| 25 January 2010
Several months ago, I started reading comic books. Being a newcomer to the medium, I asked a friend to give me a list of quality graphic novels, and he basically told me to start with anything written by Warren Ellis. So for the past six months I've been reading Warren Ellis sporadically, soaking in the good and the bad, and now I'm here to spread the word.
A good introductory read is the three-issue Tokyo Storm Warning, written in 2003. It is set in a modern-day alternate reality where we classy Americans dropped our first A-bomb on Tokyo during World War II because we found out they were developing their own nuclear weapon program. Ever since then, gigantic monsters have been appearing to tear what's left of Tokyo to pieces. Even more mysteriously, these giant robots/mechs also appear that people can control to defend Tokyo against these monsters.
What makes Tokyo Storm Warning work as a quick read is the brevity and intensity of the story. The plot follows an American who comes to Tokyo to pilot one of these mechs, and seeing this strange, new Tokyo through her eyes really sets the pace for the rest of the story. The story isn't wholly fleshed out, which leaves the rest up to the reader's imagination; but this isn't done in a way that makes me feel like it's a copout. In the end, it's a 30-minute read that delivers exactly what it should - an entertaining, flashy, but well-paced adventure.
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