Sequart is announcing that “2011 is the ‘Year of Ellis’—as in celebrated comics writer Warren Ellis. Throughout the year, we’ll be offering three books and a documentary film on Ellis, exploring his major works, his overall career, and why he deserves his status in the top pantheon of comics writers.”
In May 2011, they’ll be publishing Keeping the World Strange: A Planetary Guide, edited by Cody Walker. This book of essays will “study the exhilarating collaboration of Ellis and artist John Cassaday. It features essays by CBR’s Chad Nevett and Timothy Callahan (Grant Morrison: The Early Years), Julian Darius (Improving the Foundations), Patrick Meaney (Our Sentence is Up), legendary comics scholar Peter Sanderson, and many others.”
The second, Shot in the Face: A Savage Journey to the Heart of Transmetropolitan is edited by Chad Nevett. “This book of essays will study the riveting collaboration of Ellis and artist Darick Robertson. It features essays by Greg Burgas, Johanna Draper Carlson, Julian Darius, Sara K. Ellis, Ryan K. Lindsay, Patrick Meaney, Jason Michelitch, Chris Murphy, Chad Nevett, Kevin Thurman, Brett Williams, and Sean Witzke.”
The third title in this series, Voyage in Noise: Warren Ellis and the Demise of Western Civilization, is written by Kevin Thurman. “This book examines Ellis’s entire body of work for common themes, discovering philosophical perspectives and parallels that illuminate contemporary society.”
Late in the year, they’ll debut Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, a documentary film directed by Patrick Meaney and produced in association with Respect! Films. The film features “interviews with Ellis and a plethora of other comics professionals.”
Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting comic books as a legitimate artform. Their mission is to promote research into comics-related topics, and to promote comics literacy.