I’ll read just about anything Warren Ellis does (with the exception of DOCTOR SLEEPLESS, which I finally dropped after issue #8… I tried to like it, I really did, but I just couldn’t seem to get into it… but like I said, it’s the very rare exception). GRAVEL and ANNA MERCURY are both fantastic. NO HERO is just warming up, but it’s got me interested so far. His past AVATAR stuff has all been really enjoyable, as has his stuff at MARVEL (okay, so ASTONISHING X-MEN hasn’t been as good as I’d hoped, but whatever… sometimes it takes him a while to get warmed up, while he puts all the pieces in place). I also really liked all of his older stuff at WILDSTORM and VERTIGO.

Suffice it to say, I really dig Warren Ellis’ stuff… That being said…

I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book, It’s probably my FAVORITE thing of his I’ve read… at least in recent memory.

I read the first dozen or so pages online back when it first launched it, but I’m much more of a read it on paper guy, than a web-comic guy, so I figured I’d wait until they printed it. It seemed interesting enough. I liked the post-apocalyptic setting and the strange kids with some sort of powers, but I wasn’t completely sold on the whole Steam Punk aspect of it (just not my thing).

I’m not going to bother with a synopsis, because I assume you can just read the solicit up top, so I’m just going to talk about what I liked. The art is amazing. Paul Duffield does a beautiful job, with lines that remind me of Josh Middleton mixed with Jonathan Luna, with phenomenal color. I thought the writing and pacing were great, as we slowly meet all (but one) of the FREAKANGELS, which are all so well fleshed out. For a large cast, Ellis still manages to make each one very unique and interesting, with completely different personalities and powers (well, they seem to share some powers, but each seems to have their own specialty, which is all very cool). The Steam Punk stuff is only a part of this book, but the way it’s used makes it seem so bad-ass… not at all what I was expecting. The story itself really sucks you in. I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting, not being able to put it down. Hell, it even made me come straight in and write a review (my first, if you notice, so you know I MUST have liked it).

Anyway, this is already longer than anyone is going to bother reading, so I’ll just wrap it up…

Warren Ellis + Super Powered Kids + Post-Apocalyptic, Underwater London + Steam Punk = THE MOST FUN COMIC I”VE READ IN A LONG TIME

… And I read a lot of books that I think are fantastic.

Trust me… I swear YOU WILL LIKE IT… and just like me, you’ll be dying for more…

Besides if you are too cheap to pay for the Trade ($19.99 is pricey), you can at least read it FOR FREE at www.freakangels.com, where volume 2 is already underway.

Come on. Read it. It’s free. What have you got to lose?