The Wild Storm #10 – Warren Ellis, Writer; Jon Davis-Hunt, Artist; Steve Buccellato, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 6.5/10
Unlike its spin-off – the tense, brutal Michael Cray – this title continues to be an odd scramble of a lot of different plotlines, all competing for space and attention. This issue almost feels like an anthology, with the three titles being very disconnected but all somewhat related to the ongoing battle between International Operations and Skywatch. The first segment is by far the weakest, as a group of characters – including Grifter, Engineer, and Void – discuss strategy for planting a bomb in IO headquarters. This is essentially a bunch of people in a room talking infiltration and physics, with no real action until the last page, so it’s about as thrilling as it sounds. These characters have been among the ones to get fleshed out the least so far, as well.
The second segment is stronger, focusing on the increasingly insane Henry Bendix in his space station. As he talks to his second in command, spouting conspiracy theories, it’s almost a little overly broad – he comes off like Mr. Burns at points. But it’s still amusing, even if he’s more of a distraction than a villain so far.
The third segment really takes off, though, almost enough for me to recommend the issue overall. The Doctor and Jenny Sparks, two cosmic-powered regenerating immortals, talking over their place in the universe has a surreal vibe to it that really works, but it’s the introduction of the third – a homeless man nicknamed “The Mayor” who is actually a fan favorite from the old Wildstorm series – that provides the issue’s best visuals. The series does have some good points, but it’s just too scattered and inconsistent.
Note: Corrina isn’t reviewing this title because it’s failed to pull her into the Wild Storm universe.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
