Warren Ellis rallies his forces and re-invades the superhero mainstream after the conclusion of STORMWATCH vol. 2. The delightfully black-hearted Brit spins out his own take of the superhero myth in PLANETARY and THE AUTHORITY; the first an original concept designed to explore the "archaeology of the twentieth century" with a sci-fi slant; the second, the balls-to-the-wall, 2.85:1 successor to the aforementioned STORMWATCH.
Compare And Contrast, In 500 Words Or More THE AUTHORITY is, basically, a very mean JLA, where PLANETARY is a bitter and jaded CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN. Grant Morrison and Warren Ellis are compatriots, and the similarities in thought are striking. THE AUTHORITY in no way imitates Morrison's Justice League, however; it's a little more willing to rejoice in its pulpiness then the world-shattering importance of JLA. Archvillain Kaizen Gamorra is perfectly over the top, with a diabolical plan, long Fu-Manchu style moustache, and corporate-raider-meets-Oriental-warlord garb. And speaking of Fu Manchu, one of PLANETARY's nicest moments is its round-table homage to the pulp comics of yesteryear-- the debut issue's plot concerns a supercomputer built by a WWII-era pantheon of archetypical characters, with shades of Doc Savage, Buck Rogers, Fu Manchu, Tarzan and others thrown into the mix. The JLA themselves also make an "appearance" in the form of a suspiciously familiar band of heroes from a doomed world within the supercomputer.
Both PLANETARY and AUTHORITY are still relentlessly modern, however. Both share a breed of character that Ellis has a lot of fun with-- the spirit of the twentieth century. AUTHORITY's Jenny Sparks is a "young" British woman, born on the first day of the century, with the power to command electricity (arguably THE driving force of these hundred years). She's been alive, barely aging, simply involving herself with whatever seems important-- as first a member of the covert StormWatch Black team, and then de facto leader of the higher Authority. PLANETARY's Elijah Snow is a little different-- in a sense, he has "haunted" the twentieth century through his ghost-like, flitting manner; however, he's spent the last ten years in a crappy desert diner instead of Fighting The Good Fight and Making A Difference. It takes the wonderfully cocky bluster of Jakita Wagner, the Planetary team's powerhouse, to convince him to hook up with the three-person outfit that peers under the rocks for the missing history of the 1900s.Ellis maintains the same kind of intercharacter relationships with his two new teams that he always has with past projects: very odd people being incredibly gruff to each other, while still seeming to be endearing. It's the sheer oddity of those characters that hooks you right off the bat. AUTHORITY's Engineer doesn't have blood, but her body instead contains nine pints of bacteria-sized nanotechnology; that team's Doctor is the most recent in a line of Doctors who have been a part of humanity for over 20,000 years. Each time a Doctor dies, his knowledge is passed on to the next-- eventually amounting to a cumulative mass of experience that crosses millennia. PLANETARY's Drummer talks to machines through a bizarre rhythmic language, and the team's unseen and inactive Fourth Man quietly bankrolls the project-- for all the three active members know, he could be "Bill Gates or Hitler" (to quote Wagner in the issue).
My Eyes! My Eyes! I saw Bryan Hitch's artwork in an issue of UNCANNY X-MEN shortly after the AGE OF APOCALYPSE, and I hated it. Don't ask me why; I just did. But since I opened the covers of STORMWATCH vol. 2 #4 (His first collaboration with Warren), I fell in love. AUTHORITY in the hands of Hitch and inker Paul Neary is slickly gorgeous and unbelievably rendered; stylistically Hitch is the heir to Alan Davis but he's got all the action of a manga star. John Cassaday and PLANETARY are another fantastic matchup; Cassaday jumps from grit to glitter in no time flat, often combining them into the same illustration. And on a title that will surely span a hundred years and about as many genres before Ellis gets tired of it, that's one hell of a flexibility asset. Just take a look at the cover to the PLANETARY PREVIEW (A flip-book with GEN13 #33 and C-23 #6) and you'll see all the bizarre and wonderful things Cassaday can render (If you've had the privilege of seeing that cover, then you'll be happy to know it's being released as a full-size poster later this month). Both AUTHORITY and PLANETARY are colored by Laura Depuy of WildstormFX (She gets cover credit on THE AUTHORITY) with superb and vivid work that brings out all the best in both pencillers' styles.We've seen glimmerings of these two books in Ellis' work before, but this is the first time that he's truly cut loose and started playing with the toys the way he always wanted to. Ellis often complains that superhero writing is a young man's game and that he's getting too old, but there's a hell of a lot more vigor in these stories then there are in superhero fare written by writers years younger than himself. Simply a great turnout from one of the modern era's finest writers, and a few amazingly talented artists. PLANETARY: 8.3 out of 10, AUTHORITY: 8.0 out of 10. Advisory: PG-13. Both books are recommended if you like: JLA, Wildcats, AMERICA'S BEST COMICS, StormWatch, Danger Girl, X-Men, Alpha Flight, The Invisibles.
PLANETARY: Snow-- "It's a strange world." Wagner-- "Let's keep it that way."AUTHORITY: "You know, I find myself about to say 'How weird is that guy?' Then I look at what I'm wearing and where I'm standing..." -The Engineer
E-mail the reviewerLearn more about PLANETARY and THE AUTHORITY, and check out some promo art, at warrenellis.com or wildstorm.com
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