re:mote voices

Title: Ocean
Author: Warren Ellis
Artist: Chris Sprouse and Karl Story
Publisher: Wildstorm

Nathan Kane is a UN Weapons Inspector, his latest is assignment though is something a bit different. On his way to Jupiter's moon Deimos he has a stop off on the Martian port, where he is set upon by a group of men determined to stop him completing his journey. When he arrives on an exploratory space platform in orbit above Deimos he starts to understand why this is such an important mission, why a weapons inspector would be sent to such a remote location. The platform has discovered alien relics in the oceans beneath the ice surface - alien warriors buried with their weapons. All of which is complicated by a DOORS installation that is also floating above the planet. DOORS being a powerful and pervasive corporation, that uses group mind/brainwashing on its employees to ensure loyalty. The kind of company who would quite happily exploit alien weapons technology.

Ocean was a 6 part series, now gathered in a book edition, written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story. Of course regardless of art team, this is an Ellis project, Warren being one of the most productive writers in the American comic's industry. Prior to this Ellis had done a handful of 3 part stories, material which had a 50:50 success rate as far as I was concerned. Ocean however is definitely a success, the extra page count allowing Ellis the space to expand out into, the space to do what he does best. Ocean is classic science fiction, the basis of a contemporary thought - weapons inspectors, particularly against the background of Iraq - extrapolated forward into space with the potential of aliens. Which always allows for a certain comment on contemporary events, while also providing some fun with ideas without getting bogged down in the actual events that inspired the work.

For me Ocean is one of the best short works from Warren Ellis in recent years.