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Orbiter
by
Warren Ellis (Goodreads Author),
Colleen Doran , Dave Stewart
Suggested for mature readers, this mystery investigates a long-missing space shuttle that miraculously returns to Earth, occupied only by an insane pilot. Full color.
Hardcover, 104 pages
Published
June 1st 2003
by WildStorm
(first published 2003)
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Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,294)
Sep 13, 2009
Brenton Nichol
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
speculative-fiction,
comics-graphic-novels
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...more
Mar 13, 2009
Jesse
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Nasa and Warren Ellis
Shelves:
sci-fi,
graphic-novels
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,...more
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 breathi...more
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 breathi...more
Orbiter is a one-issue hundrer-page hard science fiction comic, where a shuttle that's been missing for ten years returns to earth with a crew of one and some really interesting modifications. During the story various experts try to figure out what the hell happened.
As it's hard science fiction, everything is speculated with somewhat accurate scientific terms. Although the techonology itself is highly hypothetical, which is also pointed out by the characters, everything they say about physics ho...more
As it's hard science fiction, everything is speculated with somewhat accurate scientific terms. Although the techonology itself is highly hypothetical, which is also pointed out by the characters, everything they say about physics ho...more
This isn't the best thing I've read by Warren Ellis --
Transmetropolitan
is my absolute favorite comic book/graphic novel series, and
Crooked Little Vein
is possibly the most delightfully disgusting hardboiled detective novel I've ever read -- but Orbiter is definitely worth the short time it takes to read it, especially for anyone interested in the actual and theoretical mechanics of space travel.
What starts out as a mystery that seems to combine Alien and this episode of The Twilight Zone e...more
What starts out as a mystery that seems to combine Alien and this episode of The Twilight Zone e...more
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...more
1 like · like · see review
Read by Anjie, Summer 2006:
" I know nothing about graphic novels. I ended up going to Willard totally in the dark. Did you know that most GNs read from back to front and right to left?!? I thought I had been out in the sun too long! I picked Orbiter, by Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran because of the front cover, and because it read the ol'fashion way. The intended audience is much younger than I; late middle school - high school. The story is about NASA's demise after the space shuttle Venture di...more
" I know nothing about graphic novels. I ended up going to Willard totally in the dark. Did you know that most GNs read from back to front and right to left?!? I thought I had been out in the sun too long! I picked Orbiter, by Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran because of the front cover, and because it read the ol'fashion way. The intended audience is much younger than I; late middle school - high school. The story is about NASA's demise after the space shuttle Venture di...more
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...more
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...more
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, b...more
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, b...more
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 pure...more
I randomly found a copy of this at the charity shop. Warren Ellis writing and Colleen Dorran drawing I thought I'd better get it. I did quite enjoy it. It was an interesting story about space travel and a mystery to be solved. The only problem was I kinda disagreed with the author's premise. He seemed to think that the only exciting way to do space exploration was to send people and that robotic missions couldn't find new and exciting things (This was written back in 2003). Which seemed to miss...more
Jun 13, 2010
Travis
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
comic-books,
sf-fantasy
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 wha...more
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 wha...more
Sep 22, 2010
Laura
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novels-comic-books
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When I first got done reading this I thought it was amazing. And yet now that I've had some time to think about it, I'm not sure why I loved it so much. There's a number of odd plot-holes that are never really explained, the art style isn't able to convey emotions very well, and the whole thing seems to be in a rush to end. The concept seems like it would've been better as a longer story. I feel that if it had taken its time it could've been something really great. Mostly because then the charac...more
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...more
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 th...more
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 th...more
A science mystery, complete in one thin volume. The space shuttle Venture lands unexpectedly after disappearing mysteriously ten years previous. Only one insane crew member remains. It's told from the point of view of the scientists who are trying to figure out what happened.
The science is nice and hard--it will probably be a turnoff for some, but I loved it. The ending is convincing and fascinating. A rock-solid effort by Warren Ellis.
My only complaint is that it felt rushed, a 200 page story...more
The science is nice and hard--it will probably be a turnoff for some, but I loved it. The ending is convincing and fascinating. A rock-solid effort by Warren Ellis.
My only complaint is that it felt rushed, a 200 page story...more
Interesting but uneven read. Ellis starts the story off with a strong mystery, with an irresistible sense of cosmic dread. Things soon begin to go downhill as the story moves along much too swiftly, feeling woefully rushed and abridged. Too quickly, the story switches tone radically, and despite one's opinion of the hopeful ending, the transition is too disjointed to be fully satisfying. Doran's art is great when it comes to space and the ship, but her human drama is wildly uneven. Dave Stewart'...more
More like three and a half stars.
This is really all about how space exploration is awesome and we should be doing more of it, not shutting down our manned space program. To which I strongly agree. This feels a lot different from Ellis' usual work. It lacks his usual cynicism and the focus is on the shuttle instead of people for the most part. There's not a lot of conflict at all other than the general mystery of what happened to the shuttle. Also, this is one of the few books where I enjoyed the...more
This is really all about how space exploration is awesome and we should be doing more of it, not shutting down our manned space program. To which I strongly agree. This feels a lot different from Ellis' usual work. It lacks his usual cynicism and the focus is on the shuttle instead of people for the most part. There's not a lot of conflict at all other than the general mystery of what happened to the shuttle. Also, this is one of the few books where I enjoyed the...more
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?
"Or...more
"Or...more
Jul 29, 2010
Nick
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
science-fiction
The most interesting part of this graphic novel is interpreting Warren Ellis' motives in writing it. Orbiter is politically charged; Ellis wrote it in response to the 2003 Columbia disaster and the ending of the shuttle program, from which NASA has still not recovered.
Orbiter raises many interesting questions about the cost of astronauts' physical and mental health and the space program in general. Are we meant to go to space? Are there other forms of life? Orbiter manages to spin space opera,...more
Orbiter raises many interesting questions about the cost of astronauts' physical and mental health and the space program in general. Are we meant to go to space? Are there other forms of life? Orbiter manages to spin space opera,...more
Five stars, not for the glitchy narrative or awkward characterization, but for a masterful tug at the hopeful heartstrings in the face of tragedy and bureaucratic lockdown. Dedicated to the crew of the disastrous Columbia, it and its foreword are a love letter to space exploration, the starry-eyed sense of wonder that keeps us looking up.
Incidentally, this was also published the year work began on the Curiosity rover which landed on Mars just three days ago. The dream continues.
Incidentally, this was also published the year work began on the Curiosity rover which landed on Mars just three days ago. The dream continues.
Great intro and fairly thrilling up until the end. As another reviewer pointed out, Ellis misses making an emotional build up to the climax, so it feels flat and too fast. The other thing that bothers me the most is how "Hollywood" the characters are - in appearance, words and action which are all too cliché, especially the military commander and the rocket scientist.
But it's a great concept that's not executed to its full potential.
But it's a great concept that's not executed to its full potential.
This was an intriguing story - a great idea. But I feel the execution let it down in the end. I was waiting for some sort of payoff and felt kind of letdown by the ending - it felt rushed. Coupled with that were a couple of boring middle parts with a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo. It could have been so much more. The art was ok but I'm not a fan of the style. On the whole, worth reading but don't expect too much.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Aug 24, 2010
Joshua Cole
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone above 18, not just Warren Ellis fans
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 stoppe...more
Orbiter has a light tough, an inspirational touch at the end. Published shortly after the Columbia disaster, Orbiter takes us to a world that stoppe...more
I like the hopeful message for continuing manned space flight, but the story is flat and the characters are very weak. It is a short story so I understand it is hard but the 'climax' was very disappointing. On top top of all that the art was mediocre at best. It couldn't decide if it wanted to be realistic or stylized. The area between just looks like crap, which this art was.
While I appreciate a good, sci-fi, pro space program story like this one, It just didn't really do it for me. The theoretical construct of a ship that can go anywhere was really interesting, but the bulk of the story, mostly technobabble, and the disappointingly simplistic ending, added up to a rather lukewarm experience from the usually better Warren Ellis.
No one expected the space shuttle Venture to return. But ten years after it suddenly disappeared it lands at Kennedy Space Center with only its captain aboard and Martian sand stuck in its landing gear. The captain is apparently insane; the ship’s metal skin is now covered with living skin, and something very strange has happened to its engines.
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Has written comics & graphic novels, books, journalism, animation, tv, film, videogames and anything else that looks like it might pay a bill or buy whisky.
Second novel, GUN MACHINE, due from Mulholland Books in autumn of 2012.
First non-fiction book due from FSG in 2014.
Currently a weekly columnist for VICE UK.
Hello. WHERE AM I
More about Warren Ellis...
Second novel, GUN MACHINE, due from Mulholland Books in autumn of 2012.
First non-fiction book due from FSG in 2014.
Currently a weekly columnist for VICE UK.
Hello. WHERE AM I
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May 22, 2012 05:33pm