Alternate-history graphic novel in which, by the 1950s, man has already been to space and fought Martians, but now space travel is being banned country by country, and Earth’s space heroes are stuck in Ignition City, a spaceport island that’s devolved into a semi-lawless shithole. That’s the background for the story of Mary Raven, who is unable to go back to space, and goes to Ignition City to find out who killed her father – and in the process, finds out what became of the space heroes who inspired her. This being a Warren Ellis tale, what she finds isn’t pretty. I’m a big Ellis fan, and I appreciate what he’s trying to do here – the characters are loosely based on classic space heroes like Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Lensman and Commando Cody – but honestly I found it a little thin, storywise. Vintage Warren Ellis: strong female protagonists, washed up astronauts, alien invasions, laser guns, and poop jokes, all wrapped up in superb visuals from Gianluca Pagliarani and tied together by a plot that, if not brilliantly twisty, is at least not completely by the numbers.Fantastic story, but make sure to take the time to admire the inventiveness of the art design and colors as well.
What do You think about Ignition City Volume 1 Limited Edition (2010)?
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, but the big boobs and booty shots kinda put me off.
—Nani
Great concept, not fully explored and given the space to breathe that it should have.
—Basma
