| 08 February 2010
At the time of this writing, I've read about 25% of Warren Ellis' written works, and Black Summer is probably my favorite. This seven-issue series, first published in 2007, tells an intricate tale of a disbanded group of superheroes. In the opening moments of the story, the most powerful of the heroes assassinates the US President and most of his cabinet, and then immediately goes on camera (still wearing the President's blood) and tells America what he's done, why he's done it, and what he hopes America will do about it.
It's a startling and exciting start to a series that never lets up on the action. In seven short issues we're given the entire backstory of these former heroes (echoing Watchmen while still remaining fresh) and it kept me interested all the way to the end. I love the idea of diving into a superhero story and not needing to know any of their backstories beforehand - this is one of the reasons I tend to stay away from the typical DC/Marvel superhero comics, they're too entrenched in a history I only vaguely know. Black Summer succeeds in keeping us all up to speed at the same time, and keeping the story contained in one thought-provoking series. Although it won't go down in history as a great work of art (or a deep social commentary), it's still a must-read.
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