Trees #6 (Image) – I’ve finally come to realize why I’m having so much trouble with this series. It’s perfectly plot-less – there is no obvious (or even discernable) plot that writer Warren Ellis (the comics legend) is working here. It’s not uncommon for an author to hold his cards close to his vest in a suspense story in terms of plot. However, I would say Ellis is playing Texas Hold’em with Trees. And he’s bluffing hard. The concept is cool – well, it seems like it could be really cool, there’s not really been much revealed about it when you really dwell on it. It’s coming out in dribs and drabs. It kind of has that scatter-shot mode of storytelling (that literary fiction and really arty films use) where it’s a collection of mostly disjointed scenes and events that do not necessarily intersect nor culminate into a bigger story pool. I’m also thinking this is Ellis’ most decompressed writing in a good long while (although the little bit I read of his webcomic FreakAngels from the 00’s seemed to hint at a similar approach as with Trees). Ellis has said this first story arc wraps up with issue #8 before taking a break. We can only hope the next two chapters pull back the curtain more to allow for more actionable plot to occur. It pains me to continue rating Uncle Warren this low. — Rating: 2.5
Lost Signal 