There are, at the least, dozens of comics-related opinion columns for you to peruse each week on the Internet. If you're of a mind to, you could probably spend all day reading the well known ones, then a few more hours scouring the search engines for less prominent writers. And of course, 90 percent of them will be crap.
Well, it's the Internet. So, let's make it 95 percent.
One of the most compelling comics columns in the short history of the Internet was Warren Ellis's Come In Alone, a year-long weekly rant on the industry that was seen on Comic Book Resources. The column has now been compiled into a trade paperback published by AiT/Planetlar, a publisher with an astonishingly high percentage of quality comics publications. Well, here's another one.
The column, and thus the book, are compelling for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that from the outset, Ellis planned to end the column after a year.
He seems to like to do that. His Authority and Transmetropolitan either had or have limited runs that Ellis announced at the outset. In a world where creators and companies like to squeeze their properties untill they are bone dry and utterly bereft of quality, energy or entertainment, Ellis's propensity to well-defined endings comes off as a kindness. And it serves him well.
I read Come in Alone during its year-long run, and generally enjoyed seeing what Ellis had to say. He could be petulant and depressing at times, but comics is an industry that encourages petulance and depression, so you can hardly blame Ellis for that. The real strength of the column was the author's keen observational skills and blunt willingness to spew forth what he sees as the truth, seemingly unafraid of alienating potential employers, or even hurting the feelings of his professional colleagues. We need more truth, and more people willing to confront both the deceivers and the deceived with its raw power.
As a permanent record, the new collection from Ait/Planetlar is invaluable. Readers will see Ellis's year-long attempt to transform the artform into something worthwhile, as he goes early on from suggestions and manifestos, to the final column, where he points out that a seeming resurgence (through Marvel's Ultimate line) really spells doom for quality, creator-driven material.
Ellis knows his way around the industry, having toiled at any number of companies, including DC, Marvel and Image. Some of the most worthwhile information collected here includes his advice on creating and promoting comics, and his interviews with pals like Mark Millar and Grant Morrison.
The book is written as if its author loves the comics form, and yet knows the snake is eating its own tail. The acknowledgement of the industry's self-destructive impulses does nothing to quench the rage, though, and pieces such as "The Old Bastard's Manifesto," point the way for any reader willing to give up their Iron Man collection because the book simply sucks bilge water and move on to something worthwhile. Vote with your wallets, Ellis advises, and at a time when mediocrity and innovation are racing neck and neck toward the finish line, there has never been better advice, and never a better writer to give it.
Note: My Rich Johnston moment: I'm auctioning some books off on eBay to make space in my apartment. It's either this or sell off one of the kids. CLICK HERE to see my auction listings.