http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=11325
Writer/Artist: Warren Ellis, Colleen Doran
Publisher: Vertigo (DC), $24.95 HC & $17.95 SC
Why You Should Know It:
Orbiter is about the return of space shuttle Venture to Earth after it has been missing for ten years. In that time, spaceflight is now a dream as NASA has been scrapped and the Kennedy Space Center is now a squalid shanty town. The returned ship is missing all of it's crew except for one man and the now organic engine system it operates on. The main plot centers around the crew assembled to explain the disappearance of the ship and what it has returned to tell us.
Pic found here
Once again, if it has Warren Ellis' name on it you really don't have to try too hard to push this book on any fan of his. The other draw to this series is that Colleen Doran has a very loyal indy fan base from her work on A Distant Soil. Another draw is that this is a straight up hard science fiction book that draws a lot on Ellis' love for spaceflight and his general extropian themes that are present in a lot of his work (yeah, I had to look that word up).
Personal Review:
The story is definitely written from a point of passion, but I get the feeling that it centers more on the need to share an idea instead of a plot. I would prefer a strong plot be offered up with great characterization that pushes an idea to the reader, but instead it really does feel like an idea was had and a plot and characters built around it. It has a sense of wonder, but no substance to really give the wonder any additional meaning other than what your told it's supposed to have. My best example for the weakness of the characters is that once you are familiar with Ellis' works you will start to notice similar speech patterns and character types. The army man in charge of the team put together to discover the secrets of the Venture is essentially Snow from Planetary. Terry Marx, the physicist of the team, is essentially the Drummer from Planetary as well.
A lot of Ellis' work is idea based. I always get the feeling that's why most of his stories are short limited mini-series, like Ministry of Space, Mek, Red, and Reload. He just sits at his table and churns out these cool ideas, and then forms a story around them. There is nothing wrong with the style of writing, and I have enjoyed much of his work that he's published.
If you like this then try:
A Distant Soil, Switchblade Honey, Red, Ministry of Space, Planetary, Transmetropolitan
Related Links:
Printer-friendly version
