Customer Reviews

Ocean

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fast-moving, compelling graphic novel, collecting a 6-part series in which a 22nd Century UN weapons inspector is sent to one of Jupiter's moons to investigate what turns out to be a rather ominous finding. Along the way, he butts up against an evil corporation which also has its eyes on the deadly technology... There are obvious echoes of the "Aliens" film series, but these similarities won't make this book any less enjoyable. A good, brisk script, backed up by top-notch artwork.

Recommended!

I had seen the 1st volume of this 6-part graphic novel and was intrigued. the 1st 3 volumes are interesting, and as often happens in this genre, there is a cool idea that gets the process going, then the rest of the story needs to be worked out. this great concept, of an exploratory team finding a billion-year-old, hidden civilisation in deep freeze in the ocean of europa, is never fully developed, and instead of learning about this culture, the story becomes a dreary conflict between a clever, witty weapons inspector and an insane space station commander. the series ends abruptly, without much resolution to the more interesting and engaging story lines involving the alien race and their purpose. warren must have got bored or distracted by another project.

Ocean finds Warren Ellis' penchant for mad ideas and love of space colliding once again. In the future, UN weapons inspector Nathan Kane is dispatched to a space station that has made a shocking discovery. Beneath the ocean of the moon Europa are thousands of caskets containing the sleeping bodies of a violent alien race with weapons powerful enough to destroy the planet, but this isn't the worst of the matter. Powerful software corporation DOORS (in a delicious turn on Microsoft's Windows) has their own intentions for the weapons, and their insane and amoral supervisor is leading the charge. As with his other original stories, Ocean is ripe with ideas and themes that fans who have read Ellis' work would come to expect, with smart and snappy dialogue and action scenes that are nicely choreographed, thanks to the superb art of Chris Sprouse. While it never reaches the level of Ellis' other space operas, Orbiter in particular, Ocean is still one of the best and original sci-fi comics you'll find around today, and it only further cements Ellis' place as a master of the genre in the comics medium.

Strange things have been found under the ice on Europa. A United Nations weapons inspector has been sent to evaluate the situation. Nathan Kane is the inspector and he manages to come off quite a bit like Jackson King from the Stormwatch books. But while this is a Wildstorm book, it does not fit in with the Wildstorm universe made popular by so many titles. Here Kane has found himself in a frightening position.

There are weapons under the ice. Very deadly weapons. Ones capable of totally destroying planets. But things are worse than that. There are no real secrets and Kane is not the only one there. A software powerhouse wants to take over the power and technology that is just waiting to be taken. But what if the original owners have different ideas and don't care a whit for humanity?

The story is fast paced and full of action. Kane is an interesting character but I wish he wasn't so much like King (even changing his name would have improved that situation). The action, tension and peril build very quickly but the comic format does not allow for a complex solution. Instead a simple tried and true solution that is almost cliched is pulled out and the story finishes. I would have liked a bit more work on the resolution but it is not a bad one, just a little quick. Warren Ellis fans will definitely want to check this one out.

This feels like an action film that forgot to take it's thyroid meds. The material is good, but the pacing is off. The character development is limited by the number of pages available, and the "weapons inspector who hates guns" just didn't sit right with me; there was more story there that would have been useful to the story as a whole.

Warren Ellis puts together fantasy worlds better than any other writer in comics, it's as simple as that. The angles he pursues, the countless tiny, satisfying details he includes, even the ways and means of the people are worked out flawlessly and presented smartly.

It's not all setting either, the story in Ocean is more absorbing than you could ever hope for, except for the ending. I just didn't think it did the premise justice.

4 Stars for issues 1-5, the awesome galaxy Ellis created, and the premise.

The art by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story is spectacular. Sprouse has crafted a style that is simple and elegant. All his line-work and compositions are so perfectly designed that you'll find yourself looking at them with awe.

The story by Warren Ellis is a page-turner and definitely a satisfying read. Interestingly, at times, I found the character of United Nations Weapons Inspector Nathan Kane and his interactions with the characters in the story more interesting than the story itself.

Bring him back Warren. He deserves another series.

This graphic novel is a perfect example of why Warren Ellis frustrates me so much. You have an awesome concept, a brilliant set-up, introduction, and premise, and then he goes and ends the story in like 8 pages. This should have been twice as long, twice as deep, and it would have been far better. So many of the characters, concepts, and fun were left completely unexplained or unprobed.

Re-readability: 8/10

*I always put re-readability in my reviews for people who like to keep their TPB to re-read. Something can be awesome, but not something I am going to frequenty re-read (Maus), or it can be horrible, but I might still re-read it (Global Frequency).*

The first graphic novel I've read from Warren Ellis was Orbiter, a very interesting near-hard-sci-fi history nicely written. I expected to see something similar in Ocean....I was wrong. Despite the fact that it's fun to read and the art is not bad, the plot of Ocean looks like a sci-fi movie produced for TV. If you read Orbiter first and you are looking for more of it on Ocean don't get wrong...this is not it. But if you want to have a nice and fun reading go for it.

Set in the future where mankind has perfected space travel, a UN weapons inspector is called to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons covered entirely by ice beneath which is water, to investigate a discovery of thousands of sarcophagi containing dead human beings held in suspended animation. The only problem is that Doors (a corporation much like Microsoft/Windows) is intent on getting to them first to activate their ancient weapons - weapons that could wipe out entire planets!

Warren Ellis and Chris Sprouse construct another excellent sci-fi comic book (they've worked together on "Ministry of Space") with similar style - convincing human characters set in fantastical machines and environments. Ellis might have written this to become a film but it never found funding so we get to see it anyway - it looks like it would've been a great pulpy sci-fi flick like Event Horizon, but less cheesy.

Fast paced and fun, with lots of gorey fight scenes and snappy dialogue, "Ocean" is a great sci-fi read from a master of the comic book genre, Warren Ellis. Recommended.