emily_amick's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
inferiorwit's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mspris's review against another edition
5.0
I'm enjoying this new "re-imagined" Wild Storm world, I have to admit, more than I thought that I would. I'm very curious about what is going to happen next.
nerdinthelibrary's review
4.0
1) The Wild Storm, Vol. 1 ★★★★
Man, I really chose the best way to start off my reading year. The second volume is maybe even better than the first, though still not quite at a five star.
IO and Skywatch are going to war! That's more or less the whole plot of this volume, though there is still some great character stuff in there. The first volume was definitely a kind of prologue to get to the meatier plot that this volume is setting up, but there's still a lot of table setting happening in this volume as well. Despite the already large ensemble, we meet some more characters in this, one of whom is my wife Jenny Mei Sparks, a bi queen who we must all stan. Even with adding a few new characters with their own plot line, this comic series still manages to never feel overstuffed. Every plot has a clear purpose and there isn't a disposable character. That's really hard to do and Ellis does it in a way that seems effortless.
I gushed about the art in my review of volume one, and everything I said there is still applicable to this volume. Instead of repeating myself I want to talk about the colour for a second because holy crap is it amazing, especially the use of red with blacks, whites, greys, etc. in a style similar to the covers for this series. It genuinely blows my mind how good this series looks because so many comic series, especially the tonally darker ones, look like fucking garbage in an attempt to get across how gritty and serious the comic is. But instead of doing that, this decides to use colour in interesting ways and draw well-choreographed fight scenes to get across the tone.
This series is amazing and the fact that people won't shut up about loving dark comics but don't pick up ones like these infuriates me. Read this series! It's so good!
Man, I really chose the best way to start off my reading year. The second volume is maybe even better than the first, though still not quite at a five star.
IO and Skywatch are going to war! That's more or less the whole plot of this volume, though there is still some great character stuff in there. The first volume was definitely a kind of prologue to get to the meatier plot that this volume is setting up, but there's still a lot of table setting happening in this volume as well. Despite the already large ensemble, we meet some more characters in this, one of whom is my wife Jenny Mei Sparks, a bi queen who we must all stan. Even with adding a few new characters with their own plot line, this comic series still manages to never feel overstuffed. Every plot has a clear purpose and there isn't a disposable character. That's really hard to do and Ellis does it in a way that seems effortless.
I gushed about the art in my review of volume one, and everything I said there is still applicable to this volume. Instead of repeating myself I want to talk about the colour for a second because holy crap is it amazing, especially the use of red with blacks, whites, greys, etc. in a style similar to the covers for this series. It genuinely blows my mind how good this series looks because so many comic series, especially the tonally darker ones, look like fucking garbage in an attempt to get across how gritty and serious the comic is. But instead of doing that, this decides to use colour in interesting ways and draw well-choreographed fight scenes to get across the tone.
This series is amazing and the fact that people won't shut up about loving dark comics but don't pick up ones like these infuriates me. Read this series! It's so good!
mr_tell_me_a_fucking_secret's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
bstratton's review against another edition
5.0
I have zero fondness for any of the Wildstorm characters prior to the point when Ellis originally started writing them. I'm absolutely in love with The Wild Storm's remix of them. It hits the same sort of high that Alan Moore's Supreme reached. Super-highly recommended.
grilledcheesesamurai's review against another edition
4.0
It's like a scifi, techno, cold war and it's just all just really makes me feel cool reading it. There isn't a ton of action....but when it does ignit Jon Davis-Hunt makes it look pretty freaking incredible.
Realistic?
Not so much. But it is incredible.
The story itself is super addictive, at least for me. Ellis is weaving a story that you can just feel building up and up and as this volume ends at the halfway point of the overall series I am super interested in seeing how its all going to explode.
Realistic?
Not so much. But it is incredible.
The story itself is super addictive, at least for me. Ellis is weaving a story that you can just feel building up and up and as this volume ends at the halfway point of the overall series I am super interested in seeing how its all going to explode.
doctorwoofwoof's review against another edition
4.0
I am old enough to remember when Jean Grey became Dark Phoenix. I am also old enough to remember reading all the Image Comics titles in the 90's, because they were cool! Not all of them (*cough* Rob Liefeld's YOUNGBLOOD and assorted other titles he helmed) were good, but some, like WILDC.A.T.s and WETWORKS, were a little cooler and better other than the aforementioned titles. Those "cooler" books split off and became a separate publishing imprint, Wildstorm. Unfortunately, some things, not unlike THE A-TEAM or THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, don't hold up as well, but they will always hold a "special spot" in our nerdy, li'l hearts!
In the late 90's, a writer came onboard looking to revamp one of the so-so books, STORMWATCH. That writer was Warren Ellis, and the series that spun out of the revamped STORMWATCH was THE AUTHORITY. With that book, Ellis made one hell of an impression with a lot of people, myself included, earning him, and THE AUTHORITY, a very high spot on the Nerd Chart.
I skipped out when, in 2017 (I think), DC Comics absorbed the Wildstorm characters/books, making them "exist" in the same comics universe as Superman and Batman!
Jump ahead to 2018. Warren Ellis approaches DC, offering THE WILD STORM, a massive (24 issues!) reboot of the Wildstorm universe. They greenlight it. And, what a ride!
Forget everything about the 90s WILDC.A.T.s, Grifter, even THE AUTHORITY. This is a blank slate, with so much potential!
Volume 2, reprinting issues 7-12, is just.. words elude me. It's not mind-numbing like a lot of what Marvel and DC are churning out of late, but it certainly makes my brain itch. Watching familiar faces being reworked and presented in a totally different way is fun and interesting at the same time. It's also equally entertaining to see equally familiar plots and sub-plots taken apart and put back together in an uniquely satisfying way.
The series is not TOO wordy, yet wordy enough that the story gives us much to chew on and reflect long after this volume, or any of the individual issues themselves, are read. My hat goes off to Warren Ellis, for he has clear outdone himself, something I did not think could be done!
However, as much as I was taken in by Ellis' writing, it is also worth noting Jon Davis-Hunt's art. At times, he reminded me of Keith Giffen's LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES work (back when Tom and Mary Bierbaum were writing it), simple, at first viewing, but further study shows so much more in each panel. I felt his art suits the angle that Ellis is shooting for, and for that, I am glad that he seems to be invested in the art until the 24th, and final, issue of the series is completed.
Look, plain and simple. Go read Volume, because you will most certainly want to read this volume, and then, Volume 3, when it comes out in March. This is a smart series, and if you are old enough to remember the 90s Wildstorm characters (like me), you'll be sorry if you don't check it out! 'Nuff said!
In the late 90's, a writer came onboard looking to revamp one of the so-so books, STORMWATCH. That writer was Warren Ellis, and the series that spun out of the revamped STORMWATCH was THE AUTHORITY. With that book, Ellis made one hell of an impression with a lot of people, myself included, earning him, and THE AUTHORITY, a very high spot on the Nerd Chart.
I skipped out when, in 2017 (I think), DC Comics absorbed the Wildstorm characters/books, making them "exist" in the same comics universe as Superman and Batman!
Jump ahead to 2018. Warren Ellis approaches DC, offering THE WILD STORM, a massive (24 issues!) reboot of the Wildstorm universe. They greenlight it. And, what a ride!
Forget everything about the 90s WILDC.A.T.s, Grifter, even THE AUTHORITY. This is a blank slate, with so much potential!
Volume 2, reprinting issues 7-12, is just.. words elude me. It's not mind-numbing like a lot of what Marvel and DC are churning out of late, but it certainly makes my brain itch. Watching familiar faces being reworked and presented in a totally different way is fun and interesting at the same time. It's also equally entertaining to see equally familiar plots and sub-plots taken apart and put back together in an uniquely satisfying way.
The series is not TOO wordy, yet wordy enough that the story gives us much to chew on and reflect long after this volume, or any of the individual issues themselves, are read. My hat goes off to Warren Ellis, for he has clear outdone himself, something I did not think could be done!
However, as much as I was taken in by Ellis' writing, it is also worth noting Jon Davis-Hunt's art. At times, he reminded me of Keith Giffen's LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES work (back when Tom and Mary Bierbaum were writing it), simple, at first viewing, but further study shows so much more in each panel. I felt his art suits the angle that Ellis is shooting for, and for that, I am glad that he seems to be invested in the art until the 24th, and final, issue of the series is completed.
Look, plain and simple. Go read Volume, because you will most certainly want to read this volume, and then, Volume 3, when it comes out in March. This is a smart series, and if you are old enough to remember the 90s Wildstorm characters (like me), you'll be sorry if you don't check it out! 'Nuff said!