Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

Stormwatch

From The Beginning: WildStorm Universe – Stormwatch #6-8

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[Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug][/Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug]Are you ready to get political?

This trio of issues of Stormwatch play up the geopolitical aspects of the team in a big way while also serving satisfying action and backstory and fantastic arc. Despite some 90s tropes along the way, the title has hit its stride as a high-quality comic.

stormwatch_v1_006The opening two-issue arc of this run is firing on all cylinders. Issue #6 is the heftiest WildStorm comic I’ve read so far. It has political intrigue, finally gives the team around Battalion some depth, and continues Stormwatch’s genius streak of nodding to its implied deep well of personnel and their accompanying stories.

Then, #7 is a well-paced battle that limits the amount of reversals and people back from seeming KOs. Thanks to the lack of see-sawing, it has a legitimate “hooray!” moment at the climax, especially when the dispassionate Weatherman joins in piling on the enemies.

Brandon Choi wisely leans heavily on the caption boxes in issue six, helping us get reacquainted with the team – who we haven’t seen together outside of the special since the opening of the first issue.

This is at once a strength and weakness of Stormwatch. It has a large enough cast with multiple teams, historical personnel, supporting staff, and enemy mercs that sometimes I can go issues without ever being entirely sure of someone’s name or power.

That’s emphasized by the fact that we’ve stayed almost entirely with Battalion (and, briefly, Backlash) as our POV characters so far. At this point we know enough about Diva, Fuji, and Winter, but past that trio things get hazier – especially as Choi seems intent for us to pick up on their countries of origin from a few spare foreign words, which is a bit less than we had to go on in Giant Size X-Men.

Issue #8 adds a few surprising names to the credits – H. K. Proger co-scripts, and Jim Lee contributes layouts along with Scott Clark for Trevor Scott to finish. It’s also surprises on just about every page, which makes for an engrossing single issue.

Amidst a lot of great material, two things stick out in a big way:

One is Ripclaw and Rainmaker as indigenous characters without a lot of stereotyping attached. Sure, we get the opening monolog about the Apache Warrior, but otherwise they’re two heroes who the story happens to focus on in a clear callback to the first issue. It’s not “A Very Special Indigenous Episode of Stormwatch.” It also gets the politics right, by identifying the US forces as rogue agents on sovereign land (an interesting contrast with Stormwatch’s role in the prior issue).

Two, is that we get a great, brief training session with Battalion and Backlash that actually deepens their characters and advances the plot! It leads to another strong conversation with Backlash. Sure, it’s just setting up Backlash’s spinoff series, but why can’t Choi manage that on WildCATs!

Want the play-by-play? Keep reading for a summary of these two teams going head to head. Here’s the schedule for the rest of this month’s WildStorm re-read. Though both Kindred and Gen13 are referenced in today’s read, we’ve got some more WildCATs ground to cover first, starting with #8-9 tomorrow. Enjoy the light reading day!

Need the issues? You guessed it – never before collected! You’ll need to purchase single issues – try eBay (#6-8) or Amazon (#6, 7, 8). Since further Stormwatch series hit these same issue numbers, be sure to match your purchase to the images in this post.

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From The Beginning: WildStorm Universe – Stormwatch #4-5 & Special #1

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[Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug][/Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug]stormwatch_v1_005Stormwatch wasn’t immune to the widespread Image delays, but it had them more managed – its initial three-issue sprint was effectively a bi-monthly comic.

From that opening arc, it launched into a quick two-issue story that would connect it more strongly to WildCATs by introducing Daemonites into the mix. A subsequent special tells a weirdly rushed magical tale and a critical piece of background on second-in-command, Diva.

Brett Booth delivers marvelous work on pencils, with a set of vivid, superheroic colors from Joe Chiodo. Booth’s Warguard are positively Liefeldian, with mouths overstuffed with teeth and creases on every part of their clothing not stretched taut over a muscle. In keeping with the Liefeld inspiration, Booth does sometimes skimp on backgrounds.

This quick hit story only serves to emphasize how solid Stormwatch is as a comic and a concept. The cast doubles in this pair of issues, canon is deepened, the book begins to tie-in with the wider universe – yet, it’s still a coherent plot that moves the Stormwatch story forward.

The first Stormwatch Special isn’t quite up to the par of the main book  even as it succeeds in upholding the strong continuity of Stormwatch.

stormwatch_v1-special_01Ron Marz’s story of a parallel dimension akin to He-Man’s Eternia would have been better suited across multiple issues. It’s difficult to understand Battalion’s actions as they occur over just a day, making it seem as though he was hypnotized or possessed by a sudden love interest. If that was Marz’s intent, I’d say the issue was great, but it’s unclear if we’re supposed to believe the relationship was on the up-and-up.

While traveling to a dimension of sword and sorcery seems somewhat out of left-field here, it’s consistent with Stormwatch’s upcoming appearing in Union that they are increasingly the team called upon to deal with dimensional breaches in the fabric of our reality. Dwayne Turner manages to keep up the title’s high standard of art (though he trends a little more Kubert-brothers here more than Lee/Booth), although some of the colors are a bit off (e.g., Diva’s outfit is more red than pink).

Marz and artist Richard Johnson turn in a second story that reveals Diva’s origin and takes a moment to humanize Cannon. It’s a well-crafted, heartbreaking little story of Diva encountering her former vocal instructor that’s completely unnecessary to the main narrative in Stormwatch, but it adds depth to Diva’s steely, no-nonsense leadership. Johnson’s pencils are more grounded in realism that typical Image work, and it makes for some genuinely great panels.

Want the play-by-play? Keep reading for a summary of the team’s first run-in with Daemonites.  Here’s the schedule for the rest of this month’s WildStorm re-read – tomorrow we’ll read the biggest blockbuster yet, the “Killer Instinct” crossover between WildCATs and Cyberforce. If you want to get a headstart, you can read Cyberforce’s original 4-issue mini-series as background.

Need the issues? Stormwatch #4-5 & Special #1 have never been included in a collected edition! You’ll need to purchase single issues – try eBay (#4-5 & Special) or Amazon (#4, 5, Special) [Read more…] about From The Beginning: WildStorm Universe – Stormwatch #4-5 & Special #1

From The Beginning: WildStorm Universe – Stormwatch #1-3 & 0

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[Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug][/Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug]WildC.A.T.s and Stormwatch were the two halves of the WildStorm whole that Jim lee and childhood friend Brandon Choi had dreamed up over several years leading up to the formation of Image comics.

stormwatch-001WildC.A.T.s played with the familiar “gifted one” trope of X-Men plus the alien conflict borne out in present day of Inhumans. From the start, Stormwatch was something much more nuanced even if it featured its fair share of X-TREME characters and powers and shoulder pads.

Stormwatch is ostensibly the Avengers or Justice League International of WildStorm. It wasn’t just one team, but a global, UN-sanctioned network of powered individuals governed by a central eye in the sky in the form of the all-seeing Weatherman One. Instead of focusing on a the customary holy trilogy of super-powers as both Marvel and DC’s analogues always had, Stormwatch starts as a personal story of the captain of the most-elite team – Jackson King, AKA Battalion.

The first three issues of Stormwatch are a satisfying blockbuster that compares favorably to the Claremont/Lee opening salvo on X-Men, Volume 2 in 1991. Even if it lacks the deep history of that arc, it has the same sense of scope and constant, kinetic action. The same can’t be said for #0, which is mostly filler wrapped around two or three intriguing pieces of information.

The book looked damned great under the pen of artist Scott Clark, who got plucked from the relative obscurity of producing art for the superhero RPG Champions to anchor this WildStorm co-flagship. His figures have all of the heft of Rob Liefeld’s biggest bruisers with the coherence of overblown anatomy of Jim Lee, plus detailed backgrounds. Brett Booth isn’t quite as good on the #0 issue, but he’s suffering from a too-dark set of inks and colors muddying his line work.

Battalion isn’t the only memorable character here. Headstrong Diva is striking with her chalk-white skin, pink one-piece swimsuit costume, and long blonde hair. She quickly emerges as Stormwatch One’s second-in-command. Fuji is more than a generic bruiser – he’s a mirthful being of pure energy contained in a bulky gray suit that gives the impression of an two-legged elephant. The pair gets only limited panel time, but they connect more meaningfully than the snoozy WildC.A.T.s team before Zealot and Grifter arrived.

In a line of unsteady books from artists turned auteurs and publishers, Stormwatch quickly distinguished itself as a title to watch.

Want the play-by-play? Keep reading for a summary of the team’s debut. Here’s the schedule for the rest of this month’s WildStorm re-read – tomorrow we’ll go solo with Deathblow #0-4!

Need the issues? Stormwatch #1-3 & 0 have never been included in a collected edition! If you see a “Vol. 1” from this run, it’s actually the first volume of Warren Ellis’s later run on the title. You’ll need to purchase single issues – try eBay (#1 & 0, 2, 3) or Amazon (#0, 1, 2, 3)
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From The Beginning: Reading The Wildstorm Universe

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[Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug][/Patreon-Nov16-Post-Bug]DC Comics recently announced that they were bringing back the WildStorm characters as an imprint of DC curated by non other than Warren Ellis, who basically is always great and also who got his start on several WildStorm properties.

That makes this the perfect time to re-read the original WildStorm Universe! I’ll be doing that every day this month for my first ever “From The Beginning” comic read-along event – here’s the schedule, if you’d like to join in!

Not sure what WildStorm is or why this is such a great time to re-read it? I’ve got the scoop for you right here in my first ever edited video project for CK (plus, below in text).

WildStorm was Jim Lee’s imprint amongst the Image founders and WildC.A.T.s and StormWatch were his pair of flagship titles. WildC.A.T.s began in August 1992, literally in the same month as Jim Lee exited his universally acclaimed run on X-Men.

wildcats-v01-0001Lee was one of six Image founders. The other 1992 launches were:

  • Spawn from Todd McFarlane Productions, owned by Todd McFarlane
  • Savage Dragon from Highbrow Entertainment, owned by Erik Larsen
  • Shadowhawk ShadowLine, owned by Jim Valentino
  • CyberForce from Top Cow Productions, owned by Marc Silvestri
  • YoungBlood from Extreme Studios, owned by Rob Liefeld

While I read a few books from each launch, it was Lee’s that stuck – probably because they were a therapeutic alternative to X-Men.

As luck would have it, news of the Warren Ellis relaunch coincided with me grabbing the last few books I need to do a complete WildStorm Reading Order binding project that includes literally every in-universe book they released from 1992 to the reboot of their continuity in 2006 (plus some TopCow, with whom WildStorm would frequently intersect).

I had been despairing about when I’d have the time or inclination to read all of those books to prep them for binding, but the announcement gave me a perfect excuse! Reading the first three years of WildStorm will be a great refresher on Lee’s original characters and concepts, plus it will give me the chance to get my comic binding maps in order.

I’ll be back later today with my first read – WildC.A.T.s #0-4!

Crushing Krisis: Blog of Tomorrow (a Patreon launch event)

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Behind-the-Scenes at the Patreon Introduction Video

Behind-the-Scenes at the Patreon Introduction Video

patreon-squareWelcome to a very special month of Crushing Krisis, which I have dubbed “Blog of Tomorrow”!

Why is it so special? I’m glad you asked!

I am marking my ten-year anniversary of using WordPress with the launch of a Patreon campaign. Patreon allows readers to become Patrons who cover the costs of running CK.

Rather than tempt you to pledge your support with promises of future content you can only imagine (and that I might not be able to produce), I’m bringing you the real thing – along with the 16 years of blog posts and comprehensive Marvel Collecting Guides you already love.

For the next 30 days you’ll get a future vision of what I think CK could be a year from now with your regular support and interaction, and with my full non-parenting attention on blogging. It’s something I’ve never had the opportunity to do before. My hope is that if you love it, you’ll become a Patron to help me make this a reality for CK.

Here’s a glimpse of the content you’ll read on CK this month:

I want you to feel the need check Crushing Krisis every single day the way you would all your other favorite websites. The difference is that I’m doing this all on my own without other contributors, artists, editors, or advertising dollars. And, while posting won’t remain at this insane intensity come December, it will still feature regular content just like what I’m producing this month.

Here’s my pitch video from Patreon, where I’ll be making another series of almost-daily posts to explore behind-the-scenes details of running a 16-yr-old blog.

At the end of the month, commenters, mailing list subscribers, and Patrons will help me decide what future content to focus on first. We’ll unlock new and regular features as the pledge total rises.

Want Wonder Woman and Maurice Sendak readalongs instead of Image and Dr. Seuss? Want more original music and less music essays? Wish I’d talk more about movies? I’ll be asking you at the end of the month.

Read on for more of the backstory on this unprecedented month of content. [Read more…] about Crushing Krisis: Blog of Tomorrow (a Patreon launch event)