Tag Archives: waller vs. wildstorm

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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INTERTWINED LAST JEWISH DAUGHTER OF KAIFENG

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Animal Castle Vol. 2 #2 (Ablaze) – The series has been a fantastic adaptation and take on the classic Animal Farm.

Battle Chasers #10 (Image Comics) – After such a delay, Battle Chasers is back after a Kickstarter promising its return. Joe Madureira isn’t providing art so without that, such a long time, and more, will the return be worth it?

Black Panther #1 (Marvel) – It’s a new era and new creative team for the character and the status quo is an intriguing one.

Captain America: Cold War Omega #1 (Marvel) – The event wraps up and we have no idea how it’ll shake out when it’s over.

Dead by Daylight #1 (Titan Comics) – The video game gets a comic adaptation.

The Ghost of Kyiv #1 (Tokyopop) – The war propaganda gets a comic series. It’ll be interesting to see how this gets spun.

Haunt You to the End #1 (Image Comics) – A ghost story set at the end of the world. The concept of ghost hunters plus an unstable time period should make for an interesting read.

Intertwined: Last Jewish Daughter of Kaifeng #1 (Fairsquare Comics) – In time for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as Jewish American Heritage Month, fan-favorite series Intertwined is back with a 64 page special dedicated to the only Asian Jewish character in comics: the new Spirit of Water!

Klik Klik Boom #1 (Image Comics) – Meet Sprout, a mute assassin who communicates exclusively through polaroid pictures. Sprout is heading to New York City to avenge her grandfather’s muder.

Magic Planeswalkers: Noble #1 (BOOM! Studios) – A new set of releases that’ll take us to different realms in the Magic Multiverse from different creators and featuring different creators.

Night Fever (Image Comics) – A new graphic novel from Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips. Enough said.

Nuking Alaska (Graphic Mundi) – A graphic novel about the threat of nuclear war in the 80s.

Spider-Man: Fake Red (VIZ Media) – Yu’s new high school is kind of awful. He’s failing his classes and striking out socially. Everything changes when he finds one of Spider-Man’s costumes abandoned in an alleyway

Spider-Man India #1 (Marvel) – The cult favorite character gets a miniseries shining the spotlight.

Void Rivals #1 (Skybound/Image Comics) – Kicking off “The Energon Universe,” the comic is the official start of Transformers and G.I. Joe at Skybound!

Waller vs. Wildstorm #2 (DC Comics) – The first issue waw fantastic, again bringing together the Wildstorm universe with the DC Universe with Waller at the center doing her shenanigans.

WildC.A.T.s #8 (DC Comics) – The series has been so much fun delivering a new mix of the classic characters and really bringing them into the DC Universe.

Xino #1 (Oni Press) – A new sci-fi anthology series featuring some fantastic creators.

Preview: Waller vs. Wildstorm #2 (of 4)

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Waller vs. Wildstorm #2 (of 4)

(W) Spencer Ackerman, Evan Narcisse (A) Eric Battle
In Shops: Jun 13, 2023
SRP: $5.99

The island nation of Gamorra is eager for American investment – and even more eager for American metahuman weapons. Amanda Waller has just what they want: the Cybernary system. But the blood that her mercenaries spilled to get it has put her directly in Jackson King’s sights – so now he’s in the sights of the deadly Deathstroke!

Waller vs. Wildstorm #2 (of 4)

Preview: Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 (of 4)

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Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 (of 4)

(W) Spencer Ackerman, Evan Narcisse (A) Eric Battle
In Shops: Mar 28, 2023
SRP: $5.99

In the early 1980s, as the Cold War stubbornly refuses to thaw, a new battle heats up…for the soul of the intelligence agency Checkmate. As the agency’s super-heroic public face, Jackson King–a.k.a. the armored Battalion, former leader of Stormwatch and the symbol of American might–has long suspected that Adeline Kane is up to dirty tricks overseas, engineering horrors that betray everything he believes about service to one’s country. But King doesn’t know that Kane has a clever new ally–an ambitious young woman named Amanda Waller. She has her own ideas about how metahumans can serve their country. And honor, dignity, and long lives don’t factor into them… National-security reporter Spencer Ackerman (the Daily Beast, Reign of Terror), comics and video game writer Evan Narcisse (Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Gotham Knights), and veteran artist Eric Battle (Aquaman, Kobalt) celebrate WildStorm’s legacy of espionage-flavored superhero morality plays, pitting Stormwatch against the deadliest people in the DCU–including Deathstroke himself!

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 (of 4)

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 puts geopolitics front and center

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Waller vs. Wildstorm #1

The fact that friend of the site and frequent Graphic Policy Radio guest Spencer Ackerman is part of this alone had me intrigued. But, that didn’t guarantee it’d be good. Thankfully, Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 is good. It’s really good. Ackerman is a national security reporter and expert on the subject, so to take on a character like Amanda Waller, one whose entire role is about national security, is a subject matter expert potentially spinning a tale on the subject they’re an expert on.

Taking place in the 1980s, Waller is an up and comer at Checkmate, an organization that is ok’ed to work with metahumans but has expanded its influence in the world. Jackson King, aka Battalion, the former leader of Stormwatch, has a run-in with Waller and through investigation finds a corruption that runs deep in Checkmate. One full of horrors and the mix of capitalism, influence, and lack of morals that infects our very lives. Ackerman, along with writer Evan Narcisse have laid out a mature story as part of DC’s Black Label, that mixes classic modern superheroes like Stormwatch with the excess taint and crumbling of our very real institutions.

The comic throws in the very real issues that face our modern national security and military including individual ambition, hypocritical morals, black sites, and a general lack of real oversight and care. We see how military peddles influence to gain capital, war as an extension of business and how business impacts war and national security. It also highlights the creep that is so many different organizations in our lives. This is a comic that can be enjoyed for the action but will leave you pondering the morals of it all.

Through the more weighty aspects of it all, Ackerman and Narcisse mix in a fun amount of characters that take Jim Lee’s Wildstorm creations from Image and blends them seamlessly with DC’s established characters. It all makes Lois Lane talking to Battalion or Deathstroke hanging out with Grifter seem like comic history… and history we want to see more of. Much like John Ridley’s Other Side of the DC Universe and recent GCPD: The Blue Wall, this is a warts and all look at our world through iconic characters while still entertaining.

Jesús Merino handles the art and delivers a style that feels bit like Stormwatch’s looks of old mix a little with a more traditional DC style. Along with Vincente Cifuentes on ink, Mike Atiyeh on color, and Dave Sharpe on lettering the comic’s look has a mature sense about it as well. There’s horrors throughout, some seen, some not, that hint at the corruption and taint of what Waller has sewn. At the same time, a discussion at a table between Lois Lane and Battalion is exciting in itself, full of tension and emotion. It’s a comic whose story and visuals feels like there’s a heavy weight to them all.

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 is a solid debut that has us excited to read more. We sadly will have to wait for the second issue, but what has been shown so far makes us not just want that but this entire concept expanded upon. The comic entertains while also exploring our very complicated and dark reality.

Story: Spencer Ackerman, Evan Narcisse Art: Jesús Merino
Ink: Vicente Cifuentes Color: Mike Atiyeh Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.4 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

Around the Tubes

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Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1

It’s new comic book day! What are you all getting? What are you excited for? Sound off in the comments. While you wait for shops to open, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web to start the day.

Seacoast Current – Dover, New Hampshire, Resident Raising Money to Create “Ninja Turtles” Landmark – Very nice!

The Beat – HEARTSTOPPER creator Alice Oseman to receive Medal for Fiction at Britain’s Hay Festival – Congrats!

Reviews

The Beat – Cuckoo
CBR – Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1
Comicbook – Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1
CBR – Waller vs. Wildstorm #1

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Local Man #2

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Action Comics #1053 (DC Comics) – The series has been fantastic so far making Superman really feel like a “family” of heroes.

The Ambassadors #1 (Image Comics) – Mark Millar’s newest series with Frank Quitely. The concept sounds interesting where people explain why they should be one of six people in the world to get powers. Part of the bigger picture for Millarworld and the upcoming event, we’re intrigued.

American Born Chinese (First Second) – If you haven’t had a chance to read this modern classic by Gene Luen Yang, here’s your chance before the new Disney+ series.

Bulls of Beacon Hill #3 (AfterShock) – The series has been solid so far and we’re intrigued to see how Christopher Boldt will deal with the attack on him by his father.

Don’t Spit in the Wind #1 (Mad Cave Studios) – A cleaning crew member goes missing near an old nuclear facility.

Dungeons & Dragons Saturday Morning Adventures #1 (IDW Publishing) – IDW’s “Saturday Morning” comics have been fantastic capturing the fun of the original animated series.

Fist of the North Star Vol. 8 (VIZ Media) – Kenshiro takes on the Holy Emperor Souther, the most powerful of the Six Holy Fists of the South Star. Hell yes!

Heavy Bright (Fantagraphics) – A queer young woman aims to dispel the greed and cruel masculine energy that has consumed the world.

Local Man #2 (Image Comics) – The first issue about a washout superhero was fantastic and we’re excited for what’s next in this series that’s an homage, spoof, and celebration of Image’s superheroes.

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 (DC Comics) – The next steps for the team was hinted at in Lazarus Planet and this series seems like it’ll deal with the aftermath of that event.

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – We’re so pumped to see national security expert Spencer Ackerman take on writing Waller!

Waller vs. Wildstorm: Spencer Ackerman’s DC Comics Debut

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“How the carceral state seeks to manipulate and dispose of its rogues, its dregs, its captives and put them to deniable use by intelligence agencies… It would be malpractice of me, for what I cover, if I wasn’t interested in that!” – Spencer Ackerman, co-writer of Waller vs Wildstorm for DC Comics and award winning national security journalist.

Spencer Ackerman discusses his debut comic, a Year One look at the career of future Suicide Squad boss Amanda Waller. His miniseries, with co-writer Evan Narcisse, artist Jesús Merino, and color artist Michael Atiyeh weaves together Wildstorm and DC Comics espionage lore through the lens of Cold War geopolitics–as only they can.

First 43 minutes of this episode are spoiler free. 

Be sure to subscribe to Spencer Ackerman’s newsletter https://foreverwars.ghost.io/ where he shares thoughts about this series as well as reporting and essays that “chronicle, investigate and interrogate the continuities, departures and permutations of the War on Terror.”

That gorgeous cover in the preview is by Jorge Fornes.

Preview: Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 (of 4)

Posted on by

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 (of 4)

(W) Spencer Ackerman, Evan Narcisse (A) Eric Battle
In Shops: Mar 28, 2023
SRP: $5.99

In the early 1980s, as the Cold War stubbornly refuses to thaw, a new battle heats up…for the soul of the intelligence agency Checkmate. As the agency’s super-heroic public face, Jackson King–a.k.a. the armored Battalion, former leader of Stormwatch and the symbol of American might–has long suspected that Adeline Kane is up to dirty tricks overseas, engineering horrors that betray everything he believes about service to one’s country. But King doesn’t know that Kane has a clever new ally–an ambitious young woman named Amanda Waller. She has her own ideas about how metahumans can serve their country. And honor, dignity, and long lives don’t factor into them… National-security reporter Spencer Ackerman (the Daily Beast, Reign of Terror), comics and video game writer Evan Narcisse (Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Gotham Knights), and veteran artist Eric Battle (Aquaman, Kobalt) celebrate WildStorm’s legacy of espionage-flavored superhero morality plays, pitting Stormwatch against the deadliest people in the DCU–including Deathstroke himself!

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1 (of 4)

NYCC 2022: Joe Quesada returns, Icon vs. Hardware, John Ridley, and more!

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DC‘s Jim Lee & Friends panel at New York Comic Con was full of news and reveals from amazing talent.

Marc Silvestri Talks About Batman’s Ultimate Team-Up

Lee’s longtime creative colleague Marc Silvestri was also on hand to share new art and conversation about his “buddy cop horror story”, Batman/The Joker: The Deady Duo. Silvestri talked to Lee and fans about the early days of pitching and planning the series, how his approach has evolved as both writer and artist from the start until now, why the relationship between Batman and The Joker has captivated fans for so long, and more details about what fans can expect when this seven issue limited series launches November 1, 2022.

Oscar Award-Winning Writer John Ridley – All In On DC

DC is fortunate to have an Academy Award-winning screenwriter on hand that treats his comic writing projects with the same care and commitment that he has with movies like 12 Years A Slave, Five Days At Memorial, American Crime, and his other movie projects. Writer John Ridley joined the panel to talk with Jim about his body of work, past and present. Ridley chatted with Lee and the audience about the current and future trajectory of Jace Fox since his move from Gotham to New York (and a sidekick?) in I Am Batman, and how the most recent story arc leads into his upcoming limited series G.C.P.D.: The Blue Wall, debuting October 18, 2022. John also discussed how he landed the job of telling the story of The Penguin, as part of DC’s Batman: One Bad Day event, revealing exclusive first look art from the one-shot ahead of its October 18 release.

Spencer Ackerman – “Building The Wall” in A New DC Black Label Series

For many, the 1990s was a comic book “renaissance,” with the birth of Lee’s own Wildstorm comics, DC’s then-unimaginable Death of Superman, and the creation of Milestone Comics. November’s DC 90’s Rewind event includes the launch of a new WildC.A.T.s. ongoing series, and a new DC Black Label limited series, Waller vs. WildStorm. Co-writer and noted national security journalist Spencer Ackerman appeared on the panel to talk about his first work for DC and how he, co-writer Evan Narcisse and artist Eric Battle plan to merge the DC and Wildstorm universes and show how Amanda Waller rose to power to become one of the most ruthless and unyielding characters in the DCU. Waller vs. Wildstorm debuts November 15, 2022.

Nikolas Draper-Ivey and Vita Ayala Return Static to Dakota in 2023

One of the brightest lights of Milestone Media’s reuniting with DC was Static: Season One, and breakout artist Nikolas Draper-Ivey, who joined the panel to talk a little about the reception that he, writer Vita Ayala and co-artist ChrisCross received after relaunching Milestone’s flagship super hero for a new generation. Fans got to see some of Draper-Ivey’s incredible art, as he spoke about taking on the new challenge of both co-writer (with Ayala) and artist for the six-issue sequel to Static: Season One, Static: Shadows of Dakota, debuting on February 7, 2023.

Early Look at New Titles Celebrating Milestone’s 30th Anniversary in 2023

Lee’s chat with Draper-Ivey led to more Milestone news, as he shared early reveals of two titles that will be part of the celebration of this groundbreaking imprint’s 30th anniversary next year. Cover art was revealed for Icon vs. Hardware, a five-issue limited series launching on February 14, 2023. Spinning out of the epilogue of the Milestones In History anthology, this series is co-written by Reggie Hudlin and Leon Chills, and pits two of Milestone’s core super heroes against each other for the future of Dakota, as Hardware discovers a time machine and puts it to work altering the history of the world.

Fans also got the first look at the main (by Denys Cowan) and variant (by Nikolas Draper-Ivey) covers for a Milestone 30th Anniversary Special, scheduled for a February 21, 2023 release. This commemorative one-shot will feature stories celebrating the breadth and depth of the Dakotaverse, with contributions from Eisner award winner Chuck Brown, Stephanie Williams, Denys Cowan, Nikolas Draper Ivey, Yasmin Flores Montanez and others. The Draper-Ivey variant cover spotlights the story he’s writing and drawing, a team up between an adult version of Static and Batman Beyond.

Special Guest Joe Quesada Reveals Details on His Return to DC

Even though Jim likes to keep his panel lineup secret to surprise people with big news, he always keeps an ace-in-the-hole extra secret to really catch the audiences off guard. Today was no exception, as artist and former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada took the stage.

Quesada left Marvel earlier this year to pursue his own personal projects and he’s clearly starting off with a bang, as he announced that he’d be designing covers for DC titles in 2023, exclusively revealing his variant cover art for Batman #131 (January 3, 2023), and Batman #132 (February 7, 2023).

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