Stormwatch PHD #1

[Erwin Heinek]

Of all the Worldstorm relaunch titles I read, this was the one I liked the most.

We get a complete story told in flashbacks, and introductions to the main characters both done through Jackson King interviewing recruits for his new and hopefully pilot version of Stormwatch - the Post Human Division were ordinary humans will be policing Post Human situations.

I'm a sucker for this type of story so this was almost an automatic pick-up for me. But I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. Smart writing with a whole story told plus setup for future issues and great artwork both in the action scenes and the talking head moments.

[DaveEB]

Yeah, I enjoyed this one. Good start and I can't wait for the characters be developed more.

[Zel]

I enjoyed this issue. Nice team formation and introduction. I haven't read much wildstorm before so I didn't already know who anyone was, but the intros and background got me up to speed nicely without too much of a slow exposition feeling.

That cop guy has to have some kind of super-human ability, either reflexes or good luck or something. Either that or he has the meta power of being the action hero guy in his own movie. Only way he's still alive.

[peagreenboy]

Seriously though, was I the only one totally confused with the appearance of characters such as Jackson King, Farenheit, and Winter?

I don't understand; if past continuity no longer matters, then how did The Authority come into being in the first place? As I recall, Jenny Sparks set up the team only after everyone in the public groups (she was a member of Stormwatch: Black) of Stormwatch were slaughtered by Aliens.

Does this possibly mean that Henry Bendix could still be alive in this new continuity (groan!)?

I don't know. This whole ideam of humans policing post-humans, was already done in Team:Achilles, I and I really, really loved that book and the characters in it. I guess I picked this name up on the strength of it's title and was a little disappointed to see characters I've considered dead for years still running around.

[DaveEB]

Seriously though, was I the only one totally confused with the appearance of characters such as Jackson King, Farenheit, and Winter?

I don't understand; if past continuity no longer matters, then how did The Authority come into being in the first place? As I recall, Jenny Sparks set up the team only after everyone in the public groups (she was a member of Stormwatch: Black) of Stormwatch were slaughtered by Aliens.

Does this possibly mean that Henry Bendix could still be alive in this new continuity (groan!)?

I don't know. This whole ideam of humans policing post-humans, was already done in Team:Achilles, I and I really, really loved that book and the characters in it. I guess I picked this name up on the strength of it's title and was a little disappointed to see characters I've considered dead for years still running around.


Mr. Gage has an explanation for why those characters are back from the dead, but it won't be addressed until, like, issue 8 or 9, I think...I believe he also has a long term plan for Team Achilles...or so he's said.

[christosgage]

Hey guys...there is an explanation for why Fuji, Winter, Fahrenheit and Hellstrike are back, and it'll be addressed in issue #5. Past continuity did still happen, except for The Monarchy, which I have unofficially decided happened on one of the parallel universes that are a big part of that book. I also would like to bring back Ben Santini at some point, maybe after issue #10 or so.

The next few issues will have more character development as we focus on one or two characters an issue to flesh them out. It's kind of like LOST, which started with the crash and then fleshed out characters one by one.

Thanks for picking up the book!

[Fatguy]

Hey guys...there is an explanation for why Fuji, Winter, Fahrenheit and Hellstrike are back

So, I havent decided if I will pick up this book yet (I be broke!), are the 4 mentioned above going to be a part of the book? If so, that would be a HUGE factor in me picking it up. Stormwatch and Brigade were my favorite comics when I was a younger man, and I remember Fuji and Winter were 2 of my 3 favorite comic characters at the time (Seahawk being the other, I suppose he died at some point...).

[DWEarhart]

Hey guys...there is an explanation for why Fuji, Winter, Fahrenheit and Hellstrike are back, and it'll be addressed in issue #5. Past continuity did still happen, except for The Monarchy, which I have unofficially decided happened on one of the parallel universes that are a big part of that book. I also would like to bring back Ben Santini at some point, maybe after issue #10 or so.

The next few issues will have more character development as we focus on one or two characters an issue to flesh them out. It's kind of like LOST, which started with the crash and then fleshed out characters one by one.

Thanks for picking up the book!

What about The Establishment? Any chance of their people showing up, or have they been erased?

[peagreenboy]

Thanks for the reply! I'm encouraged to keep reading this book; I did like the story and now that I know my confusion will be cleared up I feel a lot better!

[frimfram]

Does this possibly mean that Henry Bendix could still be alive in this new continuity (groan!)?

A panel in the new Wildcats #1 showed most of the Authority, sans Jack Hawksmoor, standing with the High and Henry Bendix. *shakes fist*

[aelio]

A panel in the new Wildcats #1 showed most of the Authority, sans Jack Hawksmoor, standing with the High and Henry Bendix. *shakes fist*

I believe that was sort of a "legacy" shot, depicting WS superheros across the ages, not a representation of people retconned back to life. The real continuity error on that page is "JoAnna" Colt in the Team One pic. I don't think that Ellis Stormwatch issues would be taken out of continuity. That's just crazy talk.


Also, Christos...I mean, Mr. Gage, I was really looking forward to the issue; it was the first one I read from this weeks pull, and I enjoyed it a lot. I don't care a lot about the new people yet, but seeing Lauren, Winter, Fuji, Diva, and Jackson made my day, so I'm in for the time you need to make me care. Good Job. Doug's work looked good too. My favorite work of his was JLE; the art in PhD wasn't quite that nice in my opinion, but it was pretty nontheless, so tell him he is doing a great job as well, if you don't mind. Artists need thier egos fed.:) btw, Santini? Awesome!

[christosgage]

So, I havent decided if I will pick up this book yet (I be broke!), are the 4 mentioned above going to be a part of the book? If so, that would be a HUGE factor in me picking it up. Stormwatch and Brigade were my favorite comics when I was a younger man, and I remember Fuji and Winter were 2 of my 3 favorite comic characters at the time (Seahawk being the other, I suppose he died at some point...).

Fahrenheit is a regular part of Stormwatch: PHD and will be in every issue. The other three will show up from time to time, but will not be regulars, as they remain part of Stormwatch Prime (which has the same purpose the original Stormwatch, a global crisis response team). But Hellstrike will be seen in #2 and #8-9 will heavily feature SW Prime.

frimfram, I think the shot of Bendix and the High with the Authority was more of a metaphor depicting all the various characters who have tried to mold the world in their image. I don't think it means Bendix and the High are back from the dead.

I don't know that the Establishment has been erased per se, but they probably won't be showing up by virtue of their being in England. To be honest, I haven't read those issues yet.

Best,
CNG

[frimfram]

I believe that was sort of a "legacy" shot, depicting WS superheros across the ages, not a representation of people retconned back to life.

Works for me. But then I'd never read Wildcats before (I know, I know) and understood only about 30% of that issue on first read anyway. Then I had a lot more caffeine and another look and it seemed to work better :)


frimfram, I think the shot of Bendix and the High with the Authority was more of a metaphor depicting all the various characters who have tried to mold the world in their image. I don't think it means Bendix and the High are back from the dead.

That's cool. Once a character's been killed by Jenny Sparks *and* Midnighter, I think it's incumbent on him to try and be a *bit* dead.

I really enjoyed the issue, anyway. Of all the new WS titles it had perhaps the best storytelling, and those final few panels give it a hell of a hook. Looking forward to #2 already.

Noob question: Jackson mentions that 400 people died, including 40ish cops and a member of Stormwatch. We don't know which Stormwatch member yet, right? Or did I miss something?

[Erwin Heinek]

Noob question: Jackson mentions that 400 people died, including 40ish cops and a member of Stormwatch. We don't know which Stormwatch member yet, right? Or did I miss something?

From the Paris interview - "We responded to the scene and observed that Stormwatch operative Blademaster had been fatally wounded by the international terrorist Deathtrap."

[frimfram]

From the Paris interview - "We responded to the scene and observed that Stormwatch operative Blademaster had been fatally wounded by the international terrorist Deathtrap."

Duh. I lose ten points.

[Chris Thomas]

1. the book was fantastic. I love this artwork also---is this the guy who did the frankenstien mini for seven soldiers?

the pacing was perfect. the story told as flashback mainly--very effective. interesting character. that harlequin guy was freaky. sort of joker crossed with wolverine.

the last few panels were EXTREMELY effective. I have to say I hope that guy in the last panel isn't the mole--because that is a very interesting character who either is a major liar or has some strange luck powers.

2. the authority mess is currently being explained in the authority series in classic morrisson mega-oblique fashion. I assume we will get the answer to that soon. or in 20 issues.

[aukevin]

I enjoyed this comic way more than I anticipated. I didn't think I was really going to care for this comic and figured I'd only keep it through the first arc, but it was really interesting. Looking forward to next month :)

[Generic Eric]

That was a really great first issue for this series. It reminds me alot of Warren Ellis's Stormwatch. Mostly because Mr. Gage is expertly dusting off the cobwebs of an old concept and is taking it in a new and intriging direction. Besides the great art by Doug Manke the real stand out feature is the tight pacing of the story. In 22 pages a dozen characters are introduced and enough information about them is conveyed that I'm intigued at what happens next.

[Apathy Boy]

My favourite Worldstorm title by far. With this creative team, I sort of expected that though.

The "regular folks vs superpowered baddies" premise has been done a lot in recent years. But I think I'll be enjoying this one a lot more than the others. The writing was bloody damn good, and we've got an interesting cast of characters. And man, there was a lot packed in this issue, eh?

I'm thinking the mole may be Paris, if only because it seems redundant to have two law enforcement-ish guys on the team. Either that or Fahrenheit, because no one'd expect it to be her.

[Jeff F]

I liked the issue enough to see where the book goes.

Was it Farenheit and Hellstrike that had the fairly hilarious yet endearing relationship? It's been a while.

Christos, thanks for bringing back all of my favorite members of Stormwatch. I could do without Winter, but Fuji, Hellstrike, and Farenheit were/are awesome.

I think the most compelling characters are military dude and sorceress lady. Which of course means one of them is going to be the bad guy in the group.

Good job Mr. Gage.

[christosgage]

You'll get a glimpse of Fahrenheit and Hellstrike's relationship in issue #2!

[Shawn Carman]

1. the book was fantastic. I love this artwork also---is this the guy who did the frankenstien mini for seven soldiers?

It really was an excellent book, and the art was almost perfect. My only complaint was Dr. Shaw's tiny, tiny hands on page 24. :)

It was great to see Deathtrap again, and Blademaster too. Too bad he bit the bullet.


I have to say I hope that guy in the last panel isn't the mole--because that is a very interesting character who either is a major liar or has some strange luck powers.

Dr. Shaw's absence from the cover, and his apparent history, makes him a rather obvious choice. Too obvious? Perhaps!

[christosgage]

It really was an excellent book, and the art was almost perfect. My only complaint was Dr. Shaw's tiny, tiny hands on page 24. :)


Take a closer look! You'll notice that the Monstrosity, like most Daemonites, has four arms...the difference being that the Daemonites' lower set of arms are small and weak, whereas the Monstrosity's are large and powerful.

But when he turns back into Dr. Shaw...he still has the second set of arms, only they're small, weak looking HUMAN arms! Yep, Dr. Shaw has a tiny set of extra arms!! That wasn't in the script, it was Doug's idea, and I absolutely loved it, because 1) I think it's cool as hell and 2) it differentiates Dr. Shaw from the Hulk, which I want to try to do whenever possible since there are obvious similarities.

Yeah, too bad about Blademaster. Somewhere, Prism is hoping I don't pull him out of retirement :)

[aelio]

Yeah, too bad about Blademaster. Somewhere, Prism is hoping I don't pull him out of retirement :)

Speaking of the SW 2.0 team, I know that Swift is safe in the Authority, but is Flint dropping by with Santini? I would like to see her if she isn't going down like Bladesmaster. If you can't say, just tell me to bugger off or something; I'll understand.

[Fatguy]

But when he turns back into Dr. Shaw...he still has the second set of arms, only they're small, weak looking HUMAN arms!

lol thats what I got out of the image, that he had some strange second set of arms. It looked like they were coming out of his chest, it was a very Total Recall moment...

So, I ended up picking up the book, and I enjoyed it. It was nice to see Fuji and Winter, even if in a small role. It seems Farenheit lost her powers? Thats too bad if thats the case, it would be cool for the group to have the one powered up member. I'll definetly keep checking it out, see where it goes.

Also, the mole, I dunno. I was thinking Dr. Shaw at first, but now I have my doubts. Maybe the cop? He did seem to possess a lot of knowledge on how to take out some of the villains...

[K'Nort]

Hey guys...there is an explanation for why Fuji, Winter, Fahrenheit and Hellstrike are back, and it'll be addressed in issue #5.

I'm not sure I even care about the reason. I'm just happy to hear they're around again. I always preferred those characters to the Authority. They were just more fun. And more relateable (sp?).

I guess the only question left is Christine Trelane. I never read Team Achilles, so apologies if her fate was covered in that.

[Khellendros]

Past continuity did still happen, except for The Monarchy, which I have unofficially decided happened on one of the parallel universes that are a big part of that book.Awww.

...Fine, then I'm making it YOUR responsibility to bring Union back and do something badass with him. Damnit.




But thanks for bringing back Winter. That was cool.

[TCJohnson]

I have never read an issue of Stormwatch before and no idea who any of these characters are.

Of the relaunches I have read, however, this is the best one. Doing better than Simone and Morrison....not bad!

[Khellendros]

I have never read an issue of Stormwatch before and no idea who any of these characters are.

Of the relaunches I have read, however, this is the best one. Doing better than Simone and Morrison....not bad!Have Simone's books even come out yet?

[Fatguy]

Have Simone's books even come out yet?

She now has 2 issues of Gen13 on the shelves. Excellent reads imho ;)

[Aaron King]

I feel like Mr. Gage is creating a new set of archetypes here, or at least opening them up to us. For years now we've had Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman archetypes. Now we're getting characters based on that sleezy girl that's always with the supervillain, that guy who always manages to null the villain's advantage (the electricution and falling chandelier being the MOST classic examples of this; props for using them), the guy who can exploit any weakness (when he shot that villain's mental guns, I almost felt like it was a boss fight in a video game), and so on. These are great archetypes and I'm glad that Mr. Gage is getting to them so that he can put some character meat on those bones.

[hex111]

Awww.

...Fine, then I'm making it YOUR responsibility to bring Union back and do something badass with him. Damnit.




But thanks for bringing back Winter. That was cool.


Don't worry... I convinced him to keep it unofficial (ie. not stated explicitly inside the 22 pages of comic text)... because I want to be the one who writes the story of how the Monarchy ended and how they came back to the WSU from their travels through the Bleed and ended up back at their previous power levels with no recollection of their time as the Monarchy... I already have an awesome story in mind that I'm going to put down in a script and throw in a drawer for a few years down the line... and I'm even going to write it so that Authority: Human on the Inside makes sense in the pre-Worldstorm continuity :D

[Stellar]

DEFILE IS BACK!

That alone makes this book smashing! When he was first shown, but before we know it was Defile, I thought, damn, some nice character design on that big dude. And then it turns out it's DEFILE, completely redesigned. And WHAT a redesign.

I thought Wildcats was going to be the top WS book, but it looks like Stormwatch: PHD is taking the lead.

[Subotai]

Yeah, it delivers, plain and simple. This and Midnighter are the WS titles I'll be sticking with, looks like.

[DOVETAILS]

Count me in. So much happened in just one issue... Remember when comics were like that at least some of the time? Awesome!

[Strannik]

I'm even going to write it so that Authority: Human on the Inside makes sense in the pre-Worldstorm continuity :D

What's there to write? Simply have it take place before Monarchy. There is absolutely no reason to make it any more complicated then that.

(More on the actual issue this thread is discussing later, when I am more awake)

[hex111]

What's there to write? Simply have it take place before Monarchy. There is absolutely no reason to make it any more complicated then that.

(More on the actual issue this thread is discussing later, when I am more awake)

it doesn't work... I tried to make it work even in my head, and it doesn't work... the Monarchy takes place directly after Authority (Vol. 1) #19 or 20 (whichever issues it was with the party on the carrier), and Human on the Inside is a direct sequel to Transfer of Power... with the main antagonist being the father of one of the members of the G7 Authority seeking retribution on the team for the death of his daughter. And since Transfer of Power (at lease the Peyer & Nguyen issues) takes place after the "Party on the Carrier" issue, it doesn't make sense...

[Stellar]

Then again, we don't know if King assembled the Monarchy team directly after the party on the Carrier. Plus, it's been said that the whole Monarchy thing might have happened in an alternate reality.

[hex111]

Then again, we don't know if King assembled the Monarchy team directly after the party on the Carrier. Plus, it's been said that the whole Monarchy thing might have happened in an alternate reality.

that's making a slightly bigger assumption than taking it at face value does... as Jackson is shown to be at his pre-Monarchy power level during Human on the Inside... otherwise, at his Monarchy level of power, he probably could have taken care of the whole situation in a matter of seconds...

and regarding the whole Monarchy thing happening in an alternate reality... that's Chris's unofficial (ie. not mentioned in the actual comic, therefore not neccessarily true, especially if there's a way to transition from the Monarchy back to PHD easily... which is what the story that I have does) stance on the issue... and as long as it's not actually stated otherwise in the comic, it can still be in continuity and just simply ignored until said story is told that shows that transition back to a pre-Monarchy-type situation for the characters... just because a story doesn't neccessarily make sense based on what has been seen thusfar doesn't mean that a story can't be written that fills in the gaps and makes it all fall into place and make sense...

honestly, what's the problem with a story that keeps everything in continuity and make sense to those of us who care how it all fits together? because if you can already make it make sense to yourself, cool... but there are many of us who can't make it all make sense or just think that there are too many holes in that particular theory for it to make sense to us? a story that clears it up and leaves few assuptions isn't exactly a bad thing... at least, IMO