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Bad Signal #1
Bad Signal, Volume 1
From Warren Ellis, the creator of PLANETARY and TRANSMETROPOLITAN, comes one of the internet's most influential commentaries on comic books, culture, and beyond. Warren Ellis' e-mail column "Bad Signal" shows that he is a modern master of the short form essay, as his biting wit makes even the most esoteric of topics into must-read material. By his own admission, BAD SIGNAL is Warren Ellis on the move, emptying his head of thoughts and shoving them into a handheld computer with a wireless modem plugged into it, so that he can instantly bug four thousand people with useless e-mail from public toilets all over the world. This first volume collects his humorous and insightful columns from 2001-2002.
64 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 1999
64 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,959 books5,766 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 28, 2017
So I bought this thinking it was a graphic novel, but it's not. It's a collection of what amounts to blogs from Warren Ellis, although these were produced around 2002 or so and he did these via email list rather than a true blog.
At first I was disappointed just to see pages of text, but once I started reading I was pleasantly surprised. Ellis comments on the state of the comic industry at the time and other things that happen to catch his attention. Overall pretty fascinating, at least if you're an Ellis fan.
At first I was disappointed just to see pages of text, but once I started reading I was pleasantly surprised. Ellis comments on the state of the comic industry at the time and other things that happen to catch his attention. Overall pretty fascinating, at least if you're an Ellis fan.
November 18, 2017
Short-essay, almost journal type entries that let you enter into the mind and perspective of Warren Ellis. Enter if you dare...
I can't wait to read volume 2!
I can't wait to read volume 2!
November 4, 2018
Samling av nyhetsbrev fra Warren Ellis
March 11, 2012
I love Warren Ellis. I love his "voice" as read on paper, in my head. He's genuinely entertaining. This book is a collection of missives sent to people on his email mailing list, or something of the sort. Basically a bunch of updates sent to people who would be interested in that sorta thing. You would think it would be a graphic novel since it was actually released on Avatar Press, but no - it's just written word.
I'd only recommend this to people who would be interested in Ellis's day to say ramblings. I, as an avid fan that soaks up everything the prolific author releases, found it insightful and entertaining; however I can see how the average reader would be confused and/or bored after the first few pages and wonder why he actually spent money on this.
Also for anyone in the comic book industry or interested in it, there's a lot of criticism and commentary on it. He gives you genuine insight into the goings-on at Marvel and DC, the state of the industry and all that jazz. As a comics and TPB/graphic novel fan I was somewhat intrigued, though still felt somewhat like an outsider.
As a sort of writer myself, there was some great advice scattered throughout, hidden as criticisms or insults slung towards other, lesser writers or people bothering Ellis on that particular day. I found this one compelling: "IT doesn't matter how cleverly you can jabber if, at the end of it, no one's understood a word you said. It's not about dumbing down - it's about speaking clearly." (page 37)
Like I said, this isn't for everyone. But I'll be damned if I can't enjoy everything this man puts out.
I'd only recommend this to people who would be interested in Ellis's day to say ramblings. I, as an avid fan that soaks up everything the prolific author releases, found it insightful and entertaining; however I can see how the average reader would be confused and/or bored after the first few pages and wonder why he actually spent money on this.
Also for anyone in the comic book industry or interested in it, there's a lot of criticism and commentary on it. He gives you genuine insight into the goings-on at Marvel and DC, the state of the industry and all that jazz. As a comics and TPB/graphic novel fan I was somewhat intrigued, though still felt somewhat like an outsider.
As a sort of writer myself, there was some great advice scattered throughout, hidden as criticisms or insults slung towards other, lesser writers or people bothering Ellis on that particular day. I found this one compelling: "IT doesn't matter how cleverly you can jabber if, at the end of it, no one's understood a word you said. It's not about dumbing down - it's about speaking clearly." (page 37)
Like I said, this isn't for everyone. But I'll be damned if I can't enjoy everything this man puts out.
April 9, 2008
This is a collection of Ellis' email mailing list that goes out several times a day to his fans, followers, moonies, sheep, acolytes, critics, and just general online suscribers. It's basically just him talking out loud, things a normal person would say into a journal, but that a writer can only expel into the world if they know someone will find their words.
In short, it's fascinating. He doesn't really talk about himself that much unless he's mentioning something he hates. But he does speak a lot on technology and the fringes of weird human cultures. He talks about the format of the fields he excels in, be them comics or prose, the state of sci fi and whatever animted movie or video game he's writing. He's honest about the way he goes about his business and the structure he sets up his stories in. A lot his thoughts on things start here and then will get modified into dialogue form into his actual works.
In short, it's fascinating. He doesn't really talk about himself that much unless he's mentioning something he hates. But he does speak a lot on technology and the fringes of weird human cultures. He talks about the format of the fields he excels in, be them comics or prose, the state of sci fi and whatever animted movie or video game he's writing. He's honest about the way he goes about his business and the structure he sets up his stories in. A lot his thoughts on things start here and then will get modified into dialogue form into his actual works.
September 18, 2011
Just in case you thought you were going to get a brilliant Warren Ellis comic with great art, this book isn't it. It's entirely Ellis' written correspondence from his website. So if you want to read pages of Ellis' wry wit and rambling imagination, go for it. It's not bad but isn't as much fun as his comics. If you're looking for a comic book, try the other excellent Apparat comic books "Crecy", "Aetheric Mechanics", "Frankenstein's Womb" or "Apparat, Vol 1".
October 1, 2012
This isn’t really a comic, but rather a compilation of the better posts from Ellis’ Bad Signal email list. It’s an interesting snapshot of my favorite comics writer in the early 2000s, with cool ideas about where the medium can go and what he thinks about lots of things. It’s also a bit too specific to its time, so it’s got a limited appeal. Not recommended for Warren Ellis novices (For that I’d say Planetary or Global Frequency or the glory that is Transmetropolitan).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews