Keeping the World Strange

Never have I been more grateful to have to had go back and pull back issues to catch up on the story.

This past week, the long-awaited Planetary # 27 - the "final" issue of the series - made its way to comic stores everywhere. It's been so long, I had asked the manager of my comics store if I should bother putting it on my pull list. (His response - he had "heard" there was another issue coming out, but he agreed about waiting).

If I gush lovingly about this series, it's because of the way it takes all sorts of influences - superheroes, pulps, science fiction - and creates a whole new tapestry, writing about how a "hidden" history is gradually unearthed. Issue # 27 serves, in a way, as Warren Ellis' and John Cassaday's coda to the main series...but also is a nice little self-contained story that, even if you're not familiar, would get to enjoy.

(And to demonstrate how long lived the series was....it started back in 1999. No foolin')

It's a tale involving time travel, a lost member of the team, and more importantly, it really provides a sense of closure. It's been so long since we (and I) have seen Elijah Snow, Jakita, and the Drummer in action. It's a pretty cool tale with some excellent concepts, and at the end, I have to admit...I hated the fact that there would be no more Planetary, but maybe that's beside the point - better to go off on a high point than to keep publishing a character just for the sake of doing so.

Granted, the only complaint I have is that, for a good chunk of time, the series was not being published (both Ellis and Cassaday were working on other projects, if memory serves). But for being a great ending issue - as well as, ironically, an excellent self-contained story - Planetary 27 shows that good things come to those who wait. Especially if they wait ten years.

(Note - I'll definitely have to visit my favorite comic shop in St. Louis while I'm there to get the trades of back issues. If you're new to the series, I'll make the trades available via the Amazon store. Trust me, if you haven't read Planetary before - you will really love this comic).