From the Mind of Warren Ellis - Red & Tokyo Storm Warning

A brief look at two stories from one mind, that of comic author and pulp culture icon Warren Ellis (of Planetary fame).

Red - Retired C.I.A. black ops killer gets the death sentence from a new official suit looking to promote a new image. Assassin takes out all that ruined his retirement. .I'm pretty sure I've read this before, or at least variations on the theme. There's much Tom Clancy, The Fugitive, and even some 1980's Arnold Schwarzenegger films to be found here. It is also hopelessly unrealistic. Sure, these are comic books, but not since a John Woo film have I seen so much ammunition and so much death to everybody but the main character, who just happens to take out a major governmental base unscathed. This is a single issue short story concept dragged out over 3 issues (or a single trade paperback if you choose), so the reader can see every bullet fired and the point of impact on every victim. That isn't to say Cully Hammer's artwork is bad to look at. In fact it reminds me a lot of Eduardo Risso's work on 100 Bullets. It's just that Warren Ellis doesn't give him enough interesting concepts to draw. It's a bland, stereotypical story that is too long for the concept, mediocre at best.

Tokyo Storm Warning - On the other hand, Tokyo Storm Warning gave me plenty to look at. It is homage to Japanese giant monster films, like Godzilla, Gamera and Daimajin. I had high hopes but also a massive amount of suspicion against Ellis to see if he could pull it off. You see, I'm a massive Japanese sci-fi and fantasy buff. I know these films. I also know Ellis is familiar with them, as he hinted at them in Planetary. Yet, so many lose sight of what makes that genre fun and how it works. Fortunately, Warren Ellis did it right. Giant monsters, giant robots to battle with the monsters, and an international cast make Tokyo Storm Warning a fun read. Ellis 'gets' it. He also chose a brilliant artist in James Raiz to bring it to life. Raiz infuses a manga style into a more traditional style while throwing in some wonderful (if not too close to the original) character designs of giant monsters attacking Tokyo. Tokyo Storm Warning feels too rushed! The ending (I won't spoil it here) is vague to the point of feeling like a cop-out. It also lacks characterization. No human drama here, but most won't care as they'll be here for the giant critters. Personally, I enjoyed the story more because it was homage to the giant monster genre.

Overall, I've found myself enjoying Ellis' bigger epics such as Planetary and Global Frequency over these vignettes he sometimes offers.