As you may have noticed, my enthusiasm for Stormwatch in the New 52
Still, Peter Milligan is determined to prove there may be some pop left in that gum as The Demon comes to town and, in my favorite continuing plotline, our man Harry Tanner attempts to infiltrate the secretive Shadow Lords.
Even J’onn J’onzz had trouble with those guys!
To tell the truth, Stormwatch has just not proven itself, well, cosmic enough for me. Now I know the book is Earth-centric, as my buddy Timelord used to say, but Milligan seems more interested in fleshing out the past of the covert organization – which would’ve been fine for the Zero Issue, but c’mon! – instead of bringing us great moments like we witnessed when Atrocitus came a’calling.
I was even hoping that little Superman plot or the Rise of the Third Army arc might hook up with Stormwatch, but no soap. Those hopes crashed and burned harder than young Supes’ rocket in Smalltown.
So we are left with some fantastic characters (thanks, Jim Lee) but little else, and issue #14 with Etrigan and his disdain for humans just continues this foray into fruitlessness.
What I have been impressed with this issue is the art, as Will Conrad and Cliff Richards go to town here. Just wonderful, but not enough to save this sinking ship.
I am afraid that the Next Wave that splashes by will be picking up this once-thought important
All I can think of is what might have been. Sad.
