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Underground > Comic Books >

The new stormwatch

10:01 / 01.03.02

This looks like it this could be very interesting...

What could have easily been pointless title (UN anti superhero commando that can't take down people such as the authority etc cos they are too popular...) might turn out to be an earnest interventionist right wing superhero comic without the benefit of satire.

check out the interview with its author, a former Airborne Ranger for the U.S. Army here.

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:01 / 01.03.02

Actually, can we use this space to talk about blatantly right-wing intervenionist superhero comics in general? Because something tells me we're going to be seeing a lot more of them from now on. Here's the cover of the relaunched Captain America #2, by John Cassaday of Planetary fame:

With regards to the author of the new Stormwatch series - it's almost refreshing in a way to have someone come out and say "okay, you support America's military action in Afghanistan, you should support Russia's actions in Chechnya" and "China had to takeover Tibet for strategic reasons, don't listen to those stupid hippy rappers" - I mean, it's completely topsy-turvy but somehow less full of hypocritical bullshit and double standards than the whole "civilised world v axis of evil terrorists" angle.

And it does tie in to one of my criticisms of Millar's Authority, that so far they've only allowed to go after the people we're told by the media are bad guys anyway - they don't force Israel out of Palestine etc...

11:16 / 01.03.02

...that is exactly what I'd thought they would be doing when I bought the first issues. Big disappointment. Got me thinking "Nope, not this time, either..."

Twig the Wonder Kid

12:58 / 01.03.02

and I thought this thread was gonna be about The Ultimates #2.

14:04 / 01.03.02

Yeah, that's what I thought too. The Ultimates is the new Stormwatch. The Iron Man armor even looks like Fuji.

I'm sceptical of a new Stormwatch. Partly because I just want the Authority to keep going and also because Stormwatch was the worst comic I ever read until Ellis took it over.

14:08 / 01.03.02

Oh, and if Whilce Portacio is the artists, this thing may or may not ever hit the stands.

14:13 / 01.03.02

Read the above press release-- this is not going to be a return to the pre-ellis status quo.

It mightbe crap, but least it will be crap in a new way, (although as flyboy points out i think thisa could be a new trend...) and quite posssibly exploring an unapologetically right wing take on superheroes not seen outside of steve ditko's self written stuff...

Regrettable Juvenilia

10:17 / 16.08.02

I hope no-one's buying this, but you might be interested to flick through Stormwatch: Team Achilles #2 for an indication of how bad racist right-wing macho propaganda can get. Those filthy Arabs! Slavering religious fundamentalists, who need a good torturing. I'm going to be sick.

11:11 / 16.08.02

From Newsarama:

"Incidentally, before anyone climbs down my throat, there is a decided difference between Islamic and Islamist,” continued Wright. “Islamic merely refers to people who worship Islam, a peaceful religion. Islamists are the militant types who won't rest until Islam is shoved down the rest of the world's throats at gunpoint."

Well, that's told us hasn't it.

11:12 / 16.08.02

Have you read Cassaday's CAPTAIN AMERICA? Because I glanced through an issue in the shop.

Interesting. The plot seemed to be: Generic terrorist whose homeland has been bombed by US warplanes is in some heartland town where the major employer is a defense contractor, and is going to destroy the town and its citizens in retaliation for the bombing of his homeland. Equating the citizenry with the industry with the military with the government's foreign policy: where does accountability truly lie?

In the end, of course, Cap delivers a beat-down (it's all on live TV, for some reason), and ends up killing the terrorist guy. And after he does—aware of what he's done, and of his iconic status as symbol of America, and of how easy it is to confuse the symbol for the real thing, he addresses the camera: "America didn't kill this man," he says—and he removes his mask, on camera, before a worldwide audience, and says, as Steve Rogers, "I did."

Is that right-wing and macho? Cos it sounds to me like a tacit recognition that the people as a whole cannot be held accountable for the the actions of an individual.

11:29 / 16.08.02

until capt america returns next issue (in his regular series) as the continued embodiment of America.

Unless Mr Rogers is again going to leave his name and role he will continue to BE captain america - the embodyment of that country its government and foreign policy - anything else comes across as a cynical publicity exercise otherwise.

05:14 / 17.08.02

I've not read this new Stormwatch yet and don't really see any reason to. I read the preview in Wizard months ago and it was a very, very, very bad version of GI Joe. I can't fucking stand military shit anyway. I fucking hate Tom Clancy so I'm sure I'd hate this Stormwatch shit.

Oh, and as someone else pointed out earlier, yes, pre-Ellis Stormwatch was the worst comic I ever read. I remember getting a few issues for free back during some image promotion and it was just horrible.

Regrettable Juvenilia

16:06 / 18.08.02

Jack: I think the jury's still out on the new Captain America series, and will have to remain so until the current storyline is actually concluded (it's a 6-parter, although the first three issues were clearly an act in themselves). Whilst reading issue 3 (in the shop) I began to wonder whether the whole thing hasn't been an extremely clever set-up for a twist of monstrously subversive proportions: after all those "fight terror!", "are you doing your bit?" covers, the second half of the story would concentrate on the US' record of terrorism as an essential ingredient of foreign policy and the response of the man who some people irritatingly call 'Cap' to his newfound awareness of this.

It could happen. But I doubt it. Like I said though: I'll wait and see. It's either chest-beating patriotic nonsense disguised as a radical analysis of America's role in the world, or vice versa...

Ironically, the comic that *is* doing a pretty good "what if a close analogue to Captain America discovered the truth about his country?" story is Com-X's Cla$$ War - which has just had to go on a bit of a hiatus until early next year after three issues, because its original artist has departed to draw... Captain America, once John Cassady leaves. Funny old world (only not).

Not much doubt about Micah Wright though:

"In one of Mark Millar's issues, he shows The Authority kicking the Russian army out of Chechnya. Well, we've seen what happened in real life when that happened: Islamist militants including Al Queda began to use Chechnya as a base of operations to strike out at the neighboring countries."

...Great, just what we needed: comics answer to Tom Clancy crossed with Frederick Forsythe.

21:54 / 18.08.02

From looking at his website and his frequent posts to the Ellis forum, I think Micah Wright is a bit more complicated than that. He's been outspoken in his criticism of the domestic implications of the "war on terror," as evidenced by this gallery of "visual remixes" of old propaganda posters: the spirit at work here seems playful, informed, engaged, and angry--a vibe I also get from the Barbelith culture...

We're The Great Old Ones Now

14:26 / 02.09.02

[Basic spoiler warning: I'm not going to give much away - God knows, there isn't a whole lot of mystery - but I am going to make mention of specifics you may not have read yet.]

I've just read the first two issues, and I'm not thrilled. The notion is interesting: a tactical approach allows humans the possibility of confronting superhumans in combat - although the necessary dumbing down of superhumans to achieve this is a little irksome. It's that ole' Midnighter syndrome again: I can consider millions of strategic options in my head before you even move, I'm faster, stronger, and tougher than you are...but I think I'll just run at you howling and deliver myself to you for a pounding. Anyone read Authority/Kev? Then this will be familiar.

But actually, that's not what pisses me off. What annoys me about Team Achilles is that it's basically prejudiced, eighties-throwback nonsense. At least, so far. From the first page of the script: "She's short, asian, has short black hair and cutest set of pert b-cup breasts, no bra." (Actually, she looks either stoned or crazy, but that's hardly the point.)

We're then treated to the sight of the UN building in flames, under attack by a mercenary and a posthuman, whilst, from within... assailed by the evil minions of Allah. Held in contempt by even their own allies, these rotten enhanced-jihadeen can be tortured and killed without compunction, because they're bad to the bone.

I don't think I can be bothered to continue, actually. So far, I'm not impressed. If this is where Wildstorm is going, I'm losing interest. It's not that it's a dumb idea - some of it verges on very interesting. It's just trite and offensive by turns, and that distracts from the good stuff.

05:07 / 03.09.02

The second panel of that page continues the description of the female jogger in much the same vein:

You thought her breasts were nice? Her ass will make you cry. Oh, and she's wearing REALLY short shorts. The kind that ride up a little when you run.

I guess the free world is safe again.

I read the PDF format scripts Wright has posted for
issue 1 and issue 2 and Nick's right, they are trite and offensive. From the accents, through the cliches, to the wish-fulfilment.

But mostly they read like they're written by someone who read every script Shane Black - Lethal Weapon, Last Boyscout - wrote and decided that he'd like to have a go but didn't quite have the talent to pull it off.

14:39 / 03.09.02

His website's good, actually. Sharp enough, in a kind of post-Ellis way.

20:23 / 04.09.02

PS: Capt America's turning out to be a bit more than Pretty as he's looking to find out who suplied those "terrorists" with tech that should only belong to the U.S.

23:20 / 04.09.02

'Captain America' is not what you'd expect, I've found. Not as Republican as I'd feared: you can read it at dotcomics.marvel.com - great resource.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

15:57 / 13.09.02

Hm. Well, issue 3 is somewhat less ghastly, though still earth-shatteringly predictable. Maybe he'll settle.

22:02 / 14.09.02

I buzzed over to IMW's website. I really like his poster campaign and the whole "Know your place! Shut your face!" attack on Rumsfeld and the domestic gulag that America is rapidly turning into.

Unfortunately, the first two issues of SW:TA were dire. Just dull and uninspiring. It might be that there's going to come an "inversion point" which allows us to see things from an exterior perspective. But even if there is I don't think I can be bothered to sit through endless commando stories in order to get there.

Pity, really.

Oh, and the bloke who writes X-Axis reviews posted a pretty good rant recently on NinthArt about Captain America. I think he's got some interesting things to say about the built-in limits of the character which limit his scope so much.

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

05:31 / 26.09.02

I think Stormwatch: Team Achillies has the potential to be a very interesting series indeed. So far what you've got is a traditional Rainbow Six/GIJoe Style Special Forces unit that is pushing a distinctly "anti-american" agenda. The fact that the team exists without America's blessing and was the result of UN Politicking is fascinating. Also promising was the end of the 3rd ish which sees the team's leader face the same threat from the WTO-ish Powers That Be that popped up in the first Stormwatch run. This "UN Special Security Council" is quickly killed by the team and left as casualties of the very hoaxed "Attack by Middle Eastern Terrorists" that they created.

I thin micha Wright's social conscinece or at least political conscience is more highly developed than Clancy's (Whom I've had the pleasure of speaking with.)

I'm eagerly looking forward to more from this author.