Absolute Planetary – Scott A. Story

Hello.

I’ve had a head cold, and it’s taken me out of commission for a couple of weeks. Benita had it first, and she’s finally well (pretty much) after about two weeks. So, I don’t have any new YouTube videos in production, nor any painting I’m currently engaged in. I have had time to watch and read, and that’s been particularly enjoyable.

I’m re-reading Planetary, this time in the beautiful Absolute Edition, by Ellis, Cassaday, and Depuy. I’ve long been troubled by Warren Ellis’ social cancelation, but there’s no reason to dig into that. That’s a really old story, and it is what it is. John Cassaday was a visionary artist whom was taken from us much too soon, and Laura Depuy and her stunning colors make this book gorgeous. I’m not joking. I’ve interacted with her on the social networks, and she’s a kind and very human presence, but her tasteful storytelling with color and tone are beyond wonderful. Obviously, I didn’t tell her this in my very limited interactions with her, because no one wants to fawned over. But, it’s true. There is greatness there.

Planetary is a master class in meta-fiction. Ellis paints a grim, atheistic world of unbound capitalist and military expansion where it seems only bastards with cynical, cruel hearts may navigate effectively. I know that’s not much of a selling point, but there is more to it.

As a meta-fictional world, all the pop-culture of our world is real in Planetary, but usually subverted. From the Kaiju movies, to comic books, Asian Cinema, B-Movies, pulp fiction, it’s all there. It’s deftly woven together into a sad narrative that feels larger than a comic series in its own right could. Alan Moore and Grant Morrison have pulled off this kind of cultural apotheosis before, but few other writers have managed it. There are other writers who have produced outstanding meta-fictional monoliths, like Michael Moorcock, and maybe Mark Millar or Philipe Jose Farmer, but for me the big three have to be Ellison, Moore, and Morrison.

Okay, if you know, then you know. I’m not out to convince any one of anything. Move along, now.

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Scott Story

Scott Story is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist who lives in the Midwestern USA. He has been involved in the comic industry since 1992, and webcomics since 2004. He has drawn comics for dozens of publishers including Image, Amp, Arrow, Digital Webbing, Arcana, Spinner Rack Comics, and many others.

Scott is known for the rich detail, clever storytelling, and organic quality to his art. As a cartoonist, Scott is an all-purpose creator– he writes, pencils, inks, colors, letters and designs. Scott Story has also done advertising art; covers for books, CDs and tabletop games; movie, event and concert posters; interior art for tabletop games; logos and website graphics; and a wide range of other media. Scott was trained in traditional media, such as acrylics and water colors, but now he divides his time between the traditional and digital art worlds. He is in demand for his digital painting skills, used on covers, posters and prints.

As the creative director of Story Studios LLC., he has published two graphic novels, Johnny Saturn: Synns of the Father, and Johnny Saturn: Homeland Insecurity, with two more in the process of being completed. Story Studios has also published seventeen comics, a sketchbook, and a pinup book. He has written articles for Blueline Pro’s Sketch Magazine, and prose stories for print anthologies and the web. His webcomic, Johnny Saturn, is a past winner of the Webcomics Readers Choice Awards, and Scott was a speaker at the prestigious Graphic Engagement academic conference hosted by the Purdue University Comparative Literature Program.

Scott is a member of the Indy Webcomic Group, and he was the creator and a founding member of the highly successful Collective of Heroes, a juried collective of indie superhero webcomics.