Stormwatch: Team Achilles, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Micah Ian Wright (Author), Whilce Portacio (Illustrator) (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Wildstorm (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401201032
• ISBN-13: 978-1401201036
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,394,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Micah Wright is a writer who has worked in film, television, video games, comic books and animation. Upon earning a degree in Political Science and Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, Micah relocated to Los Angeles and worked at Nickelodeon Animation Studios for six years. While at Nicktoons, Micah wrote for "the Angry Beavers" among other shows, and created Nickelodeon's first action-adventure show, Constant Payne.

Micah is also a political commentator and protest artist. His poster website has reached almost a million distinct hits with no publicity other than word of mouth. He has published two books of remixed propaganda posters. The first, "YOU Back The Attack, WE'LL Bomb Who We Want" includes a foreword by noted historian Howard Zinn and an introduction by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Micah's second book of posters, "If You're Not A Terrorist... Then Stop Asking Questions" contains an introduction by noted design expert Joseph Heller. Micah's third book of posters, "Surveillance Means Security!" is forthcoming from Seven Stories Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Someone grab a mop and clean up Whilce Portacio's art!, September 23, 2004

By 

Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stormwatch: Team Achilles, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES, Volume 1, is yet another entry in the modern Wildstorm Universe. While I have enjoyed the adventures of the Authority, Planetary, WildCATs, and Sleeper, STA has hit a sour note with me. The writing is fine, but the book takes two steps back towards its Image Comics roots due to the utterly incomprehensible art of Whilce Portacio.

The revamped Stormwatch is a sort of counter-Authority, standing up for humanity in the face of an increasing number of super-beings. Great concept! But then you open this book and are confronted with non-proportional bodies, awkward stances, gratuitous defining lines, deformed physiques: in short, everything that was the dark days of Image art! Portacio puts far too much effort into defining every single muscle and vein on these angular characters, to the point that they look emaciated. There is simply too much pointless detail and not enough technical know-how in these panels. Also, the art does not help the reader to understand what is happening in the story, as there is no planning of layouts, and many characters look exactly alike. For example, THREE team members with dark hair and goatees. Another character is supposedly scarred over their entire body, but as every character is overdrawn and covered with cross-hatching, who can tell? While this might be acceptable in a team book full of ciphers, writer Micah Ian Wright provides us with a team roster of distinct characters with their own personalities. So how about a little variety in the art department? Thankfully, Wright's writing is strong enough to eventually claw its way out of this mess and provide us with a good story.

So aside from the art, this is an entertaining book. Stormwatch: Team Achilles is out to make sure that those super-brats don't get too big for their britches, and they deliver. They even manage to take out the Authority out of commission for a bit, and that says a lot. Check this out, and root for the little guy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Graphic SF Reader, September 2, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stormwatch: Team Achilles, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Back to the future for Stormwatch. A complete change of pace, with an all human team of highly skilled military types, and one expert computer genius putting a team together to police superhumans.

In general these are humans, and one superhuman that is no longer allowed in his native devastated Finland. The idea is to avoid US interference.

Colonel Ben Santini is obviously a student of Machiavelli, with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

This is excellent. If you like The Authority, etc., this should be right up your alley.

4.0 out of 5 stars A bright light in a dark hour for Wildstorm, November 25, 2008

By 

J. Shurin "carnivore" (London) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stormwatch: Team Achilles, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Published in 2003, Team Achilles picks up the slack as the flagship The Authority title rapidly degenerated. Team Achilles does a good job rehashing the timeless 'who watches the watchmen?' (topical!) question about keeping superheroes in check - and the morally-ambiguous Wildstorm setting is a perfect place to ask it.

Although a bit too super-macho (can anyone in this title do wrong?), and relies a little too much on prior knowledge of the setting, this is solid read. Worth pairing with Ennis's The Boys - same subject matter with a dramatically different tone of voice