Planetary

A team of three "archaeologists of the impossible"—the enigmatic Elijah Snow, the superhumanly fast Jakita Wagner, and the data-obsessed Drummer—investigates the secret history of the 20th century for the mysterious organization known as Planetary. Published by DC's WildStorm imprint from 1999 to 2009, this 27-issue series by writer Warren Ellis and artist John Cassaday explores a world of hidden science, pulp adventure, and pop-culture secrets, pitting its heroes against the ruthless "Four" (including Axel Brass, Randall Dowling, and William Leather) who seek to control the future by burying the past. A defining work of the early 2000s, Planetary matters for its ambitious, thoughtful deconstruction of superhero and genre tropes, wrapped in Cassaday's lush, cinematic art.