In his afterword, Warren Ellis explains the inspiration for ATMOSPHERICS came from studying post-mortem reports of mutilated cattle, purportedly done by aliens. Now, putting aside for a minute why on earth anyone would spend their nights studying post-mortem reports of mutilated cattle, this is the thought Ellis came away with:
"Why don't they do this to people?"
Bridget Rhinehart is the only survivor from the town of Helen, discovered walking out of the desert with a score of mutilated townsfolk and dead FBI agents in her wake. Under interrogation, she claims it's the work of aliens. The police believe she's a drug-addicted homicidal maniac. In typical Ellis fashion, the elusive truth is hiding someplace just beyond our perception.
ATMOSPHERICS also features some beautifully painted art by Ken Meyer, Jr., reproduced here in gray tones, that contributes a distinctive and haunting tone to the work. In addition to collecting the entire story for the first time in one book, this edition also features a Meyer art gallery as well as a new afterward by Ellis himself. But you already know about the latter.
It's where Ellis explains just why he studies post-mortem reports of mutilated cattle at night...
Peter Aaron Rose is a writer, producer and technologist who lives and works in San Francisco, CA. Under the pseudonym "Peter Siegel", he recently authored Killing Demons, a graphic novel available from Engine Press and Platinum Studios.
