I’m feeling really accomplished right now. I’ve turned in my very first book and I’m quite proud of everyone involved in the process. All of the essayists were absolutely fantastic, but it wasn’t until I saw Ean Moody’s cover that it really hit home for me. This book is done (with the exception of a few edits here and there, of course).
Today’s post is going to be a reflection over Planetary, but before I get started, here are the necessary links that you should click.
Keeping the World Strange: A Planetary Guide - Sequart’s book page
- Please please please please click “like” and tell all your friends!
The Bleeding Cool announcement – Check it out and also comment on the forums about how excited you are for it!
In the months before Christmas of 2002, I found myself at Vintage Stock with my mom when she informed me that I needed to pick out some things for my Christmas gifts. While I briefly wondered at why I would have my gifts bought in front of me only to unwrap them months later, I didn’t question it, so I scurried off through the store and returned with a giant talking Ash from Army of Darkness, a few rare video games and the first two Planetary hardcovers. I had never read the comic, but I remembered that Wizard magazine had run a story about the different easter eggs in the comic, so I thought I would give it a shot.
I remember finishing those two trades and being severely confused by the ending. Sure, the Fourth Man had been discussed in passing before, but I didn’t understand why it really mattered. I loved the artwork and I appreciated all of the in-jokes, but I felt like I was missing out on something – as if there was an elusive something between the panels that I kept missing. Still, I was really excited for the next trade and I was sure that it would be out soon.
Three years later.
Finally getting my hands on Planetary Vol. 3 was a thrilling moment. Again, I loved the action, and how Ellis deftly crafted a world where every sci-fi/fantasy genre could co-exist with one another, but I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had the full story . . . which only took five more years.
When issue 26 of Planetary came out, I was working at a comic book store and I thought it was the final issue. I went out of my way to avoid any spoilers but I had to know if it was the last issue and a friend of mine said, “It certainly seemed like a final issue.” Of course, it wasn’t the last issue because I would have to wait three years for the last issue. Everyone told me that I should just buy the individual issues to get my fix, but those issues were expensive and really hard to find.
Before reading the final hardcover, I wondered if all of these years of waiting were worth it. Halfway through the book, I realized that not only was Planetary an amazing series, but it demanded to be explored further. Thus, Keeping the World Strange was born.
Planetary is a love letter to the entire history of science-fiction and fantasy. If you haven’t read it, you really should. Even if you’re relatively new to comics, Planetary is a perfect book. Each reference is a gateway to an entire genre and therefore, a new aspect of pop culture. It’s a like a field guide to the world of sci-fi wrapped up in a mysterious plot about the secret history of the universe.
Honestly, Planetary is an anomaly in the world of comic books. It features characters that are familiar to readers because they are archetypes from comics history, it is set within the Wildstorm Universe (a fact that many forget), almost every issue is stand-alone with a few bits of a larger plot seeping through and finally, it took so damn long to come out that it’s amazing so many people stuck with it.
Before I bring this post to a close, I have to thank all of the people who contributed to Keeping the World Strange and give my readers a little taste of what they can expect.
Tim Callahan – No one knows comic book history quite like Tim, so he was perfect to talk about the Vertigo issue of Planetary.
Julian Darius – The king of revisionism, Julian’s essay tackles the realism and the fantastic of the series. Also, due to the somewhat confusing nature of the series, Julian put together a reading order.
A. David Lewis – Discusses the archetype of the man in the white suit.
Patrick Meaney – Tackles the subject of decompression in the series.
Chad Nevett – Nevett knows detective fiction, so he tackles the mystery behind Planetary and also discusses the crossovers.
Ross Payton – There is no one in this world who cares for monsters as much as Ross does, and his essays shares his love.
Andy Richardson – Andy’s essay discusses the characters of the series and perfectly captures why they are so unique.
Peter Sanderson – One of the greatest comics scholars today, Peter discusses the function of superteams in the series and how they tackle the issue of saving the world.
Caleb Stokes – Popgun Chaos contributor and one of the smartest people I know has put together a masterful essay about futures studies within Planetary.
Kevin Thurman – The Snowflake is an elusive and beautiful metaphor for the series and Kevin tackles this metaphor from many different angles.
Finally, my essay is about Planetary‘s relationship with the WildStorm universe.
Once again, I’d like to thank Julian Darius and Mike Phillips for being so patient through this process and giving me the shot to put this together.
And finally, I’d like to thank Ean Moody for being an ultimate professional, for being able to go above and beyond with everything I wanted for the cover, and for putting together an absolutely stunning cover. Seriously, I love it so so so so so very much!
Looking back, I can’t believe I waited so long for Planetary to come out, but I’m glad I did.
Great post! Love the contents list.
It’s always a thrill to see the covers come in. Makes it feel real.
Your work’s over, but Sequart’s work on the back end has just begun!
But you deserve great praise for how professionally you edited this book, as well as your timely delivery! And I’m glad to see the contributors getting their just praise too.