Let me say upfront that I never had a strong background in the Wildstorm Universe. I read some of the early issues of Stormwatch. I read some of the Authority. But I don’t think I ever read any of Millar’s run on the book. While I’m not quite a Wildstorm newbie, the characters aren’t familiar to me.
I mention this because Stormwatch #1 throws a lot of information at the reader very fast. It doesn’t assume that the reader knows who these characters are. But I would think a familiarity with the Wildstorm bunch would be helpful. What I can’t really comment on is how much these characters have changed from their original interpretations.
Some of the exposition is a little heavy-handed. Characters go on at some length about the exact nature of their super powers. They explain things to characters solely for the benefit of the reader. It can be a little clunky. On the other hand, as a relative newcomer, I did appreciate the effort. I just wish the seams had been a little less visible.
The story is pretty enganging. There are three missions going on at once. In the main story, a group including Martian Manhunter attempts to recruit Apollo to the team. They speculate that Apollo may be the most powerful being on the planet and they like the idea of having someone who can take down Superman on the team.
There’s a small subplot involving a relic hunt that leads to a gigantic horn that is mystical in nature. There’s not much to this plot thread in issue one. But it will surely pay off in a future issue. The more involved subplot involves the moon launching an attack on the earth. The moon actually forms menacing claws.
It’s wide-screen super hero stuff. That seems to be Stormwatch’s role in the new DCU. And based on issue 1, it’s not as awkward of a fit as it might at first seem. It’s likely that the DCU version of Stormwatch will have to be tempered somewhat from the original Wildstorm versions if they are going to continue to operate in the same space as the Justice Legue. But I imagine that’s what Martian Manhunter is there for.
Cornell does a great job of walking that tightrope in the first issue while giving the team a unique reason to exist. I think longterm Wildstorm fans will enjoy it even with the changes. And DC fans should give it a try. I think it will appeal to them too.
Justice League International #1
I didn’t really dig this issue at all. It confused me in places. I have to think about it some more … maybe try to reread it when I’m not so tired.
It seems to be a divisive book. I have seen a lot of people who dig it. But I’ve seen several like yourself who were left cold by it as well.
Finally read this. I’m intrigued, but highly confused with this series. It at least states that J’onn (though seemingly so far no longer a founding member) did spend time in the Justice League. Beyond that I really was confused on who the hell those people where and what was going on. The idea of the moon threatening Earth though so far is sounding a bit outrageous to me. Stormwatch wanting a guy who was photoshopped into a pic showing him beating Superman… kinda odd, especially when it seemed Stormwatch KNEW it was photoshopped.
In an odd case though, not knowing much/anything about the characters actually is part of why I want to read more. Some odd reason I also have a feeling that Stormwatch may be hinting towards some Crisis or fairly large event already as it is.
I finally read it, too – got it and Green Arrow on my iPad, since the store was sold out – and I feel like Stormwatch is a book that isn’t even TRYING to appeal to new readers. Instead, it’s all about longtime comic readers. It’s pulling together threads vaguely mentioned in Action #1 and others, it sets up Demon Knights #1 – much moreso than the stuck-in-the-past-for-six-months Justice League #1, Stormwatch seems like the cornerstone of the new DCU, the book that will find out about the cosmic threats and try to head them off before everyone else.
The moon menacing Earth was perhaps my favorite single panel of comics so far this month, though the book rarely lived up to it. In particular, the part with the Physician and Jenny Quantum was clumsily done, and too many characters spent too much time describing what their powers do – a pitfall many books fall into when the powers extend beyond ‘strong’, ‘fast’, etc….
Oh, and I thought the ‘photoshop’ thing was weird too. I’ll have to reread the issue to see what the deal is, because it didn’t make much sense on first read.
You have hit on my favorite and least favorite partts of the book.
I am hoping that now that the introductions are out of the way, the book can more consistently hit high notes like the moon scene. It was definitely messy, but I was intrigued.