Just a Pilgrim & Just a Pilgrim : Garden Of Eden by Garth Ennis & Carlos Ezquerra

Not to slight the prog’ at the moment, as “Kingmaker”, “Max Normal” and “Scarlet Traces” are awesome. But as part of an irregular retrospective of Carlos’ non 2000AD but related work, Luke takes a look at an overlooked series from two masters of action comics.

Just a Pilgrim

&

Just a Pilgrim : Garden Of Eden

By Garth Ennis, Carlos Ezquerra, Paul Mounts, Ken Wolak & Chris Eliopoulos

Review by Luke Williams

Published under Gareb “Wizard Entertainment” Shamus’ short lived Black Bull Entertainment, “Just a Pilgrim” is a post apocalyptic science fiction, western. An easy fit for the Galaxy’s Greatest and similar in tone to Ennis & Ezquerra’s  Helix / Vertigo series, Bloody Mary.

“Just A Pilgrim” is set 8 years after the “Burn”, a huge solar flare up that burned off the Earth’s seas and oceans, rendering the planet a pitiless desert and ending civilisation as we know it. Bands of survivors migrate across the globe searching for sanctuary, scavenging from the huge stranded hulks that litter what was the ocean floor, whilst being harried by gangs of pirates, known as Buckers.

One of these bands is pursued by the blind, multi amputee Castenado and his crew. Seemingly doomed, they are rescued by “The Pilgrim” a deeply religious mysterious wanderer, with a bloody past.

Rallying the group, giving them hope and the will to resist, the Pilgrim becomes their guide. Escorting them through the wasteland as they encounter mutated wildlife and bizarre new threats in a hostile environment.

Escorting the refugees across the Atlantic basin, with the Buckers in hot pursuit, the refugees journey  reaches an explosive climax at the wreck of the Titanic

Series 2, “The Garden of Eden” is set 3 years later. The Pilgrim has made it across the Americas and into the dustbowled Pacific, reaching the edge of the Marianas Trench, formerly the deepest point of the ocean. Attacked by humans possessed by “Sliders” one of the new life forms to have developed after the Burn and rescued by a group of scientists who take him to their base.

The scientists had managed to cultivate enough vegetation to sustain their community, and to scavenged enough technology to beat off the relentless attacks from the Sliders and to build a space shuttle escape route to the stars. As you can imagine, this doesn’t go according to plan.

Ennis has always said how indebted he was to the holy trinity of British action comics “Battle”, “Action”  and “2000AD”, and this is the clearest indications.  It’s hard to say much about these series without spoilers, but suffice to say the Pilgrim is not a sympathetic character, think a fanatically religious Dredd,  or a more verbose Saint Of Killers from “Preacher”, if he had been hit over the head a few times. Ennis’ favourite storytelling instruments are all present and correct, religion, extreme violence, black humour and grotesque and crude fates for his protagonists.

Five issue series one has a Mad Max / “Helltrekkers” vibe, and a body count to match with relentless action and a grisly flashback sequence. Series two is only four issues, slower paced and is slightly more character driven. Some of elements are a tad far fetched and defy story logic :  in the midst of Armageddon running for their lives they brought the parts for space shuttle from Cape Kennedy? Just suspend your disbelief, the two series are a riot.

Carlos knocks it out of the park, he is in his element. He has a whale of a time with big splash pages, the odd double page spread, huge action sequences and lots of gore. Huge explosions? Fiery and / or bloody death? Grotesque monsters? They are all here for you. The colouring from Paul Mounts and Ken Wolak is sympathetic and vibrant, it reminded me of the early attempts at computer colouring at 2000AD but with someone having a far better control on contrast and brightness.

Some cracking covers accompanied the two series, Ennis called in some mates to decorate the wrapping including Glenn Fabry, Kevin Nowlan, Mark Texeira, Bill Sienkiewicz, John McCrea  Dave Gibbons, JG Jones and Joe Jusko.

The two series aren’t prohibitively expensive on Fleabay. It’s Ennis & Carlos. What are you waiting for?