Review: Desolation Jones: Made in England

Desolation Jones:Made in England, by Warren Ellis.

Let me just clarify one thing before I begin; I love Warren Ellis and I love his work. Most of all I love Transmetropolitan, his series of comic books/graphic novels*about the gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem, set in a dystopian future. If there was a way a young woman could marry a book, I would be down at the registry office, hot French boyfriend be damned. So I think my review is coloured by adoration of the man and his work. I expect a hell of a lot from Warren Ellis, and that may not be fair. I suspect my standards may be too high.
Desolation Jones is the story of , well, Desolation Jones, a British ex-intelligence agent exiled to Los Angeles. One of many; it seems there's a community of ex-intelligence agents, confined to the city for whatever reason. Jones works as a private investigator within this community. Just this concept alone is an interesting, but Ellis isn't content to just leave it at that.
The basic plot of Desolation Jones: Made in England is that some one has stolen a wealthy man's Hitler porn. Yes, you read that right. But, of course, there are darker and deeper forces at work, and Jones finds himself lost in the mire of the pornographic and intelligence worlds.
It's apparent from the beginning that Jones is a damaged man. The British government subjected him to the 'Desolation test'; just what that is, is left unclear. What the reader is told-via flashback-is that it involved being kept awake for a year. Its physical effects were devastating; his skin and hair are chalk white, he cannot be exposed to direct sunlight, his suffers from chronic pain and impotence. However it has made him a remorseless, fearless killer. It also gives him some of the most stunning hallucinations I've ever seen, but I'll talk about those later.
So what's right with this work? Well, like I said, it's a fascinating concept. The Hitler porn is a MacGuffin for looking at this dark, seedy and dangerous world that the ex-intelligence community has created, merely by its presence. The supporting characters are fascinating; a young woman who's pheromones have been altered so that she creates fear and disgust in whomever she encounters. Jones' boss, a man who eats entire cows. A dominatrix named "Filthy Sanchez", who utters one of the best lines in fiction, "Everything is better with Bukkake." One of Ellis' main strengths is creating interesting characters, if not exactly ones you can empathize with.
And then again, gifting these people with moments of extraordinary humanity. The aforementioned young woman is desperately lonely, so Jones, unaffected by her pheromones, stays the night with her. It seems so simple, but Ellis' writing lifts it beyond that. It's one of the few moments that Jones actually seems at least a little human.
That brings me to my first issue with the book; Jones himself. The whole loner, amoral anti-hero seems a bit...done. They all have some differences, but the basic archetype remains the same. Wolverine, The Punisher, many of Frank Miller's characters...this is strictly a personal thing, understand, but the genre's full of this kind of character. Jones seems pretty cut and dried, and at the end of the book (no spoilers) feels like he's only got once place to go.
Of course, then I must qualify this criticism with another statement. Desolation Jones: Made in England has made one story arc, published in 2005. It doesn't seem like more is going to be written**. So character development is severely limited. Ellis could have planned to take Jones in a completely different direction. Who knows? I dare not try and fathom the brain of Warren Ellis.
Quick aside to talk about the art: amazing. Captures the atmosphere of Los Angeles perfectly; Heat, sleaze and concrete. Just like I remember. And Jones' hallucinations-usually bloody angels-are literally jaw dropping. The art style is stylized, but not too the extent that everything is sacrificed for atmosphere and effect. The art and the writing really mesh well, which, of course, is important in this medium.
Brass tacks time: How does Desolation Jones:Made in England rate? Well, it's a Warren Ellis, so well compared to a lot of other stuff in the genre. There are no heroes here, just people. The violence is unflinching and realistic***. HOWEVER, something about this book didn't quite gel for me. Maybe it's because I went in to it with such high expectations. I can't read every work of Ellis' and expect another Transmet. The story and character of Desolation Jones is no where near complete, so there's a chance that another classic could be born. The book itself, I think, does not really work as a standalone.
That's not to say it fails; like I said, it's an interesting concept. It's certainly worth a look, especially for Warren Ellis fans. But it's not his best work.

B.


*Whichever you prefer.
**It was supposed to be a two year run, according to this interview http://londonist.com/2005/06/the_warren_elli.php (Lacking the publishing dates of each issue, I am not sure whether it ran the full two years or not.)
***Your mileage may vary as to whether this is a good thing.