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Planetary
#18
writer: Warren Ellis
artist: John Cassaday
This
frustratingly infrequent book has never failed to provoke
a little thought and garner a little intrigue as the members
of Planetary slowly circle their opponents, The Four. The
thought-provoking comes from Ellis' retelling and blending
of twentieth century pulp fiction. Lucky for him that Alan
Moore hasn't got that far with The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen.
For the
first time in a few issues (it seems like years and may actually
be), the main plot gets some forward momentum as Elijah Snow
has his first direct confrontation with one of The Four. Clearly,
Ellis has his own opinions on whether the world will end in
fire or ice. And this half of the story works pretty well,
though it quickly meanders off into an exploration of another
fictional event from world literature - the first moonshot.
Unlike
a lot of previous adventures of Snow and Planetary, this one
touches on a fairly obscure work, known more by title than
by content. As Snow alludes to an incredulous Jakita Wagner,
though, it's one piece of science fiction that influenced
rocket science well into the 1980's. But Ellis cannot resist
a little coup de grace of having Jules Verne's signature
on a journal explaining the whole thing.
Aside
from not having Snow actually read it, it's a jarring touch
because it's unclear whether or not we should think From
The Earth To The Moon actually exists as a novel in this
world. Did Verne actually work to bring his visions to life
rather than write about them? If he had been a writer, then
the young adventurer Snow would surely have been influenced
by his work.
It's
one of the problems of such meta-fictional conceits, especially
when it's all billed as "The Secret History." What
inspires these people, if the imaginative literature doesn't
actually exist? (Even The Planetary Guide that Snow
has revised throughout the twentieth century is treated as
something not many people really know about.)
Usually,
the story pounds away without us noticing. But because Ellis
gets elegiac on us here, that little brain-twister glares
almost too much for Cassaday's incredible art to cover. The
actual answers all lie in his layouts, and they're really
beautifully done. But in the end, there's not much to add
up for either reader or protagonist.
Consider
this a rare misstep in an otherwise fantastic series. In trade
paperback form, it will seem less like a hiccup and more like
the little sidetrack it's meant to be. When you get these
installments at the whim of artist and writer, though, it's
hard to be patient.
Rating:
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