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Planetary is good on many layers, like a Gobstopper. First of all, it's beautiful. Cassaday's art is consistently lovely, and brings to the page the actual wonder that the story demands. Planetary is also a great story; it's intriguing, well-plotted, and has interesting characters. On another level, it's also about stories, especially comic books, but other popular media as well; about what those stories tell us about ourselves, and the way we use those bright myths to lie about our world.

It's fun to geek out over the references, the in-jokes and allusions in Planetary, but they are actually serving a greater narrative purpose. Planetary is about a world more wonderful than ours, but just as dark. It's using those shining visions to show us how disappointing and flawed humanity can be. Along with an adventure or two, beautiful vistas, and more than a soupçon of hope. ( )

Holy crap, this book blew me away. So many great ideas in so little space. ( )

A unique imaginative trek into the secret history of the world. Ellis and Cassaday create a pastiche/critique of some of the best in comics and pulp fair. Planetary being a variation of "Challengers of the Unknown". ( )

Warren Ellis constructs a secret history for the Wildstorm universe, giving it a rich depth and answering the old comic-book-universe question: with all these wonders, why isn't the world a better place?

Ellis draws on everything from nineteenth century fiction (not bothering to disguise characters who are out of copyright) to modern comics (with recognizable variants of famous characters, each seen in their own twisted mirror). The plot on its own is gripping, but the references to other works will tickle anyone who enjoyed Anno Dracula or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. ( )