This book still has some kinks to work out, but as Cornell brings the whole group together for their first mission, the issue gets a real sense of momentum and energy. The high concept behind the villain is shaping up to be quite strong, paired with the idea that "cities" exist 
underneath our accepted map of the world, and that the being sent from the moon is trying to access one under rural Colorado. This leads to a great scene, where Jack Hawksmoor speaks to the spirits of different cities (represented by deity-like beings) about what is going on. There are other great displays of power here, including Projectionist preventing any media coverage, from news media to blogs, from discussing Stormwatch's activities as they fight the moon. There is a an energy to the proceedings, all leading to a strong ending, and I like having the team assembled around a common threat. If there's one area that is still being worked out, it's the characters. For every character that is being fleshed out, there's another that hasn't much space devoted to them yet. The book has been moving fast, and covering a lot of bases, since #1, and this is the result. Still, we're getting a fun sense of how Adam treats his team, and fun moments of team interaction throughout. Apollo has wisely been cast as the point of view character, struggling to accept that his hero status has been elevated to this superhuman police force and doubting his abilities as he flies off solo to combat the moon. It's a wise choice to have one member of this group be not completely acclimated to life as an untouchable superhero yet. Miguel Sepulveda is back to providing full pencils, and I'm still warming to his style. His otherworldly threats look great and his human figures are taking shape. I think the only issue is that they don't always come together on the page for me. The darker colour palette may contribute to that. Still, it's an enjoyable book. Cornell is finding his feet more with each issue and the pace and momentum help create a strong read.
underneath our accepted map of the world, and that the being sent from the moon is trying to access one under rural Colorado. This leads to a great scene, where Jack Hawksmoor speaks to the spirits of different cities (represented by deity-like beings) about what is going on. There are other great displays of power here, including Projectionist preventing any media coverage, from news media to blogs, from discussing Stormwatch's activities as they fight the moon. There is a an energy to the proceedings, all leading to a strong ending, and I like having the team assembled around a common threat. If there's one area that is still being worked out, it's the characters. For every character that is being fleshed out, there's another that hasn't much space devoted to them yet. The book has been moving fast, and covering a lot of bases, since #1, and this is the result. Still, we're getting a fun sense of how Adam treats his team, and fun moments of team interaction throughout. Apollo has wisely been cast as the point of view character, struggling to accept that his hero status has been elevated to this superhuman police force and doubting his abilities as he flies off solo to combat the moon. It's a wise choice to have one member of this group be not completely acclimated to life as an untouchable superhero yet. Miguel Sepulveda is back to providing full pencils, and I'm still warming to his style. His otherworldly threats look great and his human figures are taking shape. I think the only issue is that they don't always come together on the page for me. The darker colour palette may contribute to that. Still, it's an enjoyable book. Cornell is finding his feet more with each issue and the pace and momentum help create a strong read.Swamp Thing#3 - Scott Snyder/Yanick Paquette, Victor Ibanez
Snyder sneaks in with my favourite of the week. What an excellent little comic this was. Snyder tells two intertwined tales. In one, Abigail Arcane kidnaps Alec, and ultimately reveals that she needs his help to fight the rot (or the Black), the element that has trailed her family for generations, and the threat the Green told Alec about last issue. Snyder nails the pitch here; just as the tension rises to its highest point, he cuts to a fantastic one-page, silent shot of the skeleton of a young girl, surrounded by black. It's meant to be the moment Alec
demonstrates to Abigail that he has powers, and it is the perfect catharsis, and also a stunning and disturbing image to propel the issue. There is some exposition here, but it's much smoother than the previous issue's. Abby explains her family's connection to the rot and how Swamp Thing protected her from it until he disappeared. She's a great character, with a hard edge, but also a very engaging strength and drive. Paquette also expertly lays out the two pages of exposition, so that we read Abby's story literally around the image of her body cowering in pain. These scenes are juxtaposed (perfectly, I might add) with the story of a young bubble boy named William who discovers his true abilities and turns on his doctors and fellow patients. He is Abby's half-brother, who can access the rot and turn it on others. Cue a series of increasingly horrifying shots of distorted body parts that make last issue's similar scenes look quaint in comparison (the man with the giant tongue, who can barely stand up, is the kicker). Again, the pacing is expert here. We feel for this boy's plight, and just as we are drawn in, he hears the voice of a dead fish on a placard on the wall talk to him. His attacks are great scenes and the end, where the two plot lines intertwine and we learn the full stakes, is a great moment. But I like how Snyder didn't leave the revelations until the very end. Due to Abby's narration, we have an idea what powers the boy wields and taps into and what is going to happen. His story isn't an isolated vignette that ties into the main narrative at the end. It is integral to understanding the narrative. Victor Ibanez actually draws all of young William's scenes, which I didn't realize until the end. Paquette's images are just slightly more powerful, and his page layouts continue to dazzle, but Ibanez really holds his own. He tells us the story of young, frightened, marginalized William through images, and his later outbursts feel terrible and violent thanks to the pencils. It's a very strong mixing of artistic styles. This is such stuff as dreams are made on. A really fantastic comic.Action Comics#3 - Grant Morrison/Rags Morales, Gene Ha
Morrison is certainly charging ahead with his brave new version of Superman, as the plot takes big strides in several directions here. The issue opens with a flashback to the last days of Krypton, as drawn by Gene Ha, and it is different than any depiction we've seen before. It's a
high society, and Jor-El's claims of the planet's destruction are doing nothing but disrupting parties and social plans. There are some interesting elements woven in here that make their way into developments in the present, where Morrison ties them into Lex's interstellar confidant from the previous issue. With all of that happening, the focus is still squarely on Clark, as he struggles to navigate the corruption in Metropolis and earn allies as both himself and Superman. There is maybe a touch too much happening in these scenes, but, at the same time, the fast pace is exciting and the montage of scenes works. I'm liking Clark's interaction with Jimmy and Lois, friendly rivalries that have plenty of room to continue growing. There are interesting areas explored here, with Clark's fight for the little guy getting a reality check. Jimmy is unconvinced by of it and Clark learns not everyone is happy with Superman. A group of squatters had their construction-site home destroyed in one of his battles. The two conclusions nicely tie what we saw on Krypton into the forces mounting against Superman in the present. Morales is proving to be the right choice for this book. He is completely creating and owning the dirty, busy, lived-in Metropolis this Superman is fighting for. The pages are high energy. And this Clark genuinely looks like a young guy, living on his own for the first time. This book is brimming with potential and ideas, so much so that perhaps a bit too much is happening in one issue. But it's a thrill ride nonetheless. Like Clark, Morrison is convinced of this Superman's mission and beliefs and he sells it. It also helps that the villainous plots are really starting to heat up.
high society, and Jor-El's claims of the planet's destruction are doing nothing but disrupting parties and social plans. There are some interesting elements woven in here that make their way into developments in the present, where Morrison ties them into Lex's interstellar confidant from the previous issue. With all of that happening, the focus is still squarely on Clark, as he struggles to navigate the corruption in Metropolis and earn allies as both himself and Superman. There is maybe a touch too much happening in these scenes, but, at the same time, the fast pace is exciting and the montage of scenes works. I'm liking Clark's interaction with Jimmy and Lois, friendly rivalries that have plenty of room to continue growing. There are interesting areas explored here, with Clark's fight for the little guy getting a reality check. Jimmy is unconvinced by of it and Clark learns not everyone is happy with Superman. A group of squatters had their construction-site home destroyed in one of his battles. The two conclusions nicely tie what we saw on Krypton into the forces mounting against Superman in the present. Morales is proving to be the right choice for this book. He is completely creating and owning the dirty, busy, lived-in Metropolis this Superman is fighting for. The pages are high energy. And this Clark genuinely looks like a young guy, living on his own for the first time. This book is brimming with potential and ideas, so much so that perhaps a bit too much is happening in one issue. But it's a thrill ride nonetheless. Like Clark, Morrison is convinced of this Superman's mission and beliefs and he sells it. It also helps that the villainous plots are really starting to heat up.Animal Man#3 - Jeff Lemire/Travel Foreman
The quirky, odd humour of the previous issues mutates further, as Buddy and Maxine descend fully into the Red and artist Travel Foreman gets to show off. The big revelation here is that Buddy did not get his Animal Man powers for any reason beyond the Red creatures wanting
to get closer to Maxine, who is apparently an 'avatar' of some sort for them. Foreman excels on these scenes, with Buddy and Maxine in free-float as the former's body and face distort to horrifying levels and a variety of bizarre creatures taunt and threaten them. The details of their plan are still a bit murky right now, so it's up to Foreman to present this frightening world. And, typical of his style, he mixes stunning and detailed images of these creatures with stark, plain backgrounds (bathed in deep red), creating a great emphasis. As a plot thread, this story is still brewing, but it's a visual feast that conveys the danger the Baker family is in. Back at home, Lemire is in familiar territory in regards to the twisted family humour. With her husband off to God knows where and her son playfighting with skeleton animals, Ellen can't help but he taken aback by her son's violent videogame. Lemire masterfully plays with suspense and tension as Ellen and her son are attacked at home by a different creature from the Red (accompanied by another chilling visual). The whole thing plays like Poltergeist with a twisted sense of humour and perfect pace and pitch. Foreman's presentation of the Baker household is so clean and sparse that it truly feels like terror has come to the home. These creatures can't help but stand out against the sparse house. The final cliffhanger is great and the whole package just works. It revels in its dirty underside and both the writing and the art are unafraid to be ugly and disturbing. At the same time, it's darkly funny, with four well-sketched out lead characters. The danger also feels real - I was genuinely worried for Ellen's predicament. This continues to be a wonderful title.
The quirky, odd humour of the previous issues mutates further, as Buddy and Maxine descend fully into the Red and artist Travel Foreman gets to show off. The big revelation here is that Buddy did not get his Animal Man powers for any reason beyond the Red creatures wanting
to get closer to Maxine, who is apparently an 'avatar' of some sort for them. Foreman excels on these scenes, with Buddy and Maxine in free-float as the former's body and face distort to horrifying levels and a variety of bizarre creatures taunt and threaten them. The details of their plan are still a bit murky right now, so it's up to Foreman to present this frightening world. And, typical of his style, he mixes stunning and detailed images of these creatures with stark, plain backgrounds (bathed in deep red), creating a great emphasis. As a plot thread, this story is still brewing, but it's a visual feast that conveys the danger the Baker family is in. Back at home, Lemire is in familiar territory in regards to the twisted family humour. With her husband off to God knows where and her son playfighting with skeleton animals, Ellen can't help but he taken aback by her son's violent videogame. Lemire masterfully plays with suspense and tension as Ellen and her son are attacked at home by a different creature from the Red (accompanied by another chilling visual). The whole thing plays like Poltergeist with a twisted sense of humour and perfect pace and pitch. Foreman's presentation of the Baker household is so clean and sparse that it truly feels like terror has come to the home. These creatures can't help but stand out against the sparse house. The final cliffhanger is great and the whole package just works. It revels in its dirty underside and both the writing and the art are unafraid to be ugly and disturbing. At the same time, it's darkly funny, with four well-sketched out lead characters. The danger also feels real - I was genuinely worried for Ellen's predicament. This continues to be a wonderful title.
nobody seems to have wanted to stay with Scott, they have to be flagrantly persuaded of his mission statement, and they're frankly not as "cool" as Wolverine's squad. This cast may have played a more prominent role in recent years, and be nominally more 'important,' but they can't compete with the sheer fun of Wolverine, Shadowcat, Beast, Iceman, Rogue, et al. I feel odd saying this, because if I had to pick a 'side' coming out of Schism, it would no doubt have been Cyclops' (No offense to those behind Schism, but Wolverine's position didn't make a lot of sense. Or, any sense). But this book feels like it's fighting for readers to see its mission statement as important, not ascending as the flagship X-book by right (as it should be). The cast dynamic is unpleasant, the characters all don't seem like they want to be there, and I don't blame them. If I was stuck with this lot and knew how much fun Wolverine's group was having in Westchester, I'd be out of there. There is promise here; there are some good characters (Hope, Magik, Colossus) in the mix. And if Gillen can really play up the mutant politics stuff and this team's role as ambassadors for the mutant race, it will help this book. Because, honestly, once the team goes out into the field to fight Mr. Sinister and the Dreaming Celestial, this becomes a lame duck. Pacheco's art is also borderline unrecognizable. When this man drew X-Men in the late 90s, I was riveted. His angular style and unique compositions wowed me and I still wish he had stayed on longer. Any angular or unique aspects are washed away here - every face is rounded to perfection, every angle is completely smoothed out, and any unique energy is wrenched from his art. It looks good but it has no life to it. Pacheco has such a distinct, attractive style, and seems to have chosen to get rid of it in favour of this posed, poised look. Snore. Gillen is better than this. He has been better than this on Uncanny. Last month's "final issue" (#544) was outstanding compared to this, brimming with life and feeling. This feels like a bland mission statement and a tacked on battle scene, full of lifeless characters. Not what I was expecting.
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