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A review by rick_k
Trees, Vol. 1: In Shadow by Warren Ellis
4.0
I have a lot of confidence in anything by Warren Ellis. He has proven to be a keen observer of society and can create worlds and characters although warped and twisted to reflect ourselves like a funhouse mirror. He has opened up dark places within his characters and revealed a sympathetic link to a little bit of darkness we recognize. Trees, Volume 1 introduces a world, much like our own, only the question of the existence of intelligent life in the universe has been answered, at least for humanity. Immense alien bio-mechanical structures have landed on Earth. The distribution seems arbitrary situated in Manhattan, Mogadishu, Rio de Janeiro, near Shu in China and Svalbard. For ten years they seemingly do not move, do not communicate, do not acknowledge us at all. They stand motionless as trees.
What does change is us. Many flee the shadow of these colossi, other are drawn towards them. They are studied by scientists, philosophers, politicians and artists. The rest of the world carefully tries to ignore the behemoths; to pretend they do not exist - or have always existed. The trees seemingly exert influence over those in proximity simply by their presence. Warren Ellis sets up this tension; a tension which has existed in this world for ten years, but plants the seeds for eminent communication between our species in future volumes.
While Warren Ellis is working as subtly as I have ever seen him, Jason Howard is bold and impressive. His illustration excels in all aspects. Through his scratching short strokes he conveys huge landscapes, expressive characters, organic and technical detail, and kinetic action sequences with equal confidence. He expertly reveals the "trees" from distant shadows and incomplete forms to eventually describing texture and patiently waiting to unveil the view of them in their entirety. He has the unenviable task of working in huge shifts in scale, but through color and composition he translates the action with clarity and emotion. It is truly stunning work.
I received access to a digital copy of Trees, Volume 1 from NetGalley.com. The collected trade paperback will be released by Image Comics on Wednesday, February 11th, 2015.
What does change is us. Many flee the shadow of these colossi, other are drawn towards them. They are studied by scientists, philosophers, politicians and artists. The rest of the world carefully tries to ignore the behemoths; to pretend they do not exist - or have always existed. The trees seemingly exert influence over those in proximity simply by their presence. Warren Ellis sets up this tension; a tension which has existed in this world for ten years, but plants the seeds for eminent communication between our species in future volumes.
While Warren Ellis is working as subtly as I have ever seen him, Jason Howard is bold and impressive. His illustration excels in all aspects. Through his scratching short strokes he conveys huge landscapes, expressive characters, organic and technical detail, and kinetic action sequences with equal confidence. He expertly reveals the "trees" from distant shadows and incomplete forms to eventually describing texture and patiently waiting to unveil the view of them in their entirety. He has the unenviable task of working in huge shifts in scale, but through color and composition he translates the action with clarity and emotion. It is truly stunning work.
I received access to a digital copy of Trees, Volume 1 from NetGalley.com. The collected trade paperback will be released by Image Comics on Wednesday, February 11th, 2015.