Last Week’s Comics 10/12/2011
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Stormwatch #2
(DC – writer: Paul Cornell; art: Miguel Sepulveda & Al Barrionuevo)
After two issues, I still don’t know what to make of Stormwatch. It isn’t a bad comic by any means. It’s an entertaining read, and it’s beautifully illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda and Al Barrionuevo. This issue, however, feels disjointed and rough. Its transitions are disorderly, and because I don’t know many of its characters, it feels a bit too confident for a new series.
That said, I will continue to collect Stormwatch because my of past experiences with Garth Ennis’ The Authority, and because its new direction seems to be one that will quickly gain the following of fans looking for something new and bold in the New 52.
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The original Stormwatch group was made up of United Nations-sanctioned superheroes. The new Stormwatch is made up of a group of people whose major goal is to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial attacks. The best part of the series, of course, is its characters. Where Batman, Superman and The Flash all have flaws, they don’t jockey for power in the Justice League. They share it, equally, and at times prefer the autonomy of their own home cities.
The Stormwatch group, however, has characters who are trying to form allegiances with each other, even while in the middle of battling Moon monsters. They lie to each other, as well as attempt to deceive the Justice League (in a particularly funny aside, the group blames a Moon attack on a tertiary villain who suddenly finds himself confronted and beaten up by members of the Justice League).
The characters aside, the issue feels a bit disconnected. It moves too quickly between scenes, and I found the flow a little hard to follow. It didn’t necessarily make me dislike the comic, but it’s definitely a weakness I’d like to see fixed in future issues.
The art is stellar, and the alien threat at the end of the issue is creepy and wonderfully illustrated by Sepulveda and Barrionuevo. Their art, coupled with Alex Sinclair’s inks, makes for a visually stunning comic. There are moments where it’s clear a computer-created image was used (and this always disappoints me), but they are few, and the rest of the comic looks gorgeous and colorful.
I’m sure that on continuous reads the confusion will dissipate and clarity will be the norm. I applaud DC for taking a chance on Stormwatch, as it has a very rich history – both as a WildStorm title and as a precursor to The Authority. And you can’t complain about the $2.99 cover price.
My only hope is that DC doesn’t shy away from the more controversial aspects of the characters – like the homosexual relationship between Midnighter and Apollo – and that Paul Cornell makes sure to keep the traits that made the characters so great, like Midnighter’s abilities as a fighter. I’m also glad to see Martian Manhunter in a bigger role. He’s an underused character but one that has a quiet, yet powerful presence in the DCU. It’ll be fun to watch him come alive in this series.
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