''Bad World'' is a three-issue
comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
mini-series
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
published by American company
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American comic book publisher founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois. It was originally known for publishing bad girl comics, such as ''Pandora'', ''Hellina'', ''Lookers'', ''The ...
. It is written by
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ...
and illustrated by
Jacen Burrows
Jacen Burrows (born September 11, 1972) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on various books from Avatar Press and Marvel Comics.
Career
Burrows graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 1996 with a degree in Seque ...
. The series consists of three issues and was published from July through October of
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
. The general theme and tone of the series was continued in ''Bad Signal''.
Overview
Unlike most comic books, ''Bad World'' is a work of
nonfiction
Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to present topics objectively ...
and does not contain characters, plots, or a recurring storyline. Instead, the writing in each issue is a series of observations by Ellis on stories which are incredibly bizarre, but true. The series repeatedly deals with subjects such as serial killers, conspiracy theorists, UFO cultists, and religious fanatics, bizarre acts such as cannibalism, necrophilia, and bestiality, and unusual beliefs such as
urine therapy
Urine therapy or urotherapy, (also urinotherapy, Shivambu, uropathy, or auto-urine therapy) in alternative medicine, and Amaroli in medieval hatha yoga, is the application of human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, including urophagia, ...
,
inedia
Inedia (Latin for 'fasting') or breatharianism ( ) is the claimed ability for a person to live without consuming food, and in some cases water. It is a pseudoscientific practice, and several adherents of these practices have died from starvation ...
, and
Flat Earthers
Anti-scientific beliefs in a flat Earth are promoted by a number of organizations and individuals. The claims of modern flat Earth proponents are not based on scientific knowledge and are contrary to over two millennia of scientific consensu ...
.
Burrows' art provides a background for Ellis' observations. Though drawn in a realistic style, the art often stylizes or parodies the material being discussed; for example, on a page about a woman who claims that she and her children are alien/human
hybrids, Burrows draws a woman sitting in a rocking chair and holding two infant
Greys.
Collected editions
The three issue mini-series was collected into a
trade paperback in
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
().
References
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External links
Avatar Press section
{{Warren Ellis
2001 comics debuts
Comics by Warren Ellis