(No Spoilers)

Here we go, finally delving back into the story started by Grant Morrison and Gene Ha 3 years ago.   Keith Giffen takes over writing chores and Darick Robertson doing the art.   Evident from the first page is Giffen’s writing style which of course differs greatly from Morrison’s.   But let me preface this is not a bad thing in the slightest.   In fact, people who were turned off by Morrison’s slow pace in the first two issues get a good dose of faster-paced story-telling here.   But it’s not all fast-paced.   Giffen does take time to slow down and give us some good character moments.

As we saw in the last issue, Midnighter was gearing up to face the army.   I was very leery of this (Yes, I’m American) but was gearing myself up for it because with The Authority, I’m used to dealing with a little controversy.   Thankfully, I think they went a smart route with this, which I won’t spoil here.

And I liked Darick Robertson’s art here.   I wasn’t too crazy about his art when he did The Authority: Prime mini-series but it seems to be stronger now.   Of course, it is a huge change from Gene Ha’s soft art in the first two issues, but Ha’s art seemed appropriate for how the first two issues were set up.   Even though I know Ha couldn’t done it, I have a hard time seeing how he would’ve laid out this issue (considering what happens in it) while keeping the feel of the previous two.  

Giffen does move the story along while keeping us connected with all the characters (even Ken’s wife) and ultimately bringing us to a cool and surprising revelation at the end of the issue.   It’s definitely something that comes out of nowhere, but the refreshing thing is that it’s not something anyone could have pieced together from the information laid out in the first two issues.   When this series started, I wasn’t sure what they’d do with the “superheroes in the real world” theme that they set up, but they’ve intrigued me enough to look forward to the next issue.  

Speaking of next issue, it looks like it’ll end this first 4-issue arc.   Which is a shame considering the excitement and huge strides they made in this issue.   I would’ve liked to have seen this go to at least 6 issues before they moved on to the next story.   I hate to think that they’ll have to wrap it up in just the next issue but I’ll wait and see what Giffen does with it.

(No Spoilers)

And so begins Wildstorm’s redemption for the sins of the past (actually Grant Morrison’s sins).   To quickly recap, when Wildstorm released their relaunch called Worldstorm in 2006, Grant Morrison and Gene Ha launched a new Authority title.   They got 2 issues released and Morrison left due to over-committing to too many projects.   The project was on indefinite hiatus until Keith Giffen came along and agreed to finish it.   So, the title was renamed The Authority: The Lost Year.   Collected here are the first two issues from Morrison/Ha.   A lot of people were turned off by the fact that in the original issue 1, The Authority was completely absent from the issue.   Obviously Morrison was going for the slow build but fans didn’t appreciate it.   I must say the first two issues read better in one sitting like this.   Instead of having an entire issue without the title characters in it, we get roughly 22 pages before they appear.   This’ll probably be easier for fans to accept.   Morrison looks like he was going for a big screen cinematic feel with this story.   The massive two-page shot of The Carrier under water is epic.   And overall the premise is interesting and has potential for a good story.   I won’t give it away (even though I’m sure lots of people know by now) but I will say that we’ve been told to expect The Authority to visit some interesting alternate worlds in their quest to make it back to the Wildstorm Universe.   Artist Darick Robertson takes over art chores from Gene Ha starting with next week’s issue 3 (although Ha still provides the covers).    From the preview, Robertson’s art is a little grittier and not as soft as Ha’s but it seems to have improved greatly from his work on The Authority: Prime mini-series.

For fans of The Authority who aren’t following World’s End, here’s your chance to see the team back in full force.    There will be a different artist for each arc, but Giffen will handle writing chores for the entire 12-issue series (yes, it’s a limited series).   So, here’s to correcting the mistakes of Worldstorm and hoping that soon we’ll see Jim Lee finishing his Wildcats run that was also put on hold.

(No Spoilers)

Well, the final issue is here.   When Ian Edington and Leandro Fernandez were brought on to Stormwatch PHD to do World’s End, I doubt they thought they’d be writing the final issue.   But unfortunately, sales determined otherwise.   It is a real shame too because this was one of the strongest World’s End titles, so I’m not entirely sure why people just didn’t catch on to this title.   The stories were very reminiscent of Ellis’ Authority run in that we had lots of huge moral dilemmas and several touch choices that needed to be made to ensure the survival of the species.   Stormwatch became the new ‘Authority’ of the world but sadly it wasn’t enough to save the title.  

This last issue is told at an extremely face pace, which is not surprising since I’m sure there were several things Edington wanted to wrap-up before his run ended.   Without spoiling anything, the one surprise is that we were able to get a resolution of sorts to The High’s side story. It was an interesting way to tie everything together.   Plus we get one more dramatic scene before the issue is over which was pretty appropriate I thought.   But as we’ve seen in previews for January, Stormwatch’s story is far from over.   We’ll see these characters popping up in Wildcats and The Authority and I’m glad.   Stormwatch has always been a resilient title.   I’m sure we’ll see another incarnation (or continuation?) of it sooner or later.

(No Spoilers)

A very fast-paced issue that gives closure to the current storyline.   It’s kind of like getting to that point in an action movie where you know things will probably work out but you’ve got that last battle scene to get through.   At this point, with DnA having one issue left, I’m not sure what they’re going to do next.   We’ve still got Midnighter’s side story which looks like it’ll be the focus of next issue, but I hope it’s not something that is resolved quickly.   Speaking of Midnighter, everyone will love the final page of this one.   I promise it’s something fans have been asking about since World’s End began.   Lots of things come to a head concerning Jack Hawksmoor especially.   We also get something cool happen with Cybernary that sets up things for the next arc.   If I had any complaint is that even at 22-pages it seems real short.   But like I said, it was face-paced action so even though we didn’t get a lot of character moments, we got some cool fighting and stuff that’s been missing from the pages of The Authority for a while now.   I look forward to DnA’s final issue next month.

(No Spoilers)

When I first saw the cover art for this a few months back, I had the same reaction a lot of people online had.   Spawn crossed with Spiderman?   Are McFarlane & Kirkman joking?   And as more cover art emerged it wasn’t getting any better.   Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome art (this is McFarlane we’re talking about after all), but I still didn’t get what they were doing.   Then I read an online preview for it and actually liked what I read.   First off, the main character, Daniel Kilgore, is only briefly seen in the preview and he’s not even in the Haunt costume by the end of the preview.   This told me that Kirkman was taking his time with the story-telling.   But at the same time, he introduced (as I found later), not only the main character, but the main TWO characters (can’t clarify without spoiling) in this preview.   Seeing Daniel’s brother Kurt in action was really cool.   And another thing that worked for me instantly was the art.   You have Greg Capullo (Spawn) doing the layouts, Ryan Ottley (Invincible) doing the finishes, and Todd McFarlane inking.   The trio delivers some awesome visuals and McFarlane’s inks give it just enough grittiness which seems appropriate for the story.   Mind you, I’m still describing the preview here.

Now, picking up #1, I was still hesitant and flipped through it.   I saw more great art and finally we get to the character of Haunt.   Ok, so maybe to an extent he is just Spawn with Spiderman mixed in, but there’s something about the design that still stands on its own.   Although it’s hard not to think about the way McFarlane drew Spidey’s webs that’s echoed when we see the ectoplasm shoot out from Haunt.  

All in all, a great first issue that I feel is a nice balance of character moments and great action.   If you’re a Kirkman fan, you’ll enjoy it.   If you’ve been on the fence about trying this book like I was, I say give it a try.    

(No Spoilers)

Beatty did it.   I wasn’t sure if he could but he did it.   With this final issue in his run he gave a satisfying conclusion while leaving the door wide open for the new creative team coming in Dec. with #33.   I think what helped Beatty & Huddleston’s second arc (#27-32) was that they weren’t hindered by the World’s End backup stories (well, at least 4 of the issues weren’t).   The backup stories were good for the most part and they served their purpose but once this title shed them at #29, I feel Beatty was able to pack more story into the issues.   He linked this run back to his Number of the Beast series and even took the Gen 13 through a very unique run, doing something with them that has never been done with them before.   Other than Lynch in the original run, Gen 13 has never truly been mentored.   At least not like they were in this arc.   And it was cool who Beatty had mentor them (not telling) because it went along with their character.  

As expected though, the subplot with Rainmaker was not resolved.   But it was probably smart of him to leave it alone instead of trying to finish it with the issues he had left.   I’m sure Sarah’s fate will be revealed by the new creative team.   When Huddleston first took over as artist for the title, I have to admit I wasn’t a fan.   But I grew to love his style and the fun little things he’d insert into the panel.   I hope people will pickup the trades where you can get a good sampling of his art.  

Overall, I think Beatty & Huddleston had a decent run on Gen 13.   I feel the second arc was definitely stronger than the first, but they successfully brought the kids into the World’s End landscape with new foes, new allies, and even new costumes!   I look forward to what Phil Hester does with newcomer artist Cruddie Torrian beginning next issue.   Now if only we can get this title away from a bi-monthly schedule and back to monthly.   Now that would be cool.  

(No Spoilers)

Another good entry to Gage’s final run on Wildcats.   I’m still not crazy about Shawn Moll’s art but there were some moments where I feel he did shine a little (without spoiling anything I’ll say it was a nice two-page splash and a single slash-page involving swords).   I find it interesting how fighting against Tao in his current state is more about one-upping each other’s imagination instead of a straight-up beat down.   It has made for some interesting moments during the battle.   Tao makes a reference to chess during the fight and that’s the best way to describe how this story has been going.   While Team 7 and the Wildcats provide the brute-force, Spartan & Max Faraday are playing a game of “imaginative strategy” with Tao.   Warblade also had a very cool use of his powers while fighting on the beach.   It harkened back to Alan Moore’s run where he first learned to use his powers to their fullest instead of simply turning his hands into blades all the time.   And once again, things turn for the worse by the end of the issue and it’s really got me curious as to how our heroes will inevitably win the day at this point.

(No Spoilers)

Overall, a good issue.   Drew Johnson’s art got better in some parts in this issue but I still prefer Simon Coleby.   I can tell DnA are starting to wrap up plotlines as their run nears its end.   Something very cool and interesting happens to Angie and she learns some information that ties back to the series The Establishment.   We get a little glimpse of the Multiverse as we follow Swift’s story.   After all the “Crisis” stories that have gone on with DC in the last few years, the image of the overlapping/spiraling multiple Earths has become a common sight.  

But my favorite part of this issue, just as with the last, is the Midnighter side story.   First off, Simon Coleby is drawing this section and I think that’s what draws me to it more.   But in very few panels we get, this little side adventure has been action-packed!   And there’s a cool new character Midnighter encounters who looks even cooler with Coleby drawing it.   I didn’t follow the Midnigther solo series but if it was done like this, I’d definitely follow it.

DnA seems to have picked-up the pace with their story-telling a bit in this issue.   Like I said, it’s evident that they’re working towards the end of their run.   It’ll be bitter-sweet when it arrives so for now, I’m enjoying it while it lasts.

(No Spoilers)

Christos Gage said at San Diego Comic Con this year that he set out to do an epic story with his final Wildcats arc and he is definitely delivering.   This is turning out to be the biggest Wildstorm crossover in a long time.   We’ve got Team 7 reunited and all the Wildcats together along with several of the characters from Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday.   You’ve got two god-like beings in Tao and Max Faraday so the odds have been raised sky-high.   If I had any complaint about this last arc for Gage it’s the art.   Nothing against Shawn Moll, but I just can’t get into his art.   There is a huge two-page battle spread in the middle of the issue that I felt lost a lot of the impact because the art just isn’t that strong.   Art in comics is something that we can all debate about forever but the bottom line is, if the average comic-fan browses issue of comics he/she doesn’t know, the art is the first thing they see before they read the story.   And I’m afraid people are passing up this last Wildcats arc because the art isn’t attracting them.   It’s a shame that cover-artist Ryan Sook couldn’t do the interiors.   His covers for this arc have been phenomenal.   Overall, I am thoroughly enjoying Gage’s last arc.   His strength has always been in staying true to Wildstorm’s past and I love Max’s point of view about all the Super-Powered-Beings in the world.   He makes a good point and makes you wonder who is really right in the end.   That’s the kind of storytelling I enjoy.

(No Spoilers)

This title is proof there’s no justice in the world.   This title should not be getting cancelled.   Edginton and Fernandez have done nothing but deliver compelling, meaningful stories during their run.   This book almost takes The Authority for the best World’s End title.  

Why is it so good?   Stormwatch probably made it out of Armageddon the least affected, just above the Wildcats.   They even have more power that The Authority right now.   But as we saw with last issue’s explosive (literally) cliffhanger, Stormwatch just got their teeth kicked in.   You feel the desperation in this issue as everything seems likes it’s about to end for the team.   As the solicit says, “Skywatch is burning.   Stormwatch is down”.   You’re really made to feel that the team is not going to make it.   And there are some great moments here.   Fahrenheit makes an almost cruel choice as she saves a refugee trapped under a beam.   has an outstanding moment where she showcases her super strength as she tries to help some refugees.   But the real shocker is when we see further development in ’s story.   His is by far the WTF moment of the issue.  

Another thing mentioned in the solicit are the Knights of Khera.   Who are they?   We don’t know yet.   And it sucks that we only have one issue of Stormwatch left to find out!   The Wildstorm crew has stated that we’ll be seeing characters from Stormwatch PHD in other titles.   So even though they’re losing their showcase title, we’ll still keep up with them.   And if history has shown us anything, it’s that Stormwatch is resilient.   Post Human Division was their 3 incarnation.   And if we don’t see PHD back together again, I’m sure we’ll see another incarnation soon.   Or perhaps the return of a past Stormwatch team?   (Team Achilles anyone?)