Review Shooter: Stormwatch #1

Torchwood meets Warehouse 13 with superpowers. That’s how I would describe Stormwatch to a comic book newbie. Let’s be clear, by Torchwood, I mean the first three seasons, not the Miracle Day bollocks.

Stormwatch is a clandestine superhuman security force that has been saving the planet since the dark ages. They’re so secret absolutely no one knows they exist. They don’t like to be called superheroes. They’re soldiers with superhuman abilities with gaudy outfits and cool names like the Eminence of Blades and the King of Cities. Filling out the cast are Adam (the leader), the Engineer, Martian Manhunter, Jack Hawkmoor aka the King of Cities, The Projectionist, Harry Tanner aka the Eminence of Blades, Jenny Quantum, Apollo, and Midnighter.

The plot is very scatter brained but I think that’s done to show how ineffective a leader “Adam” is.  He sent the King of Cities, the Projectionist, and the Martian Manhunter to Moscow to recruit a new vigilante called Apollo. Harry Tanner, the Eminence of Blades, a man who cut cold fusion with super enhanced swords is sent to stop the moon from attacking the Earth. Yes, you read that right, the moon is on its way to attach the Earth. But it’s ok, the moon’s attacking us to make us better through devastation so we can fight something worse later on (can’t fault that logic). And as you’d expect the ability to cut cold fusion is pretty useless against a sentient moon with claws. Meanwhile Jenny Quantum and some old dude investigate a strange structure in the Himalayas. Basically if you thought Justice League #1 was taking its sweet ass time getting anywhere then Stormwatch is the book for you.  You got three separate missions going on, two threats established from the get go, historical significance added into the plot, and a team structure already in place. Oh and don’t worry, there’s a last minute cliffhanger that will please old school fans of the Authority.

Live or Die Scale: Live– This book has enough going on to satisfy old school fans of the Authority, sci-fi fans in general, and in particular Whovians who need an entry point for the DCnU

Recommendation: Buy- Stormwatch is a good read, if a bit (ok, a lot) dense. Overall, it’s a promising start to the integration of Wildstorm into the DCU.