|
| Wetworks, Vol. 2 | 
| Authors: Mike Carey, J.m. Dematteis
Creators: Whilce Portacio, Richard Friend, Joel Gomez, Trevor Scott
Publisher: Wildstorm
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $7.35
You Save: $7.64 (51%)
New (28) from $7.35
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 79204
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 10 x 6.4 x 0.4
ISBN: 1401216390
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN: 9781401216399
ASIN: 1401216390
Publication Date: January 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new. Corners are slightly bent. Diffrent cover than pictured. B351
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In the 1990's, superstar comics artist Whilce Portacio and writer Brandon Choi created the best-selling WETWORKS comic book series about a team of black operative soldiers that bond with golden symbiotic armor to battle the supernatural. Now, writers Mike Carey and J.M. DeMatteis continue the team's new adventures, reinvening the title for a new generation. In the series' second volume, Vascar and his demonic vampire horde make contact with the Night Tribes of Earth and reveas their plans to eradicate mankind. Can Wetworks leader Dane and the cyborg Mother One stop the carnage before it's too late?
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Just...not good enough February 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
WETWORKS was a 1990s comic book creation of Filipino artist Whilce Portacio. WETWORKS originally centered on the hardcharging exploits of a group of black ops soldiers who become bonded with golden symbiotes. These symbiotes imbued them with superhuman talents, an edge they desperately needed as they went on to combat the vampire nation. That slam bang series was cancelled after 43 issues, in 1998. In 2006 WildStorm Productions and Whilce Portacio decided to revive the title.
With the exception of team leader Colonel Jackson Dane and the android Mother One, new writer Mike Carey and Whilce opted to people the reformed Wetworks team with new members and thus introduced the werewolf policeman Sebastian Ashe, the pseudo-lifeform Ab-Death (who navigates the line between the living and the dead), and the vampiress Persephone (or Red), formerly of the vampire royal court. Of the three new members, only Red had been featured in the original WETWORKS. Nothing's changed, with regards to Wetworks' primary mission objective. As per norm, the team is pitted against the rampaging undead. So stomping bloodsuckers is again very much on the menu. Supersoldiers vs. the supernatural. For a gorehound like me, this is a nifty, can't miss premise. But, thing is, not even a cool concept is bulletproof and can be sabotaged by weak storytelling, which is what happens here. So, while it's nice to see Whilce reunited with his pet project, poor sales would eventually dictate that this second incarnation only last 15 issues. This trade paperback, WETWORKS Vol. 2 (or Book 2), collects issues #6-9 and #13-15.
Plot SPOILERS now.
Issues #6-9 ("The Scapegoat Effect") finishes off the story arc begun in Wetworks, Vol. 1 as Colonel Dane, Mother One, and Sebastian Ashe attempt to foil the vampire Simon Vascar's convoluted scheme, even as Ab-Death and the grim vampiress Red step into Deadworld and confront the mystical Blood Box, which, after having been the receptacle for the blood and soul of three thousand executed vampires, has attained sentience and now thirsts for genocide. The odds are steeply stacked against Wetworks. Good thing that help is on the way...
The publisher then does us a shabby by skipping issues #10-12. So, for one thing, readers don't get to see Mother-One's second turn at dying and being resurrected. No, instead, it's on to issues #13-15 ("Unholy War"), which closes out the series. At this stage, vampires - those from Dane's world and those formerly imprisoned but now escaped from the parallel earth, Thea Mater - are running amok in Eastern Europe. As it currently stands, the vampire hierarchy is in shambles, and various bloodsucking factions are vying for the vampire throne. The U.S. military is making a last stand, but is rapidly being overwhelmed. Even the efforts of the Wetworks team seem to hardly make a dent in containing the rampant vampire infestation. And, with options fading fast, Dane and Mother Box find themselves knowingly walking into a trap.
SPOILERS end.
To cut to the chase, I was okay with "The Scapegoat Effect." Mike Carey, even though again turning in what I feel is another stint of lazy writing, actually did enough to keep me invested in the story, and in wanting that dangerous nutjob Simon Vascar get his just desserts. Plus, Carey ends up rewarding longtime fans of the classic WETWORKS. Then there's the second story arc "Unholy War" as Keith Giffen and J.M. Dematteis take over the narrative but, disappointingly, don't improve on Mike Carey. Turns out, "Unholy War" doesn't do it for me. Giffen and Dematteis plug in their trademark humor, but, the thing is, this comic book isn't the JUSTICE LEAGUE they polished their brand on. As such, while they didn't really go overboard with the humor, the little that they did inject was jarring and ineffective...and just not funny. I cringed every time I read the weak banter between Dane and Mother One, which, I'm assuming, is what passes in these pages as character development. And, even when there's no attempt at humor, the characters engaged in way too much cliche-driven dialogue. There's also a rushed feeling to the story, a bit of incoherence, which undermines the epic tone the writers were going for. The ending had a tragic element in it, but since the writers hadn't done a good enough job of making me care for the characters, the impact was less than it should've been. Giffen and Dematteis, what happened here?
And a pox on the artwork. Creator Whilce Portacio graces issue #6 with interior pencils but, from then on, provides only cover artwork. Instead, a cavalcade of artists take over, starting with issue #7. Too many artists, if you ask me, which lends an inconsistent look to these pages.
Coming down to it, WETWORKS is ultimately one example of a comic book not reaching its potential. However, having said that, I'm so into this horror/sci-fi/military action premise that, if there were to be a third regular series, I'd probably come on board. And I still count Whilce Portacio as a pretty darn good illustrator. I wish him well; he seems to be a cool dude. And, hopefully, his health improves to the point where he becomes more prolific, or at least, more steady in his work output.
And those jonesing for more WETWORKS action should check out the forthcoming Wildstorm: Armageddon, which features WETWORKS, along with other WildStorm titles (THE AUTHORITY, GEN 13, WILDCATS, STORMWATCH, and WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY).
By the way, if the vampire infestation in Eastern Europe was so alarmingly out of control, I would've thought superhero teams like the Authority or Stormwatch would've stepped in. Just a thought.
 Just Awful February 6, 2008
While Volume 1 was passable and showed small glimmers of promise, this volume degrades over the course of the book, both in terms of artwork and story. The dialogue in particular is horrendous. Awful.
|
|
|
Wildlife, nature and the Environment
Sponsored Links
Learn how to get your own Amazon Book shop | |
