Art by: Allan Jefferson and Cliff Richards
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 5, 2014
Dead Book Hovering
What's better than dinosaurs and hover boards? The answer, nothing. Nothing, I tells ya. So when the last issue of Stormwatch ended with just that I was hyped. This is what I was hoping for Stormwatch. Don't hide from the 90's Jim Starlin, embrace it. You already have alien villains named Extremax and the Kollective so let's go all the way.So, Stormwatch #28 opens with Extremax and Jenny Soul riding hover boards on Prehistoric Earth with Dinosaurs chomping at them. Awesome. Then...it's over. No more dinosaurs. Instead they are in Space fighting the Kollective. Damn it. This is Stormwatch in a nut shell. Starlin gives a glimmer of hope of something cool and then snatches it away.
Meanwhile, Forecaster (disguised as Martian Manhunter) runs into Hawkman. Oh man, it's about to get real. Nope. Forcaster is there to destroy the Stormwatch files at ARGUS. Nothing more, nothing less. He gets the job done, but it's boring when it could have been so much more.
Back with Jenny and Extremax, they end the battle with the Kollective in pretty anti-climactic fashion. Jenny does make him promise not to hurt Earth or those she cares for and he agrees. So, the Kollective is defeated and Stormwatch is off the grid. Looks like Jim Starlin is wrapping things up quickly.
The art team of Allan Jefferson and Cliff Richards is hit or miss as well. I really like the action scenes, but the look of (pretend) Martian Manhunter is off.
Bits and Pieces:
Stormwatch #28 ties up much of the loose threads of the book a couple issues before it's cancellation. The story and art are below average which makes it obvious why it's coming to an end. Good riddance.
3.5/10
I agree with your score, however it's for different reason. Consider this, the relationship between Extremax and Jenny Soul really hit that wildstorm element of combining interesting characters together. I mean the team up was great, Extremax might of the most interesting characters I read in a while. Starlin they The unfortunate thing is that it took 9 issues from 19 to 28 to get to this point. This issue should should of come at the most by issue 24. Starlin totally messed this whole thing up by filling issues before he actually until he finally he had one good plot.
ReplyDeleteYou know he had a good concept, it is was just played poorly. But don't get me wrong reading what I call a snail trainwreck. In fact I had a lot of fun trying to figure if there was metaphor in this overall story. It just sucks to see such a good writer using such hacky methods to fake something just pay. Maybe marvel told to go fuck up something at DC or maybe Dan Didio just wanted to kill the last semblance of Wildstorm.
I totally agree. I have to admit, I had a hard time reviewing this issue. I also read it a couple times thinking there might be something deeper I was missing. I should have mentioned Extremax and Jenny's interaction which was good, but that also ends to quick.
DeleteI like the idea of Marvel sending Starlin in to mess things up, but I do think noone wants to do a Wildstorm book and Starlin was just doing them a favor doing it. It could have been cool, but it just fizzled. Oh well, the end is near and it had a long run just not a good one.