Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To the stars, and back again..., 13 Jun 2003
'Orbiter' opens with images (I fell in love with Colleen Doran's art on page 2, and became more infatuated through every frame) of an abandoned Kennedy Space Centre now housing the poor and dispossessed of a near-future USA - the familiar NASA architecture delapidated, augmented by the detritus of poverty; clean white buildings replaced with shabby tents, abandoned cars, rubbish. Then, having glimpsed the future, things start to go a bit wild. A space shuttle, lost for ten years, returns to earth, landing amongst this ramshackle setting (killing, it is later shown, a good number of the inhabitants). And it seems to be covered in skin. Plus, test samples indicate that it landed on Mars. Techically, it is all impossible. The shuttle, and crew, couldn't last that long in space. Unless, of course, they were helped.So begins a truly imaginative science fiction narrative - one of the best to ever grace the shelves of a comic shop. And if that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, it may help to learn that 'Orbiter' is written by Warren Ellis - so we're spared nothing; intensity levels dialled up to eleven. There is wonder and awe, in spades; and there is disgusting, strange, weirdness, until you're left wondering exactly where some of the ideas come from. But just as Ellis knows where to pile it on, he also knows when to pull it back in: the final scene is perfect, understated and subtle. Whether you're a reader of science fiction who has never touched a graphic novel, or a comic-buyer who rarely touches straight SF, 'Orbiter' is simply a must-have book. Additionally, Warren Ellis' introduction, rewritten in light of recent events, is itself a great piece of prose - autobiographical and journalistic, it is a commentary on the need for space-stories (and space exploration), more now than ever. 'Orbiter' was always going to be a great book, but after the loss of 'Columbia' it has become important in ways it wouldn't have been before. And Ellis pins down why.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely book but...., 25 Jun 2008
I'm sorry to say I was very disappointed by this book. That's not to say it isn't a good story and a beautifully executed piece of work, but it defied my expectations. I was expecting a 'Quatermass Experiment' and got 'Close Encounters' (which I have to admit to disliking intensely!). The story builds wonderfully and an air of mystery and suspense is superbly created. I won't spoil the story for those who haven't read it be listing the details of my dissatisfaction, but I was left feeling cheated. Having finished the book, I was also left feeling that the condition of John Cost at the start of the book is purely a plot device, as his mental state and actions would appear to be totally at odds with his experience.
Sorry all you Warren Ellis diehards - this is good, but just too benign and lightweight for my liking. Lovely to look at though, with a nice cinematic feel. But that isn't enough.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
let's fly again, 5 Aug 2008
a graphic novel by writer warren ellis, drawn by artist colleen doran, and coloured by colourist dave stewart. a one off story complete in one hundred pages. It tells of a near future america where the manned space programme was abandoned ten years previously after the space shuttle venture disappeared with all hands. only unmanned space flight has taken place since.
yet one day, at cape kennedy which is now home to lots of transient families [a very striking image that opens the book] the venture suddenly comes home.
It's covered in something strange. Only one of the crew is on board. and he's not talking.
Can a rocket scientist, a former astronaut, and a psychologist help the military get to the bottom of the mystery?
both a science fiction mystery and a novel of character, orbiter centres on the first three of the above mentioned protagonists. altough the military guy is a pretty decent character in his own right. all three of them have their own reasons for dreaming of manned space flight resuming. they investigate the mystery, slowly find the answers [which get a bit technical at times but not desperately so] and their lives are changed by what happens as a result.
a book written and drawn by fans of space flight. and it shows. it considers what draws human beings to the prospect, and why humanity needs and wants to explore. all the characters develop nicely. The artwork and the colouring are very nice, and the end - if you have a sense of wonder - will make you smile.
and if you don't have a sense of wonder, that's your loss. Hopefully this book might inspire you to get one.
there is some strong language in this so it's for grown up readers only
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