Ellis almost begins our journey with a chronological start point for superhero comics, a visit with one of the pulp heroes of the Wildstorm universe. In its pages, we get the recruiting of Elijah Snow as well as his first case that takes the team to a strange lair hidden away in the Adirondack Mountains. The first issue of Planetary is probably one of the best tone-setting comics I’ve ever read. In the meantime, Warren Ellis uses his premise to explore comic book/fantasy/science fiction tropes from a critical viewpoint. As the series unfolds, we learn bits and pieces about the history of Planetary, and by the end of this volume, the identity of the Fourth Man is revealed. In the opening pages of the first issue, Wagner recruits Elijah Snow, a Millennium baby, one of a select few humans born on January 1, 1900, that were imbued by the planet with extraordinary powers. The group is funded by an unseen Fourth Man, but the face is primarily Jakita Wagner and The Drummer. Planetary is a global organization that calls themselves “Archaeologists of the Impossible” with the goal of uncovering the secret history of the world. This is a place where superheroes, monsters, aliens, and everything fantastical exists, but it has left a dark toll on humanity. The protagonist is shrouded in mystery, and the world as it unfolds one chapter at a time is mysterious and wondrous. The dominant pervading feeling you get from the opening issues of Planetary is Mystery. However, what I did read was so powerful it has resonated with me for 20 years, and I decided it was time to go back to Planetary and read the series in its entirety. This was the first comic book work from Warren Ellis I was ever exposed to, but at the time, I wasn’t able to keep up with the series.

Planetary, Volume 1 by Warren Ellis