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Post by BrodietheSlayer on May 23, 2018 2:03:18 GMT -5
Stormwatch #44"Who Watches the Weatherman?"Cover Date: Janurary, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Tom Raney Featured Character(s): Stormwatch Black (Jenny Sparks) & Stormwatch (Battalion) Villain/s: None, but some unlikable people Guest Star/s: Saul Baxter/Jacob Marlowe/Lord Emp Official Plot:Battalion and Jenny Sparks have another training session; in lieu of Battalion attempting to "train" a superbeing older than he is, they discuss Jenny's past. Born on January 1, 1900, she stopped aging in 1920; apparently, at the same time, most of the paranormal and superbeing-related events started to become apparent to the mundane world instead of being hidden in the shadows. In the 1920s, Sparks fought an invasion of England by a parallel reality called "Sliding Albion". In the thirties, she moved to America, where she was a populist figure fighting organized crime and the worst excesses of capitalism; in the forties, she was a film-noir style detective. She returned to England in the fifties, and worked with the British Space Force, which was actually a conspiracy to cover up contacts with Sliding Albion. The conspiracy ended in tragedy as Albion used an inter-reality "shiftdoor" to divert a massive biological attack from their reality to Jenny's. The attack resulted in many mutations similar to the comet effect, although it was confined to England. In the sixties, Jenny attempted to write a book about her experiences, but wound up forming a super-team of her own, dedicated to assisting and defending the counter-culture movements of the time. Sadly, one of her teammates, Abel Eternity, overdosed on drugs and went berserk at a rock concert; Jenny was forced to kill him, and the group disbanded shortly afterwards. In the eighties, Jenny tried again, forming a group from those changed by Sliding Albion's biological attack. This effort also ended badly, as the superbeings among the group began to see themselves as superior to normal humans and abused them. The issue ends with Battalion trying to cheer Jenny up, saying, "You can still see the stars, Jenny." Brodie's View: We get a new BEST ISSUE of the run with this one, which goes into the history (or at least pieces of it, reflecting most of the decades of the 20th Century) of Jenny Sparks. Probably the best part of this issue is not only does talking about these decades (and how they affected Jenny) reflect the history of the United States, but also the history of comics, as Ellis and Raney do their best to make each era look like they would have during each specific time period Jenny is discussing. From the 1930's style of artwork to the 1980's "Grim and Gritty" WATCHMEN look, with periods of Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, and others appearing along the way. However, we also get to see Jenny becoming jaded throughout these decades, as it seems that every attempt to be a hero and make a difference (after the earlier decades) ends in a tragedy of some sort. It definitely gives the character much needed background, and while I'm not sure Ellis had what would eventually become the AUTHORITY mapped out exactly in his head at this point, but one can definitely tell that the seeds were being planted for something like it, as her path of redemption as a hero was beautifully set up here. There are some other little interesting things we see throughout this issue, particularly as it relates to the 1950's section of the story, as Jenny, who is a part of the "British Space Force" during that period, is dealing with an Parallel Reality known as Sliding Albion (and meeting Lord Emp/Saul Baxter from the WILDCATS book during this little bit). This section would end with Albion shifting a biological attack to "our reality," resulting in various superhumans being created. In addition to all of this, it sets up a return by the Albion-ians, who will return during Ellis' AUTHORITY run, revealing that Jenny got closer to these people (or at least one of them) than she revealed to Battalion here ( ). There's also a superhuman she encountered in the 1930's that she fails to mention here, but one she'll be forced to talk about as we get closer to #50. Once again, a great issue that really solidifies Jenny as both a Stormwatch member and a hero. Going back to Battalion, though, in the next issue, we'll see Jackson King return to his home in Alabama, only to find racist militia members waiting on him. / GRADE: A-
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Ultimo Gallos
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 15,315
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on May 23, 2018 10:41:07 GMT -5
I loved the Spirit homage in that issue. But yea art wise and concept wise it is the best issue of the Ellis run.
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on May 24, 2018 1:28:09 GMT -5
Stormwatch #45"Battalion"Cover Date: February, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Tom Raney Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Battalion & The Weatherman/Henry Bendix) Villain/s: The Mamba Team Militia Guest Star/s: None Official Plot:Battalion of Stormwatch deals with a solo mission when visiting his uncle in Alabama. Brodie's View: Well, Jackson doesn't deal with a solo mission in this issue as much as get waylaid by a group of wannabe terrorists (and racists to boot) known as The Mamba Team Militia, and having to fight his way out of being used to make a statement against Stormwatch and the United Nation, as Jackson has been strapped next to a bomb set to blow up in front of the Federal Building in the town (Constitution, Alabama) this issue takes place in. This "Militia" is made up with the people that would be commonly called Tin Foil Hat People in today's language, but it's pretty interesting (and entertaining) to see Ellis taking the piss out of people like this through Jackson, who is able to use his powers to first escape the situation, and then take apart this "Militia." However, he is rewarded for stopping this terrorist attack by having the uncle he was going to visit forced to leave Constitution, and the representation of that town introducing a bill to bar the U.N. (and mainly Stormwatch) from being able to act on U.S. soil, thus furthering the Stormwatch vs. America storyline that has been building since the beginning of this run. This is made even more poignant by the last panel, which shows a white cop pointing a gun at the hero that saved the Federal Building (and numerous lives) from being blown up. The South is always going to be The South, I guess . Anyways, we're pretty much done with the single issue stories with the next issue, as things start to REALLY move forward towards the first chapter of this story's shocking end. We start to see even more of the insanity of Henry Bendix, and introduce the one major potential threat to his plans. Plus, a good chunk of Stormwatch decides to go get drunk, and Rose Tattoo gets laid. Good Times! GRADE: B+
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on May 25, 2018 0:26:30 GMT -5
Stormwatch #46"Rose Tattoo"Cover Date: March, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Tom Raney Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Henry Bendix--The Weatherman), Stormwatch Prime (Winter & Hellstrike), Stormwatch Red (Fahrenheit, Flint, & Rose Tattoo), & Stormwatch Black (Jenny Sparks & Swift) Villain/s: Henry Bendix & Rose Tattoo Guest Star/s: The High (1st Appearance) Official Plot:Winter and several of the other Stormwatch officers go on a worldwide bar crawl, using Skywatch's transfer bays. Bendix discovers that a mysterious superhuman he's been tracking has vanished. Rose Tattoo abducts and abuses a Stormforce guard; Bendix discusses the superhuman's disappearance with her, and they both seem to know who he is. Bendix makes an entry in his diary, stating that Stormwatch is now ready for use in his plans. The Stormwatch officers finish the day on a tropical island, discussing how it's difficult to take time off from being a superhero. Brodie's View: The first page of this issue, which depicts a man dressed in red and blue (and sporting a rather large beard) sitting in a chair made of ice in what appears to be the middle of the Rocky Mountains, really is the beginning of what will be the major conflict as we approach #50 (and the end of the first section of this run). This is a man that has been monitored by Henry Bendix, who as we reveal in this issue, is about to begin his major plans to use Stormwatch in order to bring about some sort of New World Order, with him, of course, as the head. In addition, he has the "Spirit of Killing" in the form of Rose Tattoo, who winds up pulling a Stormwatch guard into her cell, and having sex with him, which leaves him cut up and barely alive ( ). Needless to say, we get our major moment proving that not only are Bendix and Rose not right in the head, but that they have some nefarious scheme that they're planning to use Stormwatch to accomplish, or at least attempt to. We start to see the major move towards this goal starting in #48. The rest of this issue, in comparison, is pretty light, as a group of Stormwatchers head to various bars around the world, trying to bond as a team as they get smashed. Warren Ellis is kind of known for these issues, as he had recently did one during his run on EXCALIBUR, and this issue, which allows him to get a little more raunchy with the discussions, is a superior version of the EXCALIBUR one. The first bar being a place where people go to have a shot before having themselves strapped to nukes to have their souls "disrupted" by the nuclear blast. The highlight of this section being Hellstrike revealing that despite being basically made up of gas, the containment suit he is in does allow him to function as an actual man, including growing his own johnson ( ) The second is the Wolfshead Pub in London, where Jenny Sparks states that she spent ten years in one evening....lol . The highlight of this section being that Fahrenheit, when drunk, likes to have one night stands with whatever guys she fancies. Of course, the guy she picks on this night ends up being gay, which dismays her to no end. Finally, they end up at Clark's (and then on the beach), where they end up bonding as a team, with Winter discovering senses of humor in certain characters he wouldn't have expected one from. This was a nice "calm before the storm (no pun intended)" issue that hints at major things happening, while letting the cast have that personal time they rarely have gotten so far, as usually they're dealing with whatever horrible things Ellis desires to throw at them. Speaking of that horror, in the next issue, we see a small team made up of various Stormwatchers confronting a long buried horror that connects to a threat long established in the Wildstorm Universe, and speaking of that, we get some Guest Artwork by the guy that created that universe in the first place. GRADE: B+
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Post by MrElijah on May 26, 2018 13:54:17 GMT -5
Stormwatch has one of my favorite gimmicks: Government Superteam. I'm kinda surprised DC didn't go that route in the New52 launch, they instead went with work from the shadows and they relaunched JLI as the UN Hero Squad.
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Ultimo Gallos
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 15,315
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on May 26, 2018 14:12:11 GMT -5
Stormwatch was Youngblood done right. Even back in the pre-Ellis days Stormwatch was Youngblood done right.
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on May 27, 2018 2:48:36 GMT -5
Stormwatch #47"Feel the Fire"Cover Date: May, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Jim Lee Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Henry Bendix--The Weatherman), Stormwatch Prime (Winter, Fuji, & Hellstrike) & Stormwatch Red (Fahrenheit & Flint) Villain/s: Daemonites Guest Star/s: None Official Plot:A Stormwatch crew deal with an old Daemonite site. Brodie's View: It's been said that Jim Lee isn't as much of a comic artist as he is an artist that does pin ups and poster images that just happens to be thrown together into a comic book, and while there is some truth to that, the pin ups/poster images he makes are just SO pretty....it's easy to forgive his not being as great of a sequential artist as others (at least in my opinion). I will say that this issue definitely makes the most of Lee's pretty pin up art ability, as it really basically is a series of pin ups with narration attached, as it's Henry Bendix's report on a recent Stormwatch mission. Basically, an underground lair of sorts has been discovered, which defies proper investigation, as any Stormwatch personnel that tries to investigate it is either killed, or comes back insane (and with crazy stuff growing out of them). The Weatherman decides to send a hodge podge team of heavy hitters into the lair, and what they discover at first seems to be some sort of Lovecraftian portal, which allows both Ellis and Lee to depict some pretty horrible images. However, the truth ends up involving longtime Wildstorm threats, the Daemonites, who long ago attempted to genetically meld their DNA with the populace of a nearby town, creating something much worse than even these shape changing aliens. It's then that this Stormwatch team must fight/take out this threat, which seems to be an ever flowing mass of mindless fleshy/alien/machinery that destroys anything it comes across. Of course, we see why Stormwatch is such a kick ass team, as they are able to take out the threat, once again proving (at least in Bendix's opinion) their worth as a group. I guess my only real problem with this issue, even as kick ass as it was, was the fact that it seems like it should have happened before last issue, as Henry Bendix seems pretty normal compared to the secretive psycho he was just one issue ago. Of course, there might have been a reason for this, as Jim Lee is notoriously slow at finishing issues, and this probably was meant to be issue #46 (or perhaps earlier than that), but by the time Lee delivered his artwork, it had no choice but be the buffer between #46 and #48. It's still a pretty cool issue in its own right, but it seems pretty disconnected from what we saw last issue, and what we're going to see in the next. Speaking of that, things that have been building since #37 (and especially since #46) start to come to a head as we head towards the end of the first Book of this run. It involves the man in red and blue that we saw in last issue, and the secret friends that have been waiting for that man's return to kick in their major plans to improve the planet, which, of course, conflicts with Bendix's plans to "improve" said planet, which creates major conflict between this group and Stormwatch (well, and what happens at the very beginning of the next issue ). It's time to CHANGE OR DIE(!!! ). GRADE: B+
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Ultimo Gallos
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 15,315
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on May 27, 2018 12:33:16 GMT -5
The cover to that issue is the cover to the newest trade of the first half of Ellis on Stormwatch vol 1.
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on May 28, 2018 1:50:27 GMT -5
Stormwatch #48"Change Or Die: Part One"Cover Date: May, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Tom Raney Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Henry Bendix--The Weatherman, Battalion, & Synergy), Stormwatch Prime (Winter, Fuji, & Hellstrike) & Stormwatch Black (Jenny Sparks) Villain/s: Henry Bendix & Rose Tattoo Guest Star/s: Malcolm King & The Changers (Blind, The Doctor, The Eldolon, The Engineer, Smoke, Wish (1st Appearance of All), & The High) Official Plot:Stormwatch Prime is prepared by Henry Bendix, the Weatherman, to handle a powerful threat called The High. While the preparation occurs, Jenny Sparks is attacked by one of The High's teammates from the Changers, Blind. Blind is able to inject Jenny Sparks with several needles to incapacitate her, but she is able to release them and free herself. Meanwhile, Malcolm King, the former Stormwatch member known as Strafe that has gone mad, is granted an audience with the members of the Changers and is willing to give them all the information he knows about Stormwatch, the only group that could prove to be an obstacle to the Changers. They force Malcolm King to go through a rigorous interrogation with Blind while the rest of the Changers continue their plan about changing the world their own way. Meanwhile, Henry Bendix and Rose Tattoo, a former Changer, realize they have to kill the Changers to stop their plans. Brodie's View: Holy Crap! We begin the Three Part ending to the first chapter of Warren Ellis' run on STORMWATCH/THE AUTHORITY, and it's made clear from the first few pages that we're going hard. I remember buying that issue new, and two pages in going "F***!!! You're going to kill Jenny Sparks!!!" Luckily, that doesn't end up being the case (at least not here), but Jenny's attempted murder by the insane Batman-esque Blind (and the group known as The Changers seems to have a lot of Justice League influenced members in their group, including the very Superman inspired (The) High) definitely shows that Ellis is not messing around here at all. Of course, as we see a few times in this storyline, The Blind (and one of the other Changers) is acting independently of The Changers and their overall mission, which is, at least on its surface, pretty awesome sounding. Rather than just fighting the Villain of the Week, this "Justice League" actually wants to use their fantastic abilities to make the world the utopia that it could be. In a way, it's the benign version of what The Authority's mission later would end up being, and it's kind of funny that defying and doing away with Authority is a common thread of The Changers' message throughout this story (an example of this is The High's message to the world: "Think for yourself, and question Authority, and if you can think for yourself, what do you need Authority for?"), which, of course, doesn't sit right with Henry Bendix, who wants to create an Authoritarian "Utopia" with him and Stormwatch as the Head/Enforcers. However, the manufactured (well, other than Blind and his wanting to take out Jenny Sparks) conflict between The Changers and Stormwatch starts to unfold in the next issue. In this issue, we see The Changers being introduced, and two of these characters/concepts (The Doctor & The Engineer) will continue into The Authority, but with two different characters taking these two roles. However, most of these characters are doing what they can to make the world a better place, whether it's taking out brutal regimes that have U.N Protection, or creating a nano-tech garden that can make anything, thereby eliminating world hunger and resource shortages among other things. Basically, Warren Ellis ends up totally flipping the concept of Good Guys and Bad Guys on its ass, and as this story continues, we start to see everything fade into a shade of pure grey, with heroes and villains popping up on both sides of the conflict. In the next issue, we see the big showdown between Stormwatch and The Changers, which ends up being FAR more One Sided than one would expect, and we ask the major question, "Why doesn't Henry Bendix want Jenny Sparks finding out about this whole deal?" Things start to get VERY interesting, needless to say. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on May 29, 2018 1:51:42 GMT -5
Stormwatch #49"Change Or Die: Part Two"Cover Date: June, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Tom Raney Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Henry Bendix--The Weatherman & Battalion), Stormwatch Prime (Winter, Fuji, & Hellstrike) & Stormwatch Black (Jenny Sparks) Villain/s: Henry Bendix & Blind Guest Star/s: Malcolm King & The Changers (Blind, The Doctor, The Eldolon, Rite, Wish, & The High) Official Plot:Blind of the Changers tortures Malcolm King to get information about Stormwatch. The High flies to a United Nations building to speak to the media. He informs the world that he is going to change the world and save it from itself. Henry Bendix learns of The High's location and sends Stormwatch Prime after him. Fuji, Hellstrike and Winter battle The High, but he is able to escape after a destructive battle. While Stormwatch controls keep a trace of The High, Stormwatch Prime returns back to Skywatch to be handled by the medics. Henry Bendix learns that the Changer's headquarters are in a jungle in South America and sends all his forces there, calling all the members of Stormwatch except for Jenny Sparks, who he mysteriously wants her to be ignorant to the whole situation. Brodie's View: We get the first major confrontation between Stormwatch (Prime) and The Changers (or more specifically, The High) in the second part of CHANGE OR DIE, as The High is delivering his mission statement to the press. Unfortunately for Winter, Fuji, and Hellstrike, the confrontation is horribly one sided, as The High pretty much owns the three of them quickly (with Winter being the only one of the three to put up somewhat of a fight due to his energy absorption power). This ends up playing into Henry Bendix's plans, as he is doing his level best to paint The High and his group as a completely villainous faction, which also isn't helped by a few of The Changers having sinister plans/methods of their own. We see a great example of this in the first few pages, as Blind (the insane version of a Batman type of character) tortures Battalion's brother, Malcolm King, who was planning to deliver secret info to help the group take out Stormwatch in the first place. Another member with her own agenda is Wish, who in the last issue was revealed to be the mysterious 2nd Activator that has been running around creating evil superhumans since shortly after Ellis' run on the book began. However, the rest of the group, although they might be using extreme methods at times, seems to be genuinely doing what they claim to want to do; make the world a better place by eliminating the various methods and reasons Authority uses to control the populace. Of course, the major example of this, at least in the sense of wanting to control the populace, is Henry Bendix, who spends the issue trying to pit Stormwatch against The Changers, while trying his damnedest to make sure Jenny Sparks doesn't learn about either The Changers (and especially The High, who we will reveal has a long history with Ms. Sparks) or Bendix's overall plans and reasons for wanting The High/Changers eliminated. However, this only works for so long, as Jenny, who is still recovering from Blind's attack against her at the start of this storyline, winds up catching The High's message to the press on the television. Needless to say, she is not happy at having this all hidden from her. This, of course, sets up next issue's big finale, as Stormwatch, as a whole unit, will descend on The Changers' "secret headquarters," which will cause all hell to break loose. We will also see Jenny Sparks confront the now power mad Weatherman on the questionable things he's been doing (and will do), which will cause all hell to break loose aboard Skywatch (Stormwatch's space station HQ) as well. For those who have been wishing for a big fight, this next issue will definitely deliver that, and the ending of this issue/story/chapter will most certainly change the status quo for the book as it heads into a brand new Volume and Chapter. GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on May 31, 2018 1:49:36 GMT -5
Stormwatch #50"Change Or Die: Part Three"Cover Date: July, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Tom Raney Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Battalion), Stormwatch Prime (Winter, Fuji, & Hellstrike), Stormwatch Red (Fahrenheit & Flint), & Stormwatch Black (Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, & Swift) Villain/s: Henry Bendix, Rose Tattoo, Wish & Blind Guest Star/s: Malcolm King & The Changers (The Engineer, The Doctor, The Eldolon, Rite, Smoke, & The High) Official Plot:Stormwatch is gathered and prepared, all but Jenny Sparks, to take on The High and his team, The Changers. They infiltrate the Changer's base and attack swiftly and thoroughly. Meanwhile, Jenny Sparks finally gets to speak to Henry Bendix, demanding answers about the recent happenings. While Stormwatch and The Changers fight, Jenny Sparks learns that Henry Bendix is crazy, wanting to control the world in his own vision and the Changers, with their plans, would interfere with his own. Jenny Sparks kills him and tries to stop a Stormwatch crew to drop weapons on the Changers but it's too late: the Changers are killed, except for The High. The High speeds straight into space, believing that Bendix is still alive, and plans to demolish Skywatch. Jenny Sparks is forced to erect a force field, killing The High. Brodie's View: CHANGE OR DIE and the first Chapter of Warren Ellis' STORMWATCH/THE AUTHORITY ends here, and when I say end, it really does end, as far as the status quo of the book up to this point. We get the big Stormwatch/Changers battle, or at least until the shit all breaks down and people start turning on each other. Unfortunately, even though The Changers' cause is legit for the most part, some of their own members have their own agendas, which ends up causing their whole plan to collapse before it can really get going. From the psychotic Blind, who believes in the cause as it relates to ending all crime, but due to...well, his being a psycho, the means he uses to achieve those ends end up creating unneeded conflict with Stormwatch, to the "Rogue Activator (who was doing this unbeknownst to the rest of the group), Wish, who merely wants the chance to play her mental games on a new playing field. However, unbeknownst to even them, they're dealing with an even greater psycho in the form of Henry Bendix, who is willing to do whatever he has to do (even killing his own people) to maintain the control he has solidified since becoming Weatherman (and with having the "Spirit of Killing," Rose Tattoo, as his personal assassin, he feels he can get away with all of this). This all comes out when he is confronted by Jenny Sparks, who ends up witnessing Bendix's cheese completely sliding the rest of the way off of his cracker, to the point where he depowers Skywatch down, and tries to kill her. He fails, and Jenny seemingly incinerates Bendix as he tries to teleport away (of course, noticing what word I use there should let you know how that ends up turning out). However, by the time the big showdown between Jenny and Bendix happens, the Changers' fate is already sealed, as during the big fight (even as both sides are trying to calm things down), Bendix launches chemical bombs that kill the entire group other than The High (However, The Eldolon and Smoke meet their fate at the hands of Rose Tattoo, but not before Smoke kills Blind for trying to kill one of the Stormwatch members. Jack Hawksmoor then snaps Rose's neck. Earlier, Wish gets transported into space by Bendix, and she dies due to lack of oxygen), who then launches himself at Skywatch. Jenny must then make the decision to kill her friend (and perhaps more) in order to save the rest of the Stormwatch crew still aboard said space station, and The High ends up being liquefied by smacking into Skywatch's force field full tilt, bringing this story to a very somber end. What a story, though, and even though THE AUTHORITY hasn't been officially even hinted at yet, you can definitely see Ellis laying down the blueprints for that group in this story. There will be a bit more Stormwatch, as the next review will be the first issue of the second volume. However, as I will mention as we get into that second volume, you can kind of see that Ellis really liked the direction things were going in this storyline, and mid way through that run of STORMWATCH, he would start really introducing characters and concepts that would pop up in The AUTHORITY (a couple of them, The Doctor and The Engineer, already being introduced here, even though different characters would be filling those roles). GRADE: A
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 1, 2018 3:19:57 GMT -5
Stormwatch Preview (Vol 2) #0"Terminal Zone"Cover Date: Aug/Sept(?), 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Oscar Jimenez Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Jackson King---Weatherman, Winter, Fuji, Hellstrike, Fahrenheit & Flint) Villain/s: None Guest Star/s: None Official Plot:Jackson King, formerly Stormwatch's field commander codenamed Battalion, is the new Weatherman in charge of Stormwatch. Realizing that there are threats in the world that need a more forceful approach, King forms Stormwatch Black- a group of extremely powerful beings that are meant to deal with these threats permanently. But will the United Nations continue to sanction such a team? Brodie's View: Actually, Jackson just makes Stormwatch Black (which remains the same team as the one that existed under the last Weatherman, but won't make their reappearance for a couple of issues) the covert team that does the stuff that the main Stormwatch team can't do. This little preview, which came polybagged with the short lived Jim Lee vehicle, DIVINE RIGHT, is basically a re-introduction (or introduction for those who had never read a STORMWATCH issue before this) of the main Stormwatch team, which is a combination of the Prime and Red (or what's left of them ) teams, and more or less an audition of this "brand new" Stormwatch, under a far less crazy Weatherman, for the consideration of the United Nations. After showing Jackson doing his thing as Weatherman, we basically see a brief character by character description of the Stormwatch team members, as they take out some strange religious cult of robots with very little trouble. Needless to say, things go well, and this new Stormwatch team get their funding, which will lead us into our new #1. Before I discuss that, though, I will give my brief opinions on this issue. While the writing was decent, and the story was pretty basic (which was what was needed for this), but serviceable, I have to say I wasn't a big fan of the art by Oscar Jimenez, who can draw robots decently well....but that's about it. The new costumes he designs for the team are pretty ugly as well, and I'm glad both they and he don't stick around very long. Anyways, in the next issue, we'll see the first full on issue of this new Stormwatch, as they will be dealing with threats both old and new. No Pic....sorry. GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 3, 2018 2:58:26 GMT -5
Stormwatch (Vol 2) #1"Strange Weather: Hard Rain"Cover Date: October, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Oscar Jimenez Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Jackson King---Weatherman, Christine Trelane (Synergy), Winter, Fuji, Hellstrike, Fahrenheit & Flint) Villain/s: A Mystery Figure, American Terrorists, & The American Military/Government Guest Star/s: Molly Perkins, Dr. Robert Girard, & Senator John Kane Official Plot:A new chapter in the lives of Stormwatch begins now. Jackson King, formerly Battalion, is the current Weatherman and he has at his disposal a small group of super-powered agents, including Flint, Hellstrike, Fuji, Winter and Fahrenheit. They hold a press conference to have a better public image in America, but some American troops arrive to arrest them. Seeing as how they were standing on UN soil, the troops are rendered moot and they leave. Upon Skywatch, Weatherman learns of a potential threat and calls in Stormwatch Black Brodie's View: We get somewhat of a redo of the STORMWATCH PREVIEW for the first half of this, the first issue of the Second Volume (and the second section of Warren Ellis' run) of STORMWATCH. The main difference is that the Stormwatch team is taking on genetically modified American Terrorists instead of robots, but the results are the same. This is basically a chance to see this new (or reunited) Stormwatch team in action, commanded by the former Battalion, and current Weatherman, Jackson King. The rest of the issue is the team trying to figure out who was behind this terrorist group (as there were no real answers that could be gathered from them; they had a self destruct function that causes them to literally unravel, leaving only skin and bones), and then dealing with the potential threat of the American Government/Military, who try to arrest Jackson and Stormwatch at their "coming out party" at the U.N building in New York. However, around this time, it is discovered that there is something strange going on in a small town in Louisiana, which Stormwatch has been forbidden from interfering in, forcing Jackson to bring in the team he denies the very existence of at the U.N, Stormwatch Black . This was a decent (if unspectacular) beginning to the new Stormwatch, but it will take some time to get back to the high point Volume One ended at. This is mostly due to the art, which while is decent at times, sometimes looks REALLY bad, and it probably has some influence on Ellis' writing, which isn't as great as it was during certain points in the first part of his run. I think part of this might also be Ellis growing bored with the entire Stormwatch concept, as after the first arc, he kind of spends the rest of this part of the run basically setting the table for what will become THE AUTHORITY. Speaking of, in the next issue, we'll see three future (and founding) members of that team investigating the strangeness in Louisiana, as the actual Stormwatch team have a little R&R, and we find out about Fuji's orgasms. (No actual art, but here was the original polybagged cover) GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 5, 2018 2:17:44 GMT -5
Stormwatch (Vol 2) #2"Strange Weather: Red Sky in the Morning"Cover Date: November, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Oscar Jimenez Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Jackson King---Weatherman, Christine Trelane (Synergy), Winter, Fuji, Hellstrike, Fahrenheit & Flint) & Stormwatch Black (Jenny Sparks, Swift, & Jack Hawksmoor Villain/s: A Mystery Figure, International Operations, & The American Military/Government Guest Star/s: Dr. Robert Girard Official Plot:Stormwatch Black investigates a small town in Louisiana that is being shielded by the American military. Meanwhile, Weatherman King learns that I.O. has been creating superhumans, illegally, in El Salvador and may be doing so in America as well. Brodie's View: Sadly, the great cover by Gary Frank doesn't mirror the OK to shitty artwork inside this book, as Oscar Jimenez's art is still just passable at best. That's okay though. We only have to deal with it this issue and the next, and then things get MUCH better art wise. However, I will say that we get better writing this issue, as Ellis seems to pick his game up with the re-introduction of Stormwatch Black into the book (as he created 2 of the 3 members of that team, and will take all three characters to THE AUTHORITY with him), and we start to see the mystery he started last issue unfold due to Jenny, Jack, and Swift's involvement. Basically, the U.S. Government and Gen 13 and DV8 creators, International Operations (or IO) have been sealing off small towns and genetically modifying the citizenry into their own personal superhumans. They did it in El Savador, killed Senator John Kane when he discovered what was going on, and are planning to do it again in Pavane, Louisiana. The United Nations have forbidden Stormwatch from interfering in this, so, Jackson King (our new Weatherman) sends Stormwatch Black there in secret, and once they find out the truth, they start kicking ass. This happens as Jackson and Christine (Jackson's girlfriend and Girl Friday) discovers this as well, setting up the rest of the team getting involved in this in our third part. There are a few other things to mention in this issue as well. For one, we get a nice scene with the main Stormwatch team at Clark's bar, where they discover that due to Fuji's (a former sumo wrestler turned gaseous entity, who must stay in a giant robotic containment suit) unique condition, too many vibrations near him causes him to have an orgasm (which usually happens every five minutes ;p). We also get the setup for Hellstrike and Fahrenheit to start dating (or at the very least shagging), which is definitely fun, but gets them in trouble a few issues from now. Finally, on a more serious note, we get a burned/messed up looking (but slightly familiar) man commenting on the new Stormwatch and Jackson's job as Weatherman. We'll get his identity revealed at the end of next issue, although, one can pretty much guess that right now. Speaking of next issue, we'll see Stormwatch coming together to poop on the U.S Government and IO's party, which will involve the ass kicking of a lot of soldiers, as we end our first story arc for this new era of the team. GRADE: B+
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Ultimo Gallos
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Dreams SUCK!Nightmares live FOREVER!
Posts: 15,315
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Jun 5, 2018 4:39:21 GMT -5
Is it this story where the new Weatherman uses a loophole to legally send in Stormwatch?
Any idea what run you are doing once Ellis/Stormwatch is over?
And one last question...Ya ever read Morrison's run on Animal Man?
Screw it one final last question....what was the name of the first comic shop you had a pull list at?
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 5, 2018 14:28:54 GMT -5
Is it this story where the new Weatherman uses a loophole to legally send in Stormwatch? Any idea what run you are doing once Ellis/Stormwatch is over? And one last question...Ya ever read Morrison's run on Animal Man? Screw it one final last question....what was the name of the first comic shop you had a pull list at? To answer your questions in order: 1. Yes. 2. There will most likely be a few short spurt reviews, but for the next longer run...I'm thinking Werewolf By Night, the original Ghost Rider, or at least the first 2/3 of Marvel Team Up. 3. No, but I've heard great things. 4. Rupp's Comics in Fremont, but I kept falling too behind to keep up with it.
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 10, 2018 2:15:06 GMT -5
Stormwatch (Vol 2) #3"Strange Weather: A Storm is Coming"Cover Date: December, 1997 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Oscar Jimenez & Michael Ryan Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Jackson King---Weatherman, Christine Trelane (Synergy), Winter, Fuji, Hellstrike, Fahrenheit & Flint) & Stormwatch Black (Jenny Sparks, Swift, & Jack Hawksmoor Villain/s: Henry Bendix, International Operations, & The American Military/Government Guest Star/s: Dr. Robert Girard & Molly Perkins Official Plot:Stormwatch converges on a small town in Louisiana, legally, to investigate the shady dealings there. They learn that the soldiers there have been illegally gifted with superhuman organs. Stormwatch takes down the operation, which was also involved in eco-terrorism. Meanwhile, Henry Bendix is still alive and under the care of I.O. Brodie's View: The last part of our initial story reveals the identity of the mysterious figure, who also happens to be one of the people behind this whole IO/American Military operation, and that is, of course, Ex Stormwatch Weatherman, Henry Bendix. Having escaped total incineration at the hands of Jenny Sparks at the end of the last Volume (yet getting pretty messed up by her attack), Bendix has been kept alive by IO, who has been using the information he's been (more than willingly) giving them to not only perform their experiments on people in order to create IO loyal super soldiers, but also against Stormwatch, as who would know more about that team than their former Weatherman? This all happens (mostly) behind the scenes, but once Bendix's name is revealed at being one of the ones majorly behind all of this, it redoubles the team's (or teams, as the main Stormwatch and Stormwatch Black team up, after Weatherman Jackson King finds the loophole (After finding out one of the citizens under threat is French, he gets the Okay from the Prime Minister of France) to allow Stormwatch to get involved) determination (and rawness) in pretty much kicking mucho ass until the "Louisiana Project" has been completely taken out. However, as evident by the very end of the issue, the threat of Henry Bendix still very much remains. This was a decent ending to this little story that is decently self contained, while also opening the door for new storylines, or at the very least making old storylines into new ones. The artwork....well, it does improve somewhat near the end of the issue, as Michael Ryan steps into to finish the issue. Someone must have finally decided to use the hook on Oscar Jimenez's art, as it just didn't fit for this type of material. However, in the next issue, we get an new artist who has a style that VERY much fits this type of material, and will fit it even better when STORMWATCH becomes THE AUTHORITY. However, we have some more set up to get through before we get to that change over. This next arc will introduce two...kinda familiar characters, but ones that will both link to the past and the future of this run. Prepare yourself, as we enter A Finer World. GRADE: B
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 14, 2018 1:29:01 GMT -5
Stormwatch (Vol 2) #4"A Finer World: Part One"Cover Date: February, 1998 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Bryan Hitch Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Jackson King---Weatherman, Christine Trelane (Synergy), Winter, Hellstrike, & Fahrenheit) Villain/s: Henry Bendix Guest Star/s: Midnighter, Apollo (1st Appearances), & Stormwatch Zero (The first two characters named and Amaze, Crow Jane, Impertus, Lamplight, & Stalker) Official Plot:Weatherman Jackson King learns that there are two operatives in the field that Stormwatch has no idea about. The two operatives, Midnighter and Apollo, worked for Henry Bendix and were his very secret branch of Stormwatch. Weatherman decides to send a crew to contact and retrieve them. Brodie's View: Business definitely picks up here, as we bop right back up to the standard Volume One ended on with this issue, as both the art and writing jump up to that standard. A lot of that is due to the arrival of Bryan Hitch, who will be pretty much the main artist for the rest of this run (barring an issue here and there), and like any great artist, his arrival makes Warren up his game, writing-wise. Luckily, their first shot is this three parter that not only introduces two characters who will play huge roles in THE AUTHORITY, the very Superman and Batman influenced Apollo and The Midnighter, but also a secret team that Henry Bendix created years ago, a team that our "World's Finest " team were members/survivors of. As hinted at by my choice of wording, something bad happens to that team on a mission, and Apollo and Midnighter were the only survivors of that mission, and have spent the last few years on the run, acting against the insane former Weatherman in whatever way they can (without making themselves known to the world at large). Stormwatch only discovers their existence due to Christine (Jackson King's right hand lady (and lady), and a superhuman (Synergy) herself) coming across the file on this secret team while going through Bendix's files. This, of course, sends Jackson into action ( ), as he wants to find these two superhumans, thinking them to be some kind of murderous monsters that one would imagine someone like Bendix would create. However, before he does that, he ends up being called to an interdepartmental emergency that ends up being Fahrenheit and Hellstrike getting it on ( ). We'll see the fall out of this next issue, but the resolving of that little deal (as well as the Apollo/Midnighter situation) will show that Jackson King is a very different person than Henry Bendix is. Lucky for all four characters, right? GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 15, 2018 22:43:30 GMT -5
Stormwatch (Vol 2) #5 "A Finer World: Part Two"Cover Date: March, 1998 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Bryan Hitch Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Jackson King---Weatherman, Christine Trelane (Synergy), Winter, Hellstrike, & Fahrenheit) Villain/s: Henry Bendix Guest Star/s: Midnighter, Apollo, & Stormwatch Zero (The first two characters named and Amaze, Crow Jane, Impertus, Lamplight, & Stalker) Official Plot:Weatherman Jackson King learns that there are two operatives in the field that Stormwatch has no idea about. The two operatives, Midnighter and Apollo, worked for Henry Bendix and were his very secret branch of Stormwatch. Weatherman decides to send a crew to contact and retrieve them. Brodie's View: If you'll notice, the synopsis for this and last issue are pretty much the same (and you could say the same for the next issue as well), as that is the main crux of this whole storyline; the introduction of Apollo and The Midnighter, and the revelation that Henry Bendix had created a secret (and mostly doomed) Stormwatch group five years previous. We see this team (some of which having cool powers, particularly Lamplight) gathering and trying to complete the mission Bendix sent them on, only to find out (and even more afterwards) that they were sent in as completely expendable dupes. We'll see the complete downfall of the team in the next issue (although, Amaze pretty much bites it on the last page), with the two survivors, of course, being our very Superman and Batman-esque Apollo and Midnighter. With this issue, Weatherman Jackson King is still expecting the worst out of these two, so, he starts to summon the rest of the main Stormwatch team to deal with them. Well, this is after his cussing out Hellstrike and Fahrenheit for setting fire to their room while getting busy . This is a pretty funny scene, as one expects Jackson to harshly punish them, but instead he just kind of reams them out (mostly for forgetting their fetishes---communication device/teleportation device) and sends them on their way (presumably to have fiery sex ). It's cool that Ellis is allowing the characters to have romances with each other. Too bad they won't be very long lasting romances (: ( ). Speaking of romances, re-reading this storyline kind of makes me think there was a previous relationship in Stormwatch Zero that evolved into another once that team was no more. I won't go into any more detail, but I will say that all will be made clear by the end of this run. In the next issue, however, we'll see the fate of Stormwatch Zero (well, the characters not named Apollo, Midnighter, or Amaze), and what the future of our "World's Finest" duo will be....if they have one. (Don't worry....they do ) GRADE: A-
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 19, 2018 2:16:56 GMT -5
Stormwatch (Vol 2) #6"A Finer World: Part Three"Cover Date: March, 1998 Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Bryan Hitch Featured Character(s): Stormwatch (Jackson King---Weatherman, Christine Trelane (Synergy), Winter, Fuji, Hellstrike, Flint, & Fahrenheit) Villain/s: Henry Bendix Guest Star/s: Midnighter, Apollo, & Stormwatch Zero (The first two characters named and Amaze, Crow Jane, Impertus, Lamplight, & Stalker---all die but Midnighter and Apollo) Official Plot:Weatherman Jackson King learns that there are two operatives in the field that Stormwatch has no idea about. The two operatives, Midnighter and Apollo, worked for Henry Bendix and were his very secret branch of Stormwatch. Weatherman decides to send a crew to contact and retrieve them. Brodie's View: I will say, before I get into talking about the events of this issue, that there is a pretty laugh out loud section of this issue, where most of the main Stormwatch team get new outfits (and pretty much bury Oscar Jimenez's costume design in the process). This started a couple of issues ago with Winter complaining about his costume, but it gets its pay off here, and the costumes are a distinct improvement (too bad most of them won't have their new costumes for long ). Really, as with the rest of this run, the main Stormwatch team (at least of this reality) really don't get much of a chance to do much of anything, other than play out their little personal dramas aboard Skywatch. Once again, it kind of seems as if Warren Ellis has grown bored with the whole concept of Stormwatch, and the rest of this run kind of shows that. Take this issue, for instance, as the main Stormwatch team (other than getting new outfits) kind of just stand around, as the story concerns two members of a secret Stormwatch team from the past, Apollo and The Midnighter, and how this new Weatherman, Jackson King, differs from the previous Weatherman (and the man who formed Stormwatch Zero in the first place), Henry Bendix. We see the final fate of Stormwatch Zero in the past, as two of the members are taken out by mutated guns, and the rest (other than, of course, Apollo and Midnighter) are consumed by lava. Since then, the two survivors of that team have worked underground, trying to cause as many headaches for Henry Bendix as possible. That leads into the main conflict of this story, as they discover that the garden created by The Engineer during the CHANGE OR DIE storyline, a garden that could grow anything, and would have been used to end world hunger/poverty, instead is being used by the American Military to create crazy weapons. Apollo and Midnighter set out to destroy the garden before that can happen, and after being snatched by Stormwatch (and after a tense exchange, allowed to complete their mission with Stormwatch assistance), they end up destroying the garden, keeping it from being used for the exact opposite purpose it was created for. This allows Apollo and Midnighter to part ways with Stormwatch at the very least as allies (although, it's revealed by Jackson that he didn't trust them as much as he let on), and for now, we will see our World's Finest duo fade into the background. However, we will be dealing with both another future AUTHORITY member, which will set up that character's capability for eventually taking a leadership role within that group, but also the concept of alternate realities that The Authority will travel between. Come back next time, as we venture into THE BLEED. GRADE: A-
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