Desolation Jones
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| Desolation Jones | |
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 Desolation Jones |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Wildstorm |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | July 2005 – present |
| Main character(s) | Desolation Jones Jeronimus Corneliszoon Emily Crowe Tapper |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Warren Ellis |
| Artist(s) | J.H. Williams III Danijel Zezelj |
| Colorist(s) | José Villarrubia |
| Creator(s) | Warren Ellis |
Desolation Jones was a bimonthly comic book series written by Warren Ellis. Art for the first six-issue storyline was provided by J.H. Williams III and José Villarrubia. The second storyline will be illustrated by Danijel Zezelj and Villarrubia. The series is published by the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics; it was launched in July 2005.
The story follows the former MI6 agent Jones.
Film producer David Friendly announced in 2008, while the comic was in production limbo, that he intended to adapt Desolation Jones as a feature film.[1] However, when questioned Ellis himself insisted that "All I can tell you is that we've never heard of David Friendly".
Contents |
[edit] Characters
Michael (Desolation) Jones
The story’s protagonist and title character is Michael Jones, a former agent of British intelligence service MI6, who earns a long record of drunkenness and misconduct within the organization. This is possibly due to a breakup with a woman only mentioned as “Jessica.” In lieu of being discharged for his behavior, he was chosen to participate in a secret government project called the "Desolation Test." Jones believes he would be taking part in an innocuous research study, but instead becomes an unwilling human test subject. Part of the test was being strapped to a hospital bed for a full year without being allowed to sleep. Jones is the only known survivor of this program. To mark him as a potential biological threat, the British government brands a biohazard symbol on the underside of his left forearm and a "Desolation 01" (i.e. test subject #01) brand on his right forearm.
The Desolation Test caused numerous physical changes. He has become a scarred and frail figure with grey skin and chalk white hair, who must avoid direct sunlight, although the exact effects it would have upon him are not revealed. He suffers from chronic pain and impotence. Mentally, Jones exhibits no fear, remorse, or any other emotion, and is numb to killing people, many times with his bare hands. He manages to take down a much larger opponent in the first issue by gouging out his eye with his index finger, remarking: "Winning a fight isn't about being the strongest or being a brilliant boxer, it's about who's more willing to fuck up the other guy." He heals poorly when wounded, although this may be a result of his constant drug abuse rather than due to the Desolation Test. Even in the best of times, he has hallucinations of half-naked, sometimes bloody angels. The character also wears a trademark orange trench coat, an oxygen mask, and a pair of goggles, presumably to avoid exposure to sunlight. On several occasions he demonstrates super-human reflexes.
He resides in Los Angeles, which is secretly maintained by the US Government as a veritable prison for ex-agents of numerous intelligence organizations. The ex-agents are legally invisible within the city, but are not allowed to leave without being hunted for going rogue. Jones makes a living as a private investigator, only doing jobs for other members of/within the intelligence community.
[edit] Story arc #1: Made in England
The initial story arc (Made in England) involves Jones aiding an affluent, elderly collector named Colonel Nigh in retrieving stolen property, namely the lost pornographic films of Adolf Hitler. Jones is assisted by an assortment of bizarre companions and ex-intelligence agents. There is Robina, a woman skilled in creating robotic miniature explosives, and Emily, who as the result of CIA experiments, emits constant pheromones that cause almost animalistic fear and revulsion in people around her (save Jones, because of the Desolation Test). He also receives assistance from an ex-agent/doctor who helps him with his wounds and even with a firefight.
Jones must unravel the schemes of Nigh's three daughters, work his way through the seedy underbelly of the pornographic industry, survive secrets of his own past and deal with his agent (whose CIA-modified stomach allows him to only eat four times a year, but requires him to consume vast amounts of protein, sourced directly from live cows).
[edit] Collections
- Desolation Jones Vol. 1: Made in England (ISBN 140121150X) Collects Desolation Jones #1-6
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Warren Ellis Interview by Mike Sizemore on Londonist.com. Ellis discusses primarily Desolation Jones.
- Warren Ellis author's commentary on the first issue on his official website.
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