$oss' Pull-List Review 8-24-11

WE3 

Long regarded as one of Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely’s masterpieces, WE3 is the tale of a military experiment gone awry. The hype on this one was huge. I've heard it referred to as “Morrison's most accessible tale ever.” I acknowledge that Morrison can write phenomenal stories and Quitely is a fantastic artist, but can a book about former pets turned killing machines be that great? The short answer is an emphatic yes. 

The military has been quietly developing more efficient soldiers using animals as test subjects. Once a high ranking government official gets wind of this program he orders it shut down and Animal Weapon 3, or as they refer to themselves, WE3, decommissioned. Needless to say they escape and are set on their journey to go “Home”. 

Morrison is known for his strange, high concept work. This backfires on him from time to time. Stories like Final Crisis are so jam packed with minutia that the reader has no time to enjoy the ride. Everything is kept nice and simple here. The characters and their motivations are completely clear. There is nothing groundbreaking about this plot. The magic is in the presentation. Yes, the main characters are a talking rabbit, cat and dog. However there is never a doubt that these little guys are much more than pets. Even with limited and quirky dialogue like “? 1 Say 0?” & “Gud Dog,” each animal has a fully developed personality. For the record, the cat, “2” is a dick. Each chapter opens with a lost pet flyer for each of the animals. It was a small detail but I was fully invested in seeing how the journey was to unfold because of this. 

Frank Quitely’s art is truly amazing. I bought the collectors edition that has original sketches and detailed explanations of choice panels. It adds depth to an already amazing work of art. The depiction of the fight scenes between WE3 and their various enemies are packed with action and detail. This book is extremely graphic. There is never a doubt that these weapons of war are serious as hell. 

I’m glad I finally picked this Morrison/Quitely classic up. If you are in the mood for something off the beaten path of superheroes and zombies give the cute and cuddly assassins of WE3 a try.-$ 

Panel of the Week: WE3 making a break for it.