Wildstorm sure knows how to waste a reboot

[Joe Henderson]

Here's what I'm wondering as far as the Authority goes: Does this means Jenny Sparks will be back on the team somehow?

I'm pretty sure Jenny Quantum's still in the cast, so that's doubtful.

[Pat Shatner]

Wait, seriously. There was a reboot?
I knew Gen13 was starting over (and it's actually pretty solid), but other than that I wouldn't have noticed there was a universe reboot if I hadn't seen this thread.

[NickT]

Midnighter is awesome


I don't think it was a reboot though, just a focus on the line and getting top creators in.

[Joe Henderson]

Midnighter is awesome


I don't think it was a reboot though, just a focus on the line and getting top creators in.

They called it something like a 'soft reboot' or some such, when they reshuffled the universe during Captain Atom. Basically, they just used it as an excuse to start Gen13 over and bring Deathblow back to life.

[Foolish Mortal]

Let's face it: Wildstorm, the universe is dead. The only way the franchises could survive is to fold them into the DC universe, like the Charlton (right?) characters did way back when.

Use the monicker "Wildstorm" as a breeding ground of interesting modern concepts, as a more hip, West Coast Vertigo.

that's what I'd suggest

The Wildstorm characters wouldn't mesh well in the DCVerse. You saw how difficult it was for Majestic to fit in, a whole world of characters like that in the DCVerse would be too much.

[NickT]

They called it something like a 'soft reboot' or some such, when they reshuffled the universe during Captain Atom. Basically, they just used it as an excuse to start Gen13 over and bring Deathblow back to life.

Ah right. Makes sense, if you don't hear it has changed it is exactly the same



As for it being "pointless"...


WILDCATS (WildStorm)
10/2003: Wildcats 3.0 #15 — 14,445
10/2004: –
———————————-
10/2005: Nemesis #2 of 9 — 16,829 (- 14.4%)
11/2005: Nemesis #3 of 9 — 16,154 (- 4.0%)
12/2005: Nemesis #4 of 9 — 15,428 (- 4.5%)
01/2006: Nemesis #5 of 9 — 14,983 (- 2.9%)
02/2006: Nemesis #6 of 9 — 14,572 (- 2.7%)
03/2006: Nemesis #7 of 9 — 14,533 (- 0.3%)
04/2006: Nemesis #8 of 9 — 14,410 (- 0.9%)
05/2006: Nemesis #9 of 9 — 14,123 (- 2.0%)
06/2006: –
07/2006: –
08/2006: –
09/2006: –
10/2006: Wildcats #1 — 82,528 (+484.4%)


THE AUTHORITY (WildStorm)
10/2003: Authority Vol. 2 #6 — 27,415
10/2004: Revolution #1 of 12 — 26,527
10/2005: Revolution #12 of 12 — 18,256
—————————————
10/2006: The Authority #1 — 58,136 (+218.5%)

THE MIDNIGHTER (WildStorm)
11/2006: The Midnighter #1 — 39,796

GEN13 (WildStorm)
11/2003: Gen13 #5 — 13,143
—————————-
10/2006: Gen13 #1 — 47,535
11/2006: Gen13 #2 — 33,494 (-29.5%)

STORMWATCH: PHD (WildStorm)
11/2003: SW: Team Achilles #17 — 11,343
—————————————-
11/2006: StormWatch: PHD #1 — 29,975



Even if they go back to where they were in a few months, those estimated boosts from where they used to be are impressive.

[George]

I Stormwatch PHD

[bennymatthewtaylor]

Here's what I'm wondering as far as the Authority goes: Does this means Jenny Sparks will be back on the team somehow?

Jenny Sparks came back in Authority Revolution when Jenny Quantum retrocreated Infinite City modeled after the Garden where the all the Doctor's live, where all the Jenny's from through out time spend their afterlife including Jenny Sparks, Jenny Steam. Jenny Crusade, Jenny Fire and Jenny Inquisition... I shit you not. And then in the final issue all the Doctor's visit Infinite City for an orgy with all the Jennys... Which was hillfuckinglarious.

the last tow issues of Midnighter are just sitting there in my to-read pile because number one was such bile.

[The Human Target]

Yeah, it was a pretty messy and pointless affair.

Wildstorm was pretty brilliant as it was. A world started in the shallow 90s that turned into something dark and mature and kinda off center.

Now its back to being fairly empty and generic.

[Masculine Todd]

I hate being one of those "internet fanboy assholes" but the Wildstorm reboot was horrendously mishandled in various ways:

1) Firstly, the reboot itself occured in an obscure miniseries that focused on a C-List DCU character (Captain Atom) coming to the WSU and fighting his way through the "heroes" for 9 issues. It wasn't advertised, so many WS fans missed it. Also, while Will Pfiefer and Guiseppe Camuncoli are a good creative team, they are hardly considered "A-List" talent (though they deserve it), which is something one would expect for the end of a universe, which makes one think WS editors didn't think much of the event itself.

2) The reboot itself has become confusing and convoluted, doing nothing to make the new titles accessible, with the exception of Gen13 and Tranquility. Everyone immediately wondered if it was a linewide retcon/restart, but it turns out that only "some things were rebooted" and it's a "soft reboot", yet it has yet to be shown what events are cannon and what has been erased from continuity, whereas a complete reboot would have left things rather open for new readers. As much as I love Stormwatch PHD, the latest issue dealt with aliens with a long history with the WSU that left me rather cold, and this is just a small example of the questions that arise from a "soft reboot". Every title should have started over again and followed Gen13's route.

3) Scheduling and shipping dates have been problematic and sporadic. Jim Lee, creator, mastermind of the line, and allstar artist, was supposed to be penciler behind Wildcats, which was meant to be the crown jewel of the line, and the book was going to be the initial launch of the universe. This issue was pushed back to late October, with #2 yet to see storeshelves, effectively killing much of the hype and momentum this title, and the universe itself had. Same goes for The Authority. The two highest profile titles, with arguably the largest creative teams (Jim Lee, Grant Morrison, Gene Ha), which are the pillars of the universe itself, are non-existence on the shelves, so it is rather hard to get new fans interested. Though titles like Stormwatch PHD, Midnighter, and Gen13 are great reads, they are not titles that have an A-List feel, the prominence or significance to the overall universe, or the "name creators" (though Christos Gage, Gail Simone, Doug Mahnke, ect. are just as talented as Jim Lee and Grant Morrison) that sell units. Also, these characters don't have the following of a Batman or Captain America, so unless you have 90's nostalgia, it will take a name like Jim Lee to sell a characters like Deathblow or Gen13.


Even so, I am quite glad to have the reboot, or whatever the hell it was, because we, the comic readers, are treated to such wonderfully written, yet criminally overlooked titles like Stormwatch PHD, Gen 13, Tranquility, and Midnighter.