Stormwatch #19

This has one of the best of the foldout covers, honestly. It's not the best cover, but it manages to have an extremely shocking twist that reflects the entire issue from the start, not just the final page. Plus, the main cover works the best on it's own of any of the foldout covers.

I could lament that this issue begins by completely rebooting the past 19 issues. It's just like, Boop, and suddenly the continuity is changed completely, but only for Stormwatch while the rest of the universe stays the same. It feels almost lazy, but it's clear that this isn't just a random reset, but a vital part of this story. It makes me wonder about the continuity for Demon Knights, since it's stated here that Stormwatch never existed until now in the new continuity, but it's easier to focus on this series by itself, since it already seems to be much improved with the reboot, and it's an interesting story that may explain itself down the line.

There's not much to say about the story for this issue, as pretty much it's entirety is dedicated to introducing the members of the new Stormwatch. There's a few carryovers, obviously Apollo and Midnighter, already seeming more interesting, along with Engineer for some reason, and Jenny Soul as a fairly obvious expy of Jenny Quantum. I'm really bummed to see Jack Hawksmoor and Harry Tanner gone, they were definitely my favorites from the old Stormwatch, but a lot of the new characters seem interesting. Although the problem is, there's just too many of them. This issue feels like it reached the team capacity and just kept on going. It's all a little overwhelming, but at least unlike the excess in Team 7 #0, the characters are all incredibly varied and distinct. There's also a MUCH more focused m.o., with the team already heading out on a mission.

Finally, I have to dedicate some serious love to this, but Lobo makes an appearance in this issue, and in one single panel I can already tell Jim Starlin has a perfect grasp of the character. Liefeld's truly terrible take on the character has been erased, and Lobo is once again The Main Man we all know and love.

In Conclusion: 4/5

A bit much all at once, but overall it's a very promising start. The artwork is consistent and solid, the characters are interesting, the direction is coherent, and all-in-all I can say I'm definitely on board with the new direction of Stormwatch after Milligan's run ended so badly.