Exterminator 17: The Ellis Trilogy

Exterminator 17: The Ellis Trilogy

by Enki Bilal, Jean-Pierre Dionnet, and Igor Baranko

Titan Books, 2018

'Exterminator 17' (240 pp.) was published in hardcover by Titan Comics in 2018. It's a compilation (integrale) of both old and new comics / bandes dessinées featuring the eponymous android.

'Exterminator 17', written by Jean-Pierre Dionnet and illustrated by Enki Bilal, debuted in Metal Hurlant issue 11 (November 1976). In 1978 and 1979, an English translation was serialized in Heavy Metal, and became one of the best comics to appear in the early issues of that magazine. 

Originally printed in black and white, 'Exterminator 17' was colored when compiled into a graphic novel by Catalan Communications in 1986, as was the hardcover graphic novel issued by Titan Comics in 2002.

In 2003 Dionnet decided to revisit the franchise, this time with Igor Baranko as the artist. Three albums des bandes dessinees were ultimately released in this 'Ellis' trilogy: L'Alliance ('The Alliance') in 2003; Retour à Ellis ('Back to Ellis') in 2004; and Des Larmes de Sang ('Tears of Blood') in 2008. 

English translations of the Ellis trilogy, as well as the original Exterminator 17 story, titled simply 'Rebirth', all are included in this 2018 Titan Books edition. The book also features interviews with Dionnet and Barank, alternate covers, and promotional art pieces.

[ Somewhat confusingly, all the English language graphic novels share the main title Exterminator 17, so you have to use the date of publication (and the page count) to figure out just what the contents of a given printing actually consist of.......... ]

The color scheme for the four stories is unattributed, but relies heavily on earth tones. As for the art, Barank does as good a job as anyone could in terms of trying to mimic the style of Bilal's artwork for the original installment of the franchise.

In his interview, Barank reveals that illustrating the Ellis trilogy was not easy, mainly because Dionnet was somewhat capricious in his dedication to the project, thus leaving Baranko without instructions for long stretches of time. Unfortunately, this means that the Ellis trilogy has a disconnected, haphazard quality. 

Indeed, Exterminator 17 spends most of his time off-screen in the first episode of the 'Ellis' trilogy. Most of the narrative is devoted to fleshing out the planet of Ellis, which is a kind of multinational European world. Dionnet apparently was intent on suffusing the trilogy with a 'Sicilian' sensibility and thus, the main adversary for Exterminator 17 is a nobleman named Don Alessandro, who rules with a mixture of ruthlessness and guile.

The succeeding issues of the trilogy place the Exterminator more firmly into the plot. But, while the Ellis episodes deliver some well-composed fight scenes and some striking visual imagery on Baranko's part, as a whole, the trilogy is a disappointment. I won't disclose spoilers, but particularly in the closing pages, Dionnet demonstrates he was tired of the 'Ellis' enterprise, and opts for a glib and unconvincing conclusion that reinforces the ad hoc quality of his scripting efforts throughout the whole trilogy.

Summing up, only the most diehard fans of the Exterminator 17 franchise are going to find 'The Ellis Trilogy' to be rewarding. My advice is, stick with the 1976 installment, as it stands on its own as an imaginative piece of 1970s sci-fi.