PLANETARY ...the secret fascist archeologists we deserved

This week we're talking about Planetary, written by the now-controversial Warren Ellis and drawn by the always-astonishing John Casaddy (who, in hindsight really has bad taste in comic book partners). Planetary broke onto the comics scene in 1998, and was unlike anything anyone had seen before...running sporadically for just 27 issues from 1998 to 2009 (do the math...that is a long time to wait between monthly issues)

Revisiting Planterary was like reconnecting (and having lots of fun)) with like an old weird, sometimes troubling friend — as many would argue Planetary is one of the greatest comics created at the turn of the century...

Planetary follows the eponymous Planetary corporation, a global organization dedicated to unearthing the secret histories - and mysteries - of the world. With seemingly unlimited resources at their disposal - the company's "field team" consists of powerhouse Jakita Wagner, techno-whiz Drummer, the mysterious Elijah Snow, and even the reality-altering Ambrose Chase (R.I.P?)

These 3 (4?) trot the globe, encountering reminiscent phenomena like Japanese monsters, hardboiled Hong Kong cops, giant sized nuclear bugs, strange visitors from another planet, wild westerns, pulp action heroes...and even bizarro-world evil dick doppelgängers of the Fantastic Four....it's kind of hard to tell if this was just one giant convoluted middle finger to Marvel's First Family.

As reclusive comics great Alan Moore said of Planetary:
"During a period when many comics seem to have lapsed into an exhausted mire or else go blundering on ahead without the merest shred of coherent plan, the work in Planetary has a glow and a freshness that is all its own, a signature eruption of the neurons into novel, interesting patterns at the turn of each new page. It is at once concerned with everything that comics were and everything that comics could be, all condensed into a perfect jeweled and fractal snowflake.