I guess I’m doing the whole Warren Ellis/Wildstorm saga backward, because this one actually came first, followed by The Authority and then Planetary (which allegedly is due to start back up again soon). So now that I have a grasp on how the evolution breaks down, I’ll probably want to go back and read the others again, in order this time.
Ellis took over Stormwatch in the late 90s, and transformed it from yet another mediocre superhero team book (less interesting than those originating from DC or Marvel because you don’t have the instant name recognition of, say, Justice League) to the dense, conspiratorial work that I’ve come to expect from him. The instant Ellis moves in, you can tell he’s setting the stage for much grander things. The team is drastically shuffled about — sub-teams are created, new members are recruited and existing members are retired or killed off.
Most welcome, naturally, is the introduction of Jenny Sparks, whom we know will play a much larger role in things to come. All in all, Stormwatch isn’t the best Warren Ellis can do, but it definitely shows how a writer like him gets his foot in the door, and how any concept can be transformed into something more palatable in the right hands. Now if only they’d give me a crack at revamping Archie…