The PLANETARY FAQ
This web site celebrates a great book. We want everyone, hard-core fans and newcomers alike, to be able to enjoy the subtle and not-so-subtle pleasures of PLANETARY. But be forewarned: in an effort to keep this site up to speed with all the current goings-on, nothing is held back here. Or, to put it another way, SPOILER ALERT!!
1) What is Planetary?
PLANETARY follows a group of "Mystery Archaeologists" as they try to uncover and piece together the hidden wonders of the world. Part of the difficulty of this task is the fact that there are those who want these wonders to stay hidden... at all costs. While the book is firmly rooted in the Wildstorm universe, there is much more going on in the world than could be gleaned from the other Wildstorm titles.
2) Is this that book where all the characters are stolen from other companies?
Part of the purpose of Planetary is to explore the last one hundred plus years of the super hero genre. Many of the characters who populate the stories and flashbacks of PLANETARY are meant to represent many of the most recognizable icons of heroic fiction, both from comic books and other heroic fiction, and the most common heroic themes. The characters in PLANETARY aren't meant to be spoofs or send-ups; this isn't MAD magazine. Ellis is simply saying, "What if all of these elements existed in the same universe... how would that work? What would happen as a result?" In many ways, Ellis is doing what fans always wished could happen. He's just digging deeper than the average fan who wonders if Superman could beat Captain Marvel in arm-wrestling. He's trying to bring it all together in a cohesive way.
3) Why isn't Planetary coming out regularly?
A combination of factors in 2001-2002 (Ellis' personal illness, a death in his family, DC scheduling quirks, artist John Cassaday's need to work on other projects to pay the bills) resulted in a lengthy drought in 2002, and an inconsistent release schedule in 2003. 2004 carried us through Issue 21, and 22 came out in January '05. Series artist John Cassaday is doing double duty at this writing, working on ax X-book besides Planetary, so the schedule is still somewhat up in the air.
4) How many issues will the series have?
The entire series was always intended to be finite, but Ellis has stated that the series will essentially conclude with issue 26, while a 27th issue will be released some time later as a coda to the series.
5) Who creates and publishes PLANETARY?
PLANETARY is written by Warren Ellis and drawn by John Cassaday, with colors by Laura Martin. Check the LINKS page for Wildstorm's home page to learn more about this outstanding creative team. PLANETARY is published by Wildstorm, which is owned by DC Comics.
6) Is this book related to Warren Ellis' other old WildStonm title, THE AUTHORITY?
Yes; there are similar themes, and some of the characters know each other. The books are both firmly grounded in the Wildstorm universe. Issues of THE AUTHORITY penned by Warren Ellis (issues 1-12, specifically) can add to your understanding of the events in PLANETARY, but PLANETARY is still a free standing title that can be enjoyed for its' own merits.
7) Is there any other place to read information about PLANETARY?
Check out the LINKS page for more sites discussing PLANETARY and Warren Ellis.
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