Wildstorm: Armageddon Trade Paperback Review

Wildstorm: Armageddon
DC Comics - Wildstorm
Softcover Trade Paperback
144 pages
$17.99 (2008)
ISBN 9781401217037

Contributors: Christos Gage, Simon Coleby, Horace Domingues, Neil Googe, Dan Davis, Brandon Badeaux, Jonny Rench, Carrie Strachan, Jonboy Meyers, Tony Washington, Talent Caldwell, Steve Wands, Travis Lanham, Wildstorm FX and covers by Mike McKone, Randy Mayor.

Reprints: Midnighter: Armageddon #1; Welcome to Tranquility: Armageddon #1; Wetworks: Armageddon #1; Gen13: Armageddon #1; Stormwatch P.H.D.: Armageddon #1; Wildcats: Armageddon #1

Synopsis: The Wildstorm universe faces an apocalyptic event which threatens to destroy all life on Earth.  Void travels back in time to warn a handful of heroes in an effort to avoid the tragedy.  Her focus and powers are severely taxed.  Does she choose the right heroes or will they be unable to avert disaster?

• Midnighter is brought to a London in ruins where The Authority's carrier has crash-landed.  Death is everywhere and Midnighter must find clues to what happened.  Roving groups of superhumans scour the landscape.  He assails the carrier's downed carcass to find clues to the whereabouts of his teammates and especially the fate of his lover, Apollo.  Can the world's deadliest man play detective long enough to save the future?  
• Maximum Man has regained his powers and is reveling in the ability to transform from geriatric to invincible superman.  He's getting lucky with the ladies (what else would you do), but coming under fire from attractive sheriff of Tranquility.  Void appears and brings him to the future where Tranquility is in chaos.  The community of superheroes are trying to keep the tide of evil superhumans from breaching the city, but are bearing the toll of their efforts.  Can he figure out a way to stop the tragedy?
• Jackson Dane and his Wetworks team are embroiled in battle with the Night Tribes.  Void transports him to the future where the Tribes have gained the upper hand in Europe.  They're using the remaining humans as cattle, but Wetworks is still fighting them from the shadows.  The team has gained a few new members and hope still remains.  Will Dane gain enough information to halt their rise to power before the Armageddon happens?
• Caitlin Fairchild is tired of dealing with her immature teammates when Void sends her to the future.  Amid the disaster she finds Burnout and Grunge.  The pair have matured into true heroes and she helps them find Rainmaker who has been captured by a group of Coda.  The sisters have established control over a town and are building a new sisterhood in the wake of Armageddon.  Can Caitlin bring back enough experience to make a difference?
• John Doran is a human cop enlisted by Jackson King to head up a new kind of Stormwatch to police superhuman threats.  Void brings him to the future where he tries to find the remnants of his team.  Some of them have disappeared, but a few fight for the safety of the powerless humans caught in the storm.  Jackson King has reformed Stormwatch on a rebuilt Skywatch. He's seems highly unstable and Doran is fearful King will become just like his late father, the mega-maniacal Despot.  Will John's police instincts glean enough knowledge from the future to avoid making it a reality?
• Nemesis is a Kheran Coda warrior who trained under Zealot.  She's an outcast by nature and has history with Majestic.  When Void sends her to the future as her last ditch attempt at halting Armageddon she may have finally chosen right.  She hooks up with what's left of the Wildcats and is shocked to witness Majestic actively fighting them!  He's set up a utopian island in the midst of the carnage to try and restart society, but his ends don't justify the means.  Will Nemesis be swayed to his cause or fight for independence?

Jackson Dane surveys the ruins of a future Europe

Pros: Great sampling of the Wildstorm Universe's characters/titles, interesting premise as a terrible cataclysm looms and heroes are given a glimpse - will they stop Armageddon?, some cool art, nice crossover of characters and a few new ones, unifying factor is one single writer in Christos Gage

Cons: Many different artists with jarringly different styles - some good and some not so good, might be overwhelming for readers unfamiliar with Wildstorm, Welcome to Tranquility issue felt out of place due to the vastly different look/tone of that series

Wetworks has gained a few new members

Mike Tells It Straight: The Wildstorm Universe was restarted by DC Comics in the mid-2000s with some degree of success.  Armageddon was a sweeping crossover meant to generate buzz as sales began to wane.  In a series of one-shots we're presented with an ultimate crisis happening in the future and Void trying desperately to avoid it.  Her challenge is finding the right heroes who can bring back enough information to actually stop the atrocity.  It doesn't seem very hopeful.

What I enjoyed about this book is the ability to glimpse each of the varying Wildstorm titles' art.  I found Badeaux's art on Wetworks to be particularly detailed (followed by Talent Caldwell on Wildcats).  Some of the art was weak (sorry Welcome to Tranquility).  I think this series is a must-read if you enjoy Wildstorm and want to see where it goes (before the whole New 52 integration into the DC Universe).  The follow-ups are Wildstorm: Revelations, Number of the Beast and the assorted World's End books.  I'm planning to check those out next and stay tuned!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Majestic Vol. 2 Meanwhile Back On Earth Trade Paperback Review

Majestic Vol. 2 Meanwhile, Back On Earth...
DC Comics - Wildstorm
128 pages
$14.99 (2006) Trade Paperback
ISBN 9781401209896

Contributors: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Neil Googe, Georges Jeanty, Scott Iwahashi, Carlos D'Anda, Richard Friend, Sandra Hope, Trevor Scott, Jonny Rench, Carrie Strachan, and Phil Balsman

Reprints: Majestic #8-12

Synopsis: Majestros is a Kherubim warlord who came to Earth millennia ago while fighting an interstellar war with another alien race called the Daemonites.  Immensely powerful, he is the pinnacle of Kherubim physiology, mental prowess, and technology.  In modern times Majestros has assumed the guise of a superhero and calls himself Mr. Majestic.  The war with the Daemonites has ended, but Majestic remains on Earth to protect his adopted planet.

Majestic was shunted through the Bleed (an interdimensional passageway) to an alternate Earth where he briefly took the place of Superman when he disappeared from Metropolis.  Eventually Majestic was able to return to his Earth with Superman's help, but he found the planet and humanity in great peril.  He put things to rights and finally returns to an Earth in proper order, but he's been away for so long that things have changed.

Zealot shows up, but is she friend or foe?

His old partner, Desmond, a kid genius stuck in a wheelchair (a super-wheelchair at least), has used Kherubim technology to start a world-class cellphone company.  Majestic stops an ancient Kherubim war-robot from killing Desmond, but how can there be ancient technology on Earth which predates Majestic's arrival?  Can his former partner Desmond be trusted?  A massive plot emerges which shakes the foundation of the origins of both humankind and Kherubim.  This one's got it all - Zealot, Savant, Spartan, Majestic's old pal Javen from the Shaper's Guild, and even the return of the wicked Helspont!

Pros: Good follow up stories by writers Abnett and Lanning, art is fairly decent throughout, Majestic teamed up with some old allies (Zealot and Desmond), very nice use of bad guys - especially Helspont's return, very interesting origin for the Kherubim race and the war with the Daemonites

Cons: Majestic's new costume design is simplified...and boring, several artists work on this storyline with slightly different art styles, Desmond's character is mistreated

Mike Tells It Straight: The second volume of Abnett and Lanning's Majestic series started off very slowly and I thought it was going to a disappointment after the two thrilling stories from the first volume.  Needless to say it delivered an interesting story with a major cliffhanger ending.  I liked their reintroduction of Desmond (although why he was still young was a mystery) and the revelations of the Kherubim species' origin was well done.  The writers made Majestic a true step forward for the character with this series and didn't hold anything back.

Who or what is Biomass?

DC purchased Wildstorm from Jim Lee (originally published with Image Comics in the 1990s when all the A-list artists at Marvel defected to start their own company).  Lee stayed on as creative director for the publisher and DC allowed a bold crossover between Majestic/Superman in actual DC continuity (see Majestic: Strange New Visitor).  This series spawned from the crossover which followed into a mini-series.
The art was very competent in this book, but several artists contributed and they had slightly differing styles.  Neil Googe was the exclusive artists of the first book (he continued to improve), pencils the first issue in this volume and then is spelled by Georges Jeanty until returning for the final issues.  Overall good art and no major complaints.

The final image of the book absolutely begs for the reader to continue to the next volume.  I'll definitely bite and the third volume is the last of the series which seems like a shame.  Majestic started out as a knock off of Superman and Abnett/Lanning make him a great alternative to the classic icon.  More violent/mature, exciting, and with a less cumbersome history/supporting cast.  Stay tuned for the final review to this series.

TO BUY and Recommendations:
 

Majestic Vol. 1 While You Were Out Trade Paperback Review

Majestic Vol. 1 While You Were Out
DC Comics - Wildstorm
176 pages
$12.99 (2005) Trade Paperback
ISBN 9781401204839

Contributors: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Neil Googe, Juan Santacruz, Sal Regla, Trevor Scott, Tony Avina, Randy Mayor, Carrie Strachan, Phil Balsman, Dexter Vines, Josh Middleton, and covers by Ed McGuinness

Reprints: Majestic #1-7

Synopsis: Majestros is a Kherubim warlord who came to Earth millennia ago while fighting an interstellar war with another alien race called the Daemonites.  Immensely powerful he is the pinnacle of Kherubim physiology, mental prowess, and technology.  In modern times Majestros has assumed the guise of a superhero and calls himself Mr. Majestic.  The war with the Daemonites has ended, but Majestic remains on Earth.  He has saved the planet many times over, but his methods are strategic and calculating.

He has never assumed a human guise until recently when he was shunted through the Bleed to another dimension's Earth.  On this Earth he briefly took the place of another powerful hero named Superman and helped save a city called Metropolis.  Majestic gained the respect of Superman and followed his advice to try living among the humans to gain a new perspective.

• Superman and the Eradicator escort Majestic back to his home dimension, but things on Earth have gone awry.  The entire planet appears deserted and a legion of mechanical automatons are hiding in the shadows.  The three heroes confront them, but Superman and the Eradicator must return to their dimension before being trapped on Majestic's Earth.  He bids them farewell and continues the search for the missing population.  What could kidnap an entire planet's lifeforms and then disappear without a trace?  The most powerful hero on Earth must solve the mystery.  The faint trail leads him across the stars where he encounters a truly cosmic adventure.  Will the reality be too big for even Majestic to conquer?
• Majestic returns to a world where everything appears normal, but then a horde of Daemonites manifests from the onlooking crowd to attack him.  Something is wrong, seriously wrong.  The Daemonites have somehow taken over the world while he was gone and are using humanity as cattle (hosts).  What happened to the heroes of the Wildstorm universe and how could this atrocity occur?  Expect the worst.  Now he's alone and hunted by an entire planet.  Can even Majestic overcome these odds and how can he possibly salvage a situation at this scale?

Majestic builds a spacecraft using himself as the power source 

Pros: Genuinely good stories by writing team of Lanning and Abnett, Majestic is truly put to the test, nice follow up to the two previous Majestic stories, Superman lends a little credibility to the title, decent art by Googe who gets better with every issue, Majestic's powers/capabilities get fleshed out some more (stealth suit and power damper)

Cons: Googe's art (particularly the faces) can be rough, some far-fetched sci-fi themes, convenient ending

Mike Tells It Straight: When DC first crossed Majestic into the mainstream Superman title (Majestic: Strange New Visitor) I thought it was a bold move and great way to maximize their acquisition of Wildstorm from Jim Lee a few years before.  Having these two powerhouses meet and actually avoid the typical superhero misunderstanding brawl was a credit to the writing team of Abnett/Lanning.  The pair of writers had a fantastic take on the character and were known for their cosmic adventures from Legion of Super-Heroes.

Majestic pulls out some Kheran toys to do battle

DC used the momentum from Majestic's Superman crossover to launch a new solo title for the character.  The title featured multi-issue story arcs which differed from the original Mr. Majestic series by Joe Casey (which had one-shot stories strung together).  I much preferred the longer stories as they built suspense from issue to issue.

Coming on board for this series was relative newcomer Neil Googe who started out rough with a lot of potential and improved with every issue.  The art was detailed and competent despite having some initial trouble with facial expressions.  Overall I enjoyed this book and recommend it if you like the Wildstorm Universe.  The writers kept me guessing and I'm looking forward to the next volume.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Ocean Trade Paperback Review

Ocean
DC Comics - Wildstorm
Softcover Trade Paperback
176 pages
$14.99 (2005)
$19.99 (2009)
ISBN 9781401208493

Contributors: Warren Ellis, Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, Michael Golden, Tony Avina, Wendy Broome, Randy Mayor, and Wildstorm FX

Reprints: Ocean #1-6 (of 6)

Synopsis: In one hundred years humankind has begun exploring the interior of the solar system.  The next frontier is interplanetary mining and of particular interest is the moon Europa orbiting Jupiter.  This unique moon is covered in ice and is thought to have an actual ocean beneath its surface.  The space station Cold Harbor orbits Europa in order to study its surface and interior.  What they discover beneath the moon's surface is a secret so large it could destroy the entire human race.

Nathan Kane meets the crew of the Cold Harbor

Expert weapons inspector Nathan Kane is immediately dispatched to Cold Harbor orbiting Europa.  His specialty is identifying weapons of mass destruction yet he abhors gun violence.  An expert at hand-to-hand combat and master strategist, he narrowly survives an assassination attempt on Mars.  Someone doesn't want him to reach Europa alive.

The Cold Harbor station is a remote outpost with a small crew of boring scientists.  These include station commander Fadia Aziz, engineer Siobhan Coney, field scientist John Wells, and analysis expert Anna Li.  The crew are completely freaked out by their discovery and the implications it has on the origins of human culture.  Kane assesses the situation and comes to the conclusion that the entire human race is in grave peril.

The scientists are not alone in their orbit of Europa and another space station is run by the mega-conglomerate, DOORS.  This company uses technology to subjugate the personalities of its employees into a hive mind during their lengthy work contracts for optimum efficiency and loyalty.  The higher up the corporate ladder you climb the more draconian the upgrades.  Commanding the DOORS station is a ego-maniacal corporate officer who prizes the capture of the alien technology over all else.  His only thought is to gain this ancient race's secrets to further his own self-serving agenda and he doesn't care who pays the price.

Warren Ellis redefines 'corporate lackey'

Only Kane and the Cold Harbor's crew stand between the technology getting into the hands of those who would exploit it to the detriment of humanity.  Can one skilled pacifist and a group of scientists repel the advances of a legion of corporate zombies?  The human race stands upon a precipice of destruction as the secrets of our origin unravel.

Pros: Great sci-fi concept and setup, some interesting characters and personalities - Nathan Kane is a confident badass, lots of witty banter and one-liners, idea of a future corporation rewriting their employees' minds was absolutely spot on, a few clever tech advances to combat on space stations, very clean art by Chris Sprouse, and excellent covers by Michael Golden

Cons: Story resolution doesn't answer all the questions raised from the setup, things wrapped up a little too neatly, a few jokes that fell flat (burned food in the microwave on a space station, right!), they use a saucer-shaped shuttle to smash through the ice surface of Europa repeatedly - no way is that feasible, felt like a straight-up sci-fi comic book vehicle to get a movie made (which has not happened yet)

Mike Tells It Straight: Warren Ellis (Supergod, Switchblade Honey) writes an interesting sci-fi story with a really great setup.  Chris Sprouse's (Tom Strong Vol. 1) art is superbly clean and he's a master of cinematic storytelling.  These two are a great creative team and produce a solid story.  Michael Golden provides some excellent covers.  It felt like I was reading the storyboards for a movie  and I could easily see this story being adapted to live-action (it's been optioned for a movie).  I'd say the story would make a fairly good, mainstream sci-fi film.

Ellis writes the best witty banter

We get a cool protagonist in Nathan Kane with clever one-liners and a knack for always coming out on top (think Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher).  Kane doesn't want to fight, but he'll kick your ass if you cross him.  The crew had the stereotypical personalities of your cliche international scientist group and the ending was suitably exciting.  Ellis and Sprouse add a few cool futuristic advances to technology (like guns that shoot special bullets on space stations) and the corporation that subjugates employees through technology was fairly brilliant.  

Despite a neat setup I felt the second half of the book didn't deliver the goods.  We get a frantic race between the two groups and an exciting confrontation in a unique environment (space station), but too few questions were answered about the discovery on Europa.  The conflict wrapped up too easily as with most standard sci-fi movies.  I'd say this book is a good, quick read which will peak your interest, but leave you a bit flat at the end.

A little sneak preview of what they discover beneath the surface of Europa

TO BUY and Recommendations: