Customer Reviews

Orbiter

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Writer Warren Ellis recalls Neil Armstrong's "odd little jump from the end of the ladder to the soil of the moon" as his "first memory...being held up in front of a tiny black and white TV set by my mother and being told, 'Remember this.'" And remember it he did, as that moment clearly informs much of his exceptional writing over the years.

Orbiter - written a few months before the Columbia disaster and published a few months after - is something of a love letter to that "odd little jump" and the achievements it inspired over the years; an ode to the sense of wonder that for a time had telescopes at the top of Christmas lists, and "Astronaut" as one of the most popular answers to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It's also a pretty damn good sci-fi story full of the geeky science theory and quirky characterization that Ellis is best known for.

Taking place 10 years after the fictional space shuttle Venture disappeared without a trace while in orbit, NASA has ended its manned space flight program and the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center have inexplicably become a shantytown. Without warning, Venture returns, crash landing at the Space Center with only its catatonic Captain onboard, bringing with it the mystery of its whereabouts for the past 10 years. Where has it been? Where is the rest of its crew? Why is it still intact? And why the hell is it covered in skin?

A story like this obviously hinges on a willing suspension of disbelief, something that itself hinges on the sincerity and believability of the characters, and it is there where Ellis shines, with Colleen Doran's emotive artwork and Dave Stewart's muted coloring bringing his exuberant story to vivid life. The primary characters - the Astronaut Corps veteran, the whiz-kid scientist, the depressed psychiatrist, and the traumatized Captain - are all one step removed from Armageddon clichés, but it's a significant step, the difference being the obvious fondness Ellis has for the subject matter, a palpable sincerity that graces every single panel and accentuates the emotional crescendo of its uplifting conclusion.

Warren Ellis's story presents the reader with an intriguing mystery, while at the same time showing how the space shuttle Venture's return to Earth literally restores the lives of the three scientists tasked with explaining its decade-long absence. These three, having seen their dreams shattered ten years ago, now stand on the brink of the greatest discovery in history; one which will change their lives - and the world - forever. There are echoes of Ray Bradbury and Arthur C Clarke here, and some will see elements of 50s British sci-fi serial Quatermass, but that is all to the good. This is a multi-layered tale that combines the best elements of its influences, creating a unified whole which is positive and uplifting.

While a few extra pages wouldn't have gone amiss, the three leads are strong characters fully-realised by the narrative. We see something of their past, and we come to know their dreams. We like these people because they are not superhuman. They're normal, down-to-earth types whose heads just happen to be in the stars - just like us. The story is aimed at the dreamers who look up at the night sky in wonder; who shed a tear at the Challenger and Columbia disasters; and those who look at the face of the full moon and see themselves reflected...

A graphic novel does not exist with words alone, and in Colleen Doran's art we find perhaps the book's greatest strength. Colleen uses a style which is largely experimental for her, full of stark contrasts, and while it is not totally successful it does suit the story extremely well. The story-telling is exceptional, and the characters are brought to life with graceful body language that is unique in every case. You can tell who the characters are just by the way they hold themselves within the panels (restless dreamer Terry Marx, introverted loner Anna Bracken), and that is a rarity in comics. We are treated to stunning full-page renditions of some of the wonders the Venture experienced on its travels, and the double-page spread of the shuttle's violent return to Earth is superb.

A word of praise too must go to Dave Stewart's subtle colouring which really brings the world imagined by Warren and Colleen to life - a brighter palette would have destroyed the illusion. It is a perfect compliment to the muted watercolours of Colleen's painted cover: an image which conveys in a single illustration the full sweep of human endeavour in space.

In his introduction Warren expresses his frustrations over the slow progress of mankind in space. ORBITER is his answer to those who would prefer that the exploration stop; who would cut funding; who would give machines tasks that ought to be done by people. We - mankind- have a restless thirst for knowledge, and a need to seek answers from what we see around us. Warren and Colleen believe that we will find the ultimate answers in space, and so that is where we must go.

After reading this book, you'll know they're right.

There are many who believe that the space program is just an unexciting shadow of its former glory with all missions merely reaching low orbit and a few remotes sent further. Ellis takes it a little further and has the whole manned program shut down completely.

The time is the near future and the manned space program has been completely shut down since a shuttle just disappeared ten years earlier. But suddenly the shuttle returns to Kennedy.

The return of the shuttle sets off a cavalcade of action as teams are quickly assembled to discover just what happened and what it means. One team is checking out the shuttle and how it is operating. One is checking out where it has been. The third team is looking into the one crew member to return; the pilot. This will not be easy as the shuttle seems to be covered in skin, the pilot is near catatonic, and there is evidence that it landed on Mars.

This is a story of a world where the doors to space travel ravel and exploration have been closed. Now a new enthusiasm is sparked and the reader is taken on a wonderful ride of discovery as the teams delve into the possibilities. Ellis handles the techno-jargon (it's not babble) very well. The excitement the engineer feels as research progresses is almost tangible. He races through ideas an possibilities in a very believable manner. The other team's actions follow similarly-believable lines. In the end the reader is left with one simple thought: I want more!

It's the near future, a decade after the end of manned U.S. Space Shuttle flights, which was the result of the disappearance of the shuttle VENTURE from its orbit. But now VENTURE is back, landing at Kennedy (and taking out a few score squatters in the process) with only John Cost, the pilot-commander, aboard. The quickly cobbled-together team of experts are driving themselves nuts trying to figure out where the shuttle has been, and how, and why. Ellis's story beautifully captures the excitement of weird physics and makes an emotional case for the continuation of manned space flight, and Doran's strightforward drawing style is a perfect match for the prose. The irony, of course, is that between the completion of the book and its publication, we lost COLUMBIA on its landing approach -- an event which especially chills the heart of every proponent of manned space exploration because the cry has again been raised for robots to take the place of humans in space. Ellis and Doran know we must never allow that to happen.

I liked the way their personal lives are revealed as the entire story unfolded. There's enough weird and scientifically intriguing concepts to satisfy the sci-fi reader in me. But lest you mistake this book as purely Science Fiction, I'd say it's really about human hopes, dreams and the drive for self-discovery. How I felt about reading this: The story started off weird (in a nice Sci-Fi weird sort of way), there's suspense, then discovery, and finally a hint of something wondrous in the end.

Having read the specialty April 23rd release edition, I can say ORBITER was a joy!

The fluid and informed writing worked hand in hand with the subtle and dramatic art to bring the story to enthralling life, by turns mysterious (where did that shuttle go, and for 10 years?), horrific (what happens when it does return, and the strange bio technology), and awe inspiring (finding out what happened in those 10 years, and oh that ending!).

As the pages turned, it became ever clearer that this is a work of passion for these creators, that they loved the subject matter, and it shone through the interesting ensemble of characters as they peeled away the layers on enigma and faced the big ideas revealed. This is a dream of the future reclaimed. I strongly recommend ORBITER, especially to space enthusiasts and fans of mysteries and sense-of-wonder stories.

My only complaint, like with all good stories, is it leaves you wanting more. I hope to see author Warren Ellis and artist Colleen Doran working together again and exploring even further into a speculative future!

Writer Warren Ellis is a space program true believer, a kid who grew up when America flew to the moon, and fervently wishes we'd go much, much farther. This is his love letter to manned space flight - a moody, detailed, futuristic fairy tale about the return of America's final space shuttle, the Venture, which vanished off the radar during a regular flight, never to return. This event essentially ended the space program and when the book begins, Kennedy Space Center has (improbably) devolved into an immense, squalid homeless camp -- the incoming prodigal shuttle squishes innumerable shabby inhabitants. Then the military takes over and assembles a Scooby Gang made of misfits left over from the old space program of a decade earlier, and one manic, anarchistic young propulsion expert.

The mood of the story is evocative, but there are problems, largely due, I think, to its being caught in the confines of DC's Vertigo universe, which means there must be gratuitous, gosh-heck messing with our minds and nose-thumbing towards authority, etc, as well as a touch of graphic violence. Indeed, the one out-of-place plot point is that the lone astronaut who returns from the void inexplicably attacks and mutilates a soldier who enters the returned mystery ship, but then becomes entirely docile and sympathetic -- his violent behavior is never explained or addressed. Other than that, though, this is a captivating story, with some interesting dips into theoretical physics. The story rushes to a halt, though -- a little more finesse at the end would have been nice, but all in all this is a good read for those of us who are into the whole "boldly go where no one has gone before" mentality. Worth checking out!

Contrary to a few reviews here, Warren Ellis' Orbiter is a wonderful and powerful story that amazingly weaves both science fact and Ellis' typical mad ideas with his love of the wonder that is outer space. Taking place in a future that may be all too posible, the missing space shuttle Venture returns to what remains of the Kennedy Space Center after vanishing in space ten years earlier. All of the crew is missing, except for the captain of the ship who appears to have not aged a day, while the shuttle itself is covered in some kind of organic matter resembling skin. As the mystery of what happened to the crew and just where has the Venture been deepens, Ellis throws one idea after the other at the reader, and even though his characterizations of the characters featured in Orbiter aren't the best that the celebrated scribe has done, they are only part of his much grander scheme. The art by Colleen Doran with assists from Dave Stewart is incredibly cinematic, and some of the best to be seen in the comic business today. All in all, Warren Ellis' tribute to where we should be strikes pure gold, and although there will be plenty that may be disappointed with Orbiter, make no mistake that this is one of the smartest and most human tales in recent comic memory.

This is a book about dreams, ideas and high concepts. Too bad it's not about story and characters.

The premise is a great one, and along with the absolutly fantastic cover art it hooked me on the book instantly: 10 years after it vanished from orbit, the Space Shuttle Venture returns to Earth in a firey crash. All but 1 of the crew are missing, the ship is covered in strange material, and it shows signs of having landed on Mars.

Done. I'm there.

Except that's about it. The rest of the story is a gathering of scientists who all had their dreams crushed when the manned space program was cancelled after the disapperance of the shuttle 10 years prior. They interview the remaining crew member, disect the strange technology of the shuttle, and try to piece together where it was for the past 10 years.

Most of the book plays out like a NASA CSI episode, with crew members finding strange readings, relating it to theoretical physics, and then finding some other strange reading.

There are some early signs of conflict with the military, but the scientists just brush them aside when the plot requires it. Most of the second half is narrated exposition, explanining where the shuttle went & how, and then the book ends with a moment that is supposed to be inspiring, but plays out poorly as it felt rushed and inconsequential.

The art is great when it is depicting decrepit buildings, outer space vistas and odd technology. Not so much with the people. The characters have expressions that are exaggerated almost to the point of cartoonish proportions. Dave Stewart's colors are really the star of the book, bringing a life to the art that is stunning in every scene.

There are so many great ideas, and great moments in this book, I just wish it was better. But in the end it really plays out like a kind of "thinking out loud" about space exploration.

While one reviewer has bitterly and unfairly condemned this book for being released near the time of the Columbia disaster, this is a completely unfair criticsm. Not only was this book announced nearly a year prior to the tragedy, but the solicitation for the book appeared a week before the event and this book is in no way an attempt to ride on the back of this unfortunate event.

Cynics out there are not only uninformed, but unfair.

Orbiter is a delight and a must read for the forward thinking and visionary space exploration enthusiast, especially those who have been cynical about whether or not SF can be executed with distinction in comics. A likable cast of characters teams together to discover what made a shuttle mission go awry and what made the shuttle return after ten years of absence with only one remaining crew member.

An optimistic and well-executed book, Orbiter is beautiful and utterly enjoyable.