Trees Volume 1

When I saw the first issue of Warren Elli’s TREES on the shelf one new comic day in 2014, it took less than a quarter of a second to decide I was buying this book. And I didn’t regret that decision for a moment, because this book combines three things I love: comics, aliens, and Warren Ellis. The title is set ten years after the aliens have landed. At least, we think they’re aliens. Honestly, we’re not sure. They come from space. They are hundreds of feet tall. That stand silently upon the earth. They do nothing, they say nothing. They’re just like monolithic poles sticking up out of the ground. People call them trees. In all the time they’ve been here, they’ve never acknowledged humanity. They’ve never moved. Nothing has ever emerged from inside one. Every so often they spill their waste on the ground where its left to destroy everything in its path. But other than that, they’ve left humanity alone. If only that indifference were a mutual feeling. Volume 1: In Shadow, tells the story of several characters living in a world affected by the Trees. Tian Chenglei is a young painter from a small village who has just moved to the “special cultural zone” of an Asian city near one of the Trees. He’s unsure of the world, feeling like an alien himself, newly landed and alone. He meets up with a young transgender woman who finally, for the first time in Chenglei’s life, makes him feel like he belongs somewhere. In Italy, Eligia’s boyfriend Tito runs a gang that keeps the town of Cefalu under its thumb until an old man offers to educate her in how the take care of herself without having to rely on the abusive Tito. And at an arctic research station, Marsh discovers small plants growing near a Tree located by their station. His colleagues want to think it’s nothing, but Marsh knows there’s no possible way these particular flowers could be here. He studies them further and comes to the realization that they might be linked to the Tree in a more intimate way. Originally, I was reading this series month to month as the issues came out, but I soon found it difficult to grasp from issue to issue. And then when my local shop stopped getting it, I decided to just read it collected in trade, and that really opened the story to me in a whole new way. Connections were made, arcs were revealed, and the book just took on a deeper meaning. Ellis has never shied away from tackling difficult topics and from what I’ve read, he’s never been one to write down to his audience. TREES is no different. This isn’t some action-packed shoot-em-up with lots of chase scenes and one-liners. TREES is a serious look at some deep subjects, and all with the backdrop of this incredibly mysterious and very frightening thing always looming over the characters. He looks not just at how the people are affected by the Trees and the implication they bring with them, but also at how the world as a whole has moved since they landed. And then there’s the climax. What a way to end the first arc. If the end to this first collection insures nothing else, it insures I’ll be getting issue #9 when it comes out, even if I have to read it digitally, because there’s no way in the world I’m waiting 8 months for another trade to see what happened next. Those last 16 pages changed every single thing Ellis had set up in the previous pages and I’m dying for more. But let me not ignore the art by Jason Howard. I never thought I would see someone who was able to make a stick in the ground look so terrifying. Howard gives the Trees a foreboding and a presence that is somehow both grand and intimate at the same time. And while Ellis lets several pages of panels go by in a row with no dialogue, Jason Howard’s art tells the story wonderfully on its own. I hope Howard is on the book for as long as it runs as his pencils marry so well to Ellis’s words, giving TREES a very unique look among all the other comics that come out every month. I recommend TREES Vol. 1: In Shadow to anyone who loves a good read and isn’t afraid of a book that’s smarter than they are.

I write "promising start" as the title, partly to warn you: the book is a very interesting, well crafted beginningof a possibly big science fiction epic, but it will leave you hungry. It feels like the pilot episode of a great new TV series with several characters being introduced (and killed) and a big cliffhanger at the end. Hence, if you can, then wait for v2 to appear to have a more satisfying reading experience. But back to this v1. The appearance of the alien trees reminded me a lot of the excellent SF novel The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson, where similar structures appear, however in Wilson's case they came from the future. In essence they are mysterious but at least in v1 they are largely the backdrop for a set of parallel running stories with a closer focus on people than on the SF. Yes, it is truly a character-driven book (another incidental similarity with Wilson's SF novels), and quite adult in nature. Ellis displays his usual flair for combining intricate narration and big concepts, yet I feel it is more mature than much of his earlier work. The art is also worth praising, it is more in line with indivdualistic European graphic novels than with the sometimes generic style of American comic books. I strongly recommend this book, one of the better and more interesting recent comics. Not for the impatient or for those that crave generic comic book action though.

This was an excellent read, and had really nice graphics. My only complaint is that it was too short! Just when I was getting attached to the characters, and just when the plot was really picking up steam, the volume ended. The plot was original, but familiar, so while it was easy to get into it right from the beginning, it wasn't completely predictable. I liked the characters as well, though the geographic/cultural spread seemed a little contrived, like something from Heroes or Sense8. Overall though, very fun.

The premise is great, and the multiple plot lines skillfully explore societal reactions. That alone was enough to keep me interested and reading. However, the book is seriously marred by lazy dialogue and flat characters. Ellis rushes to move through 5 different plots, and only two or three characters are developed enough to make me care. Happily, queer themes and characters take a prominent role in the story. Unfortunately, the handling of queer issues is heavy-handed and simplistic. Characters describe their feelings with uninspired phrases like "being myself" and "I'm different". Overall it seems like an interesting start to the series, maybe just a little rushed.

Warren Ellis reaches yet another high point. In TREES, the plot is allowed to unfold slowly, keeping the focus on the menagerie of interesting characters - allowing them to breathe and evolve, to have their own lives even in the face of something literally alien. Howard's art is also perfect for the story - he excels at cityscapes and other environments, making them come alive as secondary characters. If you like thoughtful, character-centered SF I cannot recommend this enough.

Uma estória sensacional sobre invasão alienígena, vista sob o ângulo de pessoas comuns tentando sobreviver às mudanças. Não estamos sozinhos, fomos deixados sozinhos.

This first volume is really captivating. The concept of the trees and the associated humanity reaction is an interesting concept. Warren Ellis at his best. The artworks are really amazing too.

Die Story ist toll, die Grafik ebenso. Was will man mehr zur Entspannung. Eine absolute Leseempfehlung für alle graphic novel fans.

Ambientada en un futuro cercano, la narración va saltando entre diferentes personajes y localizaciones, ganando fuerza a medida que avanza la historia. No se trata de un comic de acción, sino de ciencia ficción, donde prima la calma y el suspense con el que Ellis va colocando cada pieza, dejándonos entrever solo pequeños esbozos del camino. Acompaña la historia un competente Jason Howard capaz de aportar detalle y grandiosidad o narrativa y dinamismo según lo requiera la página. Dotar de fuerza una conversación alrededor de una mesa de comedor o plasmar la enormidad de los "arboles" que se han adueñado del planeta alrededor del Cristo de Corcovado. Para mi un comienzo interesante de los que invita a seguir leyendo para averiguar donde nos llevará...

Intriguing story and a good start to a sci fi comic. Looking forward to reading more! Arrived on time.