Warren Ellis: Man, Myth, Demented Brit, or All of the Above?

I think "All of the Above" is probably the most accurate answer. What kind of descriptions does Ellis' work evoke? When I think of Warren Ellis I think "raw", "sensationalistic", "substantive", "vivid", "imaginative", "thought provoking", and "disturbing" among other things. In a relatively short period of time Warren Ellis has become an icon in the comics business. He's amassed a huge following for a number of very good reasons.

Those with only a cursory knowledge of Ellis and his work might easily conclude that he's essentially the Jerry Springer of comics. A guy whose work is often so outlandish that its primary intent could only be to shock people. I can't deny that some of Ellis' work, and perhaps even most of it, is indeed intended to shock those who choose to read it. At the same time, virtually everything I've read of Ellis' has had multiple layers to it. His work on Transmetropolitan and Stormwatch are some of the best comics ever written in my estimation. Some of his work has been less than stellar (such as his run on DV8), but I know of no writer who's every piece of work is absolutely superlative.

So why then is Ellis' name now spoken in the same breath with the likes of Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and Kurt Busiek? When I listed the adjectives that come to my mind when I think of Warren Ellis some might seem contradictory. Descriptions such as sensationalistic and substantive don't exactly seem like synonymous terms. The fact that Ellis' work is indeed frequently both sensationalistic and substantive while also being raw, vivid, imaginative, and thought provoking is why he's as good a writer as he is. A brilliant political commentary or a thought provoking take on prevalent social issues can be seen alongside a drunken journalist's assistant eating a roach or a said journalist injecting drugs into the tissue surrounding his eye. Such things would seem to be diametrically opposed, but Ellis is able to weave them together in a seamless manner month after month.

What further adds to Ellis' appeal is his determination to tell the stories he wants to tell on his own terms. When faced with a publisher unwilling to publish some work as is, many writers would probably cave in and make the changes necessary for the piece to see print. Such is not the case with Mr. Ellis. The most recent example of this led to Ellis' departure from the Vertigo series Hellblazer. Ellis had crafted a story about a schoolyard shooting that he had hoped to incorporate into Hellblazer. This story's conception predated the tragic events that took place at Columbine High School. Nevertheless, DC refused to allow the story to be published as is. Many at DC rallied to Ellis' side, but DC editorial wouldn't budge and so Ellis quit as writer of Hellblazer. While it's easy to understand that DC wanted to avoid the potential PR nightmare that could erupt as a result of publishing a story about a schoolyard shooting, Ellis' unwillingness to butcher his own work to the point of resigning from a title is admirable.

Future work from Ellis includes a three issue mini series for Silverline Comics called Station and a series of mini series for Avatar Press, beginning with a three issue mini series called Strange Kiss, which will include "old men giving violent and horrible birth to hundreds of baby lizards through their anus". You can always be sure that nothing written by Ellis will be boring in the least. Ellis will also continue to write Planetary for WildStorm and Transmetropolitan for Vertigo, although he will be departing WildStorm's The Authority as of issue #12 along with artists Brian Hitch and Paul Neary. I will continue to be a huge fan of Warren Ellis', as will scores of other people. His work contains a multitude of different flavors and refuses to be complacent or reaffirming. Above all, his work is always entertaining. That's the bottom line; it's why we all read comics. If we can walk away from reading a comic and not only be entertained but have something to continue thinking about, there's not much else that can be asked of a comic book. For me, that's why Warren Ellis is brilliant and why I will always eagerly anticipate whatever his mind may spawn in the future.