Mind's Eye Comics Pick!! -- Waller vs. Wildstorm #1

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1, DC Comics

Writer: Spencer Ackerman and Evan Narcisse

Artist: Jesus Merino

*Note: This is a DC Black Label comic, and contains mature themes and language.

Set in the final days of the Cold War, Waller vs. Wildstorm is centered on a young Lois Lane's investigation of the resistance movement within the nation of Gamorra. As the U.S. military ends its proxy war, and the interests of the new regime become intertwined with their own, a resistance movement is declaring war on the new appointed leader, Yumiko Gamorra, daughter of the previous leader. As Lois digs deeper, and tries to convince her editor to run the story, a note appears from Jackson King to meet him for information. Jackson, better known as Battalion from Stormwatch, has documented information on the meteoric rise of Amanda Waller, who is connected to a black site in Afghanistan, and off the books operations. From his role within Stormwatch, and Checkmate, Jackson has gathered proof that the U.S. has inserted Amanda Waller to find anyone with superpowers, to be used for the benefit of Checkmate and to possibly aid Yumiko herself. 

A deep, but fairly quick read, Waller vs Wildstorm is a fascinating combination of both classic Wildstorm and DC comics characters being fused together. The placing of the story at the end of the Cold War, and the rise of Amanda Waller within the system, is also really interesting. On the surface, this can seem like a big fan mashup, but it actually really works well. Cameo appearances by some fan favorite Wildstorm characters, including Deathblow and Grifter (and others), make the crossover feel more complete and nostalgic for older readers. The intersection of the two sets of characters is via the investigations of both Lois Lane and Jackson King coming together. Longtime DC Comics readers will recognize Amanda Waller as a cold-hearted, calculating and extremely intelligent character, and seeing her rise within the system here is immensely satisfying. With multiple subplots in motion, the wait for issue two will be long, but I can't wait to see where this series goes.