Injection

Starting with some pretty art that I came across:

Russell Dauterman’s variant cover for something called Love Romances 1, out this week.  It’s not like the upside-down Spider-Man kiss is new, but his MJ is simply adorable, as is the rose behind the back.  I’d still be buying Thor if Dauterman had stayed on (can’t stand Mike Del Mundo), and can’t wait to see what he’s been doing on the upcoming Wars of the Realms event book.

Preview to the cover for Action Comics 1012.  Don’t know who did it, but it’s gorgeous:

Just the top three quarters would be great with the puffy clouds and iconic shot of Superman streaking across the sky, but the addition of the menacing red mist clawing towards him adds another level to it.  Top it off with the creepy hand emerging from the bottom and it’s something I’d like to hang up on a wall somewhere. The virtual symmetry on the vertical axis down the middle appeals greatly to me as well.

Injection 1-15

I may have lasted two issues when this came out on the newsstands.  (Not that I’ve ever purchased anything from a newsstand. I don’t think they’ve carried comics in decades, either.)  Typical Warren Ellis over-weirdness. I don’t even have them to re-read, I got rid of them before I had the chance.

But the collection of the full run (it’s been on hiatus for over a year) was at the library in an attractive hardcover edition, so I picked it up.  After all, Supreme: Blue Rose worked better the second time around, as did Wild Storm (which I still need to catch up on), so maybe recent Ellis just needs to be read all at once.  

Mmm...kind of.  It definitely works better as a collection, but it’s still not one of his stronger works.  Injection gives off strong Global Frequency vibes, but without the the disciplined focus of its generally self-contained issues.  There’s less resolution to each investigation, since it’s all tied together to the larger picture of the Injection.

It took me a little while before I figured out that the Injection is Ellis’ device for enabling whatever batshit crazy thing he wants to have happen, up to and including “The Adventure of The Elderly Ghost Sexer.”  It’s all tied to the Injection.

Okay, flipping through it again, I realize that Ellis spends five issues on each main arc, focusing a couple of team members at a time.  I like Vivek Headland the best - As the Sherlock Holmes analog, he’s the character I find the most interesting. Plus, his story is the one most grounded in some semblance of reality, even if it involves “the first known detective to forensically gather vaginal ectoplasm.”

I do imagine working with him would justifiably elicit such noises.

Declan Shalvey’s art is pretty good, well suited for Ellis’ style.  Some panels that stood out for me:

Holmsian silhouette against a modern skyline.  Nice.

Cute use of his shaman powers.

I’m more than pleased with my decision to stop buying this at an early stage, but I also didn’t find this reading of the whole thing to be a waste of time.  Win win.

Would buy? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Fine