- Hardcover: 296 pages
- Publisher: Titan Books (27 April 2012)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 178116052X
- ISBN-13: 978-1781160527
- Product Dimensions: 26.2 x 17.8 x 2.4 cm
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
282,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Characters & Series > Stormwatch
- #70 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Authors > Ellis, Warren
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
StormWatch, the UN Special Crisis Intervention Team, was formed to act as powerful global police force. But Henry Bendix, aka Weatherman, thinks reacting to crises is no longer effective. Recruiting electric Jenny Sparks, assassin Rose Tattoo, and city-symbiote Jack Hawksmoor, he transforms them into a take-no-prisoners strike force, and raises the question of how super-heroes should behave.
About the Author
Warren Ellis has created and written The Authority, Transmetropolitan, Orbiter, the award-winning Planetary, Ministry of Space and much more.
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5 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
It's not Absolute Stormwatch, but it will have to do...
9 May 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ever since DC released the Absolute Authority hardcover collections, I've been waiting and hoping for a similar treatment of Warren Ellis's late `90s run on Stormwatch, which was the precursor to his groundbreaking Authority series. I didn't quite get my wish for an Absolute Stormwatch, but DC has at least released those issues in a pair of hardcover collections.
I was actually a fan of Stormwatch from the very beginning. Sure, it was formulaic and very typical of the early `90s Image Comics mindset, but I really liked the characters, and the whole Justice League meets Star Trek approach was fun. The series stumbled in later years and was an almost unreadable mess when Warren Ellis was brought in starting with issue #37. He quickly cut a bunch of dead weight characters, rearranged the teams, and introduced new characters like Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor and Rose Tattoo. It's obvious in hindsight that he was setting the stage for the Authority series, but at the time it was just good to have a darker, edgier and just plain better-written Stormwatch. All of the stylistic elements that made The Authority work so well were field-tested in these issues of Stormwatch.
It helps that the artwork was also considerably improved. Tom Raney has a very unique (and occasionally disturbing) style, and it was completely suited to Ellis's darker, grislier storytelling and the style of his new characters. Having a fill-in issue by none other than Jim Lee is an added bonus.
As to the hardcover release, it's a step up from the previous paperback editions, but not by much. The cover is obviously sturdier, but the pages aren't noticeably larger or glossier, and there's next to no bonus material. Not even an introduction explaining why the book is important enough to be collected in the first place. It's about the same size and quality as the recent Preacher hardcovers.
While I think they could have done a lot more with this collection, it is still nice to have a more durable collection of these issues. If you're an Authority or Warren Ellis fan and haven't yet checked out Stormwatch, this is a great way to do so.
I was actually a fan of Stormwatch from the very beginning. Sure, it was formulaic and very typical of the early `90s Image Comics mindset, but I really liked the characters, and the whole Justice League meets Star Trek approach was fun. The series stumbled in later years and was an almost unreadable mess when Warren Ellis was brought in starting with issue #37. He quickly cut a bunch of dead weight characters, rearranged the teams, and introduced new characters like Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor and Rose Tattoo. It's obvious in hindsight that he was setting the stage for the Authority series, but at the time it was just good to have a darker, edgier and just plain better-written Stormwatch. All of the stylistic elements that made The Authority work so well were field-tested in these issues of Stormwatch.
It helps that the artwork was also considerably improved. Tom Raney has a very unique (and occasionally disturbing) style, and it was completely suited to Ellis's darker, grislier storytelling and the style of his new characters. Having a fill-in issue by none other than Jim Lee is an added bonus.
As to the hardcover release, it's a step up from the previous paperback editions, but not by much. The cover is obviously sturdier, but the pages aren't noticeably larger or glossier, and there's next to no bonus material. Not even an introduction explaining why the book is important enough to be collected in the first place. It's about the same size and quality as the recent Preacher hardcovers.
While I think they could have done a lot more with this collection, it is still nice to have a more durable collection of these issues. If you're an Authority or Warren Ellis fan and haven't yet checked out Stormwatch, this is a great way to do so.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Outstanding Ellis
20 May 2012
Format:Hardcover
I bought this collection for one reason only - Warren Ellis. And I was rewarded with Ellis at his best. Using the Superhero format as a platform for his ideas without completely ignoring the superhero format (which people like Mark Millar often do). The art isn't anything to write home about, although Raney does a passable job, but it is the writing that is king here. I know zero about Stormwatch so the start felt a bit abrupt but it was clear Ellis was clearing the decks to get to his idea of what Stormwatch should be - a superhero team that was going to help bring order to the world whether the world wanted it or not. He introduces three new characters who are instantly interesting (Jack Hawksmoor, Jenny Sparks and Rose Tattoo) and the idea of three levels of the Stormwatch team (although I find he ignores that idea and mixes and matches however he wants). The stories are fun but at the same time you see the underlying themes...can superheros and humans coexist...why fight super-villains when there are worse threats from our governments (I LOVE the idea of the USA as a superpower that doesn't like the idea of people with super powers getting involved in their affairs)..and how far are you willing to go to do the right thing for the greater good (and who decides this).
I haven't enjoyed a graphic novel so much in years so this was a real treat. I won't judge it on the format BUT a BIG omission is the fact they don't let us know who drew which stories. Really? How could they not include that info?
I haven't enjoyed a graphic novel so much in years so this was a real treat. I won't judge it on the format BUT a BIG omission is the fact they don't let us know who drew which stories. Really? How could they not include that info?
Finally
12 May 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember when Jim Lee created Stormwatch back in the early/mid-90s when Wildstorm was still part of Image Comics, and I also remember just how bad the series had gotten shortly before Warren Ellis came in and took over. All of the sudden, Ellis re-structured both the team and book alike, introducing three of his own characters (Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, and Rose Tattoo) that would go on to play pivotal roles for years to come, and craft deft, thought provoking stories in the process as well. This first volume features Ellis' new Stormwatch teams taking on bad superhumans and an airborne virus among other adventures, and features great artwork from Tom Raney as well that mostly does away with all that over-muscled anatomical figure that was so prominent for so long in this era. All in all, while Ellis' Stormwatch was plenty entertaining, it only served to set the stage for the insane excellence that would be The Authority, and here's hoping that DC re-prints Ellis' magical run on that as well in the near future.
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