Stormwatch #1:
Summary: There's a lot going on here, so in the interest of making this review as palatable as possible, I'm going to stick with some background information, as well as the main storyline. Stormwatch is a clandestine “super-hero” team that operates from an outer-dimensional ship in Hyperspace. Stormwatch deals with the more dirty stuff that's happening in the world. Okay, with that out of the way, let's get into the main story. Three Stormwatch agents, Jack Hawksmoor, Projectionist and the Martian Manhunter(who is secretly a part of Stormwatch unbeknown to his JL teammates) head to Moscow to try to recruit a young man by the name of Apollo, who seems to rival Superman himself in power(Apollo basically is the Wildstorm version of Superman, fyi). Apollo came to Stormwatch's attention when he killed a child molester. However, Apollo isn't interested in doing the super-hero thing(even though the Manhunter keeps trying to impress upon Apollo that they weren't REALLY super-heroes). In the end, Apollo flies away from the group after giving them a resounding no. The trio of Stormwatchers pursue Apollo, so he goes to attack the Manhunter, who is able to deflect most of Apollo's blow before turning into a more monstrous form to deal with Apollo. After subduing Apollo, the Manhunter tells Apollo that since he was possibly the strongest person on earth, he had a responsibility to help Stormwatch save the world. Apollo doesn't feel the world's worth fighting for, and before the Stormwatchers can argue with Apollo anymore, Midnighter(!!!) strikes with stunning speed and skill, knocking out all three of the Stormwatch members before they could even react(!). This issue ends with Midnighter(who is basically Wildstorm's Batman) introducing himself to Apollo and telling him that between the two of them they could kill every evil bastard on the planet.
Thoughts: Well I'll be damned, I REALLY liked this comic! If Paul Cornell can manage to keep Apollo and Midnighter true to themselves(you KNOW what I mean), I think this could be an AWESOME comic book. Besides the main story which I described above, there were also a few other stories beginning to build up in the background, involving mysterious artifacts, and a giant eye inside the moon. So yeah, this comic packed a lot of awesome. I'm afraid to get my hopes up TOO high for this series, but if this issue is any indication, this series may just be THE sleeper hit of the DC reboot. Huh, I've managed to read a rebooted DC comic and the world hasn't come to an end... Maybe things aren't going to turn out as bad as I feared!
Score: 9 out of 10.
Oh HELL yeah!!!
just finished reading this book, I use to Like Cornell's writing, but here I´m not sure but i will wait an see how the story continue
ReplyDeleteI´m happy with Martian Manhunter still being part of the Justice League..
And yes, Cornell say it a lot of times Apollo an Midnighter are still true to themselves.. =)
"And yes, Cornell say it a lot of times Apollo an Midnighter are still true to themselves" Awesome! That's good to know.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the main story here(the Apollo one), but the other stories were a bit confusing. But with this being the first issue and all, I can forgive that. I'm sure come the third or forth issue things will REALLY start coming together here!
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ReplyDeletei´m not saying that did´t like it at all, but isn´t exactly a friendly jumping-on issue, like DC were saying
ReplyDeletemaybe DC have should been put, the background information like you did
I enjoyed some stuff, but others were just confusing..
I did´t understand the part on the himalayas and what the hell is the century Babies?
"but isn´t exactly a friendly jumping-on issue, like DC were saying" You know Alien, I agree completely. I've read three DC reboots today, and none of them left me with NO questions. Each one seemed to have left out information that would have been helpful to know going in. Like you said, maybe DC should have put a page in the front of each comic book(like Marvel does) telling us what we need to know before jumping into the story.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I have NO idea what the century/millennium babies are! :P
Yes i have already read, 7 dc Reboots today and the only one that was really friendly jumping on was Animal Man (Jeff Lemire was clever enough to put by himself that background page in the form of a interview)
ReplyDeleteThis is a comic I most likely won't pick up but, I was shocked as hell to see this score earlier I HAD to read the review, lol. And well, I must say you did a damn good job on ALMOST convincing me of picking up this comic. lol. But my money will be going to something else you recommended, lol.
ReplyDeleteI picked up the First volume of the Ultimate X-Men collection (#1-12) and I see myself purchasing more of those trades in the future on top of Astonishing X-Men. I think I'm turning into the female X-Man, lol, X-Woman, purchasing trades on top of singles, lol. So I'll be looking forward to getting my monthly Stormwatch from the X man.
See, that's what all of the writers should have done, Alien. That way the reader has an easier time getting into the comics.
ReplyDeleteBah! It's too bad you won't be picking up Stormwatch, Lisha... I shall keep trying to convert you because it was my favorite rebooted title thus far! :P I'm so glad to hear you got that first Ult. X-Men hardcover! Once you finish that up I can't wait to hear your thoughts on that one! And X-Man likes the idea of you bcoming X-Woman... Just sayin'... ;P
X-Woman eh.... Mhmmm. *Snikt* Lol
ReplyDeleteLol @ JT, you're an idiot, lol.
ReplyDeleteLol, look, if you can covert me to picking that up, I will call myself x-woman for a month, lol. I'll get it next week and then we'll see lol.
I let JT grab it to read first, I grabbed the second trade of Astonishing X Men, plus I gotta finish up the Mystique trade which is fucking awesome, lol.
Ah shaddap, JT! :P
ReplyDeleteI think whether you read Stormwatch or not you should call yourself X-Woman, Lisha... That has a GREAT ring to it! :D
Man, you guys are so lucky getting to read all of this great stuff for the first time! Ult. X-Men and Mystique were amongst the first books I picked up when I started getting back into comics after like 7 years of not reading, and look at how many books I read now! Many of those books you guys are reading now are what turned me into the ravenous comic reading machine I am today!
X has spoken. I Am now X-Woman. Lol. I'll still pick it up next week to give it a read.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I've been asking for. Another team besides the Justice League to read about and get to know a whole new set of heroes/villains.
Mystique was just wow, I didn't think I would get through half of that trade in one day. I usually read a couple issues and read something else. And I can't wait to read Ult. X-Men/ I flipped through it, bad habit I know,lol, and it looked really good. And the art was great. Matter of fact, I think I'm going to finish up this Mystique trade tonight so I can read Astonishing X-Men.
HA!!! X and X-Woman, sitting in a tree! :D Take THAT, JT!! :D
ReplyDeleteMystique was really good... It was so good that all this talk about it makes me want to dig out my issues and re-read the entire series! As for Ult. X-Men, tell JT to get a move on and read it so you can get your hands on it my gorgeous X-Woman! ;)
I'm so gonna firebomb your blog X. If you ever earned the right to be CM Punk it's now... Lol.
ReplyDeleteHA!!! I don't even have a comeback for any of this... What can I say, much like Punk, I'm SO damn charismatic people can't help but follow me! :D
ReplyDeleteLol, you've earned it you jerk... now I'll wait for HHH to kill your blog's push. Bwahaha
ReplyDeleteAnd he'll do it too! :P
ReplyDeleteLol, you guys are too funny.
ReplyDeleteWait...the Stormwatch guys are gay? I had no idea... if you're wondering what promoted that question, look here.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/18/the-gay-teen-titan-bunker/
Yessir, Apollo and Midnighter are indeed gay. They were married pre-reboot too. It works since one guy is based off of Supes and the other is based off of Bats. I mean really, it's kind of perfect! Plus gay or straight, Midnighter is one of the most bad-ass comic characters out there, he totally breaks that gay streotype.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's interesting. I had no idea, and to be honest that kinda makes me more interested in the characters than previously. So what are your thoughts on that stuff with the Teen Titan?
ReplyDeleteWow, you REALLY didn't know about Apollo and Midnighter? Huh. Color me surprised! You'd have to think that topic would have come up during one of our conversations about this series... Well now ya know! :P But yeah, from the few Authority comics I read, the Apollo/Midnighter relationship is awesome because it's SO much like Supes and Bats... Except romantic. I mean you have the more naive Apollo in the Supes role and the no nonsense Midnighter in the Bats role. Whoever came up with those characters was brilliant.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Teen Titans thing, I have no opinion about it right now. I don't know anything about this character, so I'll approach it as I would any other new character. Who knows, maybe this new guy will break up Timmy and SB's love affair! :P We'll see how Lobdell writes him before I make up my mind.
Man... I really want those four characters to interact now that they've come to the DCU... and the fact those two have a relationship is hilarious because Bats and Supes are always kinda... tip toeing the line of an old married couple.
ReplyDeleteLol, that Tim/SB line was classic. But yeah, I'm interested in seeing his role on the team, but to be honest, Lobdell can do whatever he wants as long as Red Hood and the Outlaws is awesome.
I reread that Dreamwar mini-series again a few nights back and sadly Midnighter & Apollo didn't really get any major interaction time with Supes & Bats. You'd think that could have been exploited for comedy gold, but alas, it was not to be.
ReplyDelete"because Bats and Supes are always kinda... tip toeing the line of an old married couple." Perfectly put, JT. And hell, at times they WERE basically an old married couple with the way they bicker and snipe at each other! I always looked at Apollo and Midnighter as a "What if Supes and Bats got married" sort of deal.
Fingers cross about the Red Hood series, JT... It's just a few days away now my friend...
How was Dream-War? Would you recommend it even though I don't know a lot of Vertigo characters?
ReplyDeleteI'd love if they met if the Superman/Batman series was still going on, or if they universe hopped and switched worlds for a bit. That would be classic.
Here's hoping it's what Jason and Arsenal deserve as characters.
Honestly? I really didn't like it all that much, JT. The story was pretty sucky, and a major character was gotten rid of in like the second or third issue. If I was scoring the entire thing I'd probably go with a 5 or so. And just because I want to be a jackass, I'm gonna corrct you and say that the crossover was Wildstorm/DC, not Vertigo/DC! :P
ReplyDeleteThat would have worked so well had it happened... A storyline in Bats/Supes where the two heroes get transported to the Wildstorm Universe for some reason or another. It would introduce some of the Wildstorm characters to the hardcore Supes/Bats fans who may not have been aware of them, while giving me what I've always wanted, a Supes/Bats-Apollo/Midnighter meeting. At least with the reboot and the Wildstorm Universe having been folded into the mainstream DCU we may someday get that meeting. I just want a page where Apollo and Midnighter are acting like a couple and Supes and Bats are standing there uncomfortably... That's all I ask.
Agreed... Please don't screw this up Scott Lobdell... This should be such a lay-up as my favorite rebooted DC series.
I just reed that Dreamwar crossover, and really enjoyed it, But when I finished this Book i can not say that now I Know something about those characters or how they operate since there arent any kind of introduction to that, it start just in the action and ends in this way. But still was a good comic for my.
ReplyDeleteGotta be up for work in five hours, but I came back to call you a jackass for correcting me on the wildstorm thing, you jackass. :P
ReplyDeleteThat's good that you liked Dreamwar, Alien. Maybe JT would like it too. But I just didn't like the story. The kid behind it was lame and he just didn't get me feeling sympathetic towards him. And like you pointed out, you learn like NOTHING about the Wildstorm characters, which is weird. The story was so thin, they would have just been better served by having Darkseid bring all of the characters from both universes into an arena and forced them to fight for 6 issues. I did like Supes and Apollo fighting off Doomsday and Midnighter taking on Joker though!
ReplyDelete