I've been a fan of
Paul Cornell's comic work for a while (through
Wisdom and later
Captain Britain and MI: 13) and decided to give
Stormwatch a try when the collected edition
The Dark Side (collecting Nos. 1-6 and some extras) came out. The book offers a new version of the WildStorm Comics team that blends elements (including characters, foes, and plot motifs) of the old
WildC.A.T.s,
The Authority, and
Stormwatch series and brings it firmly into the DC Universe with the addition of the Martian Manhunter and by making Stormwatch an organization with deep roots in the new history of the DCU (it is suggested, for example, that characters in
Demon Knights, another series by Cornell, are their predecessors). New characters are also introduced, including an immortal who lives backwards in time from the Big Bang onwards (though he's a coward) and a modern-day swordsman (though he's a villain).
Overall, the ideas are interesting though somewhat confusing for an initial arc, and the characters do not receive much development (again a major flaw in a first arc). I'd be interested in seeing how things develop here, though Cornell has left the series as of No. 7.
Cornell offers some comments on the series in two interviews on Newsarama:
PAUL CORNELL Calls STORMWATCH "Kingpin" DCnU Title (3 October 2011)
THE DCnU Take 2: Paul Cornell's STORMWATCH (18 August 2011)
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