And here’s where Paul Cornell convinces me that I’ll be buying the new Stormwatch series, as he tells the DCU blog about the new characters he’ll be introducing in it (emphasis mine):
Adam One, who’s been aging backwards since the Big Bang, the master of tactics who… forgets things and isn’t that great at convincing people he knows what he’s doing; the Projectionist, the voice of and god of the internet and the Eminence of Blades, the universal master of bladed weapons, who has terrible doubts.
Firstly: “The Projectionist” is the greatest choice of name for “the voice of the internet” imaginable. Secondly, I don’t know why, but “the voice of and god of the internet” sounds so Warren Ellisy that I can’t help but hope that there’s some Ellis parody in the character somewhere. Even if there’s not, it feels appropriate to the book by evoking Ellis, considering his run on the original (and then, The Authority) remains the most well-known, and well-beloved, of the history of the characters.
Of course, it helps when Cornell goes on to explain that the book will have the Martian Manhunter having “conflicted warrior feelings about how super heroes do what they do,” and then goes on to describe the new series thusly:
This one’s the angry teenage sibling of the DC Universe, except in this case it does know better. Stormwatch were here first, saving the world is their job and they think super heroes are decadent gaudy amateurs. They’re the ruthless stone cold professionals. Right now it looks like they might be facing the enormous threat they were created to combat, only to find themselves having a bit of a crisis of leadership.
I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this series now, and hoping that it lives up to its own hype. If nothing else, I’m already hoping for a Projectionist spin-off (It could even be digital-only, which would be somewhat fitting)…
June 27th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Here’s hoping this is the true reboot Wildstorm has deserved for years! These are great characters that deserve real backing and dedicated creative teams.
June 27th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
This comic will either rock beyond our wildest dreams, or trip over its own coolness. But even if it sells badly and isn’t as good as we hope, I suspect Cornell will, at worst, fail in a wonderful way.
And I can’t wait to see Apollo and the Midnighter’s meeting with Batman and Superman.
June 27th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Unfortunately, quality doesn’t always equal sales. Case in point, Captain Britain & MI:13. It received awards but the C-list characters didn’t attract enough readers. Hopefully Stormwatch gets great publicity and readership.
June 28th, 2011 at 8:18 am
Is there a link between Cornell’s Adam One and Adam-One, the leader of the heroes on Wonderworld, featured in Grant Morrison’s JLA in Rock of Ages ?
June 28th, 2011 at 11:53 am
Here’s a tradition I’m glad to see they’re reviving: WildStorm representing progressive, inventive and forward-thinking superhero comics, marking a nice change from the embarrassing parade of nostalgia that goes hand in hand with the Johns Doctrine. Stormwatch SHOULD be the book with this kind of high-concept weirdness. I continue to be on-board and tremendously enthused… possibly my most anticipated of the relaunch books. I’ve mentioned this before but I think they did a great job pairing up the old Vertigo and WildStorm properties with creative teams that UNDERSTAND what they’re all about conceptually and thematically. Kudos!