PhotoJones
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The Ellis Double-Header:
Black Summer #1 - After reading the preview #0 issue, I figured this was going to be a mini wherein Ellis gets everything off of his chest. Every qualm he has about the government, specifically the current administration and their "War on Terror". I was cool with that. I mean, Ellis is a very intelligent guy, and it's not very often we get a (somewhat) mainstream, full on, no subtlety attatched, attack on the President and his real world actions. Count me in. What I'm begining to see however, is that this might actually have a little bit or narrative substance as well. As in, this issue is 100% character and plot driven, with 100% less political commentary. Basically what I'm saying is that Ellis is actually writing a story with commentary, as opposed to providing commentary in the form of a thinly veiled story. Count me in.
We learn that John Horus, the superhero-y guy who murdered the Bush administration was part of a team of guys with enhancements. I don't think Ellis states what kind exactly, but they appear to be neural and cybernetic in nature. They're always connected to each other via a closed-circuit internet connection, and they've got these guns. These super cool guns that become an extension of them and their powers. Now, after some sort of falling out that involved a bomb meant for the wrong person, they all went their separate ways. One of them, Frank Blacksmith, went to work for the government to monitor the others in the event that one of them goes nutters. Guess he kinda sucks at his job...Anyway, there's another one of them, Tom, who seems to be the worst off. He's mentioned as being the most dangerous one of them but he hasn't turned his enhancements on in years. He's missing a leg (due to that bomb), and he's living in a crappy apartment, spending his days in a drunken stupor. Until his old buddy John Horus kills the Bush administration. Now he and the rest of his old team are being hunted down, forcing Tom to turn his enhancements on, kill a federal agent in one of the bloodiest fights in recent memory, and send a message via their special connection for help from any of his remaining teammates. One of them, Zoe answers the call in seconds and arrives to help him get out of his apartment (he's only got one leg, remember). It seems she can move faster than the speed of light by putting some sort of anti-math shield around her, this negating all laws of nature. Or something. Anyway, the issue ends with her explaining to Tom that everyone else in their club has gone nutters too, and that's actually what made John Horus go nutters and kill the President and his men. The implication, I think, is that they might be connected in more ways then they initially anticipated.
People ragged on this based on the preview issue centering around Ellis' thick commentary on why it's not crazy to kill George Bush, and I can see how it's not for everyone. But, I think it may have moved past that, and Ellis is actually telling a pretty compelling story about a group of people who have these incredible powers and they literally do not know what to do with them. The artwork by Juan Jose Ryp is ultra detailed. This is a fairly realistic take on "superheroes", and the artwork really works to compliment the script. He was hand picked by Ellis and he was picked well.
I still wouldn't recommend this to many people. The subject matter seems to be pretty divisive. Like I mentioned, this just isn't for everyone and that's okay. I don't think Ellis wrote it with everyone in mind.
Doktor Sleepless #1 - This is supposed to be Ellis' new Transmetropolitan, in terms of being his next giant ongoing. It's pretty good, but honestly, I'd have rather seen Black Summer continue. The artwork, while pretty doesn't seem to fit the tone or the environment that Ellis is creating. It's sort of Alan Davis-y, and I wouldn't select Davis to draw my futuristic, science-Jesus tale. It's not bad, per se...it just looks a little off.
The actual story is very good, and we get a lot of it in this debut. I was worried that Sleepless' identity and motivations would be dragged out and become the mystery of the title, but it's literally all revealed on the first page. It's a simple origin, and once it's out of the way, the story kicks in high gear.
Doktor Sleepless is fed up with complacency and apathy, especially in regards to the youth of America who preach against it, yet fall into it. Basically he hates hypocrites. It's about Sleepless becoming Sleepless in order to be a symbol of change. Sort of like Bruce Wayne becoming Batman to be a symbol for the people. Anyway, he's very funny, and overall a weirdly nice guy.
It's what you'd expect from Ellis when he's given full creative control to do what he's most comfortable doing. And that's creating a strangely eccentric main character involved in a deep and layered story. If you like that, you'll probably dig this.
Black Summer #1 - After reading the preview #0 issue, I figured this was going to be a mini wherein Ellis gets everything off of his chest. Every qualm he has about the government, specifically the current administration and their "War on Terror". I was cool with that. I mean, Ellis is a very intelligent guy, and it's not very often we get a (somewhat) mainstream, full on, no subtlety attatched, attack on the President and his real world actions. Count me in. What I'm begining to see however, is that this might actually have a little bit or narrative substance as well. As in, this issue is 100% character and plot driven, with 100% less political commentary. Basically what I'm saying is that Ellis is actually writing a story with commentary, as opposed to providing commentary in the form of a thinly veiled story. Count me in.
We learn that John Horus, the superhero-y guy who murdered the Bush administration was part of a team of guys with enhancements. I don't think Ellis states what kind exactly, but they appear to be neural and cybernetic in nature. They're always connected to each other via a closed-circuit internet connection, and they've got these guns. These super cool guns that become an extension of them and their powers. Now, after some sort of falling out that involved a bomb meant for the wrong person, they all went their separate ways. One of them, Frank Blacksmith, went to work for the government to monitor the others in the event that one of them goes nutters. Guess he kinda sucks at his job...Anyway, there's another one of them, Tom, who seems to be the worst off. He's mentioned as being the most dangerous one of them but he hasn't turned his enhancements on in years. He's missing a leg (due to that bomb), and he's living in a crappy apartment, spending his days in a drunken stupor. Until his old buddy John Horus kills the Bush administration. Now he and the rest of his old team are being hunted down, forcing Tom to turn his enhancements on, kill a federal agent in one of the bloodiest fights in recent memory, and send a message via their special connection for help from any of his remaining teammates. One of them, Zoe answers the call in seconds and arrives to help him get out of his apartment (he's only got one leg, remember). It seems she can move faster than the speed of light by putting some sort of anti-math shield around her, this negating all laws of nature. Or something. Anyway, the issue ends with her explaining to Tom that everyone else in their club has gone nutters too, and that's actually what made John Horus go nutters and kill the President and his men. The implication, I think, is that they might be connected in more ways then they initially anticipated.
People ragged on this based on the preview issue centering around Ellis' thick commentary on why it's not crazy to kill George Bush, and I can see how it's not for everyone. But, I think it may have moved past that, and Ellis is actually telling a pretty compelling story about a group of people who have these incredible powers and they literally do not know what to do with them. The artwork by Juan Jose Ryp is ultra detailed. This is a fairly realistic take on "superheroes", and the artwork really works to compliment the script. He was hand picked by Ellis and he was picked well.
I still wouldn't recommend this to many people. The subject matter seems to be pretty divisive. Like I mentioned, this just isn't for everyone and that's okay. I don't think Ellis wrote it with everyone in mind.
Doktor Sleepless #1 - This is supposed to be Ellis' new Transmetropolitan, in terms of being his next giant ongoing. It's pretty good, but honestly, I'd have rather seen Black Summer continue. The artwork, while pretty doesn't seem to fit the tone or the environment that Ellis is creating. It's sort of Alan Davis-y, and I wouldn't select Davis to draw my futuristic, science-Jesus tale. It's not bad, per se...it just looks a little off.
The actual story is very good, and we get a lot of it in this debut. I was worried that Sleepless' identity and motivations would be dragged out and become the mystery of the title, but it's literally all revealed on the first page. It's a simple origin, and once it's out of the way, the story kicks in high gear.
Doktor Sleepless is fed up with complacency and apathy, especially in regards to the youth of America who preach against it, yet fall into it. Basically he hates hypocrites. It's about Sleepless becoming Sleepless in order to be a symbol of change. Sort of like Bruce Wayne becoming Batman to be a symbol for the people. Anyway, he's very funny, and overall a weirdly nice guy.
It's what you'd expect from Ellis when he's given full creative control to do what he's most comfortable doing. And that's creating a strangely eccentric main character involved in a deep and layered story. If you like that, you'll probably dig this.
You psychic *****e bag.
