Fables of Deconstruction Part 1 - Planetary

I may revisit this posting in the future, Planetary is one of those titles that like Watchmen, is so multi-layered and referential that it makes it extremely difficult to nail down all the nuances in one sitting. But in the meantime, for those who don't know - Planetary is one of Warren Ellis' two magnum opii (along with Transmetropolitan) that put him on the map. It's a metaphorical sci fi opera with enough comic Golden and Silver Age references that the only comparison is Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (of which I will be covering soon enough). The fact that it's so well-written and hooks you into the mystery of comic history is a testament to the writing skills of Mr. Ellis and it makes up for some of his more lacklustre efforts.

On the surface, Planetary is a shadowy organization that dubs itself as "Archeologists of the Impossible", finding the secret history of humanity - whether it includes giant monsters, superhumans, alien visits, magical phenomena, bizarre cults, extra-dimensional crossovers, etc etc - ie., everything that takes place in modern sci fi and fantasy. If it existed, it's the job of Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and the Drummer to find it, log it, and if unable to use for the betterment of humanity, keep it hidden from those who would use it for evil gain.

But that's the surface, and it's what is happening underneath that truly creates all the complexities that make this a difficult entry. For below the cover story is the tale of the superhumans that have always existed. Those gifted individuals whose powers were the wellspring of most of the great works of fiction: pastiches of Fu Manchu, Tarzan, Doc Savage, the Shadow, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, John Carter, and others famous in history or even contemporary, like Vertigo's John Constantine and Chow Yun Fat's Hard Boiled cop Tequila. Ellis touched on these icons of fiction in another title, The Authority, with the character of Jenny Sparks who shares this bloodline - but here we see that these people were the beginning of the secret history and a great conflict continues between those who are their descendants, and those who covet the title.

Like I said, I can't even begin to cover the narrative and the themes that play themselves out. But take my word for it, it's a long series that continues to this day but worth the time spent.

Crossover Works of Warren Ellis

Despite being more known for Planetary and Transmetropolitan (and to a certain degree, G.I. Joe Resolute), it's actually Warren Ellis' smaller works that got optioned for movies and television. No doubt because the story arcs are more self-contained or in one series case, the whole thing was written as television scripts in mind.

RED:

Paul Moses is a retired CIA agent who specialized in "foreign acquisitions", which is spook shorthand for "assassination" who is quietly and happily retired and living a secluded life where the most exciting thing he opts to do is speak to his Agency handler about family and other banal things. However, his record of service is still on file at the CIA and the new incoming Director is given a summary of actions. Typically as per any political nominee without real experience, he freaks out and immediately demands Moses be killed to prevent any political fallout. A team of assassins visits who he promptly dispatches. Once he recognizes them and clocks on what is happening, he goes berserk and sets off for vengeance with extreme prejudice against his former employers. A solid revenge shoot-em-up tale that shows just how dark the human soul can get. Although the writing is sparse, the artwork by Cully Hamner is stunning as it is concise.

The movie will apparently be starring Bruce Willis as Paul Moses, and directed by Robert Schwentke.

GLOBAL FREQUENCY:

Are you on the Global Frequency? One of the more high concept ideas of comics, Global Frequency was written in episodic format, perfect for a television show. The idea is that a private covert intelligence operation solves the world's hidden problems. With 1,001 operatives at its disposal, the lead characters of Miranda Zero and central operator Aleph can call upon any one of them to take on an assignment. Each operative is a master of his or her field, be it a special tactic, personal skill, science or feat of engineering. They run from ex-soldiers, scientists, thieves, professors, athletes, police, spies, or those who defy description. Each assignment is equally hard to describe - a village in Norway that has succumbed to the arrival of an angel, an alien virus hits New York city and spreads like an idea, old Cold War weapons that have degraded and posed a threat. One case involves a Russian ex-Spetznaz man who has the ability to generate worm holes and because he took part in quantum experiments long ago, is connected to a nuclear device in Siberia that when detonated there, ground zero is wherever he is standing. In this case his retirement choice of San Francisco. All assignments and operatives are non-governmental despite being G8 funded - for if a government officially acknowledges any of it, they are also automatically responsible for most of the problems. The final story where a global population reduction device from the 1960s in orbit goes awry is particularly heinous. A combination of the X-Files, the old 1980s TV show Masquerade, and Mission: Impossible.

Each story was done by a different artist, but the covers were spectacular - each one a composite by Brian Wood (creator DMZ and Supermarket). They capture the sophistication of the writing and the grass-roots flair of each story. While not every story works, as some merely degrade in depictions of ultra-violence (one story even only focuses on an exceptionally brutal hand to hand fight), the ones involving high concept ideas are truly worth reading.

There WAS a television pilot made, with Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro Laren of Star Trek: TNG) as Miranda Zero and Aimee Garcia as Aleph. However, WB didn't pick it up for whatever reason they had at the time. I can imagine that the special effects and location shooting were probably pretty cost-prohibitive. Global Frequency works best as an episode-based TV show, maybe even as a mini-series as although there is no central narrative, there are far too many ideas and abilities to create a movie out of it.