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Rating: 
Summary: Micah Wright is a liar, never served, never a Ranger.
Review: 1. "cartoonist" Micah Wright publishes book of antiwar, anti-Bush posters, PhotoShopped from vintage WWII propaganda. In the bio, he touts himself as ex-Army Ranger.2. He becomes darling of Pacifica/Democracy Now/NPR/Mother Jones set, not the least because of his gripping, twofisted, he-man tales of being a Halliburton Killbot in Panama. 3. Oops. Seems he was lying about the entire thing. Here's his own misogynistic Jason Blair-esque Mea Culpa on his own site. http://www.micahwright.com/ Pathetic treasonous hack.
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Summary: Hey Adults... Comics!
Review: An odd duck for an American Graphic Novel... it actually puts character and story above superpowered violence. Not that this book isn't violent -- it involves human special forces soldiers targeting and killing out of control Superheroes, but the thought put into the characterization of the men behind the guns seems a bit off the beaten trackf or American comics. From New York City to Chechnya to Bosnia, this team of United Nations volunteers fights to make our world safe from superpeople. I was amazed to learn so much about the soldiers who make up this Team Achilles.
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Summary: great political/conspiratorial/action comic
Review: I read this comic because of its premise: a team of ordinary military people whose job it is to bring down out-of-control superhero types. It was a great read. The art, however, was lacking--too many over-muscled, steroid-pumped characters with not-so-well drawn faces. It reminded me of why I hated the Image comics of the 1990s. Because this book was so well written, I was able to plow through the lackluster art.
The good thing about volume 2 is that you get an infusion of new artists who give Team Achilles a dramatic improvement in the art.
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Summary: Techno Military Thrill Ride
Review: Many superhero comics are little more than extended fight scenes with some soap-opera moments in between the carnage. StormWatch: Team Achilles isn't one of those books. No schmoopy "character moments". (Almost) No super powers. No "hot chix" fighting in "battle thongs". No [dorky] "comic relief" character on the team. No impossibly noble leader. Instead readers are treated to tightly written military fiction with a techno sci-fi edge to it. A team composed of the cream of the world's elite executes some really sneaky plans to accomplish their objectives. If you've picked up Back the Attack and are thinking of picking up this book, take a chance. You won't be bogged down in too much continutity, and the stories contained in this volume have every bit as much political snarking and devilishly sneaky humor as Back the Attack. Also, Wright's ear for dialog is second to none. One tip for anybody picking this up: Wright's [subtle]and you've got to read the panels very carefully. Seemingly casual dialog often contains vital clues about what comes next.
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Summary: Someone grab a mop and clean up Whilce Portacio's art!
Review: STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES, Volume 1, is yet another entry in the modern Wildstorm Universe. While I have enjoyed the adventures of the Authority, Planetary, WildCATs, and Sleeper, STA has hit a sour note with me. The writing is fine, but the book takes two steps back towards its Image Comics roots due to the utterly incomprehensible art of Whilce Portacio.
The revamped Stormwatch is a sort of counter-Authority, standing up for humanity in the face of an increasing number of super-beings. Great concept! But then you open this book and are confronted with non-proportional bodies, awkward stances, gratuitous defining lines, deformed physiques: in short, everything that was the dark days of Image art! Portacio puts far too much effort into defining every single muscle and vein on these angular characters, to the point that they look emaciated. There is simply too much pointless detail and not enough technical know-how in these panels. Also, the art does not help the reader to understand what is happening in the story, as there is no planning of layouts, and many characters look exactly alike. For example, THREE team members with dark hair and goatees. Another character is supposedly scarred over their entire body, but as every character is overdrawn and covered with cross-hatching, who can tell? While this might be acceptable in a team book full of ciphers, writer Micah Ian Wright provides us with a team roster of distinct characters with their own personalities. So how about a little variety in the art department? Thankfully, Wright's writing is strong enough to eventually claw its way out of this mess and provide us with a good story.
So aside from the art, this is an entertaining book. Stormwatch: Team Achilles is out to make sure that those super-brats don't get too big for their britches, and they deliver. They even manage to take out the Authority out of commission for a bit, and that says a lot. Check this out, and root for the little guy.
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Summary: Take no prisoners. No apologies.
Review: This book is all business. It's about a group of elite soldiers tasked to police superhumans. It's tautly written and intense. Wright pulls no punches. The plot hook itself is intriguing, how can seemingly normal people match up with beings with powers of gods. You'll find yourself rooting for the characters, even if they're amoral and machiavellian. Maybe it's because Wright presents his argument well. It's just that Whilce Portacio's art, once the best in my book, has shown its limitations in terms of facial expressions and story-telling prevents it from getting the top rating.
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Summary: You should be reading this title!
Review: When superpowered beings go too far, Stormwatch is called in. All they've got going for them is training and tactics. Will it be enough? You better believe it! Join Up, Stormwatch Wants You!
Rating:
Summary: You should be reading this title!
Review: When superpowered beings go too far, Stormwatch is called in. All they've got going for them is training and tactics. Will it be enough? You better believe it! Join Up, Stormwatch Wants You!
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Summary: Last Review: And so what?
Review: Wright may be a scumbag in his private life, but that has little or nothing to do with whether this is a good book or not. And it is very good. Excellent art, excellent story line, highly recommended. And who cares if Wright is "antiwar, anti-Bush"? According to the polls, so is half the country. Or are comic book writers going to have to pass political litmus tests now?
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