Thinking about Injection

In light of the recent news involving Warren Ellis, I have been thinking about his work. I can’t, in good faith, recommend that people buy his work given the recent allegations. But I also find myself still grudgingly recommending that people read his work. Borrow his books, buy them second hand if you prefer. I still find myself recommending his work, but I do not recommend supporting him as an author.

So, with those reservations, I’m going to talk about Injection: written by Warren Ellis, and drawn by Declan Shalvey. The premise is that a team of genius misfits have discovered that the future is going to be boring. And, in an attempt to fix that, they have made a sentient mystic AI that can alter reality to spice things up. And they have * injected* that entity into the world, and now must deal with the consequences of their actions.

Jurassic Park hit theaters when I was a young teenager. And even though I knew it was supposed to be a cautionary tale, all I wanted was for it to be real. Injection has the same effect upon me. I know this is a cautionary tale, but the idea of *injecting* an entity into the world that can reshape our culture and our future is incredibly tempting right now. We are staring down the barrel of a future dominated by climate change, and fossil fuel depletion, and resource wars, and the desperation of the USA and Russia as their empires decline (why is Russia always an empire in decline?). We are facing a world filled with would be elites unwilling to give up privilege to prevent the apocalypse. We are facing a world where technological advancement might possibly save us, but where that technological advancement is mediated by the exact wrong people to enable it to save us.

And into this world, I dream of the ability to add my own injection. And even staring at this cautionary tale, I am obviously moving ahead. This website is a testament to my hubris. Let’s pray that I’m either better at this than those protagonists, or so much worse so as to render it toothless and impotent.