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Post by Batflunkie on Feb 21, 2017 23:23:16 GMT -5
Wetwork- a euphemism for murder or assassination, alluding to the spilling blood. Originated with the KGB during the 1800's
What started as a simple reason to rediscover a world that I originally wanted no part of (Jim Lee's Wildstorm) after reading Warren Ellis' new revival project spiraled into a adrenaline fueled thrill ride of truly unique and epic proportions. Take the original plot of WildC.A.T.s (a black ops team commissioned to eliminate any and all threats to mankind) add elements from classic monster movies (the night tribes, the werenation, and "the lone one") sprinkle in a bit of "90's extreme" and dumb action movie clichés and you've got a recipe for success that has yet to be topped. Well, except for the fact that Mike Mignola stole Portacio and Choi's thunder with Hellboy... But, that's kind of beside the point. It's an amazing series that does deserve more recognition than it gets for being affiliated with the "the comic book crash" and Image comics at large Unlike my many previous review threads, I have an obligation to myself and the motivation to keep this thread going Yes folks, There'll be no be stopping on the kamkazi freighter to hell, because the inmate is running the asylum!
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Post by Batflunkie on Feb 22, 2017 0:08:54 GMT -5
Wetworks #1 (published June 1994)
General plot: Sent on a seemingly routine mission to Transylvania by his benefactors at "International Operations"/I.O., Colonel Jackson Dane and Team 7 are expected to die within mere moments of setting foot on foreign soil. Dane and co. are however saved by dumb luck when they discover huge tubes of some nondescript substance with a shimmering gold hue. They believe it to be a biological weapon planted by a mysterious foreign power to wreak untold havoc, but in reality it's an all-powerful mcguffin; a symbiote. The alien ooze bonds with the marines as they make their escape in grand fashion, devastating all opposition sent by the boys at I.O. to try and contain them
General thoughts: A good first issue with somewhat heavy political and espionage elements (my own personal "bread & butter"). I'm not really for or against the use of the word "spoilers!", but it is kind of easy to guess what exactly the "mysterious foreign power" is coming out of Transylvania if you like classic monster movies. The symbiotes are interesting, but also very simple visually speaking. But in reality and typical 90's shallowness, the symbiotes serve no true purpose except to deflect gunfire and "look cool" (at least in the beginning anyway. Later on however, there are gradual and distinct changes in the protagonists that show that symbiotes are far more than just merely "soft-core cosmetic accentuators")
Final Rating: Good, Interesting, but not utterly fantastic
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on Feb 22, 2017 1:03:13 GMT -5
Wow, never thought I would see a Wetworks review thread on here...and I'm glad you're doing one! I read the first dozen issues and enjoyed it. Interesting setting and cool characters. I still have the Sourcebook and a few random issues (#7 is a fave). The Sourcebook really hooked me on the characters (and that awesome Nick Manabat artwork). Some favorites from that issue: Mother One  Persephone  Will definitely keep an eye on this thread to catch up on the series. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Feb 22, 2017 1:18:03 GMT -5
Wow, never thought I would see a Wetworks review thread on here...and I'm glad you're doing one! You're welcome~ Really can't understate how completely and utterly baffled I am at how truly forgotten this title seems to be. Hopefully at some point DC will reprint it like they did with Deathblow because it really deserves a second wind of discovery. I shared issue fifteen (which might be a better "hit the ground running" introduction to the series than #1 is) with a coworker earlier today who's very much into the White Wolf table top RPGs (Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, etc.) and she fell in love with it instantly for the exact same reasons I did I also have a bit of thing for "warrior monks", so of course I love Grail |
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Post by Batflunkie on Feb 24, 2017 23:25:09 GMT -5
Wetworks #2 (Published August 1994) General Plot: Taking place roughly a day after the events in #1, the Wetworks crew have managed to ditch I.O. unscathed only to be coerced into joining another group by the mysterious half-cyborg "eyes and ears" of the team, Mother One. At Waering Industries, a prestigious powerhouse of the corporate world (yet another throwback to Wetworks being a send-off to WildC.A.T.s), the Symbiotes (as well as the crew themselves) are tested to their absolute limits. Waering and Dane form an uneasy relationship, get rid of the Vampires and Waering will hand Dane Miles Craven's (the grand pooba of I.O.) head on a silver platter. Their first mission is to stop the Vampire enclave led by Prince Drakken (who also led the assault against the team last issue) from setting off a biological weapon at a music concert General Thoughts: Strong issue with a far more broader scope than the previous. Here we're properly introduced to the one of the main series antagonists, the Night Tribes, Blood-thirsty creatures of the night that live trillions of miles under the Earth's surface and hold true to Warrior codas and societal class structures. Final Rating: A true rolling start to a real romp of a comic
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,391
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Post by shaxper on Feb 24, 2017 23:29:38 GMT -5
Really can't understate how completely and utterly baffled I am at how truly forgotten this title seems to be. The hype and subsequent delays involved with the project came to be a sort of symbol of all that was wrong with early Image and hyped '90s comics in general. I recall the original first issue VERY well -- less the content and more the hype and disappointment. But I wasn't even aware it ever came back later down the road. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Feb 25, 2017 0:01:45 GMT -5
The long delay was mostly brought on by the untimely death of Portachio's wife, so it certainly is understandable
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Post by coinilius on Feb 25, 2017 17:24:58 GMT -5
I collected Wetworks for awhile when it was coming out in Australia, possibly published along with a number of other image titles by Topps but I can't remember - I know that's how I picked up a number of early Spawn issues back in the day, but I also got some of the original Image published issues as well so it's hard to remember without digging them out of storage. Wetworks was a lot of fun and quite well written, plus I was absolutely mad-keen on Portachio's art at the time.
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