I was turned on to Ellis’s work by my blogging buddy, Beth. We did a buddy read of Transmetropolitan last year. Here’s a link to her great review here. When I saw this comic up on my Hoopla library app I downloaded it right away. Here’s my take on it:
Ten years have passed since a collection of alien edifices have struck all over the earth. They are very tall towers that have landed at seemingly random places all over the earth. In Svalbard, a tundra in the far north. A locked-down city in Urban China. A small town battling fascism in Italy. Unrest in Somalia. Several threads follow the lives of people living around the Trees. These alien made structures affect the world around them in way people can’t explain. Weird flowers growing close to the structure in the tundra. In China, a city has been quarantined and cultural programming doesn’t exist anymore; there is a sense of freedom for those who have chosen to live close to this apparent danger…
Things ramp up slowly in this story… I was waiting for something to happen. Y’know, a door to open, laser beams shooting, or something. But it takes a while for the main plot to begin. What the reader gets is a look into these many peoples’ interesting lives. I’m not saying that this wasn’t enjoyable, but it’s just not your usual alien invasion/ visit. It allows for some interesting topics to evolve. The ‘other,’ world and local politics, and freedom to exist are all central topics that are explored.
Read this one for a bit of a different take on the alien visit. There is other life out there, but what effect will it have on us?
Interesting idea explored here by Mr. Ellis. I’ll try it out someday for sure! Thanks for sharing, Paul!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It has mixed reviews, the pacing seemed a little off, but the concepts were interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person