Planetary Vol. 4: Spacetime Archaeology [Hardcover]

At long last, the final volume of Warren Ellis and John Cassaday's "Planetary" has arrived in stores. Collecting the final issues of the series, #19-27, the stories here were published over a span of several years, with the final #27 coming out years after the previous issue. "Planetary" began in 1999, when Ellis was heavily involved in the original Wildstorm imprint, but has since detached (Wildstorm has gone through so many changes since then that it's hard to recognize it as the same place it was when Ellis was still writing within that continuity). Some spoilers follow.

"Planetary" started out as an issue-by-issue examination of different genres of fiction in the 20th century, and gradually transitioned into the story of the struggle between the Planetary investigative organization and the malevolent Four, Ellis' paper-thinly-veiled take on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, here positioned as the secret masters of the world, hoarding scientific knowledge for themselves. The previous volume ended with the capture of the pseudo-Human Torch, William Leather. Here, Elijah Snow and his team proceed to deal with the others: Randall Dowling (Reed Richards), Kim Suskind (Susan Richards), and Jacob Greene (Ben Grimm; the name is a tip to Jacob Kurtzberg, aka Jack Kirby). The original genre deconstruction largely falls by the wayside here, apart from an issue offering a spin on the Lone Ranger.

Characterization has always been secondary in "Planetary", though the various leads are all written with Ellis' trademark amusing style, an often odd mix of cynicism and heart-on-the-sleeve idealism. The resolution of the conflict with the Four is adequate, though it depends on callbacks to stories published much, much earlier this decade, so it may strain the memory (it might be advisable to reread the first three volumes before reading the fourth). The art by John Cassaday is customarily lovely, if not always visceral. There are a couple of affecting scenes, though Ellis doesn't linger on them.

A solid ending to the series.

This is the hardcover collection of the last several Planetary comics. First, if you are familiar with Planetary, then you know how wonderful this alternate earth comic is. Warren Ellis is a master storyteller and Cassaday's just shines on the extra thick stock pages. The format truly honors the loving work that has been put into this story.

Now for those who know the story, this is simply a collection of the comics. There isn't new material nor is there any real additional work. However, the workmanship of the hardcover is wonderful. The binding is strong, the pages are thick and feel good in the hands. Most of all, the artwork just pops off the page. This is a lovely end cap to the series.

If you've never read planetary, getting the 4 volume story is very much worthwhile. If you've read Planetary but would like something more solid and beautiful, you should also pick up this book. Really its truly an outstanding collectible.

I fondly remember borrowing the first 3 trades of this fantastic series a few years ago from a friend, and absolutely loving it. When I saw the fourth recently hit the shelves, I wondered about going back through the series again. I was going to wait for this volume to come in softcover, but decided that I could not wait, as it may not even happen this year.

It was worth the purchase. Despite being only 27 issues long, much like 'Watchmen', it feels longer than that. Maybe it is John Cassaday's luscious artwork which almost compels you to stop and take a third or fourth look. It could be Warren Ellis' pacing and plot, which make the books feel like a high quality TV drama; there are great one-off issues, which are well encapsulated stories, but there's also a great, over-arcing plot line which comes to a strong resolution.

Much like a good BBC show, it is succinct and sweet, leaving the reader with just enough to enjoy the time they spent in Elijah Snow's world.