History ComicBook / Planetary

* TranshumanTreachery: Inverted by the Four who betrayed humanity to a bunch of evil superhumans from another dimension in order to become transhumans.

* NonhumansLackAttributes: Unfortunately averted. The GreenLantern {{Expy}} who falls on Earth naked has a disturbing [[BrainBleach mangina]].

->''"It's a strange world."''

The series is essentially Ellis' exploration of popular culture, and the "real-world" ramifications of many of the more far-out concepts that could be found within a century's worth of SpeculativeFiction, comic books and popular culture, as seen through the distorting-mirror lens of the Wildstorm Universe. As such, as well as the alternate versions of the Four, an entire back history is composed linking the pulp fiction heroes of [[TheRoaringTwenties the 1920s]] and [[TheGreatDepression 1930s]] (including versions of DocSavage and TheShadow) with TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and, eventually, TheModernAgeOfComicBooks, with tangents into [[TheFifties 1950s]] sci-fi movies, [[TheSixties 1960s]] spy movies, Japanese monster movies, the VertigoComics of the [[TheEighties 1980s]] (including versions of Comicbook/TheSandman and [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]]) and countless more besides. In fact, pretty much the only appearing characters who ''aren't'' based in some way on existing characters are the main characters themselves (except for a special issue which featured different versions of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', and a ''[[TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' homage which, wittily, used the ''actual'' SherlockHolmes, {{Dracula}}, FrankensteinsMonster, and so on).

* IntrepidFictioneer

-->'''Elijah:''' He's getting away!\
'''The Drummer:''' Leave me behind! I'll only slow you down!\
'''Elijah:''' Okay.\

--> Ambrose Chase: You're the Fourth Man? But you're-
--> The Fourth Man: Yes, I noticed that, too.

The series is essentially Ellis' exploration of popular culture, and the "real-world" ramifications of many of the more far-out concepts that could be found within a century's worth of SpeculativeFiction, comic books and popular culture, as seen through the distorting-mirror lens of the Wildstorm Universe. As such, as well as the alternate versions of the Four, an entire back history is composed linking the pulp fiction heroes of [[TheRoaringTwenties the 1920s]] and [[TheGreatDepression 1930s]] (including versions of DocSavage and TheShadow) with TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks and, eventually, TheModernAgeOfComicBooks, with tangents into [[TheFifties 1950s]] sci-fi movies, [[TheSixties 1960s]] spy movies, Japanese monster movies, the VertigoComics of the [[TheEighties 1980s]] (including versions of Comicbook/TheSandman and [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]]) and countless more besides. In fact, pretty much the only appearing characters who ''aren't'' based in some way on existing characters are the main characters themselves (except for a special issue which featured different versions of ''Comicbook/{{Batman}}'', and a ''[[TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' homage which, wittily, used the ''actual'' SherlockHolmes, {{Dracula}}, FrankensteinsMonster, and so on).

In addition to the main series, there were three crossover one-shots: ''Planetary / TheAuthority: Ruling the World'' (2000), ''Planetary / {{JLA}}: Terra Occulta'' (2002), and ''Planetary / {{Batman}}: Night on Earth''. (Alternate universes were involved for the two DCUniverse crossovers.)

* {{Crossover}}: Two with DCComics, both via alternate universes. In "Night on Earth", the Planetary team pursue an antagonist who keeps flipping them into alternate universes, where they meet various versions of {{Batman}}. "Terra Occulta" is set entirely in an alternate universe that contains both a version of Planetary and a version of the JusticeLeagueOfAmerica.

-->'''Elijah:''' He's getting away!\\
'''The Drummer:''' Leave me behind! I'll only slow you down!\\
'''Elijah:''' Okay.\\

* CaptainErsatz: The heroes of the past are often pastiches of iconic comic book characters or of present ones. In an early adventure, a quantum computer creates an imaginary Earth with a set of JusticeLeague analogues. Ellis even asked Cassaday to draw them as such. Other instances are The Four (of [[MarvelComics Marvel's]] ComicBook/FantasticFour) and a technological take on Captain Marvel ({{DC Comics}}).

* SuperCellReception: The Drummer receives a cell call while on the Authority's extradimensional spaceship/headquarters. Possibly justified in that the Drummer's superpower is control over information and information transmission.

* SuperheroTrophyShelf: All the teams in the comics maintain a collection of strange artifacts and secrets. Most notably the Four, who ''decimated a parallel earth so that they could "...store their weapons."''

* TakeThat: In ''Night on Earth'', after meeting AdamWest Series/{{Batman}} and FrankMiller [[ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns Batman]], Jakita says she likes the former more than the latter.

->''"It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way."''

* {{Kaiju}}: Complete with homages to [[{{Godzilla}} Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan]].

* BizarreBabyBoom: Happens once a century every century in the Wildstorm universe. These "Century Babies" (such as Elijah Snow himself) are born a second after midnight on the first day of a new century and usually grow up to be immortal and superpowered.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Not telling.]]

* '''The Fourth Man''' -- A major mystery in the comic. He funds Planetary and hand picked the field team, but remains behind the scenes. [[spoiler: It's actually Elijah, whose memories of founding Planetary were erased by his enemies.]]

* AllMythsAreTrue: A notable modern take on this concept: not only are most myths true, but a great deal of classic fiction is true as well ([[LawyerFriendlyCameo in some form or another]]), and almost everything that 21st century pop culture loves to obsess over (superheroes, space travel, [[{{Kaiju}} giant radioactive monsters]], [[SupernaturalMartialArts mystical martial arts]], etc.) exists in some form. The conflict comes from the fact that most people are unaware of this, since it's all kept under lock and key by TheConspiracy.

* '''Elijah Snow''' -- A reclusive and grumpy "Century Baby"; a super-human born at 0 Midnight on the 1st of January 1900 which, as with others sharing that birthday, had granted him virtual immortality and special abilities -- in his case, the ability to freeze things with his mind.

* '''The Fourth Man''' -- A major mystery in the comic. He funds Planetary and hand picked the field team, but remains behind the scenes.

* AnIcePerson: It's right there in his name!

* CaptainErsatz: The heroes of the past are often pastiches of iconic comic book characters or of present ones. In an early adventure, a quantum computer creates an imaginary Earth with a set of JusticeLeague analogues. Ellis even asked Cassaday to draw them as such. Other instances are The Four (of [[MarvelComics Marvel's]] FantasticFour) and a technological take on Captain Marvel ({{DC Comics}}).

* {{Metafiction}}: In additional to all its other themes, you can read ''Planetary'' as a metacommentary on 20th century North American comics, in which the superhero genre eclipsed all other genres (crime, horror, spy, western, pulp sci-fi etc.) at the start of the SilverAge with the release of the FantasticFour. See [[http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/14/absolute-planetary-review/ this review]].