Broken Frontier

Desolation is a man on a mission. At times, it is unclear even to him exactly what that mission is. But at least now the mission is complete...sort of.

In the sixth issue of Ellis’ title for the WildStorm "Signature Series," the first story arc comes to a very open-ended close. In the first issue, Desolation, whose rough life appears to have turned him into an unfeeling bastard, was seemingly given an assignment to retrieve a millionaire’s wayward daughter. Along the way, there have been many bumps and he has discovered some secret tape recordings of...well, you’ll have to see for yourself. The story has taken twists and turns unlike any other and issue #6 begins with Desolation retrieving these videos and going back to the millionaire’s house to deliver the daughter. Of course, in true Ellis style, nothing is as it seems and the bloody pandemonium that ensues will shock and delight.

Warren Ellis has me hooked like a junkie. I’ve always respected him as a writer, but with Desolation Jones, Ellis takes his readers down a bumpy, unsure path that tastes of his style but gives a little something extra as well.

If I wanted to like the comic book, which I was unsure of from the start, I definitely did not want to like the character. But by the end of this issue I couldn’t help but be fond of him, maybe even pity him. Desolation Jones belongs up there with Transmetropolitian as one of the greatest new comics of the century. After reading it, I look at the art form a little differently. While other comic books show us the surface imperfections of their heroes, this title shows every nook and cranny of nastiness a man can have, even if that man is trying to do the right thing. Heroes are not perfect and Desolation Jones is the most imperfect hero I have ever seen. He kills without restraint or sympathy. But there is a method to his madness. Something horrible happened to him when he was a child and he doesn’t want that to happen to anybody else—and if it already has, maybe those people are better off dead. He is a pure altruist. He is also one of the few new characters that captures my attention these days.

J.H. Williams captures the mood Ellis elicits with a keen hand and clearly, an even keener eye. The hero is brooding and moody with a sharp wit and a harsh view of the world. Williams’ art on this book is the same. His line work is heavy and dark. There is what some might consider an overabundance of shadows. But they would be wrong—the dark art on the book directly reflects the dark tale being told. And the painted panels and scenes contrasting the stark, dark lines of comic art make it even more fun to read because it helps emphasize the particularly important, gruesome, and/or disturbing scenes. The artistic feel of this book is not standard fair for mainstream comics these days—the colors are bleak—even going into grainy black and white at times—the images are hard and at times the scenes are difficult to look at. But because this book is what it is, that makes it even better.

After reading the first story arc I am left wondering what could happen next. And I can’t wait to find out.