Mek
Encyclopedia
Mek is a three-issue comic book
mini-series
published in 2003
by WildStorm
, written by Warren Ellis
, pencilled by Steve Rolston
and inked by Al Gordon.
and the work of Kevin Warwick
as examples. In the same interview, he stated his opinion that "What is art and experiment today will be high-end consumer goods in ten years, and cheap enough to be street goods in twenty years" and that "William Gibson
said it smartest: the street finds its own use for things. And what is experimental, medical or military eventually finds its way down there."
The original three issue comic book series was published from January to March 2003 by Homage Comics
, an imprint of Wildstorm Comics. The series was later collected as one half of a 'flipbook' format trade paperback, accompanied by another Warren Ellis miniseries, Reload (ISBN 1401202756).
have become passe. The newest fad, "MEK" (short for Massive Enhancement Culture), involves adding cybernetic implants, such as cell phones implanted directly into the skull. The founder of the MEK movement is Sarissa Leon, who has become a celebrity of the new fad. She returns to Sky Road, the place where MEK first took off, after learning of the murder of her former lover and fellow MEK pioneer R.J. Coins. Leon discovers that Sky Road is now the center of "bad MEK", which involves implanting black market weapons and stolen military technology. Leon attempts to find Coins' murderer, while trying to clean up Sky Road.
described the first issue as "an alright Warren Ellis book" and "not his best work but then neither is it his worst"
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published in 2003
2003 in comics
-January:* January 2: Kid Colt artist Jack Keller dies at age 80.- April :* Action Comics #800: Double-sized anniversary issue, "A Hero's Journey," by Joe Kelly, Pascual Ferry, and Duncan Rouleau...
by WildStorm
WildStorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
, written by Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
, pencilled by Steve Rolston
Steve Rolston
Steve Rolston is a Canadian artist and writer of comic books and graphic novels currently living in Vancouver, British Columbia. After working in story boards for various animated series, he got his first break from Oni Press as the penciler and inker of the first four issues of their on-going...
and inked by Al Gordon.
Publication history
When interviewed about Mek, Warren Ellis explained that he felt that mechanical augmentation was "already happening", quoting StelarcStelarc
Stelarc is a Cypriot-Australian performance artist whose works focuses heavily on extending the capabilities of the human body. As such, most of his pieces are centred around his concept that the human body is obsolete...
and the work of Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom...
as examples. In the same interview, he stated his opinion that "What is art and experiment today will be high-end consumer goods in ten years, and cheap enough to be street goods in twenty years" and that "William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
said it smartest: the street finds its own use for things. And what is experimental, medical or military eventually finds its way down there."
The original three issue comic book series was published from January to March 2003 by Homage Comics
Homage Comics
Homage Comics was a comic book publishing imprint, a subdivision of Wildstorm. It was created in 1995 to focus more on writer-driven titles. As part of Wildstorm, it was acquired by DC Comics in 1998...
, an imprint of Wildstorm Comics. The series was later collected as one half of a 'flipbook' format trade paperback, accompanied by another Warren Ellis miniseries, Reload (ISBN 1401202756).
Plot
The story is set in the near future, when the old fashioned styles of body modificationBody modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
have become passe. The newest fad, "MEK" (short for Massive Enhancement Culture), involves adding cybernetic implants, such as cell phones implanted directly into the skull. The founder of the MEK movement is Sarissa Leon, who has become a celebrity of the new fad. She returns to Sky Road, the place where MEK first took off, after learning of the murder of her former lover and fellow MEK pioneer R.J. Coins. Leon discovers that Sky Road is now the center of "bad MEK", which involves implanting black market weapons and stolen military technology. Leon attempts to find Coins' murderer, while trying to clean up Sky Road.
Reception
Mek was initially met with a mixed reception - journalist Richard JohnstonRichard Johnston
Richard Frank Johnston is a retired Canadian politician, educator and administrator.-Background:Johnston was educated at Trent University and worked there as an administrator and counsellor...
described the first issue as "an alright Warren Ellis book" and "not his best work but then neither is it his worst"