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| via Paste Magazine |
artist: Frazer Irving
There are few authors as universally acclaimed without a single novel universally considered a classic as the late Philip K. Dick. (I realize I may have just angered all of his fans, right there.) As acclaimed as his fiction is, Dick's lasting impact to date is in the wide body of film that has been adapted from it, beginning with the cult phenomenon Blade Runner. My personal favorite, since its release in 2011, is The Adjustment Bureau.
I begin my review of Annihilator's final issue like this because, in the end, its story ends up being a lot like Adjustment Bureau. In the first issue, with an excerpt refreshed in everyone's mind thanks to Legendary's 2015 FCBD release, Max Nomax boldly proclaims that he will find a cure for death. He does in fact do that in this finale. As it turns out, Ray Spass's whole odyssey of meeting his own fictional creation while struggling to complete what looks to be his final screenplay because he's got an inoperable tumor that spells his imminent death...is actually all part of Max's ultimate defiance of fate, this whole universe his contrivance, and in turn Morrison's answer to life, the universe, and everything.
I've said all along, or I began saying it at some point early on (and in fact named Annihilator the top comic in my 2014 "best of" QB50), that this is in all likelihood Morrison's best-ever work. With this conclusion, I'm now fully prepared to endorse this assertion to its fullest. What he's always lacked until now is a full-blown and yet fully accessible version of his wildest tendencies. And that, friends, is Annihilator. This was an inkling I'd previously had about Joe the Barbarian, but I came to appreciate that one more in hindsight than I did at the time it was originally being published. With Annihilator there was no doubt whatsoever. Other fans could rightly point to We3, although its brevity might always be its biggest (and only) weakness. The funny thing is that during the midst of Annihilator's publication, Morrison also finally published The Multiversity, including the Pax Americana issue, which may actually be the leading contender for the second spot in his oeuvre.
Anyway, this is also a love story, a messy one. I love The Adjustment Bureau a great deal, but Annihilator is like the epic version of The Adjustment Bureau. Another of the reasons I've been so excited to see this unfold is that it is probably Morrison's best bet to finally join Moore and Miller in the mold Dick has long enjoyed, which is being a favorite of Hollywood. Now that it's clear that it really does boil down to something as simple and accessible as a love story...I mean, at this point I look for weaknesses, some misstep Morrison made along the way. And, really, he's got everything covered. This is his most complete, best work.
So here's the grand pitch: Annihilator = The Adjustment Bureau + Interstellar + A.I. Artificial Intelligence + Adaptation...Chances are, even if there are movies in that computation you don't like, it gives you an idea of how far-reaching the story really is, and how intimate at the same time. And where there are so many associations to be made, it's also very clearly unlike any of them, almost a Princess Bride in that it's also a story about the story, a commentary on itself without being too meta, and it's obnoxious in all the ways people love about Quentin Tarantino movies (it's hard to say if Annihilator is more like Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, or even Reservoir Dogs)...
End of story. Happy ending? Well, pretty much. And really, it could never be any other way. And that's the genius of it.
There are few authors as universally acclaimed without a single novel universally considered a classic as the late Philip K. Dick. (I realize I may have just angered all of his fans, right there.) As acclaimed as his fiction is, Dick's lasting impact to date is in the wide body of film that has been adapted from it, beginning with the cult phenomenon Blade Runner. My personal favorite, since its release in 2011, is The Adjustment Bureau.
I begin my review of Annihilator's final issue like this because, in the end, its story ends up being a lot like Adjustment Bureau. In the first issue, with an excerpt refreshed in everyone's mind thanks to Legendary's 2015 FCBD release, Max Nomax boldly proclaims that he will find a cure for death. He does in fact do that in this finale. As it turns out, Ray Spass's whole odyssey of meeting his own fictional creation while struggling to complete what looks to be his final screenplay because he's got an inoperable tumor that spells his imminent death...is actually all part of Max's ultimate defiance of fate, this whole universe his contrivance, and in turn Morrison's answer to life, the universe, and everything.
I've said all along, or I began saying it at some point early on (and in fact named Annihilator the top comic in my 2014 "best of" QB50), that this is in all likelihood Morrison's best-ever work. With this conclusion, I'm now fully prepared to endorse this assertion to its fullest. What he's always lacked until now is a full-blown and yet fully accessible version of his wildest tendencies. And that, friends, is Annihilator. This was an inkling I'd previously had about Joe the Barbarian, but I came to appreciate that one more in hindsight than I did at the time it was originally being published. With Annihilator there was no doubt whatsoever. Other fans could rightly point to We3, although its brevity might always be its biggest (and only) weakness. The funny thing is that during the midst of Annihilator's publication, Morrison also finally published The Multiversity, including the Pax Americana issue, which may actually be the leading contender for the second spot in his oeuvre.
Anyway, this is also a love story, a messy one. I love The Adjustment Bureau a great deal, but Annihilator is like the epic version of The Adjustment Bureau. Another of the reasons I've been so excited to see this unfold is that it is probably Morrison's best bet to finally join Moore and Miller in the mold Dick has long enjoyed, which is being a favorite of Hollywood. Now that it's clear that it really does boil down to something as simple and accessible as a love story...I mean, at this point I look for weaknesses, some misstep Morrison made along the way. And, really, he's got everything covered. This is his most complete, best work.
So here's the grand pitch: Annihilator = The Adjustment Bureau + Interstellar + A.I. Artificial Intelligence + Adaptation...Chances are, even if there are movies in that computation you don't like, it gives you an idea of how far-reaching the story really is, and how intimate at the same time. And where there are so many associations to be made, it's also very clearly unlike any of them, almost a Princess Bride in that it's also a story about the story, a commentary on itself without being too meta, and it's obnoxious in all the ways people love about Quentin Tarantino movies (it's hard to say if Annihilator is more like Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, or even Reservoir Dogs)...
End of story. Happy ending? Well, pretty much. And really, it could never be any other way. And that's the genius of it.
Never seen The Adjustment Bureau.
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