Planetary vol 1: All Over The World And Other Stories back

Sublime science fiction at its most imaginative.

Planetary is a research organisation whose field team consists of three metahumans. Together they excavate weird science left behind in the last century - nasty stuff of man's own making or beautiful creations from elsewhere - just as Ellis excavates (and occasionally desecrates) comicbook history, plundering it for (and warping it to) his own narrative ends. He incorporates archetypes from Doc Savage to Tarzan, nods towards the Godzilla films, rips the piss out of Vertigo (watch out for the red and green glasses!) and you wait until you see his inversion of the Fantastic Four. As the series kicks off Elijah Snow is invited to lead the field team unaware that he's done so before, then as it progesses there's a gradual coalescence of previous, seemingly unconnected events, into the revelation of the identity and whereabouts of their mysterious Fourth Man.

Majestic visuals, with considered space and timing, and the most glorious colouring as seen especially in the shift-ship they discover deep underground consisting of fluted gold pillars and crystal.