Series Review: Planetary #5

Welcome to another installment of Billy & Mandy’s weekly series review of Planetary, the best book you’ve never read about the super hero genre! We’ll be reviewing each and every issue, beginning with #1 and plowing all the way through to #27, whenever the hell that bastard ships. If you’re just joining us, it’s not too late to get on the ground floor. You can find the previous installment here.

WARNING: SPOILERS!!! If you don’t want to be spoiled, please read the issue before continuing. Or, read it along with us! We welcome your comments and hope that you enjoy ours.

 

Mandy: In Issue 5, we get a conversation between Mr. Sexypants Axel Brass and the coolest guy around, Elijah Snow. It seems these guys go way back and are possibly the same breed of awesome man? Snow tells Brass that he doesn’t necessarily trust the people that he works for and Brass has some advice if Snow is going to go hunting for the truth. BOOM. Briefest recap ever.

Billy: I feel like this series is so good, that we aren’t actually reviewing these books… we’re just kind of squeeing about the awesome.

Mandy: You just said squee.

Billy: So, anyway, lots of clues in this one. I guess we can kind of go page by page. Why doesn’t Snow know Brass? Or, why doesn’t Brass know Snow… or does he?

Mandy: Because they erased his memory? It seems like they were maybe contemporaries? Like Snow could have been there but he was caught up doing something else?

Billy: Of course, you had no idea who Jenny Sparks was… I should let you borrow the Stormwatch issues that came out before this series to give you an idea of what it means to know Jenny Sparks.

Mandy: She a ho?

Billy: HAH. No, I guess I made it sound that way though?

Mandy: Yeah, you did.

Billy: I love the silent panel after Brass says he could have handled being told the truth about it being 1999. It makes you want to snuggle him. John Cumberland, “The High”, is also from the same story as Jenny Sparks.

Mandy: So basically what you’re saying is that I was unprepared to fully comprehend this issue and that it’s your fault? Awesome. Good looking out, boss.

Billy: There are about three trades you need to read to prepare you for all the intrigue.

Mandy: I’M ALWAYS READY FOR INTRIGUE.

Billy: But not really, though. As a casual reader, the Jenny and High stuff doesn’t really factor into the main plot. I don’t think he ever mentions it again. I think it’s just there for us to understand how big the world of Planetary actually is.

Mandy: Well awesome.

Billy: What did you think of all the prose? Was that your favorite part? I love that there are characters called “The Murder Colonels”.

Mandy: Yes. I was just going to bring that up.

Billy: Well, bring it up then…

Mandy: Hey Billy, you know what I really want to talk about? The fact that Ellis incorporates pages of prose into the narrative structure of this issue…

Billy: HAHA. And why did you like it so much?

Mandy: OBV NO PICTURES, er, except when there were pictures. Also, Anna Hark = HOTNESS

Billy: How about Snow asking Brass about all this conspiracy shit? And Brass has been in a mountain for 50 years, so how the hell would he know, right? Or maybe, do you think Snow was sort of interrogating Brass in a round about way?

Mandy: Well, on the one hand, he’s the dumbness. I feel like he knows there are things that he should know but doesn’t. He always talks to people like he doesn’t trust anyone.

Billy: What did you think when Brass said all that jive about “secret agendas”?

Mandy: Right now, when he isn’t sure he can trust Jakita and Drums, I think he’s looking for answers without having to give too much.

Billy: Do you think he suspects Jakita as the 4th man? That would seem obvious based on his “I wonder” comment.

Mandy: I’m honestly not sure. I mean, how much of this stuff did you figure out the first time around?

Billy: I thought it might be Jakita… but that seemed too obvious. I don’t know. I’ve read this issue upwards of 10 times, so… but I do know that I did think Brass knew more than he was letting on.

Mandy: Yes. I definitely think so too.

Billy: Just by the way he asks all those questions in that one panel. He’s kind of guiding Snow, letting him know how to pursue his answers and stuff.

Mandy: And Brass… he knows more about Snow than Snow knows. Don’t you think so?

Billy: Yes, I think based solely on this issue, one could say Brass knows Snow… but he isn’t letting on. Oh hey, my favorite panel from the whole issue, and the one that is most memorable, is the one where we get a close-up shot of Brass, laying on the hillside and he says “Glories”.

Mandy: Because you love his face?

Billy: There’s just something about that word, how and when it’s delivered that just resonates with everything that is good and fun about comics.

Mandy: I can see that. The last panel of Snow made me sad though…

Billy: Yeah, the next page with the black and white image of Brass and friends gaying out about how awesome they are… and Snow is all emo. It’s like Snow totally missed the point of having powers.

Mandy: Yes. WHAT WAS HE BUSY DOING? I hope he was just exploiting his powers to get booze and girls.

Billy: Snow’s kind of like this messiah figure. Brass and Co. are like these false prophets, doing it for the glories and the girls, you know? And poor little Snow, he’s like Jesus, all sad and shit, because he’s the real deal and he knows it’s not about the glory, it’s about the horrible fucking pain that’s in store for him. I mean, why else does he wear white, if he isn’t the Christ figure?

Mandy: Hmm. Interesting idea.

Billy: What do you think the significance of the prose sections is? Ellis wouldn’t just toss that in there for the English majors, would he?

Mandy: It was like Easter eggs. Like you may have flipped past it on your first read.

Billy: I totally did. I knew they were important, but I had no clue why. I thought it might just have been kind of his way of showing their origin stories. Hey, based on the last 5 issues, what fictional book do you think those pages are excerpted from?

Mandy: Oh MAN. See, I knew I should have been paying attention.

Billy: Don’t worry, he lets you know where the pages are from. By the middle of the series, you’ll wish Ellis would publish the fictional book as a real book.

Mandy: I ALREADY WISH HE WOULD.

Billy: Dude, is Doc Brass sexier than ever, even with the clumpy legs?

Mandy: Dude, question!

Billy: NO, time’s up!

Join us next Monday when Ellis and Cassaday finally give us our first glimpse at the real horrors of the 20th Century. If you haven’t read Planetary, you can pick up the trades at your local shop or order them online from Amazon.com at the following link:

Planetary Vol. 1: All Over the World and Other Stories

Tags: John Cassaday, Planetary, Warren Ellis, Wildstorm