Anna Mercury has the hallmarks of Ellis’ best work. It has a frenetic pace, ample violence, technobabble galore, and a serious lack of answers (there isn’t as much swearing as usual, but I’ll let that slide this time). Anna is a super hot red-head who is possibly a freedom-fighter, maybe a mercenary, probably very  dangerous, and definitely awesome. She steals some info, almost gets double-crossed, decides to help the people who tried to screw her anyway, and gets stuck on the side of an electro-magnetic lifter heading for the moon (well, a moon anyway). Ellis doles out the info in small packets between the killer scenes of Anna swinging her way through the city of New Ataraxia and beating people senseless. The pacing here is immaculate, keeping you wowed with spectacle just long enough before hooking you in with back story.

I am very excited by the promise of the last page. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so suffice it to say that I am interested in seeing if Ellis uses this series to deconstruct science fiction in general and his work in particular. It seems that may be where he is going with this, given the very 50s feel of New Ataraxia and its sci-fi trappings.

The artwork by Facundo Percio is Avatar Press standard, which is not a bad thing. Although I am really fond the Phillip Bond-meets-Joshua Middleton look of the Paul Duffield cover on the copy I bought (like most Avatar Press books there are, like, fourteen different covers for this issue), Percio’s interiors do the trick nicely. Like many of the other Avatar artists, Percio uses an abundance of lines in his figures, really relishing drawing Anna’s fiery mane. The usual attention to gory detail is also present (check out the broken jaw at the bottom of page ten). Also, the sense of motion, whether in the early city-swinging scenes or in the scenes of Anna rocketing toward orbit, is conveyed nicely. I especially like the way Anna’s hair flattens and streams behind her as she tries to find a way inside the lifter. Such a nice little touch.

If you like Warren Ellis, then Anna Mercury won’t disappoint. If you aren’t a die-hard fan, I think this is the book to pick up (while Fell, Ellis’ most accessible book, is on some sort of pseudo-hiatus). It isn’t as dense as Doktor Sleepless (not yet, at least) and has more action than Ultimate Human. It’s like a super-smart roller-coaster. Or something.