I almost feel silly reviewing The Wild Storm, because it’s that fucking good. It really doesn’t need me singing its praises, but just in case there’s some blind idiot out there with a keyboard thinking of making some weird shit name for themselves by tanking the review, here I am.

The diversity of the characters is what makes The Wild Storm shines brightly, and I’m not just referring to their body shapes and skin tone, but to their actual voices in the story. This story is very much an issue in which three separate parties are all getting ready to converge on the same spot, with the same target in mind and unbeknownst to them, run into each other. That’s the plain and boiled down plot of what the issue is setting up, but what the issue is really about is showing how these three different organizations run and are up against in each other. It is very political in that way because all three parties may have the same goal, but their reasons are completely different. This review won’t bore you with a recap of those reasons because that wouldn’t be fun to write or read.

We’re introduced to more characters from the Wild Storm world in this issue including the revamped Grifter or as he’s only referred to in the issue, Cole Cash. There’s even a joke about the name which not only was fitting but great. There’s not much else to mention about the story because the story is a series of conversation and there are Warren Ellis at his finest. Ellis just seems at home with this universe and is making it his own, but staying true to what came before in that he’s not spunking all over it and changing things just for the sake of it.

Jon Davis-Hunt might just be stealing the show. First off, those covers are fucking killer, and I don’t care that they have nothing to do with the issue. The first issue was like an album cover; this second issue is a poster you want hanging in your room or draped across your body. It’s that bloody handprint, which seems like symbolism for something coming to the story, but I just don’t have it yet. Davis-Hunt illustrates a lot of talking heads this issue, but all of it is captivating. Thanks to some Marvel writer’s talking heads in comics became overly popular and borderline annoying, but Ellis and Davis-Hunt show that it can be more, it can be interesting.

The parts of the art I want to talk about are spoilerish, so I’ll refrain from it, but the last few pages were my favorite and not just because of Davis-Hunt’s artwork, but because of Steve Buccellato’s coloring. Man, oh man, his coloring is like goddamn candy on the last few pages. It also gives the world a consistent look, and that look is used. Nothing is shiny and new, but rather clean and maintained. That’s an important difference because a lot of comic books want that “Star Wars Used” effect, but they do so by just dumping trash everywhere.

The only thing that concerns me about this series is how busy Warren Ellis is, hopefully, DC is patient and lets him take his time and create something worth reading rather than chasing quick sales based on the name and nostalgia because the creators aren’t going for nostalgia. Again, they’re not changing stuff just to change it, but rather creating something that is almost like a Wild Storm Rebirth. All I know is that I’m enjoying the hell out of this series and can’t wait to read and see more.

SCORE: 5/5

We finally meet Grifter! Full review is up at http://pixelatedgeek.com/2017/03/review-the-wild-storm-2/

From the publisher: All Angela Spica did was save someone’s life. And now hers is over. The rogue engineer lies bleeding in a place she hopes nobody will find - but she’s wrong. The people embedded in the secret power structures of the world are tracking her. Skywatch. Halo. International Operations. A covert operative called Grifter.

If only she hadn’t unknowingly foiled an assassination planned by her boss. If only her boss wasn’t the one person more interested in the Engineer’s transhuman implants than in her life.

It’s all going very wrong, very quickly. There’s going to be more blood.

The Wild Storm #2 continues setting the table for the story Warren Ellis began with issue #1. The general storyline consisted of various groups looking for Angela Spica, who transformed/changed/became so kind of techno-organic being to save a life. The groups looking for her include Halo, Skywatch, and IO. As they all try to track her down, it becomes apparent that there is some sort of conspiracy going on. Where it goes, and who finds Angela, remains to be seen in future issues.

With several of the main characters already on stage, Ellis uses this second issue to bring in Cole Cash, better known as Grifter. He was a favorite character of mine in the old days of Wildstorm comics with Image, but he wasn't nearly as interesting in DC's New 52. I was happy to see him get a fresh start, as I'm sure many old fans are. Once again, though, Ellis has dumped the reader in the middle of the story and we are left to piece things together. This is not a complaint, though. I trust Ellis enough as a writer to believe that all (or at least most) will be made clear as this series progresses. However, I'm left wondering if The Wild Storm would be better read in a collected form, rather than in small issue-sized bites. I'm left waiting anxiously for the next issue, and am excited to see where this all goes.

I would highly recommend The Wild Storm #2 by Warren Ellis. This series should be required reading for fans of the old Wildstorm comics, while the series offers a fresh starting point for new readers as well.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.