since sat dormant and uncommunicative for a decade. Though dormant, the fear surrounding them has wreaked havoc on human society. The individual story lines progress to a breaking point by the end of the first volume, answering some questions but creating many more by the last page. I am definitely looking forward to the second volume.
Trees is a truly original graphic novel which I enjoyed very much, predominantly sci-fi in genre. There are multiple story lines running concurrently throughout the story, all with a backdrop of the "trees," alien edifices which one day landed on earth and have since sat dormant and uncommunicative for a decade. Though dormant, the fear surrounding them has wreaked havoc on human society. The individual story lines progress to a breaking point by the end of the first volume, answering some questions but creating many more by the last page. I am definitely looking forward to the second volume.
October 29, 2017
Not bad. Weird. If I would not have owned the TP I think I would have given up already. Issue wise the story would have been to hard to follow.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 719 reviews