Wildstorm/Stormwatch stuff

nicklas replied to your post : Another Stormwatch rant.

So sad to read this. Not that I wasn’t seceptical to the wildstorm migration of them but still… Had hopes.

I know… it’s like… Wildstorm had a very different tone than DC, so it was always going to be a challenge, and under ideal circumstances I would want them kept separate. But Wildstorm was ending, some bad editorial decisions and Grant Morrison up and leaving Wildcats and Authority after two whole issues kinda ensured the universe was no longer viable to keep going. I think at the end it was down to like 5,000 issues per month, which simply can’t be profitable. So, it was basically down to rolling the characters into DC or just letting them fade away. Neither one is a great solution, but it was all that could be done at that point. I think rolling the characters into DC CAN work with the right approach, but I don’t think they came close to that with Stormwatch. Team 7 comes pretty close to getting it right, though. It’s a little rough, but I think it has potential, and there seems to be a respect for where these characters came from and what people found appealing about them which isn’t present in Stormwatch, Grifter etc. I REALLY hope my pipe dream theory about Bronson and Higgins being Apollo and Midnighter in that pan out. It would fix SO MUCH, and all it needs is some erased memories to make it work, and they had their memories erased in their original origin anyway and Lynch is right THERE… He erased memories quite a few times in Wildstorm. Since the time i first posted about that, evidence has built for Bronson being Apollo, not Majestic which was the other main choice. Mainly, we finally saw his hair, and he’s blond, it’s also becoming clear that his suit gives him a set of powers and weaknesses VERY similar to Apollo, minus all the sun stuff (which admittedly is a big part of Apollo, but still). So I’m hopeful.

I don’t think the Authority is a good fit, unfortunately, it’s too large scale. But I think the characters can work in solo books or on other teams. (it sounds like the new JLA would be a good fit for many of them if it wasn’t already crammed with like 9 characters) but for solo, let’s face it, many of the sales from Stormwatch right now come from fans of Midnighter and to a slightly lesser extent Apollo, they are the biggest draw. They’re featured prominently on most of the covers, and the story revolves around them. If Stormwatch characters appear in other comics it’s been Midnighter appearing twice in Grifter, once in Deathstroke (which, I must say, was a stroke of brilliance from Kyle Higgins, (…wait a sec. HIGGINS. Could Jordan have given the character that name on purpose because Kyle Higgins was the one who established the Deathstroke/Midnighter connection, and Team 7 is where they meet? mind blown if Higgins actually does end up becoming Midnighter.) and I hope it’s built on by Justin Jordan when he takes over Deathstroke, because those two characters are PERFECT adversaries), and once in I, Vampire, and Apollo and Midnighter will be in the Valentine’s Day special. of the others, Apollo and Jack shared the I, Vampire appearance, and Angie and Apollo shared one of the Grifter appearances, and beyond that, nothing. People want Midnighter, obviously. I think he could have supported a solo (well, duo with Apollo) book easy. Midnighter supported a solo book already as recently as 2008 for like 20 issues. He’s the one who should have gotten a solo, not Grifter. But they can still do it. Get a good creative team, and make a sign that they’re returning to his roots somewhat (give him back his damn coat already, for a start) on the covers etc. and I think you could win back fans of his who felt burned by Stormwatch.

It was like DC was trying too hard to make it different and fresh, that they forgot what made the characters appealing in the first place. Then they got stubborn, like they were going to stick to their guns even if the new approach clearly wasn’t working. I would have been fine with some changes, but it feels like their CORE is gone, especially early on. I will give Peter Milligan credit for bringing Apollo and Midnighter’s personalities a bit closer to what people expect from them. Cornell had Midnighter as a creepy stalker with a crush that talked a mile a minute, and Apollo as an angry standoffish personality, they just didn’t feel right at all, it was almost like their personalities were switched. Milligan made Midnighter the driven badass he should be… or close to it anyway. I don’t like this angst over how violent he is, but he talks a lot less, which is a good thing, he seems to always be looking for a fight, as it should be, and the creepy stalker vibe vanished. Apollo got his nice guy personality and impulsive/reckless streak back as well. But it seems we’ve gotten that at the expense of Angie who has just been destroyed, which is unfortunate. Also, Apollo’s dialogue in battle has been terrible. But… still a step in the right direction. (Jack Hawksmoor does not have much of a personality at all, which is sad, but can be fixed)

I doubt any big changes will happen until the book’s been cancelled, though. On the up-side, at least from my perspective, it’s sales are sitting at 17,621 as of issue 13, and dropping about 1000 readers a month, 15,000ish seems to be the point where books start being cancelled due to low sales, so…

Imported from Tumblr: http://rayegunn.tumblr.com/post/36964010463