Post by jakefury on Oct 10, 2011 21:27:42 GMT -5
I'm beginning with issue #37, the debut of Warren Ellis as writer of the book.
Stormwatch: Force of Nature
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist/Penciller: Tom Raney
This trade reprints issues #37-42 of the original Stormwatch series from Wildstorm. It also marks the first appearances of Jack Hawksmoor and Jenny Sparks, two characters in the current DC Stormwatch series.
The Story:
The Stormwatch teams in this are reassigned into the units Prime, Red & Black. Each unit is equipped for diifferent areas of expertise.
SW Prime is composed of Winter, Fuji & Hellstrike. SW Black is made up of Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor and Swift. Finally SW Red is Rose Tatto, Fahrenheit and Flint.
In this arc we see Stormwatch, under the leadership of the Weatherman becoming more proactive in superhuman affairs. After a former member of Stormwatch is murdered the Weatherman puts the United States on notice that their actions will have dire consequences. This is shown in full effect when Stormwatch takes down a town full of corrupt superhuman cops.
The majority of the rest of this trade deals with Stormwatch dealing with a variety of threats all over the world. We see the team and it's different units on missions to England, Japan, the United States and the island of Gamorra.
Score: 3.5/5
The Art:
The art is your basic 90s run of the mill art. It's nothing great and borders on bad in certain places. Some of the characters are drawn better than others.
2.5/5
Overall:
This is a pretty decent trade. Each member gets their fair share of the spotlight throughout. It does get a little disjointed with such a large cast. However, the missions are pretty fun and contain a variety of threats.
All in All:
3/5
Issues #43-#47
Issue #43
This issue is a Jack Hawksmoor solo story. Jack investigates a serial killer and we find out he's the son of a former American President. Jack delivers him to justice by tossing him onto the set of a live news report. This is a pretty good issue and we get to see some of Jack's talents on display. His detective skills are top notch and he's strongly aided in his activities by his unique ability to communicate with cities.
3.5/5
Issue #44
This issue is a history/autobiography on Jenny Sparks. We see her life throughout the years as she stopped aging when she turned 20 years old. We see her involvement with other superhumans throughout her extended life and her involvement with top secret affairs. A good story that really helps you get to know her.
3/5
Issue #45
This issue is a Batallion solo story. He makes a trip home to visit his uncle in Alabama and ends up foiling a would be bombing. He also deals with the political effects that Stormwatch has had on the world. We see how the local militias view the SW organization and their feelings on superhumans in general. This is another good solo story with some nice character development for Batallion and we also get to see how much of a badass he is.
3/5
Issue #46
In this issue the different divisions of Stormwatch get to know each other by going out to different bars together. No kidding, most of the issue is them getting drunk and basically finding out about each other and sharing drinks at the same time. Rose Tattoo has a side story going on as she kills a Stormwatch guard on board their satellite headquarters. Her and the Weatherman also discover that a new superhuman known as The High has left his former residence in the Rocky Mountains. This issue is pretty much laughs and that's about it.
2.5/5
Issue #47
We finally see some team action in this book. Winter leads a team to take down a group of Daemonites, aliens in the Wildstorm universe. Along with Hellstrike, Flint, Fuji and Fahrenheit they get the job done. This issue is a special treat as it's drawn by Jim Lee. The story itself is pretty decent for a single issue as well.
3/5
Issues #48-50
In the final three issues, we get a story arc involving the High and his team of the Changers. The High is a massively powerful superhuman who like Jenny Sparks has been around for decades. For 10 years he sat on top of a mountain in the Rockies until coming down and deciding to change the world. It's up to Stormwatch to take him and his new teammates down.
This 3 issue arc is the best of the issues I've reviewed. There's political drama and we also discover some dark secrets about Rose Tattoo and the Weatherman. The Weatherman's actions in this one border on megalomaniac and it's fun to see Ellis develop him as a character you want to see dead.
Best run of the series so far.
4/5
