Planetary #24

My favorite comic is about to end. Writer Warren Ellis and artist John Cassaday have deconstructed, oh, I don't know, a dozen and half or so genres/mediums over the course of 24 serialized comics stories. It's a sweeping narrative about the last century and this century meeting and the people who run/create the world. A global conspiracy powered by four individuals called the Four(an analog to comic's The Fantastic Four, the comic that changed, for good or for evil, the way comics were presented and to the demo that read(s) them) who want to withhold the knowledge and technology that could make the planet better. Our protagonist, Elijah Snow, just figured out his one purpose: to save people.

Really, Planetary is sui generis. Everything you could want all rolled into one neat, original package. That's where Ellis excels: takes the worn out concept and looks at it with fresh eyes. But the real strenghs here are ideas bursting out of every panel, original dialouge, stunning "direction" by artist John Cassaday, and really, I don't know how else to say it, people you hope are real. I want there to be someone out there who loves how odd and strange the world really is, and does their level best to keep it that way. I want a guy who's devoted his oddly long life to catalouging the mysteries of the world. You know

I will be so happy when this story is over (comics need to end) and yet I'm sure there's not going to be a comic like it ever again. Print on paper has never looked so good. Kicks the shit out of any entertainment I've consumed in the past 12 months. Period.

Elijah is hell bent on stopping the Four. It's counting down til your favorite show is gone, it's the last act of Charlie Kane's life. You're starting the last chapter of your favorie prose novel. The Beatles are releasing one last album. I'm afraid he won't make it out alive.

I'm terrified on how this will end...

The game's afoot indeed.