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Planetary, Volume 4: Spacetime Archaeology (2011)

by Warren Ellis(Favorite Author)
4.46 of 5 Votes: 3
ISBN
1845764978 (ISBN13: 9781845764975)
languge
English
genre
publisher
Titan Books Ltd
series
Planetary
review 1: A surprising, different end for what will ultimately end up being one of my favorite comic runs. The tone and idea of the story takes a decisive turn in this trade, which was ultimately necessary but still kind of strange given the more whimsical nature of some of the earlier stories. With that said, I was absolutely keyed in until the very end, so there's absolutely something to be said for that. Excellent read.
review 2: And so it ends, with the archaeologists of the impossible attempting to achieve the impossible.It became clear to me, in a way that it hadn't before, that Planetary is in many ways like X-Files; not only does it deal with the transnormal, and looking at the secrets hidden away under the surface of reality, but it's also primarily about inf
... moreormation, and power, and how both the hiding away and the sharing of information can be displays of power. At the same time, in the current volume it becomes difficult to avoid the metastoryline that has been running through Planetary, which is that Ellis is using the series to talk about the state of the comic book industry. The Four, the villains of the series, are quite obviously homages to Marvel's Fantastic Four (four adventures who are the first humans into space, and who come back with powers of elasticity, invisibility, energy projection, and inhuman strength), but it goes deeper than that, with the characters realizing that their universe is a two-dimensional plane composed of information.I suppose in that regard it's like X-Files, as well, in that it began by servicing two relatively distinct groups of fans - those who watched for the "monster of the week" stories, and those that were interested in the larger mythos of the planned alien invasion and the government's role in it. In both cases, I think people who weren't there for the larger story left disappointed, but in both cases I think those are the most important bits.All told, Planetary remains an amazing series - by far Ellis' best work, and essential reading for anyone who's interested in pulp fiction, comic books as an art form, or in keeping the world weird. less
Reviews (see all)
jess
The "Planetary" saga ends too soon with another solid installment that utilizes the tremendous potential of this delightful concept. The series goes out with style but way too soon; there isn't enough momentum here for a true grande finale so the volume does what it has to, no more, no less. The volume still feels fresh, as it combines a grand narrative to individually contained stories and doesn't yet go ahead full speed with the main arch. It's difficult to grasp that this is truly all there is to a series that feels like it could have grown into anything. And again we get magnificent sci-fi ideas that are sadly utilized only as components in shorter stories, although excellent stories at that.It's very apparent in these pages that "Planetary" was a sporadically published series. That is a shame as it's Ellis at his most creative. What might have been a wonderful epic saga is now a well written miniseries, a long graphic novel if you will, but one with the feel of an anthology. Frustrating, but extremely accomplished.
Jess1413ica
Arqueólogos del universo tratando de descubrir las historia secretas del Siglo XX. No soy fan de los comics pero debo admitir que Planetary me gustó mucho. Una historia que combina de manera suprema un montón de cosas: viajes a través del Multiverso, física quántica, el principio holográfico, referencia a ciertos héroes icónicos de los comics, Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes, extraterrestre, manipulación de la información, etc. Cuando lo terminé de leer sólo se me vino a la mente una cosa: fue increíble."It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way."
rubi_cereso
So effing good it hurts. I'm sincerely disappointed that it is over.
rebecca
The only complaint is that it took too long.
vicky
continued woot
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