John Cassaday (1971–2024)

So, the X-Men are under attack from the inside again, only this time it's by psychics. This leads to some excessive silliness (Wolverine regressed to some childlike state, the Beast regressed to a mere beast), some interesting character studies on how people are defined and driven by their guilt and insecurities, and my very favorite X-Man, Kitty Pryde, plunged into a truly awful nightmare in order to manipulate her into using her powers on the intruders' behalf.

And finally, a cause for show more empathy for Emma Frost, who I've long hated. This, plus "Armor" starting to come into her self and Scott having a chance to be a badass even without his powers, distracts and starts to make up for the pain of Kitty's storyline. show less

Warren Ellis puts a dark X-Files spin on a century of pop culture heroes. The three members of the Planetary field team pry into the secret history of their world with eerie and disturbing short stories that pay homage and cruelly tweak pastiche versions of classic characters like Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Doc Savage, and the Lone Ranger as well as superheroes like the Hulk, Fantastic Four, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Everything slowly threads together into an epic showdown.

Ellis at show more his best.

Unfortunately and coincidentally, the morning after I finished reading this monster, Twitter was all abuzz about Ellis at his worst, with allegations of him being a sexual predator flying about. A hero with a dark side? Talk about irony. show less

Comic books, especially, seem to be obsessed with retelling the same stories. Planetary just happens to do this particularly well.

Much like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Planetary postulates a world where the characters and ideas of popular fiction are actually real, coexisting in a wild potpourri that somehow manages to cohere. But while Moore seems to revel in merely the existence of such a world, Ellis shifts his focus to the idea that such a world would have to be concealed from the show more masses. He sacrifices the teeming exuberance of Moore's ever-larger world for a tightly constrained and controlled conspiracy.

So, Ellis isn't just interested in encountering Doc Savage; he's interested in the fact that Doc Savage has been trapped in an underground complex for decades. Similarly, the existence of an island of Japanese movie monsters, or the Spectre showing up as the ghost of a John Woo character, is subordinate to the effort being put forth to keep the world from finding out about them.

This volume ends with the introduction of Ellis' best idea: the Fantastic Four are the evil masterminds behind the conspiracy. Their homespun wholesomeness has always concealed just how terrifying they actually are, wielding enormous power and led by a supergenius inventor. Having them turn out to be the ones collecting and concealing the existence of alien technologies and superpowers is kind of silly, but weirdly fitting, as well. Elijah Snow looks at this in terms of technology and scientific advancements being withheld from humanity, but for the reader, it is narrative itself which must be unearthed. show less

from Brian:

Joss Whedon is known (and beloved) around the world for being the creator of various cult-favorite television series Buffy The Vampire, Angel, and Serenity. He has recently become the driving force
behind the Avengers movies, providing humor and nuance to larger-than-life superheroes. These world dominating Avengers movies however, was not the first time Joss Whedon tried his hand at comic-book based storytelling. Eleven years ago, Joss Whedon created the X-men storyline I am show more reviewing. The big question is whether this graphic novel compendium stands the test of time, and if it is easily digestible for comic book fans not too familiar with the X-Men universe.


The answer is an unequivocably yes. The story combines Whedon's trademark wit, and complex exploration of characters. Though these superheroes' origins are from comic books, Whedon brings soul stirring human drama to their plight, culiminating in a climax that knock many "serious" dramas down a peg or two.

The art in the book is fantastic, pulpy and streamlined, the writing quick like Whedon's series. There's even a fantastic scene where the usual grumpy Wolverine is stoically trying not to burst out laughing.

Every character within this ensemble is given a chance to shine, with Whedon showing his trademark ability to balance all their needs, push the story, and even introduce a new compelling character in the green haired, green sunglasses wearing Agent Brand.

What also cannot be stated enough is Whedon's terrific ability to create strong female characters. What he does in introducing Agent Brand and with giving the story's main arc to master of intangibility Kitty Pryde (a minor character in many of the incarnations) is pure...genius.

A must-read. show less