The Wild Storm #22 – Warren Ellis, Writer; Jon Davis-Hunt, Artist; Steve Buccellato, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
With only two issues to the end, it’s hard to see how this epic two-year-long reinvention of the Wildstorm universe will wrap up in any satisfying way by the end. There are dozens of characters in so many places and many of them have only started to interact. But when Ellis and Davis-Hunt cut loose, their art and the pacing are spectacular.
The Wild Storm #22 opens with a tense segment right out of a spy thriller as King leaves the IO base and is immediately stalked by an assassin. She unleashes her power in a stunning double-page thread that results in a graphic death and then goes on the run again. She’s been an interesting side character for this run, but she’s not the star here – that’s the Midnighter/Apollo duo and the mysterious “Gang of Gods” as they unite for the first time to make a final stand against Henry Bendix and Skywatch. What follows is a fast-paced segment that’s one of the most gorgeous scenes of the series.
With Engineer, Hawksmoor, Jenny Sparks, and The Doctor arriving on the farm, tensions are high. Midnighter and Apollo don’t trust anyone, and Hawksmoor insists he’s going to die if he doesn’t get back to the city. But they don’t have time to bicker for long as the spaceships of Skywatch arrive.
A few times we’ve seen Ellis and Davis-Hunt really capture the scale of the battle, but the two-page spread that sets off the final battle is a feast for the eyes. Even in the middle of the battle, Ellis does a good job of peppering in character development and good one-liners, but it feels like a lot of this should have happened 5-10 years ago. Unless another volume is coming, it feels like a wasted opportunity. Still, these new versions of Midnighter and Apollo are intriguing, and Jenny Sparks gets the best moment of the series. He’s hoping for a strong June finale.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
