StormWatch: Change or Die

Basically, the premise of Change or Die is that The High (read: Superman analog) has been in exile for thirty years, and has gathered up some of the most powerful superhumans in the world in order to break down the established systems (nations, religions, etc.) and change the world into something new and better. StormWatch, the ostensible "good guys" as a UN strike force, are ordered by their leader (control freak Henry Bendix) to shut them down rightquick. Not only is it good, smart, and cleanly drawn, but it's at least part of the precursor to what I call the current trend in "super-realism" in comics for the 2000's. In this, we see traditional super-heroic styled stories where society and human decision-making are called into question, characters are flawed, and the action looks more like a $300 million dollar blockbuster (with assicated collateral damage) than two guys in spandex hitting each other in a closed room or street until one falls down. This trade includes the three issues of StormWatch that made up Change or Die (THREE ISSUES! FOR A BIG EVENT! AND NO CROSSOVERS! BRIAN BENDIS IS CRYING SOMEWHERE!), a little one-off half issue, and the first three issues of the "new" StormWatch book that spiraled out of Change or Die...and it should be required reading for people who like: comics, change, or awesome.

RATING: 97% (this means that it is better than just about everything, so read or Warren Ellis will [not] kill you)

(image courtesy of whatevercomicshop.co.uk)