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Underground > Comic Books >

Planetary #19

21:01 / 26.03.04

'strue. preview's up here.

Thought you guys might like ta know.

m.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

08:36 / 27.03.04

If they're up to issue 19 does that mean a trade of the first half of year two might be out soon? I got the Planetary crossovers trade the other week. The Authority one is the best, with lovely lovely Jiminez art, the JLA is awful and the Batman one is fair to middling. There, capsule review at no extra cost.

08:52 / 27.03.04

of the three crossovers I found batman issue the least worst - its an overgrown regular issue which has been supersized to do extrqa damage to your wallet for not much extra fun.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

10:54 / 27.03.04

The Planetary/Authority one is a little awkward as I don't think the Authority can exist in the same world that the Four inhabit (though bare in mind I've only read the two TPBs so I don't know if this is addressed elsewhere). If Planetary could find out about them then the Authority sure as hell would have, connected through Bendix as they are. With the possible exception of all the other superhero teams being freaked out by a team of mutants in the freaking Secret War way back in the day I don't think any team ups really work when you consider the different cosmologies each book has.

The Batman one is fun though.

But what's the point of doing a crossover between Planetary and the JLA if you're then going to do an Elseworlds at the same time and make every character completely different? This is the weakness of the concept, you don't learn anything about Superman or Elijah Snow if you make them completely different people.

19:01 / 27.03.04

So do we think the title is just to underline the fact that Ministery of Space is also coming soon?

20:26 / 27.03.04

Well, I do think "MYSTERY in space" is intended as a little bit of a joke. I laughed, at least.

As far as CROSSING WORLDS went, I thought the Bats one was okay, if disposable, The Authority was good (and also struck me as giving Ellis his chance to finally point out that the Authority are basically an unlikeable buncha fascists).

And, yeah, the JLA one was pretty ropey. If I had gotten to script doctor it (which there is no reason I would've) I woulda suggested that he re-write it with Elijah Snow recruiting an Elseworlds version of the three JLA heroes to go up against The Four. That would've been kind of fun.

I think Clark Kent would look badass in a "white suit". Bad. Ass.

17:12 / 01.04.04

*BUMP*

Wait...No one is talking about this?

WHY?

It was just so, breathtaking.

20:47 / 01.04.04

I liked it

. Low key in parts, but also finally drawing together some of threads from previous issues.
Loved the Angels and even though Galactus left me kind of cold, the various tribes and animals worshipping or eating his corpse was nice touch. Inside the artifact had a real sense of scale, widescreen almost

.
Now I want to see what all this is building up to and what's so important about what Greene looks like.

21:12 / 01.04.04

Breathtaking? I wouldn't have said so. The art is lovely but, for me, the joy fell out of this comic when the schedule got shot to hell. Wasn't this supposed to be the title that was all about the pop? Where every issue was the equivilent of the 3minute single? If you didn't like the last one there will be another along momentarily. Wasn't it also supposed to be a comic that drew a line under the 20th century before we moved into the 21st?

Despite what it might sound like I'm not trying to attack Planetary for its poor publishing record of late.However, I do think its decelerated schedule has had an adverse effect on how it reads, This issue also saw our 3 main characters sit in a room and spout expository information while John Cassaday's art carries the narrative. I just could help but feel decidedly underwhelmed by the whole thing. But, y'know YMMV.

22:36 / 01.04.04

Cassady, like Hitch, gets his writer out of an awful lotta critical examination.

That said, this ish is at least 5x as good as the last'n.

I liked it as much as any since the return. Even the 'Heart of Darkness' one, which was really quite tasty.

HERE BE NO DRAGONET

14:22 / 02.04.04

the story was great (the best since #15), but Cassaday, i don't know, is loosing hand to draw Jakita. It's my impression or her face is getting the shape of an egg? Look at issue #1 and this last ones...
but for the rest of the comic he still is a pencil-god.

16:18 / 02.04.04

Didn't notice the whole metafiction angle on first run-through - Drummer's bit of exposition.

I'm a total sucker for that.

11:01 / 04.04.04

yur - so elly thinks the pulps, gold'n'silvers are fine but things went nasty wrong with the mighty age of marvels? suspect (hope) he'll undercut this assumption when we meet a curious bug/boy hybrid in a couple ishs time. was a bit confused though - the humes are like fleas or tics to the fossil god? are they evolving visibly as they emerge from his mouth and migrate down the feet? or is the mouth simply the ape habitat, and the shelter of the feet that of the settling-folk? perhaps second readthru will help.

other good bits (great ish all round i thought):

surfer = angels yes
the galactic destroyer = wellspring of new life yes
'the rendlesham forest event' yes
got a vibe that smelled like the mummified beastie from alien as well - always welcome.

the thing's appearance, along with the question of what happened to the fictional lifeform from #9 (which may well go unanswered, left to more figurative interpretations), is one of the big dramatic reveals that planetary's been threatening from early on. expect a big ruck, and three dead angels.

11:26 / 04.04.04

So, wait--I haven't seen the issue yet--but is Ellis recycling the "God (i.e. Galactus) found dead in orbit of Mars" riff he came up with in RUINS?

11:31 / 04.04.04

sort of, yes. bit more satisfyingly though.

12:16 / 04.04.04

Hmm random thought Rendelsham Forest Event, that's popped up before in an Authority issue hasn't it? Any significance beyond a word stuck in his head and reused?

12:36 / 04.04.04

rendlesham is the uk's ufo activity hotspot, our area 51.

rising and revolving

07:38 / 05.04.04

I think the clearest message sent by this issue is "The Drummer is the most powerful superhuman on the planet. He just doesn't know it yet."

And while that message has been sent subtly in the past, it's here that it's stated openly and blatently.

Reality is constructed of information.

The Drummer manipulates information.

There's no more that needs saying.

13:57 / 05.04.04

Am I the only one who thought that panel of the faux Galactus' leg bent at the knee meant he was actually getting up somehow? Cause in the establishing shot of him, the perspective on his left leg (right, from our perspective) looks like it's bent but not that severely bent. I know he's dead, of course, cause they tell me in the dialogue right after we see the bent knee. And I see that the bent knee shot I speak of shows trees and stuff stuck to his leg, but it just threw for me a little bit. Anyone?

16:19 / 16.04.04

The art left me breathless.

The writing is average as usual but I'm beginning to look forward to the next issue of Planetary again.

23:22 / 16.04.04

Hello, haven't really potsed here before, but have been reading quite a bit. Managed to pick up the latest Planetary recently, and just wanted to point something out.

It's the part where Kweldon(?) is going on about reality being a hologram, and the drummer's bit where he's explaining how individuals born on such and such a date are like guardians for the rest of the 'herd'. Both concepts looooong addressed in the Invisibles, the former when King Mob and Ragged Robin visits the Invisible College, and the latter being the whole concept of invisible cells and their role of saving humanity.

Just felt it a bit odd for Warren Ellis to be doing something that's already been done before. But then again, there *is* the surfer/galactus comparison...

10:39 / 28.04.04

Just read this and thought it was great.

I have a confession to make. I didn't get the Galactus/Silver Sufer connection.
Me am slow.

Yes, the hologram thing was a bit Morrisonian but not explained very well. I don't know if Ellis was deliberatly being unclear or if he just didn't write that bit very well, but Morrison managed to get his "Universe-as-hologram" idea across much more successfully.

Reality is constructed of information.

The Drummer manipulates information.

There's no more that needs saying.

Y'see, I missed that as well. But yes. Gods, yes.

23:03 / 29.04.04

A neat play on 'Rendezvous with Rama' methinks. Though I thought the dead alien was a thanos analogue rather than a Galactus one. But I guess the 'Galactus + Taa II' thing does work better... Eihter way a kirby/marvel-esque 'cosmic' scale dude, lol!

12:15 / 30.04.04

Does anyone else think Snow is analoging for Dr. Doom in terms of a man of vast intelligence, resources and cunning setting himself up against The Four?

12:31 / 30.04.04

The drummer dosent manipulate information, he just relays it ?

Also how would he defeat the Doctor ?