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Blackgas
Warren Ellis, the creator of TRANSMETROPOLITAN and PLANETARY, unleashes a new kind of zombie horror. A tiny little island off the east coast of America sit on a fault in the underlying tectonic plate. On a night beset by a fierce storm and an earthquake simultaneously, the fault line cracks, releasing something foul from the Earth's guts, blown across the little coastal town of Smoky Island. The only two people on the island who were outside the reach of the black gas are now trapped on a spit of rock with a population that aren't what we'd call "people" anymore. After all, they started eating each other an hour ago... and it's about to get worse.
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2003
1 person is currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,910 books5,767 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 43 reviews
September 5, 2014
Maybe it's because I've read Garth Ennis/Jacen Burrows' Crossed and Robert Kirkman/Charlie Adlard’s Walking Dead books, but this seems to be a clone of those other titles. Blackgas is yet another totally unremarkable zombie book that does nothing different from the many preceding it.
Blackgas is about a scientist who experiments with something, of course it goes wrong, and a virus is unleashed which causes people to behave in horrible ways, eg. eating/killing each other mindlessly and so on. That's the whole “story”. The carnage piles up and then it just ends.
Not much of a review, you might be thinking. And you’re right – I’m putting in about as much effort as Ellis did in writing this crap! In fact I think he made a bet with himself to write an entire book on his phone while waiting for his drinks order to be filled at the pub and Blackgas was the result.
This is the worst Warren Ellis book I’ve ever read – no wonder it’s so unknown!
Blackgas is about a scientist who experiments with something, of course it goes wrong, and a virus is unleashed which causes people to behave in horrible ways, eg. eating/killing each other mindlessly and so on. That's the whole “story”. The carnage piles up and then it just ends.
Not much of a review, you might be thinking. And you’re right – I’m putting in about as much effort as Ellis did in writing this crap! In fact I think he made a bet with himself to write an entire book on his phone while waiting for his drinks order to be filled at the pub and Blackgas was the result.
This is the worst Warren Ellis book I’ve ever read – no wonder it’s so unknown!
April 26, 2019
Probably the worst thing I've read from Warren Ellis. It's pretty much Crossed with zombies. Some black gas comes out of the ground and turns everyone who breathes it into foul, crazy people until they fully devolve into zombies. There is clearly no point to this story other than let's see how pointlessly demented we can make this. The story doesn't even follow the same characters throughout the 6 issues. The art isn't very good, the colorist tries to hide that behind all the random blood spatter and gore. Avatar often mistakes shock and gore for story and that trend continues here.
January 15, 2011
It had always been my experience that you can't go wrong with Warren Ellis, so it's a shame to have been proven wrong. While some of this book's basic ideas are interesting, the treatment is sadly lacking. The characters are simplistic and grating, the dialogue awkward, and the plotting unfocused. You can see Ellis trying to express some interesting characters, but his treatment lacks subtlety, leaving us with uncharicteristically ham-fisted interpersonal conflicts interposed with transparent exposition.
The zombie genre is often bare-bones and fast-paced, and perhaps in trying to adapt to this style, Ellis lost his funny, cranky cynicism. In fact, almost none of his crankiness remains, though there is a certain cynicism in the utter bleakness of the series. Ellis is at his most unsentimental here, which may be why his characters feel so expendible.
There's lots of sex and gore and morally outrageous turns, but without good characters or a good story to pin it on, it falls rather flat. Fiumara is certainly a deft hand when it comes to shotgun head splatter and dangling viscera, which was why I was surprised to see how ugly, plain, and poorly-constructed his normal humans were. When your zombies are prettier than your heroes, you have a problem.
Normally, you can judge an artist by how good his hands are, since hands are so complex and difficult to draw, but Fiumara's are fine, it's mainly the faces and bodies that he mangles. The backgrounds are likewise impressive, though why you would skimp on the faces of the main characters, the things the reader will be seeing more often than anything else, I can't begin to guess.
This whole thing was a mess from stem to stern and I'm finding myself hopig it isn't a sign that Ellis has passed his prime. I know some authors, even once-remarkable talents, can fall utterly flat later in their careers, and I hope that Ellis' best years are ahead of him, not behind him.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
The zombie genre is often bare-bones and fast-paced, and perhaps in trying to adapt to this style, Ellis lost his funny, cranky cynicism. In fact, almost none of his crankiness remains, though there is a certain cynicism in the utter bleakness of the series. Ellis is at his most unsentimental here, which may be why his characters feel so expendible.
There's lots of sex and gore and morally outrageous turns, but without good characters or a good story to pin it on, it falls rather flat. Fiumara is certainly a deft hand when it comes to shotgun head splatter and dangling viscera, which was why I was surprised to see how ugly, plain, and poorly-constructed his normal humans were. When your zombies are prettier than your heroes, you have a problem.
Normally, you can judge an artist by how good his hands are, since hands are so complex and difficult to draw, but Fiumara's are fine, it's mainly the faces and bodies that he mangles. The backgrounds are likewise impressive, though why you would skimp on the faces of the main characters, the things the reader will be seeing more often than anything else, I can't begin to guess.
This whole thing was a mess from stem to stern and I'm finding myself hopig it isn't a sign that Ellis has passed his prime. I know some authors, even once-remarkable talents, can fall utterly flat later in their careers, and I hope that Ellis' best years are ahead of him, not behind him.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
October 21, 2022
Even though this comic book came before Garth Ennis' Crossed, Vol. 1 I couldn't shake off the feeling I'm reading a volume of it. It seems that Ennis took Ellis' idea (and Jacen Burrows who's doing covers here) and went further with it, adding crosses of infected faces, but leaving them with primal urges for sex and carnage. Story is quite simple, like one of those cheap Italian zombie horror movies from the '80s with lots of gore and nudity, and if observed like some popcorn fun to pass time it can be ok, however there is nothing of value here. Drawing is quite bad, especially when it comes to faces as if the artist was bored or slacking on art class. Coloring just makes everything worse.
It is Avatar press, after all, which is something like the Asylum production for movies in the comic book world, but even they can surprise sometimes. Alas, this was not the case. Not by a long shot. Especially being advertised by the name of Warren Ellis.
It is Avatar press, after all, which is something like the Asylum production for movies in the comic book world, but even they can surprise sometimes. Alas, this was not the case. Not by a long shot. Especially being advertised by the name of Warren Ellis.
July 7, 2011
Warren Ellis has never written a bad book. The man seems to be incapable of doing so. Blackgas keeps his record of not writing bad books intact. Unfortunately, this is not a great book. It is barely a good book. But it is most definitely not a bad book.
Blackgas is at its core a classic late 70's early 80's horror story. It starts out with two young college kids heading into the woods to do a bit of fooling around. And like in all classic tales of horror, that act of carnality costs them dearly. Their conjugal bed is still steaming when the fault line underneath the tiny island they are on cracks open spilling out the Blackgas the book is named for. This gas has strange chemical properties that cause all that breathe it in to turn into a sort of zombie hellbent on eating flesh and (at least in the early stages of infection) acting out on all of their darkest desires. Lucky for our two lovebirds the wind was blowing south. With a shotgun and a baseball bat, the two attempt to make it to the docks, onto a boat, and from there to safety. That proves to be much more difficult than anticipated.
Ellis generally does good with his characterizations. He builds characters with deep thoughts and emotions. Characters that have complex thoughts about the situations they are in. In Blackgas, the characters are flat. We are given so little time with anyone and interesting characters are trotted out on stage where we are told (and not shown) what to think about them before they disappear. Often between the teeth of a horde of ravenous zombies. It's a shame that this book (which was originally released in two series of three comics) wasn't given a little more length. I don't need this story to span a gargantuan amount of time building the story, but a little bit more leisure in the first act would have been nice. I know it's tough to sell two issues of a horror comic that have nothing horrific happening in them, but some exposition would be helpful to the pacing of the story.
And pacing is a problem with this book. Especially the second half. The end is rushed way too fast, only to end up in a fairly clichéd ending. Characters are introduced and executed in the space of two panels. A zombie story should be fast paced and get your heart pounding, but there is no feeling of a story being told. It is like a series of cut scenes in a video game. We run/drive/strafe until we pause for a second to let something horrific happen, then do it all again. There isn't enough time to feel anything for any of the characters. Ellis does more with fewer pages in Fell.
I wasn't completely disappointed. Their are some truly inventive things in this book. Warren Ellis has added a great depth and dimension to the zombies in this story by allowing them to talk and have emotions (again, at least in the early stages of infection). The blackgas infection strips away all of our social and civilizing filters and forces the victims into acting out their darkest thoughts. Some zombies seem to revel in the freedom while others suffer mentally, often crying and apologizing to their victims. These scenes are quite profound. So much so that the zombies are the only characters that I felt anything for in this book.
The artwork is also quite well done, but not a complete knockout. Max Fiumara doesn't do the whole hazey-phazey hallucinatory murk that Ben Templesmith does. The artwork is much more akin to the realistic work of artists like Alex Maleev or Joe Quesada. The backgrounds are quite detailed, often loaded with little bits of detail and jokes that add a very complete feel to the scene. Fiumara also does some of the best looking drawings of heads getting blown off, intestines getting munched on, arms getting severed, penises getting fried on a griddle, etc. etc. etc. that I have ever seen. There is clearly love given to the horrific aspects of this story. The same care was unfortunately not given to the central characters. They seem rushed and at times incomplete.
Again, the central problem with Blackgas is that more care and love is given to the horrific (in all senses of that word) aspects of the book than on the supposed protagonists. One could ostensibly make the argument that the zombies are the protagonists, if the last act of the book didn't wash over them so damned quickly.
Blackgas was a fun romp, but ultimately a romp that leaves the reader feeling underwhelmed. It reads as a slightly ham fisted attempt at writing transgressive literature. The problem with writing transgressive literature is that it has all been done before. Georges Bataille's Story Of The Eye from 1928 has more shocks to the sensibilities than this. What Ellis can offer is the image instead of just the word. It's just such a shame that they rushed through the images. If the story and its ideas were given the proper amount of time to develop, something rather interesting could've resulted. Ultimately Blackgas just seems like a wasted opportunity from one of the masters of the medium.
Blackgas is at its core a classic late 70's early 80's horror story. It starts out with two young college kids heading into the woods to do a bit of fooling around. And like in all classic tales of horror, that act of carnality costs them dearly. Their conjugal bed is still steaming when the fault line underneath the tiny island they are on cracks open spilling out the Blackgas the book is named for. This gas has strange chemical properties that cause all that breathe it in to turn into a sort of zombie hellbent on eating flesh and (at least in the early stages of infection) acting out on all of their darkest desires. Lucky for our two lovebirds the wind was blowing south. With a shotgun and a baseball bat, the two attempt to make it to the docks, onto a boat, and from there to safety. That proves to be much more difficult than anticipated.
Ellis generally does good with his characterizations. He builds characters with deep thoughts and emotions. Characters that have complex thoughts about the situations they are in. In Blackgas, the characters are flat. We are given so little time with anyone and interesting characters are trotted out on stage where we are told (and not shown) what to think about them before they disappear. Often between the teeth of a horde of ravenous zombies. It's a shame that this book (which was originally released in two series of three comics) wasn't given a little more length. I don't need this story to span a gargantuan amount of time building the story, but a little bit more leisure in the first act would have been nice. I know it's tough to sell two issues of a horror comic that have nothing horrific happening in them, but some exposition would be helpful to the pacing of the story.
And pacing is a problem with this book. Especially the second half. The end is rushed way too fast, only to end up in a fairly clichéd ending. Characters are introduced and executed in the space of two panels. A zombie story should be fast paced and get your heart pounding, but there is no feeling of a story being told. It is like a series of cut scenes in a video game. We run/drive/strafe until we pause for a second to let something horrific happen, then do it all again. There isn't enough time to feel anything for any of the characters. Ellis does more with fewer pages in Fell.
I wasn't completely disappointed. Their are some truly inventive things in this book. Warren Ellis has added a great depth and dimension to the zombies in this story by allowing them to talk and have emotions (again, at least in the early stages of infection). The blackgas infection strips away all of our social and civilizing filters and forces the victims into acting out their darkest thoughts. Some zombies seem to revel in the freedom while others suffer mentally, often crying and apologizing to their victims. These scenes are quite profound. So much so that the zombies are the only characters that I felt anything for in this book.
The artwork is also quite well done, but not a complete knockout. Max Fiumara doesn't do the whole hazey-phazey hallucinatory murk that Ben Templesmith does. The artwork is much more akin to the realistic work of artists like Alex Maleev or Joe Quesada. The backgrounds are quite detailed, often loaded with little bits of detail and jokes that add a very complete feel to the scene. Fiumara also does some of the best looking drawings of heads getting blown off, intestines getting munched on, arms getting severed, penises getting fried on a griddle, etc. etc. etc. that I have ever seen. There is clearly love given to the horrific aspects of this story. The same care was unfortunately not given to the central characters. They seem rushed and at times incomplete.
Again, the central problem with Blackgas is that more care and love is given to the horrific (in all senses of that word) aspects of the book than on the supposed protagonists. One could ostensibly make the argument that the zombies are the protagonists, if the last act of the book didn't wash over them so damned quickly.
Blackgas was a fun romp, but ultimately a romp that leaves the reader feeling underwhelmed. It reads as a slightly ham fisted attempt at writing transgressive literature. The problem with writing transgressive literature is that it has all been done before. Georges Bataille's Story Of The Eye from 1928 has more shocks to the sensibilities than this. What Ellis can offer is the image instead of just the word. It's just such a shame that they rushed through the images. If the story and its ideas were given the proper amount of time to develop, something rather interesting could've resulted. Ultimately Blackgas just seems like a wasted opportunity from one of the masters of the medium.
October 19, 2022
This was a nasty, mean read. If you like Crossed you'll probably like it. A black gas escapes from underground and brings out everyone's worst instincts, which basically boils down to ripping other people apart, eating them, and having sex with anything they can reach.
I'm not sure why this wasn't just another Crossed story, especially since both series are under Avatar. It's literally exactly the same, except that instead of a cross on the face these zombies have black tears streaming across their cheeks. The art style is the same, the gore is the same, the sex is the same. I suppose Warren Ellis wanted his own crack at the genre but specifically wanted it to be down to gas? Not sure why.
The writing is fine. There is a story here, and some personality behind the characters, although the final issue switch to a character we literally only just met was weird. I didn't care for the ending having always seems like an easy way out, no better than 'it was all a dream', but with more sequel potential. The art is also fine. Very Avatar house style - highly detailed, glossy viscera. The work on the actual human characters wasn't that great but it was fine for a book that reads this quickly and doesn't invite the reader to linger.
I'm giving this one star, but that's a very personal rating. Although the dialogue is easy, the story is literally a copy of Crossed, and there is nothing new here at all, if you like Crossed, you'll probably get exactly the same kick out of this nasty little volume, and be inclined to raise that star rating up to a four or even a five.
(edit: I've just looked it up and this mini actually came out before Crossed. I guess Garth Ennis built on Warren Ellis' idea, rather than Ellis ripping Ennis' off. Knowing that, I've upped my review to two stars.)
I'm not sure why this wasn't just another Crossed story, especially since both series are under Avatar. It's literally exactly the same, except that instead of a cross on the face these zombies have black tears streaming across their cheeks. The art style is the same, the gore is the same, the sex is the same. I suppose Warren Ellis wanted his own crack at the genre but specifically wanted it to be down to gas? Not sure why.
The writing is fine. There is a story here, and some personality behind the characters, although the final issue switch to a character we literally only just met was weird. I didn't care for the ending having always seems like an easy way out, no better than 'it was all a dream', but with more sequel potential. The art is also fine. Very Avatar house style - highly detailed, glossy viscera. The work on the actual human characters wasn't that great but it was fine for a book that reads this quickly and doesn't invite the reader to linger.
I'm giving this one star, but that's a very personal rating. Although the dialogue is easy, the story is literally a copy of Crossed, and there is nothing new here at all, if you like Crossed, you'll probably get exactly the same kick out of this nasty little volume, and be inclined to raise that star rating up to a four or even a five.
(edit: I've just looked it up and this mini actually came out before Crossed. I guess Garth Ennis built on Warren Ellis' idea, rather than Ellis ripping Ennis' off. Knowing that, I've upped my review to two stars.)
September 2, 2017
3.5 Stars
So here we have Zombies as done by Warren Ellis. This story is horrific and depressing but manages to be entertaining along the way. When a black gas is released from beneath an island, everyone it touches becomes a zombie. Then the zombie reaches the mainland and things get really. And let's just say if you like happy endings, you can probably skip this one. I think Garth Ennis may have read this and then decided to take things a step further when he did Crossed because you can see some of that series reflected in this one. Overall not bad but it's still basically a zombie story.
So here we have Zombies as done by Warren Ellis. This story is horrific and depressing but manages to be entertaining along the way. When a black gas is released from beneath an island, everyone it touches becomes a zombie. Then the zombie reaches the mainland and things get really. And let's just say if you like happy endings, you can probably skip this one. I think Garth Ennis may have read this and then decided to take things a step further when he did Crossed because you can see some of that series reflected in this one. Overall not bad but it's still basically a zombie story.
June 13, 2024
Gás Negro é o cancelado Warren Ellis escrevendo uma típica história de zumbis: com fome e com pressa. Muita pressa.
O grande diferencial dessa HQ nervosa e corrida é o lado transgressor que aflora nos zumbis advindos da fumaça cuspida por um vulcão. Não basta comer a vizinhança, os monstros aqui querem mais. Querem afrontar, ofender e, em se tratando de uma típica HQ da Avatar, atacar sexualmente suas vítimas. E Ellis vomita tudo de podre que tem dentro nessas poucas 144 páginas que passam voando.
Infelizmente, essa urgência não supre a superficialidade dos personagens e a ausência de uma trama coerente.
É uma ideia curiosa para um tema batido (e há subtextos rodrigueanos também, mas que teriam sido melhor explorados se o roteirista conhecesse Nelson Rodrigues), mas vamos combinar que a “arte apressada” de Max Fiumara também não ajuda em nada.
Duas estrelas e está de bom tamanho.
O grande diferencial dessa HQ nervosa e corrida é o lado transgressor que aflora nos zumbis advindos da fumaça cuspida por um vulcão. Não basta comer a vizinhança, os monstros aqui querem mais. Querem afrontar, ofender e, em se tratando de uma típica HQ da Avatar, atacar sexualmente suas vítimas. E Ellis vomita tudo de podre que tem dentro nessas poucas 144 páginas que passam voando.
Infelizmente, essa urgência não supre a superficialidade dos personagens e a ausência de uma trama coerente.
É uma ideia curiosa para um tema batido (e há subtextos rodrigueanos também, mas que teriam sido melhor explorados se o roteirista conhecesse Nelson Rodrigues), mas vamos combinar que a “arte apressada” de Max Fiumara também não ajuda em nada.
Duas estrelas e está de bom tamanho.
May 13, 2020
It’s your general horror zombie story. Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t expect anything other than that and you won’t be disappointed.
Two drawbacks. Soo tells her boyfriend she wanted to rape him so bad. Yeah, sorry Ellis, not acceptable. On any level.
And two: ended exactly like Return of the Living Dead. Kind of disappointing.
You will see more of the same of this story in Crossed later on. Also by Avatar.
Two drawbacks. Soo tells her boyfriend she wanted to rape him so bad. Yeah, sorry Ellis, not acceptable. On any level.
And two: ended exactly like Return of the Living Dead. Kind of disappointing.
You will see more of the same of this story in Crossed later on. Also by Avatar.
June 21, 2020
Warren Ellis atirou-se ao género zombies nesta curta série. Uma explosão vulcânica liberta um miasma negro, que se espalha primeiro numa ilha isolada e é levado pelo vento para uma metrópole. O miasma tem efeitos zombificadores, mas Ellis não segue o caminho dos mortos vivos. Os afetados libertam as suas piores pulsões enquanto se devoram. Boa desculpa para um teatro de crueldade, com a prosa afiada de Ellis, numa história de onde não há redenção.
September 26, 2022
De longe o pior material que já li de Warren Ellis. História pouco imaginativa e mal escrita. Talvez tenha soado diferente na época em que foi lançada, mas hoje é só mais uma história de zumbis bastante comum e entediante. A arte é simples, feia e incapaz de imprimir ao livro um senso de drama e horror.
Recomendo apenas a colecionadores de Ellis e fãs incorrigíveis de zumbis. E garanto que ambos os grupos vão se decepcionar.
Recomendo apenas a colecionadores de Ellis e fãs incorrigíveis de zumbis. E garanto que ambos os grupos vão se decepcionar.
April 16, 2020
From my understanding, Blackgas was a bet from Avatar Press's editor for Warren to do a zombie story that hasn't been done before (like how his Black Summer/No Hero/Supergods were attempts to do superheroes no done before).
This isn't a bad story, but it's unremarkable in the wake of the Walking Dead and Crossed.
This isn't a bad story, but it's unremarkable in the wake of the Walking Dead and Crossed.
December 16, 2025
Warren Ellis can elevate almost anything, but you wont be getting the altitude sickness from this rag. By his own admission Ellis made this series as a favor, so its kind of like finding out that James Cameron snuck off and directed the long awaited sequel to Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, while no one was watching.
February 19, 2021
I like Ellis’ writing generally, but this storyline and writing felt really one dimensional from cover to cover or that elements happened haphazardly or in repetition. There was no real character development either.
January 28, 2025
It's fine for what it is but it's really just another "disturbing" zombie tale for shock value. There's better horror titles for that like crossed or the walking dead. There's a reason this was a one off. It's one and done horror for me.
February 8, 2022
Not good. Shit hits the fan too early and there’s no mystery or suspense left, just carnage. Which can be fun in a film but boring in a comic.
May 17, 2023
Una historia de zombies completamente prescindible que no va a ninguna parte. No sé cómo Warren Ellis se metió en esta chorrada. Olvidable.
August 10, 2025
hated this one
February 24, 2017
Pretty uninteresting characters, awkward dialogue, didn't seem to know what it was going for, really. Not a bad idea but it just felt lazy and uninspired. Could've been so much more.
I also didn't like the art from the start so that might be a big part of why I didn't like it. Oh well.
I also didn't like the art from the start so that might be a big part of why I didn't like it. Oh well.
September 10, 2017
It's not Crossed, but it's fun anyway. The zombies retain some part of their former selves even to the point of apologising for eating their loved ones, but they can't resist the hunger for human flesh. Also they're not funny or focused on sex like Crossed is.
Some mundane dialogue from a couple visiting an island (that adds nothing to the plot) eventually leads to a volcano erupting. The smoke from the volcano is turning the people in the nearby town into hungry man-eating zombies. The girl must have read a 'How to survive a zombie apocalypse' book because she is really effective at handling the infected mother-in-law and pretty much every other zombie the couple encounters.
I also read Blackgas 2 which was never collected.
The girl gets to the city and soon meets a couple of cops who save her from zombies. A helicopter drops bombs onto the zombies surrounding the hospital where healthy people are holed up. The explosions spread the infected blood in the hospital, so that stops being a sanctuary. The cop manages to speak to the people with the helicopter, but as soon as it lands, it's blown up by a zombie in a car. These poor people can't seem to catch a break. The cop spares the girl the trouble of going through the zombies to get to the army. The town is nuked in the end. The explosion reaches deep enough that more infectious black mist is released into the atmosphere. We are left to ponder what happens next, but it's pretty obvious the planet is screwed.
Some mundane dialogue from a couple visiting an island (that adds nothing to the plot) eventually leads to a volcano erupting. The smoke from the volcano is turning the people in the nearby town into hungry man-eating zombies. The girl must have read a 'How to survive a zombie apocalypse' book because she is really effective at handling the infected mother-in-law and pretty much every other zombie the couple encounters.
I also read Blackgas 2 which was never collected.
The girl gets to the city and soon meets a couple of cops who save her from zombies. A helicopter drops bombs onto the zombies surrounding the hospital where healthy people are holed up. The explosions spread the infected blood in the hospital, so that stops being a sanctuary. The cop manages to speak to the people with the helicopter, but as soon as it lands, it's blown up by a zombie in a car. These poor people can't seem to catch a break. The cop spares the girl the trouble of going through the zombies to get to the army. The town is nuked in the end. The explosion reaches deep enough that more infectious black mist is released into the atmosphere. We are left to ponder what happens next, but it's pretty obvious the planet is screwed.
February 12, 2013
Blackgas is Warren Ellis' take at zombie horror. It's only three issues long but there's everything you need. Ok characters, good backstory, lots of gore and of course an unhappy ending. I'm somehow bound to compare this to Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, which is pretty much alone when it comes to good zombie comics right now, and Blackgas has an edge in that comparison in colored artwork. Gore works much better when you can see the abundance of red in the picture. The gore is so well drawn that it also beats Marvel Zombies by a long shot, although it has colored artwork too. Neither of the other two has a man's severed head with his own penis stuck in his mouth. Now take a moment to think about that. I might be overrating this one by one star but there's just something about Ellis' writing that hits me. He doesn't seem to be able to write anything that isn't great. Call me fanboy and you might be right, although I don't admit it.
Good shit.
Good shit.
January 30, 2008
A surprisingly original zombie comic from kick-ass expert Warren Ellis. The catalyst for the plague here is a geothermic gas which escapes from the crust of the earth. Also, there are some unexpected character twists and turns. Highly recommended for those looking for a zombie story that's not the same old, same old.
April 16, 2009
A six-issue zombie short from Ellis, by his own very high standards its a little bit average, though his usual cynicism comes through nicely. An earthquake on a small island just off the US coast triggers the release of the 'Black Gas' of the title, which proceeds to turn everyone who comes in contact with it into crazed flesh eaters. Entertaining enough, but no classic.
February 16, 2022
Awful, just awful. Say what you will about Warren Ellis (from the little I know from the recent controversy surrounding him, he seems like a scumbag), he is, at the very least, a fantastic writer... usually! Case in point, this mean-spirited, incredibly unpleasant trash; feels like it was written by someone without any talent, like Mark Millar.
January 30, 2008
Warren Ellis pulls NO punches in this somewhat unusual zombie graphic novel. The graphics are very intense and the story line is solid, if not a little tragic. Definitely recommended for fans of zombie graphic novels.
February 20, 2012
One of the most unique zombie tales ever written. you have no idea where it's going next, you think it's going to end 3 or 4 different times until it finally does. the scope just keeps zooming out, getting larger. such a great book.
February 10, 2017
EVERYBODY DIES!!!! .......THE END!!!!
WTF did I just read?!?!?
There was no silver lining in that whole thing!
What was the point of all that?
I'm still scratching my head over that gratuitous mess! It was like The Punisher on crack!!!!
WTF did I just read?!?!?
There was no silver lining in that whole thing!
What was the point of all that?
I'm still scratching my head over that gratuitous mess! It was like The Punisher on crack!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2020
Not saying anything new, this felt like a limp rip-off of "crossed". It didn't have the gore or humor of crossed, it didn't have the plot structure and character development of "walking dead". It is just okay, doesn't stand out in any way, and the art is sloppy and flat.
January 5, 2008
This one is really disturbing, but in a great zombie kind of way. Nice to see more zombie comics.
Read
March 19, 2008fucking bleak. probably a fairly realistic take on the zombie outbreak scenario.
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