Stormwatch 3 (January 2012)

Seeing as how Cornell’s pacing of the comic is so obvious–he tries and fails to make it feel like a big action movie–it’s boring. The only compelling element is the appearance of the personification of the city of Gotham.

Guess what?

It’s a Bat-man.

But Cornell tries all these jokes and then the rousing action scene with Apollo saving the world… and none of Stormwatch works. For a while, I wondered if it was getting better because I could follow the action scenes.

Then I realized, no, it’s no better. I’m a little more used to it, but it’s still pretty bad.

Miguel Sepulveda’s art should be fine, but Cornell’s script includes so much dumb, non-visual material, Sepulveda stumbles. Cornell has Speulveda draw giant monsters from the human perspective; these things are too big to be scary or even threatening.

Stormwatch needs to check its scale.

CREDITS

The Dark Side, Part Three; writer, Paul Cornell; artist, Miguel Sepulveda; colorists, Alex Sinclair and Pete Pantazis; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Sean Mackiewicz and Pat McCallum; publisher, DC Comics.

Stormwatch 2 (December 2011)

I was really hoping Stormwatch would get better. First, Paul Cornell seems like a nice guy and I’ve liked a couple of his comics before. Second, I didn’t want to suffer through another bad comic.

Too bad. Being hopeful made it all the worse.

Well, that statement isn’t exactly correct. Cornell gives a momentary suggestion it might get better then doesn’t follow through. It seems like there’s going to be some actual action in the comic, but instead Cornell introduces a subplot about strife among team members. It turns out no one in Stormwatch likes anyone else.

There’s some slight amusement at the implication the Justice League are a bunch of morons; Stormwatch has been brainwashing them.

Oh, right, I almost forgot… Cornell goes out of his way to remind everyone he’s British. It’s painfully obvious.

I don’t even want to think about how bad the next issue will be.

CREDITS

The Dark Side, Part Two; writer, Paul Cornell; penciller, Miguel Sepulveda; inker, Al Barrionuevo; colorist, Alex Sinclair; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Sean Mackiewicz and Pat McCallum; publisher, DC Comics.

Stormwatch 1 (November 2011)

After reading Stormwatch, I’m only interested in two things.

First, why does Paul Cornell write Martian Manhunter so badly? I don’t think he’s supposed to be a tool, but he seems like one.

Second, are Apollo and Midnighter still gay? Or did Geoff, Jim and Dan retcon them straight?

Because nothing else in Stormwatch really matters to anyone who isn’t a big Stormwatch fan. Cornell seems to know he’s possibly introducing a bunch of characters to new readers—he fills the issue with expository dialogue—but there’s nothing to encourage any new readers to come back. His soft cliffhanger is Apollo and Midnighter meeting, which means nothing to a new reader.

A big plot reveal is an evil alien living in the moon. If Stormwatch is so cool, how come they didn’t notice over thousands of years?

It’s not bad, it’s just utterly pointless. And strangely “Marvel” in many ways.

CREDITS

The Dark Side, Part One; writer, Paul Cornell; artist, Miguel Sepulveda; colorist, Allen Passalaqua; letterer, Rob Leigh; editors, Sean Mackiewicz and Pat McCallum; publisher, DC Comics.