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Orbiter
In this science fiction mystery tale, Venture, a space shuttle that disappeared ten years ago with its crew of seven, miraculously returns from outer space without warning or explanation. Occupied by only an insane pilot, the spacecraft shows evidence of a remarkable journey through the solar system. Now, in order to solve the mystery of the shuttle's inexplicable journey and the fate of its six lost astronauts, three NASA specialists are called upon to investigate the alien instrumentation and materials that adorn Venture. But as secrets are revealed, it soon becomes apparent that the shuttle's journey not only took it outside our solar system but to a realm of existence that is unimaginable.
104 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,901 books5,743 followersWarren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
March 15, 2013
The last manned space shuttle returns to Earth . . . only it's ten years late and covered in skin. Fleshy skin. Not weird enough? There's sand from Mars lodged in the wheel well, and the only surviving crew member has gone insane.
This extremely interesting plot hook was "too big" for the unfolding of the plot, which seemed rushed. It was a bit too "sudden" for my tastes, even for a graphic novel. I find myself wondering what this book might have been, had it been a bit longer, with more breathing room for deeper characterization and a slowly-expanding sense of wonder. The answers come a little too easy to those investigating the incident.
Still, this is a good graphic novel. The illustrations, by Colleen Doran, are very good, bordering on great. The characters in their happiest moments look almost maniacal, but other than that, the work was reminiscent of some of my favorite graphic novels.
With the changes that have taken place in the manned spaceflight program lately, it's difficult to say whether this work is anachronistic or prophetic. Any work that causes one to have to consider this must be worth a read.
This extremely interesting plot hook was "too big" for the unfolding of the plot, which seemed rushed. It was a bit too "sudden" for my tastes, even for a graphic novel. I find myself wondering what this book might have been, had it been a bit longer, with more breathing room for deeper characterization and a slowly-expanding sense of wonder. The answers come a little too easy to those investigating the incident.
Still, this is a good graphic novel. The illustrations, by Colleen Doran, are very good, bordering on great. The characters in their happiest moments look almost maniacal, but other than that, the work was reminiscent of some of my favorite graphic novels.
With the changes that have taken place in the manned spaceflight program lately, it's difficult to say whether this work is anachronistic or prophetic. Any work that causes one to have to consider this must be worth a read.
June 1, 2019
I recently read Ocean by the same author, and ordered this book right after that. I was certainly not disappointed, although i was surprised to learn that Ellis is from Great Britain. I hadn't read anything about the man himself, I just paid attention to his work.
But here in the foreword I got to know a bit more about him. If you read this book do NOT skip that forward, it is vital to understanding the reason for the book and the author's dream.
Which could or should be humanity's dream: Get ourselves into outer space! Recapture the wonder of that idea, develop the bravery to be pioneers in a dangerous venture, accept the fact that there will be accidents, but learn from them and continue the journey.
This book was written to honor the memories of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated during its final return to earth. The author was trying to make a point about the nature of space exploration and why it is important for Mankind to keep trying even in the face of disaster.
As much as I think we are still too emotionally young a species to try to voyage to deep space, I do believe we should never give up the dream. If we do, then not only the crew of Columbia will have died in vain, but all the other lost astronauts from the crew of the Challenger to those onboard Apollo 1 to the cosmonauts and test pilots who gave their lives in the Space Race era.
We just need to make certain that when we get Out There, we do not merely recreate the mess we have made of society here on Earth.
That would be as big a dishonor to these lost crews as never trying to go at all.
But here in the foreword I got to know a bit more about him. If you read this book do NOT skip that forward, it is vital to understanding the reason for the book and the author's dream.
Which could or should be humanity's dream: Get ourselves into outer space! Recapture the wonder of that idea, develop the bravery to be pioneers in a dangerous venture, accept the fact that there will be accidents, but learn from them and continue the journey.
This book was written to honor the memories of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated during its final return to earth. The author was trying to make a point about the nature of space exploration and why it is important for Mankind to keep trying even in the face of disaster.
As much as I think we are still too emotionally young a species to try to voyage to deep space, I do believe we should never give up the dream. If we do, then not only the crew of Columbia will have died in vain, but all the other lost astronauts from the crew of the Challenger to those onboard Apollo 1 to the cosmonauts and test pilots who gave their lives in the Space Race era.
We just need to make certain that when we get Out There, we do not merely recreate the mess we have made of society here on Earth.
That would be as big a dishonor to these lost crews as never trying to go at all.
December 22, 2023
Красиви рисунки, но самата история е по-скоро семпла, за съжаление... :(
September 13, 2009
This one-shot sci-fi mystery from Warren Ellis was a hope filled paean to space exploration for the post-Columbia-disaster hesitation that we seemed to feel, as a nation, about continued human exploration of space. While the story was strong on fun (if vague) theoretical physics and technology to excite the reader about what's out there in the massive reaches of space, the human element felt cast aside and weak, especially in a moment near the end that, in any other book (or film, as this feels very much like a film, too), would have been the climactic clincher moment of a looming romantic connection but here felt hollow and extraneous as there was virtually nothing building up to it.
Ellis feels a top-of-the-roller-coaster thrill in his stomach about the possibilities of space, as I do, but his story here forgets to connect that feeling to real, complex, emotive human beings, which seems a strange, dissonant divorce to me; he's trying to invigorate readers about space, an act of emotion and heart, and his effort falls flat by ignoring the emotion and heart of his characters.
Ellis feels a top-of-the-roller-coaster thrill in his stomach about the possibilities of space, as I do, but his story here forgets to connect that feeling to real, complex, emotive human beings, which seems a strange, dissonant divorce to me; he's trying to invigorate readers about space, an act of emotion and heart, and his effort falls flat by ignoring the emotion and heart of his characters.
August 26, 2017
La última nave espacial tripulada desaparecida hace 10 años regresa a la tierra cubierta de piel y con un sólo tripulante en su interior que rechaza todos los intentos de comunicación, el transbordador encierra una historia inexplicable en su interior y la NASA convoca en el centro espacial kennedy a tres científicos (un físico, una bióloga, y una psiquiatra) para que intenten desvelarla.
Esta es una historia en la que Ellis demuestra un gran amor hacia la historia de la conquista del espacio por parte del hombre, se puede sentir una gran nostalgia de otros tiempos en los que había esperanza de que los viajes al espacio progresarían y se conseguirían grandes avances científicos que permitirían viajes tripulados a marte, colonizar la luna, y en definitiva conquistar el espacio de nuestro sistema solar, estos tiempos ahora se ven lejanos y parece que ahora estamos más lejos de poder realizar esos sueños que en los años 70.
Esta es una historia en la que Ellis demuestra un gran amor hacia la historia de la conquista del espacio por parte del hombre, se puede sentir una gran nostalgia de otros tiempos en los que había esperanza de que los viajes al espacio progresarían y se conseguirían grandes avances científicos que permitirían viajes tripulados a marte, colonizar la luna, y en definitiva conquistar el espacio de nuestro sistema solar, estos tiempos ahora se ven lejanos y parece que ahora estamos más lejos de poder realizar esos sueños que en los años 70.
March 6, 2017
Orbiter এ�� কাহিনী বর্নীত হয়েছে একটা shace shuttle কে ঘিরে। দশ বছর আগে, সাতজন ক্রু নিয়ে উধাও হয়ে যাওয়া আকাশযানটা কোনও রকম ব্যাখ্যা বা বার্তা ছাড়াই ফেরত আসে। space shuttle টির সারা গায়ে লেগে আছে অদ্ভুত কিছু পদার্থ। কোথায় ছিল এতোদিন? কি হয়েছিল? কিছুই জানা সম্ভব হয় না। কারন সাতজন ক্রু এর মাঝে একজনকে পাওয়া যায়, তাও পাগল প্রায় অবস্থা তার। রহস্যময় এই আকাশযানটাকে পরীক্ষা-নিরীক্ষা করতে নাসা থেকে পাঠানো হয় তিন বিশারদের একটা টীম। ধীরে ধীরে উন্মচিত হতে থাকে রহস্য। বেরিয়ে আসে বীভৎস কিছু সত্য। এই দশ বছরে আকাশযানটা শুধু আমাদের বিশ্বই পরিভ্রমণ করেনি, বরং আমাদের কল্পনারও বাইরে এক দুনিয়া থেকে ঘুরে এসেছে। কেমন সে দুনিয়ে? পড়ে দেখুন।
July 14, 2019
We need to go to space.
We really need to go to space.
We're all crowded here on earth and are going to choke to death if we don't spread out.
We really need to go to space.
We're all crowded here on earth and are going to choke to death if we don't spread out.
September 18, 2011
In a world where one too many shuttle expeditions to space have gone wrong, the only explorations into space are now made in unmanned shuttles while the astronauts and other humans are left on Earth. Then suddenly an old shuttle comes hurtling back into the atmosphere containing a sole survivor - a man who should have died years ago. Even stranger he's been to Mars, something his shuttle didn't have the capability of doing. Even stranger still it seems he's been beyond our galaxy... but how?
"Orbiter" is probably my least favourite Warren Ellis book. I say this because it's the only book of his I haven't been able to finish, despite only being 100 pages long. First off the story isn't very clear. Humans now live in shanty towns but its unclear why. How is this level of poverty associated with space travel?
Secondly, I didn't care about the story of the "Orbiter" returning. Maybe this is because I recently read a far superior Ellis space story "Ocean" but this one seemed quite dull. The "mystery" which I didn't find out about was probably some alien who attached himself to the shuttle and thus made it travel great distances far beyond a shuttle's capabilities.
Thirdly, most of the story takes place in the drab, dirty area of a derelict Cape Canaveral. Not exactly visually appealing. This isn't a slight against Colleen Doran who does a decent illustrating job, but all of that grey and brown amid junk and debris doesn't exactly lift up the sub-par script.
Fourthly, a lot of pseudo-scientific nonsense takes up the majority of the text. It's unreadable and uninteresting, especially when Ellis tries to attach some of his humour at the end of lots of exposition. It doesn't work.
I can see why this book is out of print as it's far from the high standards I associate with the excellent books Warren Ellis has written previously. For Ellis or comic fans looking for a good sci-fi read I'd direct them to "Ocean" and "Ministry of Space". Avoid "Orbiter", it's too dull.
"Orbiter" is probably my least favourite Warren Ellis book. I say this because it's the only book of his I haven't been able to finish, despite only being 100 pages long. First off the story isn't very clear. Humans now live in shanty towns but its unclear why. How is this level of poverty associated with space travel?
Secondly, I didn't care about the story of the "Orbiter" returning. Maybe this is because I recently read a far superior Ellis space story "Ocean" but this one seemed quite dull. The "mystery" which I didn't find out about was probably some alien who attached himself to the shuttle and thus made it travel great distances far beyond a shuttle's capabilities.
Thirdly, most of the story takes place in the drab, dirty area of a derelict Cape Canaveral. Not exactly visually appealing. This isn't a slight against Colleen Doran who does a decent illustrating job, but all of that grey and brown amid junk and debris doesn't exactly lift up the sub-par script.
Fourthly, a lot of pseudo-scientific nonsense takes up the majority of the text. It's unreadable and uninteresting, especially when Ellis tries to attach some of his humour at the end of lots of exposition. It doesn't work.
I can see why this book is out of print as it's far from the high standards I associate with the excellent books Warren Ellis has written previously. For Ellis or comic fans looking for a good sci-fi read I'd direct them to "Ocean" and "Ministry of Space". Avoid "Orbiter", it's too dull.
May 17, 2018
The writer went all out with tech details here, even going into theoretical physics, but he made everything accessible, so the story can be enjoyed by any scifi fan. The scientists' enthusiasm is infectious and it's something I have rarely seen in fiction. It made them human and showed what drives them in their work. This is put in antithesis with a military commander that is put in charge of security. He is all business, all professional and determined to keep the world safe if the ship that has unexpectedly returned to Earth poses any kind of threat.
The Venture space shuttle returns to the Kennedy Space Center ten years late after having disappeared soon after achieving orbit. Its failed mission was the reason the manned space program was replaced with robotic discovery flights. Venture returned with only its mission commander, John Cost, and he is acting violently. A psychiatrist is brought in to find what he knows and why he shows no physical signs of having been in 0 G for 10 years. Meanwhile the ship is being analyzed by top scientists enthused to find what happened during its flight and why it has sand from Mars on it when it should have been impossible for it to land on Mars and then return to Earth. Also it's covered in something that looks like skin.
The Venture space shuttle returns to the Kennedy Space Center ten years late after having disappeared soon after achieving orbit. Its failed mission was the reason the manned space program was replaced with robotic discovery flights. Venture returned with only its mission commander, John Cost, and he is acting violently. A psychiatrist is brought in to find what he knows and why he shows no physical signs of having been in 0 G for 10 years. Meanwhile the ship is being analyzed by top scientists enthused to find what happened during its flight and why it has sand from Mars on it when it should have been impossible for it to land on Mars and then return to Earth. Also it's covered in something that looks like skin.
August 30, 2007
Graphic Novel. Yer basic Warren Ellis. Space/time travel. Alien intelligence. A group of people brought together to solve a mystery.
Ten years after its disappearance, the space shuttle Venture finally returns to Earth. The space program has long since been dissolved and a band of scientists are called in to investigate the ship's scary new skin and its single survivor. It's a short, solid book that feels a little rushed at the end. It could have easily tolerated another five pages, but even in its hurry it makes its point: Space is big, and incredible, and we should never turn our backs on it.
Ten years after its disappearance, the space shuttle Venture finally returns to Earth. The space program has long since been dissolved and a band of scientists are called in to investigate the ship's scary new skin and its single survivor. It's a short, solid book that feels a little rushed at the end. It could have easily tolerated another five pages, but even in its hurry it makes its point: Space is big, and incredible, and we should never turn our backs on it.
March 18, 2019
Interesting but felt like it was missing a huge part.....not sure there was more to this either.
April 4, 2012
Orbiter begins with a cosmic mystery. It ends with a powerful tug on the imagination. In between, writer Warren Ellis weaves a spellbinding story about science, space and the wonders we may one day see in parts of the universe we can for now only imagine.
A space shuttle comes back to Earth ten years after it disappeared mysteriously on a mission that was as routine as space travel ever is. Only one of the shuttle's seven crew members is onboard. There is Martian sand in the wheels of a vehicle not designed to go as far as Mars. The shuttle is covered with what looks like skin.
As one mystery piles atop another, a crew of experts sets out to determine what's happened. They are the remnants of a space program that was abandoned when the shuttle vanished. In the decade since, they've never given up hope that humans would return to space.
One of them believes that an alien intelligence is behind the shuttle's return: "Someone is teaching us how to fly again. Let's see if we understand the lesson."
As they learn, Ellis deftly makes clear the complex science. Even those of us who are not astrophysicists can understand the concepts with which Ellis' characters try to go beyond what we know about how things work in the vastness of space and time.
Although much of Orbiter works wonderfully well, Ellis mars some of it with an inelegant narrative device. After the scientists have figured out as much as they can about the returned shuttle's mysteries, the remaining puzzle parts lie in the mind of the ship's captain. His return from a decade in outer space has left him mute. When a psychiatrist finally talks to him and gets him to fill in the gaps, one character calls her approach "clever." It is not. If the psychiatrist had done any reading in her field, the idea of talking to her patient would have occurred to her much sooner.
Colleen Doran's artwork expertly blends science fiction and fact. She brings to life people trying to expand their understanding to take in some of the expansiveness of the universe. Her final image of a shuttle among stars is a colorful, dazzling invocation of wonder and hope.
Orbiter is a stirring addition to Ellis' impressive body of work. Even without it, he would have been assured a place among the great comic book writers for his DC Comics/Vertigo series Transmetropolitan, in which a Hunter S. Thompson-ish journalist in a dizzying dystopian future confronts corruption and weirdness on scales far beyond the abilities of most of us to conceive. Transmetropolitan is warped and inspired, a jolting joy to read.
Orbiter is far more optimistic about what our world's future holds. Ellis and Doran have created art with an agenda. They want to rekindle in us the awe of looking up at the sky. They nudge us to realize again that we might have a place among the other planets and the stars.
April 13, 2011
As I read about the mothballing of the space shuttles yesterday, I knew I had to revisit Orbiter. Ellis' graphic novel love letter to human space exploration, draped in some crazy sci-fi, gets me emotional every time. Space is ours, and we're sitting here just staring at it. Written just weeks before Columbia was destroyed, the book struck me then as a needed optimistic hope for the future of space exploration. Now that we're on the verge of losing human space-flight capability for a longer term, it's needed more than ever.
Ellis is a total space nerd, and it comes through immediately in his foreword. As soon as he started talking about the shuttle's telescoping emergency escape arm, I knew he was a kindred spirit. (I used to scrutinize diagrams of the space shuttle's control panels, and thanks to a Space Camp trip I even remember how to perform some of the more basic operations of a flight.) Ellis is more passionate about human spaceflight than any other subject I've seen him address. More than anything else, Orbiter instills a sense of wonder for space travel. I end up re-reading it about once a year, and every time it makes me stare up at the sky - both hopefully and sadly.
Ellis is a total space nerd, and it comes through immediately in his foreword. As soon as he started talking about the shuttle's telescoping emergency escape arm, I knew he was a kindred spirit. (I used to scrutinize diagrams of the space shuttle's control panels, and thanks to a Space Camp trip I even remember how to perform some of the more basic operations of a flight.) Ellis is more passionate about human spaceflight than any other subject I've seen him address. More than anything else, Orbiter instills a sense of wonder for space travel. I end up re-reading it about once a year, and every time it makes me stare up at the sky - both hopefully and sadly.
June 13, 2010
Despite some snarky attempts at humor and Warren's habit of wanting every bit of dialogue sound clever and cool, this is a brilliant bit of hard sci-fi that reminds us how incredibly cool, scary and beautiful the universe is and that we need to stop screwing around and get out there.
In the future, the last space shuttle, before they shut down NSA, returns to Earth after being missing for ten years, with only one crew member still on board. The government gathers a team of experts to find out what happened and every answer they gets leads to two more questions and the realization that solving this mystery could change how we look at space and where we fit in the grand scheme of things.
Warren lets go and forgets about trying to be clever and instead just hits you right between the eyes with the sense of wonder and awe he has for space travel and the 'Final Frontier' and gives us a brilliant story that just screams to be turned into a movie.
Brilliant blend of hard science and big and cosmic ideas.
In the future, the last space shuttle, before they shut down NSA, returns to Earth after being missing for ten years, with only one crew member still on board. The government gathers a team of experts to find out what happened and every answer they gets leads to two more questions and the realization that solving this mystery could change how we look at space and where we fit in the grand scheme of things.
Warren lets go and forgets about trying to be clever and instead just hits you right between the eyes with the sense of wonder and awe he has for space travel and the 'Final Frontier' and gives us a brilliant story that just screams to be turned into a movie.
Brilliant blend of hard science and big and cosmic ideas.
January 5, 2009
Anything eloquent that could be said about Orbiter has already been said by Caroline over at our blog, Fantastic Fangirls. I liked this book a lot, and thought it was an excellent exploration of space travel. Where it suffered was largely in characterization--in an effort to make all the original characters compelling in such a short space, Ellis takes a few too many cliched shortcuts (the worst offender being the personality-free girlfriend of the science nerd character, who seems to exist purely because Ellis thinks science nerds should have hot girlfriends). But the characters are compelling, despite the cliches, and the science is believable without going over the heads of non-science-oriented people like myself. Plus, Colleen Doran's art is simply exquisite. I definitely recommend it.
December 1, 2022
Vintage Warren Ellis - great art by Colleen Doran - I recommend this to everyone.
August 4, 2021
This story is bookended by two exciting scenes which promise a great concept — after 10 years of zero space
flight, a shuttle returns to earth covered in skin and sets in motion a mystery which reignites humanity’s passion for space travel — but unfortunately this great concept is lost in a hundred pages of expository scenes featuring people in rooms talking sci-fi gobbley gook. I have no problem with people in rooms talking about complicated things — in fact, that’s some of my favorite stories — but only when those conversations are laced with dramatic stakes, characterization, and thematic subtext. Not the case here. I give this book credit for a thrilling concept and message, but think it could have been better executed by drastically shortening the story.
flight, a shuttle returns to earth covered in skin and sets in motion a mystery which reignites humanity’s passion for space travel — but unfortunately this great concept is lost in a hundred pages of expository scenes featuring people in rooms talking sci-fi gobbley gook. I have no problem with people in rooms talking about complicated things — in fact, that’s some of my favorite stories — but only when those conversations are laced with dramatic stakes, characterization, and thematic subtext. Not the case here. I give this book credit for a thrilling concept and message, but think it could have been better executed by drastically shortening the story.
June 6, 2021
This was so freaking cinematic I loved it.
I could easily imagine this fleshed out for the big screen although I would hope they keep the same ending...
Orbiter is basically a mix of weird science, mysterious re-appearing shuttles long thought lost forever, a dash of Arrival movie, with a solid cast of characters and one man who may in fact have beaten Mark Watney to Mars (although to be clear, this has nothing to do with The Martian).
While the art style isn't my personal favourite, I thought it worked really well for the tone and themes of the story.
And again, loved the pacing and the ending - this made for a very enjoyable hour-long read.
I could easily imagine this fleshed out for the big screen although I would hope they keep the same ending...
Orbiter is basically a mix of weird science, mysterious re-appearing shuttles long thought lost forever, a dash of Arrival movie, with a solid cast of characters and one man who may in fact have beaten Mark Watney to Mars (although to be clear, this has nothing to do with The Martian).
While the art style isn't my personal favourite, I thought it worked really well for the tone and themes of the story.
And again, loved the pacing and the ending - this made for a very enjoyable hour-long read.
April 6, 2020
Fine comic. Did not really understand plot or the context. Did not like the illustration style. Couple of okay jokes.
September 28, 2021
I liked the mystery and the concepts but thought story and characters were flat. Not enough time spent with characters. Felt very too brief.
February 20, 2020
Warren Ellis is a writer that asks profound questions. In Transmetropolitan, he talked about the role of the media and investigative reporting. Freakangels talks about absolute power and Trees is a story about the science fiction trope of Supergod. A being so powerful, so complete, that humanity is but a speck of dust to them. The most clever part about all this excellent writing is that Ellis tells his tales in the guise of well written graphic novel stories. His books are deep and thoughtful as well as exciting and, in some cases, beautiful. Orbiter is no different and so much more. It might even be Ellis's best story thus far.
Ten years ago, Venture, a U.S. space shuttle, soared for the heavens, lasted a few minutes and promptly disappeared. It left without a trace. This broke the U.S. space agency and the hearts and minds of would-be explorers. Now, at present, Kennedy Space Center is a shantytown. We never know the specifics of what has happened, and why the U.S. is in such decline, so much so that people are starving and living in lean-tos. But, I could guess it has to do with the demise of NASA. Space travel and the hope for more can be a buoying thing to people. It is the ultimate what-if. Without that, life can become long and sad. There is nothing to strive for. After a few pages describing what a shit hole life has become, the Venture comes wailing like a ball of hellfire through the air and slams into the ground liquidizing a few unfortunate souls that were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Venture is back. But the more significant and more interesting question is, "where has the Venture gone?"
The military step in as they are want to do. "Is the Venture a threat to the U.S.?" A military commander, Colonel Bukovic of U.S. Space Command, gathers a team of scientists to investigate. The best and brightest the U.S. has to offer have been languishing in poverty and boredom because NASA no longer exists. Bukovic, an angry military commander trope, needs to answers yesterday on what is going on with this ship. It looks like it hasn't aged a day, it should have run out of gas years ago, and where is the crew?
We jump from an overall exposition of the state of the U.S. to a much more intimate look at the scientists as characters. Michelle Robeson, once a prominent biologist, is now trapped on the Earth and has lost her greatest love. "been trapped on this planet since Venture disappeared. It radiates from her. This palpable feeling of something having been stolen from her."
Terry Marx is a young and violently brilliant engineer. He comes off at first as a little hamfisted. Wrong with girls and awkward in conversation and personality. As the story propelled forward, he, as a character, got a lot more solid and interesting. The great mystery of it all is what drives him. He never got the opportunity to use his intelligence to reach out to the stars, that was taken from him when NASA was closed. Now with Venture back, he can flex the mind muscles that have laid dormant for so long. The final main character is Anna Bracken. Anna was a psychologist whose primary purpose was to help and study those astronauts who have returned from space flight. "To help make sense of it all." She knows that she will never go to space, but she can experience the sense of wonder and thrill vicariously though helping ones who had. When NASA was shuttered, she lost her chance of hope and wonder. It was taken from her as it was taken from all citizens when NASA closed. Each of the three main characters represents a viewpoint. Michelle lost her ability to experience the greatness of space, and she will always yearn for it. Terry lost his chance to dive deeper, to peel back the layers of science to find what was underneath, and Anna lost her opportunity to live vicariously.
We, as a society, lost so much when NASA closed.
Now the Venture is back and full of questions.
Ellis tackles something fundamental in Orbiter, and it is this, "if you take away the greatest thing a human can yearn for, an impossible thing, what is left? How do we go on?" Space flight is, and dreaming is synonymous with a lot of people. If we shutter space flight, do we take away people's ability to dream big? Maybe? It certainly helps to know that great things are happening. Orbiter is a science fiction story that asks the essential questions, "who are we?" And, "can we be more?" Inside of the more profound questions, Ellis writes a good, if short, character study on the three types of people as well. Layers inside of layers
It is a beautiful and deep science fiction that should be read and often.
Ten years ago, Venture, a U.S. space shuttle, soared for the heavens, lasted a few minutes and promptly disappeared. It left without a trace. This broke the U.S. space agency and the hearts and minds of would-be explorers. Now, at present, Kennedy Space Center is a shantytown. We never know the specifics of what has happened, and why the U.S. is in such decline, so much so that people are starving and living in lean-tos. But, I could guess it has to do with the demise of NASA. Space travel and the hope for more can be a buoying thing to people. It is the ultimate what-if. Without that, life can become long and sad. There is nothing to strive for. After a few pages describing what a shit hole life has become, the Venture comes wailing like a ball of hellfire through the air and slams into the ground liquidizing a few unfortunate souls that were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Venture is back. But the more significant and more interesting question is, "where has the Venture gone?"
The military step in as they are want to do. "Is the Venture a threat to the U.S.?" A military commander, Colonel Bukovic of U.S. Space Command, gathers a team of scientists to investigate. The best and brightest the U.S. has to offer have been languishing in poverty and boredom because NASA no longer exists. Bukovic, an angry military commander trope, needs to answers yesterday on what is going on with this ship. It looks like it hasn't aged a day, it should have run out of gas years ago, and where is the crew?
We jump from an overall exposition of the state of the U.S. to a much more intimate look at the scientists as characters. Michelle Robeson, once a prominent biologist, is now trapped on the Earth and has lost her greatest love. "been trapped on this planet since Venture disappeared. It radiates from her. This palpable feeling of something having been stolen from her."
Terry Marx is a young and violently brilliant engineer. He comes off at first as a little hamfisted. Wrong with girls and awkward in conversation and personality. As the story propelled forward, he, as a character, got a lot more solid and interesting. The great mystery of it all is what drives him. He never got the opportunity to use his intelligence to reach out to the stars, that was taken from him when NASA was closed. Now with Venture back, he can flex the mind muscles that have laid dormant for so long. The final main character is Anna Bracken. Anna was a psychologist whose primary purpose was to help and study those astronauts who have returned from space flight. "To help make sense of it all." She knows that she will never go to space, but she can experience the sense of wonder and thrill vicariously though helping ones who had. When NASA was shuttered, she lost her chance of hope and wonder. It was taken from her as it was taken from all citizens when NASA closed. Each of the three main characters represents a viewpoint. Michelle lost her ability to experience the greatness of space, and she will always yearn for it. Terry lost his chance to dive deeper, to peel back the layers of science to find what was underneath, and Anna lost her opportunity to live vicariously.
We, as a society, lost so much when NASA closed.
Now the Venture is back and full of questions.
Ellis tackles something fundamental in Orbiter, and it is this, "if you take away the greatest thing a human can yearn for, an impossible thing, what is left? How do we go on?" Space flight is, and dreaming is synonymous with a lot of people. If we shutter space flight, do we take away people's ability to dream big? Maybe? It certainly helps to know that great things are happening. Orbiter is a science fiction story that asks the essential questions, "who are we?" And, "can we be more?" Inside of the more profound questions, Ellis writes a good, if short, character study on the three types of people as well. Layers inside of layers
It is a beautiful and deep science fiction that should be read and often.
November 27, 2022
A space shuttle returns after disappearing ten years ago. It is covered with skin of some sort. There’s only one survivor on board. Mmmm…how mysterious.
NASA hasn’t had to deal with things like that in a while. In fact, after the shuttle’s disappearance, all manned flight was cancelled. Now it’s time to get some of the old team together to have them figure out what’s going on.
The truth is…well, it’s out there.
This was a fun science fiction adventure allowing the author and the artist to basically geek out over space and space exploration together. Slightly dated, but nothing crazy.
I wasn’t sure which direction it was going to take at first and probably wouldn’t mind something darker, but this was all rather sunny in the end. Definitely an optimistic take of space travelling.
Nicely drawn and a very fast read.
NASA hasn’t had to deal with things like that in a while. In fact, after the shuttle’s disappearance, all manned flight was cancelled. Now it’s time to get some of the old team together to have them figure out what’s going on.
The truth is…well, it’s out there.
This was a fun science fiction adventure allowing the author and the artist to basically geek out over space and space exploration together. Slightly dated, but nothing crazy.
I wasn’t sure which direction it was going to take at first and probably wouldn’t mind something darker, but this was all rather sunny in the end. Definitely an optimistic take of space travelling.
Nicely drawn and a very fast read.
March 13, 2009
Wow. This book is the second thing I've read from Warren Ellis about space exploration, and his connection and love for this most darring and rewarding of human endevors, shines through. The story is kind of Ellis' "Contact", but a whole lot more up to date in feel and relavance. It immediately took me back to my own childhood, watching a space shuttle launch in school (I can't remember how old I was or what shuttle it was, which is sad) and how it was such an event. The forward at the begining, which I read last, really touched me. After reading this I felt like going out and giving all my money to NASA. Its odd to say, but the amount of respect and hope a man from Southend, England has invested in an organization based out of my own country. Well, it made me feel pretty damn proud to be an American right now, and thats something I've struggled to do a lot over the past few years. So thank you Mr. Ellis, for reminding me that despite my country's flaws, we do still have some very lofty brands in the fire. We just need to remember they are there. Oh, and this is a great book..so go read it right now!!!
January 8, 2011
Ok read. I actually like the introduction by the author better than the overall comic. Ten years after disappearing NASA's Shuttle Venture returns to Earth carrying one survivor. The investigation as to where its been brings together a team of people whose lives were altered by the break-up of the space program after Venture's dissapearance. Said investigation may bring answers that some people aren't ready for, which is the whole point. Ellis's introduction poignently explains who the ending of the book was written only a few weeks prior to the break-up of the Shuttle Columbia over Texas and the essentially similar shut-down of the real space program. It is touching to read how passionate Ellis is about man's exploration of space and his knowledge of the program is impressive.
The pacing worried me the closer I got to the end of the book without any resolution in sight but the eventual payoff worked. Nothing spectacular but satisfying. I've only dipped my toes into Warren Ellis's strange little world but so far I like where it has taken me.
The pacing worried me the closer I got to the end of the book without any resolution in sight but the eventual payoff worked. Nothing spectacular but satisfying. I've only dipped my toes into Warren Ellis's strange little world but so far I like where it has taken me.
January 3, 2011
I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. I can't say I tried really hard to be one, but it would have been nice. Perhaps if I'd been able to join the Air Force, I would have gotten the ideas to go in the right directions. That didn't happen though.
Recently, it seems that manned space travel is declining. That makes me sad. We need to be out there, exploring. God made the universe for a reason. One of those reasons is because men need places to explore. We've still got a lot of the sea left, but there's an infinity of space out there, and we've never stepped past the moon.
Orbiter brings the sense of wonder back to just stepping into space. Never mind galaxy spanning empires and ships that go on for miles, we haven't even gone to Mars yet. We never will if we don't try. As much as I like it here, it'd be a wonder to start again on a brand new planet. Even if I never get that option, I hope my kids, or grandkids if not, at least get the option to step into the stars.
Recently, it seems that manned space travel is declining. That makes me sad. We need to be out there, exploring. God made the universe for a reason. One of those reasons is because men need places to explore. We've still got a lot of the sea left, but there's an infinity of space out there, and we've never stepped past the moon.
Orbiter brings the sense of wonder back to just stepping into space. Never mind galaxy spanning empires and ships that go on for miles, we haven't even gone to Mars yet. We never will if we don't try. As much as I like it here, it'd be a wonder to start again on a brand new planet. Even if I never get that option, I hope my kids, or grandkids if not, at least get the option to step into the stars.
August 25, 2010
This should be an essential book for anybody interested in exploration, travel and science. What starts off as a weird, wild, Warren Ellis sci-fi turns into one of the most inspirational books that I have read. This book affirms that Ellis isn't just a crazy sci-fi comics dude who knows all this sciency stuff (or knows enough to make him a credible).
Orbiter has a light tough, an inspirational touch at the end. Published shortly after the Columbia disaster, Orbiter takes us to a world that stopped exploring space. The world has become boring, dull, overrun and too careful. We need to explore, to learn something new--and sacrifices and risks are necessary. A good lesson for life, a cliche (you need to break a few eggs to make an omelet) made interesting and understandable.
Re-read Aug. 1, 2010. This isn't as good as I thought it was when I first read it three years ago.
Orbiter has a light tough, an inspirational touch at the end. Published shortly after the Columbia disaster, Orbiter takes us to a world that stopped exploring space. The world has become boring, dull, overrun and too careful. We need to explore, to learn something new--and sacrifices and risks are necessary. A good lesson for life, a cliche (you need to break a few eggs to make an omelet) made interesting and understandable.
Re-read Aug. 1, 2010. This isn't as good as I thought it was when I first read it three years ago.
September 1, 2010
While Transmetroplitain remains one of my all time favorite series, I have a conflicting relationship with the work of Warren Ellis. When he is on he is ON, but when he is off he is pretty unreadable. Sadly he is 50/50 so you never know what to expect. I actually find his blogging more interesting then most of his comics work..
Anyways Orbiter reminded me how good Ellis can be when he tackles something you know he is very passionate about. This is his love letter to NASA and the importance of the space program. While science fiction through and through, this is a reminder as to why space exploration is important and should never be lost.
Anyways Orbiter reminded me how good Ellis can be when he tackles something you know he is very passionate about. This is his love letter to NASA and the importance of the space program. While science fiction through and through, this is a reminder as to why space exploration is important and should never be lost.
April 27, 2011
There is nothing like the agony of a man having to watch his dreams pass by on the shaky shoulders of bureaucracy, and the possibility of even setting foot in space because much more remoter by the year. What does such a man do? Write about it, if only to pretend some of the pain away. The best thing about this book is Warren Ellis' introduction letter. It paves the tone for the story, and makes the reader realize what it all means to him. It increases the reader-writer intimacy, as you begin to see pieces of Ellis' obsessive passion leak from the beautifully rendered scenes. As always, high end ideas dance on the pages, and taunt the strained imagination.
August 3, 2012
This book is amazing. Full of what we need for space travel right now...imagination, curiosity, mystery. Just blown away at the moment (no pun intended). More later.
June 29, 2013
Interesting premise on space exploration. Doran's art is great, and I like Ellis's story. The book reads more like a question than as a statement...and that's fine.
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