STORMWATCH #20

Say hello to my good friend Lobo. He's a dab hand at playing with his yo-yo. He can perform all the tricks. He never picks up sticks. And once I saw him dancing on a pogo. Yeah. I'm not kidding. He was first, and then came the Writer: Jim Starlin; the Artist: Yvel Guichet; and the Publisher: DC Comics, in April, 2013.

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'Away'.

WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Under Forecaster's guidance, Stormwatch travel to a war torn planet, and investigates the PSI omissions which are affecting all of reality.
ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: No. Not really. But a start is made amidst a flurry of bullets and bashing.
ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: The evil mastermind and Lobo take a trip down memory lane, to have a quick glimpse of the last Czarians own origin.
HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With a battle looming in the background.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Now I liked it when Lobo said 'Fraggin' Crapola!'. And I liked it when Lobo also said ''Now that's the way every fraggin' morning ought to start'. But which phrase it better, huh? Plus how can I decide which one out of the two?

Oh! I know. FRAGGIN' FIGHT!

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) No word of a lie, this adventure has an 'old school' flavour which I really do dig. In many ways it's like an eighties comic book with some nineties sensibilities thrown in for good measure, aided and abetted by the main man himself, Jim Starlin.

(+) I did enjoy how the Weird acted as Jenny's wayward protector, as it makes him appear more of a nurturing character than the token strange-looking hero.

(+) Lobo. Lobo. Lobo. I'm a sucker for Lobo. More please.

(+) At the moment I really do like the new team line up, because it's a very nice mixture of the old and the new.

(+) I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Lobo's revamped origin. As a part of me likes it for its slight innovation. Whereas another part of me just thinks 'why bother?'.

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) At a push, the only thing I didn't like about this issue was its slightly block-ish artwork, plus the way in which the team appears more like 'a group of happy campers', than 'a covert action team'. But please note, this is only a minor gripe overall, and not a biggie.

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to two MUSICIANS .

GENE SIMMONS AS LOBO: Look at the picture provided. Go on. Look. Do I need to say any more than that? No. I didn't think so either.

JIM MORRISON AS APOLLO: Alright. I know that Jimmy isn't blond and is dead. But on a purely esoteric level, I'd say that these two chap's share a certain bold yet poetic vibe.

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan' -- John F. Kennedy

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'THE TIME WARP' THEME TUNE FROM THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW: OK. I have to admit. I've been dying to use this musical reference for quite some time now. But come on. Let's face it. Both this tune and this tale are rocking and entail time travel. So why not?

ANYTHING Else?

Now has anybody caught wind of what that reality-warping mastermind is actually called? You know. His name or something. As of yet I don't think that I have. So just for larks, why don't I have a stab at a couple of suggestions...

The Inhuman Flame -- Hmm? That has a nice ring to it.
The Anti-Man -- Part man. Part politician.
Simon Cowell -- But does he have the X-Factor?
Zigdfstgyhzi -- My Polish cousin from afar.
The Property Specialist -- For all your housing needs.
Doris -- Suits him. Don't you think?
The Flame-haired love-child of the Anti-Monitor and Firestorm -- Could work?
Barbra Streisand -- With just one look she can alter your world.
Geoffrey Longbottom -- OK. I confess. I'm not even trying now.

Anyway. Enough of that silliness. Overall I really did enjoy this issue of Stormwatch. The art was great in places. The story was a mixture of origin and adventure. Plus all in all it's got me intrigued enough to come back next month to see what the hells going to happen.

Sound about right, dear reader? What do you think?

GIVE IT, IT'S DUES: If This Comic Book Was an Ice Cream, It Would Be Vanilla in Flavour and Petrol in Aftertaste. Think about it.