PLANETARY REVIEW
A GRAPHIC NOVEL/COMIC SERIES
Planetary is a comic book series whose odd name disguises an exceptional piece of fiction. It is about a group of 3 covert superheroes who investigate the hidden wonders and superhero mythology of the 20th century. Written by Warren Ellis of 'Transmetropolitan' fame the strength of this series comes from his ability to tell a gripping yet self-contained story in each issue, each of which contributes to an overall story-arc. There are no throw-away lines, unintentional references or even stilted plot explanations- the action and narrative proceeds smoothly and naturally.
But first some details on the comics and graphic novels themselves. The comic series is currently approaching issue #15 on an erratic bi-monthly schedule and is produced by Wildstorm Comics. It costs $2.50 or £1.80 and is drawn by John Cassaday and coloured by Laura DePuy. Two graphic novels have been released so far- "All Over the World and Other Stories" is soft back, covers the released first 6 issues and costs $14.95 or £12. A more expensive hardback version also exists.
The second graphic novel "The Fourth Man" covers issues #7-#12 but is only available in a dust-covered hardback format for $24.95 or £17. A single 48 page odd crossover comic with the Authority comic also exists entitled 'Planetary/Authority: Ruling the World' but this is somewhat hard to get hold of. I have no other details on it at present.
CONCEPT
Imagine if you will an earth with modern superheroes. They fly around, foil crime and occasionally save the earth. But as far as anyone can remember, they are a modern phenomena. Back in the '40's and '50's they were just imagined in comic books but now they are real, having emerged into the public eye over the years.
Suppose you are one of those superpowered types. Suppose you suspect that there is more to history than is revealed in the text books. That superheros existed in the 1920's, 30's and 40's. Perhaps earlier, but back then there was less communications and governments were better at covering things up. Indeed perhaps there are still undercover super-individuals with agendas who have yet to reveal themselves.
Then, for the sufficiently curious and conspiracy minded, you might set up Planetary- an incredibly wealthy, secretive organisation with a field team of 3 discrete supers funded by the never seen enigma- the Fourth Man. Their mandate is to uncover the secret superheroic history of the world, to be mystery archaeologists who uncover alien spaceships buried since the Triassic Period, or the exploits of 19th century Victorian savants. Government efforts to harness superpowers since covered up, smooth-talking 1960's superspies with incredible gadgets, evil conspiracies of villains who secretly rule the world- these are your stock in trade.
Then focus your attention on the primary character. Clad always in white, Elijah Snow is a grouchy 100 year old with the figure of a man half his age. His coffee is always cold and air conditioning always works for him as he exudes a freezing temperature- a side effect of his heat extraction superpowers. Happily ensconced in the middle of nowhere but without all the memories he should have, he is visited by a young woman who makes him an intriguing offer- she will make all records of him disappear and let him vanish properly, if he helps uncover the secret history of the world and his own past.
This is the Planetary concept.
STORY
Set in the Wildstorm Universe, shared with such lines as the previously mentioned Authority, WildCATS, StormWatch, Gen 13 and Monarchy comics it concerns itself with the hidden activities of super-types over the century. Each issue of Planetary was designed to tackle a single genre or comic era. For example, the first issue has the Planetary team as 'Archaeologists of the Impossible' uncovering the gaudy base of some long dead 1930's pulp heroes whose technological optimism led them to ruin. The second issue has them visiting 'Island Zero' where Gargantua style Godzilla's and Mothras lived and died before being hushed up by the Japanese government. Issue 3- the encounter with a vengeful ghost cop of Hong Kong, complete with john Woo style violence.
Further issues see encounters with an evil Fantastic Four style opposition (known simply as 'the Four'), 1950's atomic giant ants and giant women, and even such literary creations as Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. Indeed the line between fiction and reality is intentionally blurred by Ellis in one very surreal issue- Planet Fiction where a group of fictionauts blast off in a Dan Dare style rocket and return with a 'fictional character' who proceeds to kill everyone involved Alien-style.
And right now, you reading this review and thinking "What?!? How can such a mish mash of cliché and movie/comic/book references add up to a rave review".
The answer?
Ellis is a master-storyteller who has pacing, narrative and dialogue down to a tee. Beautiful artwork assists in creating a story around a central character- Elijah Snow an amnesiac Cryokinetic who is recruited in the first issue to investigate wonder and strangeness. His quest to discover his own identity, and the true purpose of the Planetary investigative organisation drives much of the story arc.
But in between, and through out, the team- Jakita Wagner (superstrong/quick/tough lady) and nerdy Drummer (Computer controller and Information absorber) and the eternally whit-clad Snow encounter weirdness after weirdness. But even as they observe the action (indeed they rarely act at all) they meet a succession of characters with compelling tales to tell- Doc Bronze, crippled sole survivor of the Pulp era, Alison a radioactive women since the US experiments in the 50's, or Jack Carter, a John Constantine-alike who starts off at his funeral but soon gets better.
Half the fun is in spotting references to familiar superheroes- Superman and Wonderwoman alternate selves turn up in both the first and tenth issues. The Four, an evil Nazi mockery of the Fantastic Four also feature prominently- as the 'secret chiefs' of the earths hidden history, they are the nemesis of the 3 man Planetary organisation which is dedicated to recording that history and mapping the impossible.
An issue by issue synopsis is easily available at this website (
Andy Richardsons Planetary Site
, so I wont try to detail the whole series. Instead let me tell you about my favourite issue #10.
The team have discovered and claimed a laboratory used by the Four, and the issue opens by framing a red cloak with a symbol, a blueish steel lantern and a pair of golden bracers/bracelets. They are framed both individually and then all together. Naturally these iconic pieces begin to stir memories in the readers mind- Superman's cape, Green Lantern's symbol and Wonder Woman's bracelets. The next page has various technicians in coveralls boxing up the Fours stuff as a brooding Elijah Snow looks on silently at the 3 items. A technician asks a colleague rhetorically "Where do you suppose they found all this stuff..... and why bother keeping it?"
The comic then expands on the next page to show us exactly where these 3 things came from and how they ended up in the evil Fours lab. A grey skinned baby is placed within a space-pod by its tall, grey, alien, androgynous parents who fear their planet is about to implode.
The scene shifts and a naked, muscled entity is given his badge of office by the space watchmen who decry the destruction of the alien world we have just seen destroyed. Given his blue-lit lantern and told to 'be the light in the blackest of space' the new watchman blasts off into space.
And even as his light trail passes through the earths night sky, an Amazonian Queen looking out across the Atlantic ruminates to her daughter who the world of Man may not accept her as an ambassador. Even as the daughter unveils the power of her bracelets in a twisting, dazzling light show, the next pages gives us the bright re-entry of the alien child's space pod.
The pod crash-lands in a Kansas field, but before any kindly childless couple can adopt the boy as their own and teach him the American Way, the evil 'Torch' analogue of the Four opens the pod with a burst of controlled energy from his finger to reveal an innocent greyish baby wrapped in a red cape. As he talks to Dr Dowling (Reed Richards variant) over a mobile, the Torch casually mentions how the kids not human and the cape is made of something weird "but hey... the kid burns..."
And to the infant Superman's death screams, our villain protests over the phone that 'No Randall, you didn't say that..... Dammit you didn't...... Well its your own rotten luck, he's incinerated now!"
Another scene shift and we see the evil Dr Dowling in a hellish laboratory performing an autopsy on the blue Lantern variants naked corpse- extracting the lantern symbol from its chest whilst remarking that his intercepted transmissions of the hidden Amazonian island has given him the co-ordinates of the Ambassador princess' entry to the World of Man. She is to be killed from orbit as soon as she steps out the cloaked island......
Once more the scene shifts and we see the 3 items in the fore ground. No we know what they mean and why they were kept- trophies of the Fours villainy and reminders of a better path that was taken from the world. Elijah Snow sees this and understands.
"Secrets, lies, death" he realises, along with what he must do to regain his memories and fight the Four.
Issue ends.
Like most Planetary issues- the central heroes didn't do much- indeed we only see one of them and only in the first and last pages. He doesn't kill anyone or take any action- instead he comes to a moment of epiphany and realisation at the same moment as we the reader. The narrative is driven by the 3 origin stories of Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern of whom many of us are familiar with. But these stories are told with a bloodthirsty twist that shocks and surprises the reader with the arbitrariness of their deaths and the understanding of how much better this version of earth might have been if those heroes hadn't been stopped before they started by the ruthlessly efficient Four.
THE GOOD
Planetary has excellent characterisation. The main characters have full ranges of emotions, reacting naturally to fear and awe stimuli. its a credit to the artists for how well we see that portrayed on their faces. Emotions, unlike Authority are consistent and carried through the issue and series.
Build-up and subtlety are excellent. Occasionally characters will exchange a look behind Snows back and it will be 5 issues later before its revealed exactly what was going on. No line, name or reference is wasted- we hear one name in the first issue- 'Hark' and only gradually does its significance become apparent. Indeed we still don't know everything by the latest issue. It reminds me of Babylon 5 or Buffy at its best for continuity.
The core strength is that the stories are always compelling and readable. While its hugely referential to every comicbook that seems ever to have been released, its intelligent and witty in portraying such references as things we recognise, but look again at to pin the exact reference.
Artwork is excellent to my unprofessional eye and always complements the story.
THE BAD
Price is an issue- the hardcovers are quite expensive.
The first 6 issues, compiled into All Around the World also give a misleading impression- they are the 6 most independent, obviously different stories bundled together. Its only with the second graphic novel 'The Fourth Man' that the epic sweep becomes apparent and the clues hidden in the first book become relevant. You will need both books to get the full taste of the series and to understand its true genius.
The schedule also appears to be somewhat erratic- die hard collectors of the comics may find this annoying.
Having praised the art and story there is not much bad to say about it, other than its relatively long learning curve- things make more sense the more comics you can get hold of.
CONCLUSIONS
Planetary is a tour de force by Warren Ellis, easily outclassing its competitors with its intelligence, artwork and story. It doesn't remind me of other Wildstorm comics like the action orientated Authority or StormWatch and is reminiscent of such classics as 'Watchman' with its slowly unfolding conspiracy and trail of clues, or the 'Sandman' series and its emphasis on telling the stories of the non-central characters with the central role as that of observers.
Its a series that rewards dedicated reading, knowledge of comic history and a penchant for putting together clues. One very nasty time it finishes an issue with Elijah's Snows exclamation that "I know who the Fourth Man is!" and the reader is forced to spend the time between issues following the same clues as Elijah in order to answer the question. Its a cheap interest-building trick but it works.
Overall then, for those who can afford it, and who like intelligent, complex, referential tales, then this sets the par for excellence. It is also of tremendous use as inspiration for superhero RPG's, especially 'Aberrant'. Indeed there are so many similarities in concept between Planetary and Aberrant/Adventure! that WW have taped Warren Ellis to write the fiction for the upcoming Adventure! 1930's pulp superhero game. Aberrant has a conspiratorial background and secret history and so planetary can easily be used as an alternate setting. Whether your players have the patience to listen to NPC's stories in the same way as the comics is another matter, but enough new and interesting concepts and situations exist that a GM would get a lot of material out of this series.
Style- beautiful artwork and gorgeous colouring- 5
Substance- strong, complex and intriguing story and plenty of inspiration- 5
Stephen Ellis, July 2001.
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