The trouble with these anthology-type specials is that no matter how good some of the stories are, it's next to impossible that all of them are going to hit anyone's sensibilities equally. The Eye of the Storm Annual has a pretty good average, actually, as I liked two of the stories, loved one of them and was only really disappointed by one. Still, in looking at the price-tag and how much else is out there to read, it's hard not to keep looking at the flaws just as much as the successes, especially when I note that two of the stories I really liked are by the same writer, whose work I can sample on a monthly Eye of the Storm book instead. This book introduces one intriguing new set of characters, reintroduces another and explores solo members of a couple different Eye of the Storm books, and though it's really pretty accessible, I expect that the main audience is going to be those currently enjoying Wildcats 3.0 and/or Stormwatch: Team Achilles. Fans of either of those books should give this one a look for sure, others might want to peruse it in the shop before making their final decisions.
The lead story, and the cover story for that matter, is the one that I honestly just can't get excited about. It's the return of Wetworks, which was Whilce Portacio's entry into the original Image universe. Wetworks was always a troubled production, starting late, seemingly changing direction and creative team fairly frequently and never quite coming together. At least for me, which means that this reunion story of sorts, a flashback to the members of the team and an examination of what happened to two of them, with an enigmatic (that's a polite way of saying it doesn't make any sense) ending that hints at a return of the team just didn't connect with me. In fairness, though, Portacio's art is cleaner here than it had been on Team Achilles, and the story isn't badly done, it just happens to feature characters I don't care about, and writing and art that doesn't make me care about them any more.
Speaking of Team Achilles, though, the real standout on this book is Micah Ian Wright, the writer of that book. By far the best story in the Annual is Wright's story of Jukko Hamalainen, explaining the man's unusual power (and curse) of being able to feel the pain of others and turning it into a character development piece and an entertaining look at a night in his life. It doesn't hurt that the art is by Tomm Coker, whose shadowy and realistic style is just the thing for a late-night tour of New York and an unflinching portrayal of the scarred Jukko. Wright and Coker tell the story with a darkly humorous bent, and the result stands out not just as the strongest story in the Annual but as one of the better Team Achilles stories yet to be told.
Wright's other story, told from a similar first person point-of-view, is about Grifter and a frankly unimportant courier mission. I know it's unimportant because the goal is never really explained to us, instead Grifter spends the story talking in metaphor, relating his current mercenary career to his job as a pizza delivery boy. The comparison works well, in no small part because Wright's story carries with it the ring of truth, or at least the ring of "yeah, that could have happened" and it humanizes Grifter to some degree. Carlos D'Anda's artwork is flashy and impressive, perhaps a little less clear in some storytelling aspects than it could be, but certainly effective in conveying Grifter's surroundings or the impressive scale of his adversary.
The original concept introduced in this book is by Geoff Johns and Jason Pearson, a tale of vigilante time travel that seems like a fascinating concept. There's not much room to explore the concept in this short story, but there's enough room to introduce the concept and the characters, and the hook has me wanting more. Johns has been showing off his darker side lately in the Flash and Possessed, and this one also looks at the darker side of human nature and inevitability as well. Pearson's work has a sexy, sleek and, yes, dark edge to it as well, and I particularly enjoyed his character design for Rake, although all of the characters look great, reminiscent of a goth version of Alan Davis's Technet characters. And the notion of time travelling mercenaries for hire with very loose morals makes for a great central idea.
