Warren Ellis' Stormwatch Was Fantastic

[Mr. Holmes]

Crap, I'm in the Batman forum. Can someone move this to the DCU forum?

Considering I earlier posted a thread about how I was let down by Authority (but that's more because the hype led me to believe the book was something else) I really love the Stormwatch concept and team format put together here. The team itself is very cool. I like the different units Henry Bendix has set up, and I like the covert but proactive approach. And surprisingly, there's a lot of depth and heart to the characters. The issue with Jenny Sparks throughout the ages was great.

[Froggy]

How'd you like change or die?

or are you still reading through it?

I liked some of the authority stuff but like a few arcs didn't do much for me and revolution was ehh

[carabas]

I really liked the scenes at Clark's.

Also, "My god, it's Beachbum. Run and hide, he's come to beat up our surfboards".

I don't really see how this StormWatch and Ellis's The Authority are not the same book.

ETA: what is in the hardcover anyway? I've been meaning to get that.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

I really liked the scenes at Clark's.

Also, "My god, it's Beachbum. Run and hide, he's come to beat up our surfboards".

I don't really see how this StormWatch and Ellis's The Authority are not the same book.

ETA: what is in the hardcover anyway? I've been meaning to get that.

Issues #37 to 47.

[carabas]

I don't suppsoe theres any word if the Aliens crossover will be in the final volume?

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Not sure, but Amazon has the release for that one at October 23rd.

[dancj]

I don't really see how this StormWatch and Ellis's The Authority are not the same book.

Because Storwatch is a brilliant tense sometimes political superhero thriller and The Authority is an experiment in wide-screen action which pays some lip service to the question of how far superheroes should go, but is ultimately shallow.

[ProdSlash]

Because Storwatch is a brilliant tense sometimes political superhero thriller and The Authority is an experiment in wide-screen action which pays some lip service to the question of how far superheroes should go, but is ultimately shallow.

The Authority didn't start that way, but evolved into that once Millar took over. Ellis' run was far better, IMHO.

[Desaad]

The Authority didn't start that way, but evolved into that once Millar took over. Ellis' run was far better, IMHO.

No, that's exactly what the Authority was under Ellis. Under Millar it became a venue for shock value violence and buggering with absolutely nothing behind it. It went from shallow with nods to greater concerns to offensively shallow, IMHO.

Stormwatch was another level entirely, not just in regards to the political component to the book - although it was quite nice to see characters being smart, as was the case with Jackson King and Henry Bendix - but it was a far more emotionally engaging book. Change or Die being the best example of this -- what an incredibly powerful read that was. I view it as one of the best things Ellis has ever written, period. But the Hawksmoore stand alone issue itself was a triumph of genre diversification.

If people liked this I highly recommend they go back and check out Doom 2099 under Ellis, which had a similar sci-fi realpolitik feel to it.

[dancj]

The Authority didn't start that way, but evolved into that once Millar took over. Ellis' run was far better, IMHO.

IMO, The Authority improved massively under Millar - who brought back some of what I liked about Stormwatch.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Considering I earlier posted a thread about how I was let down by Authority (but that's more because the hype led me to believe the book was something else) I really love the Stormwatch concept and team format put together here. The team itself is very cool. I like the different units Henry Bendix has set up, and I like the covert but proactive approach. And surprisingly, there's a lot of depth and heart to the characters. The issue with Jenny Sparks throughout the ages was great.

Yeah, Ellis Stormwatch was indeed amazing.

As you, I also read the Authority fiorst, and though I liked, I have to say, the reading of StormWatch really adds to it, so I`d suggest that once you`re done with StormWatch, to re-read Authority. It seems a lot less shallows this way.

Even then, I still prefer StormWatch of the two.The character work done there was amazing - one of the best in Ellis`career, IMHO - and I feel that in that book, Ellis really set out to stretch his muscles; he experimented with story structure and length, with the clichés of the genre and sets out to re-imagine all eras of it trough characters like The Changers and Jenny Sparks. His smart people are actually smart (which is kinda hard to do in comics), and the Sci-Fi concepts are great, not to mention it was iin this book that Ellis used some of previous WildStorm continuity and created a truly cohesive back-story to the WS universe as a whole, a little task in which even people like Alan Moore kind of failed.

One recommendation that I'm probably going to be alone in; check out "The Monarchy" after you've read all that. It gives a nice, more multi-dimensional take on Bendix post everything (because he really begins to become the big bad of the Wildstorm universe after Ellis' work on the character) and it's a very interesting, intricate, adult response to the Authority, IMHO.

You`re not alone Desaad, The Monarchy is definitely worth checking out, even I having find it hard to read sometimes, it`s a pretty cool take in that universe.

And since you`re liking Ellis`s Stormwatch, Mr. Holmes, I`ll also recommend "Planetary" which is, IMO, the strongest of Ellis`work in WildStorm (a shame that it was plagued with such massive delays at the time of original publication), which is basically a love letter to everything that formed comics (and other forms of media, in a smaller scale) and a great read by itself - even if StormWatch and Authority actually add to it.

Another recommendation would be Joe Casey`s "WildCATS 3.0". It`s not really a super-hero comic, and it falters a little bit near the end, but it`s a great, intelligent take on super-powered beings and their responsibilities, but going pretty much in the complete opposite direction than the Authority.

[Desaad]

I'm with you on Wildcats 3.0 and Planetary, surely.

I will say that I believe Planetary has been a bit mythologized over the years, and that a lot of it seems heavy handed in hindsight (especially the Vertigo issue), but it's still a beautiful, mad romp through the pop culture milieu.

[BohemiaDrinker]

I'm with you on Wildcats 3.0 and Planetary, surely.

I will say that I believe Planetary has been a bit mythologized over the years, and that a lot of it seems heavy handed in hindsight (especially the Vertigo issue), but it's still a beautiful, mad romp through the pop culture milieu.

I noticed that in the Vertigo issue too, but always assumed it was intentional... that exchange between Elijah and Jakita about how those english characters look ridiculous now, but "hey, it´´s been ten years" actually permeates that whole issue in my head.

[Desaad]

I noticed that in the Vertigo issue too, but always assumed it was intentional... that exchange between Elijah and Jakita about how those english characters look ridiculous now, but "hey, it´´s been ten years" actually permeates that whole issue in my head.

Right, but I felt the message was a little bit too obvious, a little too out there.

Maybe it's just my personal preference, but I prefer it when issues work on multiple levels, without an interdependence. In a number of planetary issues I felt that there was a dependence on knowledge of the influences.

[Mr. Holmes]

Yeah I've read Wildcats 3.0 and Planetary, and I'm big fan of both. I'll check out Monarchy, definitely.

Does anyone know about Stormwatch PHD or Achilles Team? Are any of these good?