Desolation Jones

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The cover design of the first issue.

Desolation Jones is a bimonthly comic book series written by Warren Ellis. Art for the first six-issue storyline was provided by J.H. Williams III and José Villarrubia. The second storyline will be illustrated by Danijel Zezelj and Villarrubia. The story follows the former MI6 agent Jones. The series is published by the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics; it was launched in July 2005.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Jones, a former agent of MI6, resides in Los Angeles, which is maintained by the US Government as a veritable prison for ex-agents of numerous intelligence organizations. The ex-agents are under almost no circumstances allowed to leave the city, but within it they are legally invisible. There he makes a living as a private investigator, only doing jobs for other members of/within the intelligence community.

After an apparently long record of drunkenness and misconduct within MI6 ("James Bond never urinated on himself"), in lieu of being discharged he was chosen to participate in the "Desolation Test," and was the sole survivor. Little so far is known about the test, though it has been revealed that it involved Jones being strapped to a hospital bed for a full year, without once being allowed to sleep, being fed food intravenously, and being subjected to other tortures and experiments during that time.

The initial story arc ("Made In England") involves the detective aiding an affluent, elderly collector (Colonel Nigh) in retrieving his most beloved asset after its theft: a series of smut films produced by and featuring the most prominent dictator from the World War II era. Jones is assisted by an assortment of bizarre companions and ex-intelligence agents, including Robina, a woman skilled in creating robotic miniature explosives, and Emily, who as the result of CIA experiments emits constant pheromones that cause almost animalistic fear and revulsion in people around her (save Jones). Many of the plot points in this first arc, including the aging benefactor with two lustful daughters, are clearly in homage to Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep" and other detective novels.

Unique qualities about Jones, aside from his apparent role in the Desolation Test, are the biohazard symbol brand on the underside of one forearm, a "Desolation 01" brand on the other, his scarred and frail figure and grey skin, chalk white hair, trademark orange trench coat, an oxygen mask, and a pair of goggles. The latter prove to be most useful, as he avoids direct sunlight whenever possible.