PLANETARY #27
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Size: pages
Price: 3.99
The final chapter of Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s Planetary brings to mind the days when Wildstorm ruled the comics world. While Ellis and Hitch beat you over the head with “widescreen” action in The Authority and Casey and Phillips showed you superherodom’s seedy underbelly, Planetary dazzled with Fantastic-Four-style super-science sprinkled with a dash of cool. Alas, the good times didn’t last forever. The Authority and Wildcats have been largely forgotten, and, rather than fade into obscurity like its bretheren, Planetary took a long break.
Now Planetary has returned for its final tale, and Ellis is up to his old tricks: characters banter back and forth about space and time and alternate realities as naturally as you and I might discuss defensive formations in a football game. Niney-four-point-six percent of the science is probably bullshit–based on nothing more than Ellis’s wild imagination–but he really knows how to sell it. He’s one of the few comic writers working today, along with Moore, Morrison, and perhaps Hickman, who possess this skill. What’s wonderful about the final issue of Planetary is that–in this book which has always been about the big idea–it ends with what’s really a small story about friendship and loyalty. It reminds the reader that Planetary is not only smart, but also has a lot of heart.
Planetary 27 is the final nail in the Wildstorm coffin, but it’s a hell of a nail.
Art: 5 - Excellent
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i feel like you should play "time of your life" when reading this
I’ll see if the guys can hook us up.
Great review.
Wish I knew about this series before the final issue. Definitely will give it a look in trade.
graduation by Vitamin C is also a good one
Issue 27 didn’t come close to the caliber of the previous issues. This should have been more like One-Shot special to tell the story he wanted to tell, and not treat it like the long awaited end of the Planetary title. I think all these 4 and 5 stars are from people who are big fans of Warren Ellis, and don’t know when to realize that his work is not always worth reading.
The first issue recently was re-released for a $1, so I picked it up. I’m interested to read more so I might pick up some trades after I catch up on my reading.
Zayaz, it’s all about expectations. Yours, obviously, were elevated by the hype and the delay, so it wouldn’t have mattered if it were labelled a one-shot, a special, or Planetary 147; your reaction to the story would have been the same. I have no particular fondness toward Ellis, but I do for the characters, and found this ending a fitting sendoff. If everyone is giving it a 4 or 5, while you give it a 2, it’s probably you who has approached reading this issue with the wrong mindset.
That reads with more hostility than was intended. Apologies. Me not so good with sentences.
It’s cool… Believe me, I’m really easy going, and it’s rare when I don’t like a book, this one just didn’t do it for me in story and in art.
@Zayaz – I understand your theory of Fan-Following behind Ellis, and ppl rating it high JUST because they love him. But I believe it’s an unjustified theory in this case, on this book.
I, for one, am someone who has both loved and loathed Ellis’ writing – the latter outweighing the former as of late. Although when Ellis does things right (ex. Transmetro, Fell, Authority, Iron Man Extremis) the man absolutely hits it out of the park, as he had done on this series – this entire series.
Those images of all the different versions of themselves looking upon whats unfolding – amazing! That’s a lasting moment. That’s a lasting image. That’s how a series makes an unforgettable conclusion. We often forget how hard it is to end a story and how it’s so seldom executed with proper impact and grace deserving of an entire series.