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Waller vs. Wildstorm #1-4
Waller vs. Wildstorm
In the early 1980s, as the Cold War stubbornly refuses to thaw, a new battle heats up…for the soul of the intelligence agency Checkmate.
As the agency’s super-heroic public face, Jackson King—a.k.a. the armored Battalion, former leader of Stormwatch and the symbol of American might—has long suspected that Adeline Kane is up to dirty tricks overseas, engineering horrors that betray everything he believes about service to one’s country.
But King doesn’t know that Kane has a clever new ally—an ambitious young woman named Amanda Waller. She has her own ideas about how metahumans can serve their country. And honor, dignity, and long lives don’t factor into them…
National-security reporter Spencer Ackerman, comics and video game writer Evan Narcisse, and a variety of top artists celebrate WildStorm’s legacy of espionage-flavored superhero morality plays, pitting Stormwatch against the deadliest people in the DCU—including Deathstroke himself!
Collects Waller vs. Wildstorm #1-4.
As the agency’s super-heroic public face, Jackson King—a.k.a. the armored Battalion, former leader of Stormwatch and the symbol of American might—has long suspected that Adeline Kane is up to dirty tricks overseas, engineering horrors that betray everything he believes about service to one’s country.
But King doesn’t know that Kane has a clever new ally—an ambitious young woman named Amanda Waller. She has her own ideas about how metahumans can serve their country. And honor, dignity, and long lives don’t factor into them…
National-security reporter Spencer Ackerman, comics and video game writer Evan Narcisse, and a variety of top artists celebrate WildStorm’s legacy of espionage-flavored superhero morality plays, pitting Stormwatch against the deadliest people in the DCU—including Deathstroke himself!
Collects Waller vs. Wildstorm #1-4.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published January 30, 2024
31 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 26, 2025
Waller vs Wildstorm, apesar de ser um quadrinho do selo DC Black Label, acredito que seja um bom encadernado para fãs da DC, principalmente aqueles que gostam da Amanda Waller e do Esquadrão Suicida, porque essa HQ vai tratar justamente do período da Waller antes de assumir a prisão de Belle Reve.
Na trama, somos apresentados à uma Waller ainda nova, que acabara de assumir um cargo como chefe de uma base secreta, mas que com apenas um ano de serviço, conseguiu se destacar e subir diversos cargos dentro da organização do Xeque-Mate.
Se tratando da organização Xeque-Mate, ela é o grande foco da HQ, pois logo no inicio da HQ, acompanhamos uma conversa entre Jackson King e Lois Lane, a qual o King repassa informações para Lois que comprovam que a Xeque Mate, a qual ele faz parte e já defendeu um dia, está realizando atividades periculosas com meta-humanos.
Esse é o grande cenário da HQ, King e Lois tentando desmascarar a Xeque Mate e entender o que está acontecendo por trás dos panos da organização, enquanto Waller e Adeline Kane, buscam continuar suas atividades com Meta-Humanos, coordenando a equipe de heróis da Wildstorm que fazem parte do Xeque Mate junto do Exterminador.
Além de toda essa conspiração que permeia a organização, o quadrinho também é muito pautado por temáticas políticas, pois a Waller e Adeline representam os interesses dos Estados Unidos, e utilizam desses meta humanos para realizar ataques terroristas e cometer genocídios contra países em que os EUA possuem interesses políticos e financeiros.
É nítido que o repórter que roteirizou essa HQ, colocou nas paginas o que ele acompanhou cobrindo guerras pelo mundo, pois a Xeque Mate utiliza os meta humanos para invadir países menos desenvolvidos e apoiar um governo autoritário de uma burguesa, que inclusive encomenda material dos meta humanos para subjugar a população local, que organiza uma resistência armada.
Ademais, é um quadrinho interessante, com muita política, leitura densa e as vezes confusa, pois são personagens que não estamos acostumados, além de toda conspiração e traições envolvidas, que realizam idas e vindas no roteiro.
Na trama, somos apresentados à uma Waller ainda nova, que acabara de assumir um cargo como chefe de uma base secreta, mas que com apenas um ano de serviço, conseguiu se destacar e subir diversos cargos dentro da organização do Xeque-Mate.
Se tratando da organização Xeque-Mate, ela é o grande foco da HQ, pois logo no inicio da HQ, acompanhamos uma conversa entre Jackson King e Lois Lane, a qual o King repassa informações para Lois que comprovam que a Xeque Mate, a qual ele faz parte e já defendeu um dia, está realizando atividades periculosas com meta-humanos.
Esse é o grande cenário da HQ, King e Lois tentando desmascarar a Xeque Mate e entender o que está acontecendo por trás dos panos da organização, enquanto Waller e Adeline Kane, buscam continuar suas atividades com Meta-Humanos, coordenando a equipe de heróis da Wildstorm que fazem parte do Xeque Mate junto do Exterminador.
Além de toda essa conspiração que permeia a organização, o quadrinho também é muito pautado por temáticas políticas, pois a Waller e Adeline representam os interesses dos Estados Unidos, e utilizam desses meta humanos para realizar ataques terroristas e cometer genocídios contra países em que os EUA possuem interesses políticos e financeiros.
É nítido que o repórter que roteirizou essa HQ, colocou nas paginas o que ele acompanhou cobrindo guerras pelo mundo, pois a Xeque Mate utiliza os meta humanos para invadir países menos desenvolvidos e apoiar um governo autoritário de uma burguesa, que inclusive encomenda material dos meta humanos para subjugar a população local, que organiza uma resistência armada.
Ademais, é um quadrinho interessante, com muita política, leitura densa e as vezes confusa, pois são personagens que não estamos acostumados, além de toda conspiração e traições envolvidas, que realizam idas e vindas no roteiro.
February 9, 2024
I get the impulse to not want politics in work that you use to escape reality, but all art is always political. It’s just that more often than not that politic in American superhero comics is jingoistic fascism 🙃 and Americans are conditioned to celebrate that orientation.
I was excited to read this due to Ackerman’s journalism background and his appearances on the Cerebro podcast. His perspective on the work that comics do is always insightful and he brings that to this book while not making the misstep that many first time comic writers do of creating an illustrated prose narrative.
His attentiveness to the rhythms of comics amid this incisive takedown and exploration of the US intelligence apparatus makes this an exciting work lacking the sheen of a think piece adapted to comic form that I felt plagued writing from Coates’s early Black Panther run, something Coates later addressed as that run got better and better.
Narcisse’s art on this is incredible and I love the throwback 80’s look it has that makes it feel like a comic DC couldn’t release at the time. His characters all look distinct and his acting provoked some strong feelings from me as we see characters learn the extent of rot in the world.
More of this please.
I was excited to read this due to Ackerman’s journalism background and his appearances on the Cerebro podcast. His perspective on the work that comics do is always insightful and he brings that to this book while not making the misstep that many first time comic writers do of creating an illustrated prose narrative.
His attentiveness to the rhythms of comics amid this incisive takedown and exploration of the US intelligence apparatus makes this an exciting work lacking the sheen of a think piece adapted to comic form that I felt plagued writing from Coates’s early Black Panther run, something Coates later addressed as that run got better and better.
Narcisse’s art on this is incredible and I love the throwback 80’s look it has that makes it feel like a comic DC couldn’t release at the time. His characters all look distinct and his acting provoked some strong feelings from me as we see characters learn the extent of rot in the world.
More of this please.
February 5, 2024
3.5
Really for those deep into Wildstorm and not the squad. Has a meh ending.
Really for those deep into Wildstorm and not the squad. Has a meh ending.
Read
October 29, 2025thought-provoking and powerful, if a bit overly direct (which is to be expected for a first foray into writing comics following a career in journalism). i love all the complexities of how amanda waller in particular was depicted here--such an incredible depiction of how marginalized people in the US become complicit in US imperialism in an attempt at self-preservation/self-promotion, which is of course both morally bankrupt and ultimately doomed.
February 1, 2025
Acabei gostando mais desse quadrinho do que esperava, afinal, fui com uma baixa expectativa para lê-lo e com uma enorme curiosidade para ver como, no selo sem cronologia Black Label, os artífices da DC Comics colocariam a inescrupulosa Amanda Waller contra os super-heróis do selo criado por Jim Lee, a WildStorm. A história abre com uma conversa entre Jackson King, o Batalhão do StormWatch com a jornalista Lois Lane, já deixando claro que os dois universos se misturarão sem dó. E assim é com personagens da WildStorm assumindo cargos na organização Xeque-Mate, com o Exterminador fazendo parte do Team 7, entre outras "melhorias" do que foi feito na inciativa Os Novos 52. É uma boa história com bons desenhos e Jésus Merino tratando ao mesmo tempo com espionagem, intrigas internacionais e investigação jornalística, todos colocando suas cabeças a risco a todo instante. Para quem conhece um pouco dos personagens da WildStorm pode ser mais divertido, embora isso não faça diferença para o entendimento da história como um todo.
April 19, 2024
What if Verso Books published a Wildstorm comic?
I enjoy Ackerman’s writing on national security politics, and it’s uniquely cool to see him channel that POV into guest writing a throwback superhero comic. This sort of comic can easily end up a parody of self-importance when it’s written by someone with well-honed comic writing experience and a much less honed political worldview/knowledge. Ackerman thankfully has the opposite background, plus an obvious deep love for reading comics; he also mentions that Narcisse was a huge help as a co-writer in giving him a crash course in scripting comics.
As for the actual story, it’s centered around a fictional Iran-Contra type covert op in the late 80s, told in fragments from many different angles: there’s a super-powered whistleblower speaking to Lois Lane in the field (with each of their motivations for getting the report out or even what part of it is most vital not quite lining up), there’s an intelligence organization with an innocuous stated purpose and requisite bland office building in Fairfax (overstepping its bounds by committing deniable international actions through private military subcontractors), and there’s classified legislative hearings about all of the above. It all feels deeply informed by the shape of real world events without ever feeling like an op-ed awkwardly forced to fit the shape of a comic book.
Amanda Waller and Lois Lane and Deathshot play major roles, but otherwise the superhero specifics seem to come from 90s Wildstorm comics, which I’m not very familiar with but thought Ackerman’s enthusiasm for worked well. The art is drawn and colored with obvious talent, but it’s using a very stylized 80s or 90s comic aesthetic that fits the setting well but isn’t my personal favorite. Despite that, it’d still mostly won me over by the end.
“America is just the clothes Capital wears.”
“Since when does America build a weapon it doesn’t export?”
“They don’t understand that the U.N. will be an adjunct of American power, rather than a constraint on it.”
“You know how you get back at these fuckers? You bill their asses.”
“…this committee cannot read about things like this in the newspaper. Can’t happen. The other business. With the girl. That can’t happen either. But I hope that once the press moves on, we can recognize that you did something big here…”
“She believes herself unbound by her history. She is like you in that respect.”
“The stars are such a sight from up here. You should see them while you can. The trip back down goes faster than you’d expect.”
I enjoy Ackerman’s writing on national security politics, and it’s uniquely cool to see him channel that POV into guest writing a throwback superhero comic. This sort of comic can easily end up a parody of self-importance when it’s written by someone with well-honed comic writing experience and a much less honed political worldview/knowledge. Ackerman thankfully has the opposite background, plus an obvious deep love for reading comics; he also mentions that Narcisse was a huge help as a co-writer in giving him a crash course in scripting comics.
As for the actual story, it’s centered around a fictional Iran-Contra type covert op in the late 80s, told in fragments from many different angles: there’s a super-powered whistleblower speaking to Lois Lane in the field (with each of their motivations for getting the report out or even what part of it is most vital not quite lining up), there’s an intelligence organization with an innocuous stated purpose and requisite bland office building in Fairfax (overstepping its bounds by committing deniable international actions through private military subcontractors), and there’s classified legislative hearings about all of the above. It all feels deeply informed by the shape of real world events without ever feeling like an op-ed awkwardly forced to fit the shape of a comic book.
Amanda Waller and Lois Lane and Deathshot play major roles, but otherwise the superhero specifics seem to come from 90s Wildstorm comics, which I’m not very familiar with but thought Ackerman’s enthusiasm for worked well. The art is drawn and colored with obvious talent, but it’s using a very stylized 80s or 90s comic aesthetic that fits the setting well but isn’t my personal favorite. Despite that, it’d still mostly won me over by the end.
“America is just the clothes Capital wears.”
“Since when does America build a weapon it doesn’t export?”
“They don’t understand that the U.N. will be an adjunct of American power, rather than a constraint on it.”
“You know how you get back at these fuckers? You bill their asses.”
“…this committee cannot read about things like this in the newspaper. Can’t happen. The other business. With the girl. That can’t happen either. But I hope that once the press moves on, we can recognize that you did something big here…”
“She believes herself unbound by her history. She is like you in that respect.”
“The stars are such a sight from up here. You should see them while you can. The trip back down goes faster than you’d expect.”
August 10, 2025
I think I went into this one with hopes that were far too high, because this book certainly didn't live up to them.
I had not previously read anything by Ackerman, but expected something solid based on his journalism (what I've heard about it, not read) and his Iron Man writing (what I've heard about it, not read).
I expected some real planned out writing with a lot of depth.
I also was excited to see classic Wildstorm characters, with Stormwatch in particular being a favorite, plus what I hoped would be an updated but still classic version of Amanda Waller and of Checkmate (though I haven't read recent Checkmate runs, I loved the 80s and 90s version).
In the end, I felt that we had a lot (if not all) characters acting out of character. I don't just mean that these were updated versions, so not identical to the originals, but that they were completely contradictory to the core of the characters and really might as well have had brand new names and looks.
The members of Stormwatch do not act like themselves... the cameo of Team 7 falls victim to the same thing... Deathstroke and Adeline Kane are weak and unlike previous representations of themselves... and worst of all is Amanda Waller. This is a character that, at her core (in my opinion) is a regular woman, with a regular body, playing politicians and metahumans into her game. Here, however... well, no spoilers, but I was disappointed by the ending.
I was also disappointed how key characters, for whom this should have been the perfect vehicle for a relaunch into relativity, were just killed off without any real impact.
Beyond that, Ackerman seems to (from the afterword) have felt that he presented some real moral dilemmas, leading the read to think about different sides of the story, but that just wasn't my takeaway. Lois Lane gets her story rejected for being a cliche about capitalism bad, colonialism bad, etc., and that really speaks to the whole story. There are suggestions of depth that are not actually explored, and, in the end, I think Ostrander handled Waller and Checkmate better in Suicide Squad, Wolfman handled Deathstroke and Kane better, and Ellis gave more gray to Stormwatch.
I would only recommend this one if you're a completist, wanting to see these characters again, even if they are only them on the surface.
I had not previously read anything by Ackerman, but expected something solid based on his journalism (what I've heard about it, not read) and his Iron Man writing (what I've heard about it, not read).
I expected some real planned out writing with a lot of depth.
I also was excited to see classic Wildstorm characters, with Stormwatch in particular being a favorite, plus what I hoped would be an updated but still classic version of Amanda Waller and of Checkmate (though I haven't read recent Checkmate runs, I loved the 80s and 90s version).
In the end, I felt that we had a lot (if not all) characters acting out of character. I don't just mean that these were updated versions, so not identical to the originals, but that they were completely contradictory to the core of the characters and really might as well have had brand new names and looks.
The members of Stormwatch do not act like themselves... the cameo of Team 7 falls victim to the same thing... Deathstroke and Adeline Kane are weak and unlike previous representations of themselves... and worst of all is Amanda Waller. This is a character that, at her core (in my opinion) is a regular woman, with a regular body, playing politicians and metahumans into her game. Here, however... well, no spoilers, but I was disappointed by the ending.
I was also disappointed how key characters, for whom this should have been the perfect vehicle for a relaunch into relativity, were just killed off without any real impact.
Beyond that, Ackerman seems to (from the afterword) have felt that he presented some real moral dilemmas, leading the read to think about different sides of the story, but that just wasn't my takeaway. Lois Lane gets her story rejected for being a cliche about capitalism bad, colonialism bad, etc., and that really speaks to the whole story. There are suggestions of depth that are not actually explored, and, in the end, I think Ostrander handled Waller and Checkmate better in Suicide Squad, Wolfman handled Deathstroke and Kane better, and Ellis gave more gray to Stormwatch.
I would only recommend this one if you're a completist, wanting to see these characters again, even if they are only them on the surface.
August 27, 2024
This book took me wayyy too long to read, and it's certainly not going to be everyone's jam. My ADHD has been making it difficult even to get through more than a page or two at a time of a comic book on my lunch breaks at work or at other times when I think I'm sitting down to read somewhere but also have my phone on me. And this leans heavily into the realm of petty rivalries and bureaucracy within intelligence agencies (rather than it being focused on the action between, say, WildC.A.T.S. vs Suicide Squad). I didn't recognize the name of the writer until reading his afterword, but this is his debut in comics writing, after being an investigative international journalist for decades, often embedded amongst secretive, power player types who resemble certain archetypes we see in a lot of superhero comics and action-espionage movies. And he's a big comics fan but acknowledges that these two aspects of his experience don't necessarily translate to being a good comic book writer, so I respect that much more that he made this script as engaging and coherent as it is. It was fun seeing Lois Lane pre-Superman and a ret-conned origin story for Amanda Waller now that WildStorm's full toybox/catalog has been brought into the DC Universe (AFAIK). There are even some nice Easter eggs for those of us who have read some of the newer Wildstorm comics and know the truth about the Daemonites and their ancient war.
May 27, 2024
If we were gonna get a Waller origin I would have preferred a Year One book. Either way this is still a good story, especially if you love the Wildstorm stuff cause those characters are in here a lot. In my opinion Lois Lane is the best part of the book as she shows off her hard nosed character and investigative prowess. Ultimately, I don't think the Wildstorm characters were as compelling as the writers wanted them to be, but Waller is always a fascinating lead, and after watching her story unfold here, it's very easy to see how she turned into the manipulative master she is today.
July 9, 2024
It was okay but it falls far short of the heights that John Ostrander reached writing on similar themes in Suicide Squad (and where he created Amanda Waller). I understand that Ackerman is a reporter in prose and this is his first major comic book work so it's unsurprising that it's middling. I also had some trouble caring about the random metahuman characters and couldn't remember what Bishops did.
I hope Ackerman keeps at it and produces more critiques of American power in a comic book narrative. 3.5/5
I hope Ackerman keeps at it and produces more critiques of American power in a comic book narrative. 3.5/5
February 26, 2024
Only for those who REALLY loved the old Wildstorm universe...
This is a Black Label title, so we can expect 'adult themes'. World domination and violence counts, right? In this alternate take on things we get a glimpse at Amanda Waller's rise in the ranks. This is heavy in the politics and machinations and sparse with the superheroics.
Bonus: Cameos by Team 7, Lord Imp, Deathblow, and Supreme
Bonus Bonus: So normal DC enthusiasts aren't lost, cameos by Deathstroke and Lois Lane
This is a Black Label title, so we can expect 'adult themes'. World domination and violence counts, right? In this alternate take on things we get a glimpse at Amanda Waller's rise in the ranks. This is heavy in the politics and machinations and sparse with the superheroics.
Bonus: Cameos by Team 7, Lord Imp, Deathblow, and Supreme
Bonus Bonus: So normal DC enthusiasts aren't lost, cameos by Deathstroke and Lois Lane
March 20, 2024
love Spencer Ackerman's political writing. love the character Amanda Waller. was really hoping this would be a slam dunk for me. but I do not know anything about Wildstorm or Checkmate, and this book didn't do much to invest me in those properties. since they represent most of the prominent characters in the story, nothing deeper than the fairly obvious, slightly tortured allegory really landed for me
August 1, 2024
Turns out, it's hard to care about yet another DC-adjacent reboot of Wildstorm. Also, the whole Waller is eveil trope has gotten super old.
There are elements of this book that are fine. It's got a good Lois Lane (no surprise, since the author is a journalist) and it picks up toward the end, but despite loving these characters I just have so much ennui toward yet another one-off reboot that it became increasingly annoying as I read.
There are elements of this book that are fine. It's got a good Lois Lane (no surprise, since the author is a journalist) and it picks up toward the end, but despite loving these characters I just have so much ennui toward yet another one-off reboot that it became increasingly annoying as I read.
August 27, 2024
Acabei de ler essa obra na edição da panini, queria ter gostado mais.
o Roteiro elabora uma trama de conspiração politico militar envolvendo os personagens do universo Wildstorm em eventos que precedem a ascensão de Amanda Waller no comando da agência Xeque mate, tudo é politica tudo é pela América uma trama de traições, assassinatos e corrupçaõ em países do terceiro mundo sendo investiga por ex herói e uma certa reporter do Planeta Diário
Vale a leitura se for muito fã do selo Wildstorm
o Roteiro elabora uma trama de conspiração politico militar envolvendo os personagens do universo Wildstorm em eventos que precedem a ascensão de Amanda Waller no comando da agência Xeque mate, tudo é politica tudo é pela América uma trama de traições, assassinatos e corrupçaõ em países do terceiro mundo sendo investiga por ex herói e uma certa reporter do Planeta Diário
Vale a leitura se for muito fã do selo Wildstorm
January 16, 2025
This is basically an origin story for Amanda Waller, showing her rise through the ranks at Checkmate and eventual assignment to Belle Reve prison, all against a background of political infighting and corruption within the ranks at Checkmate and Stormwatch. And it's pretty good. Maybe a bit more wordy and with less action than your usual story, but for me it worked. Good, strong artwork throughout.
July 3, 2025
I will always love Wildstorm fan service. I thought the writing here was pretty intriguing and the dialogue was denser than the average comic. Definitely reflected the author's day job in a skillful way. Art could have been better, though it did capture the feeling of those B/C-tier Wildstorm books. I wanted to like it more, I think if Ackerman was given more issues to breathe and explore this could have been 4-5 stars.
July 25, 2024
I have absolutely no knowledge of the Wildstorm imprint, so I actually had to re-read the first issue to make sure I was following everything, since several characters are only mentioned by name. It was fairly easy to follow once things get going, though. Waller is always a force to be reckoned with, and this serves as something of an origin story for her. Lots of intrigue and brutality.
September 24, 2024
Four stars because I love Spencer Ackerman AND having him write Amanda Waller is fuckin’ dream. Spencer-hive: rise up!
I will say: I really had no business reason this bc I don’t know shit about fuck when it comes to Wildstorm. I also think writing in DC’s black label is freeing in some ways, but may be limiting in others. I’m very much looking forward to reading his Iron Man.
I will say: I really had no business reason this bc I don’t know shit about fuck when it comes to Wildstorm. I also think writing in DC’s black label is freeing in some ways, but may be limiting in others. I’m very much looking forward to reading his Iron Man.
April 17, 2025
Sadly lacking in any Stormwatch/Authority content, aside from a brief cameo from Angie Spica as a transport tech who gets people up to the Stormwatch station with an early prototype of her Engineer suit. It was a black label book so I don’t get why it felt so pointless? It was written like it had to slot into DC lore so it ended up just feeling like an Amanda Waller backstory piece
December 23, 2023
Brutal, dark and great. Right up the alley of anyone that enjoys spycraft and politics. Amanda Waller shows why she is the best in the DC Universe.
March 12, 2024
still have no idea what a wildstorm is but this was pretty good
May 26, 2024
Solid book. Felt like a throw back to books DC published in the 1980's. Good read.
December 1, 2024
This was interesting but I had a bit of trouble getting into it since I didn't know the characters at all - I felt that if I had that background, I would have appreciated it better.
Read
February 22, 2026read for the pod
February 11, 2025
Politics vs Heroes
It has to be said upfront, this book sticks the landing. Now you can read it all the way through the confusing beginning and middle. The art is a bit old-school but it fits the story.
It has to be said upfront, this book sticks the landing. Now you can read it all the way through the confusing beginning and middle. The art is a bit old-school but it fits the story.
June 25, 2025
Interesting start
If you ever wondered about Checkmate and Amanda Waller's beginnings, this is the book for you. Story is good, if not as fulfilling as it could have been. Artwork is great. Give it a shot.
If you ever wondered about Checkmate and Amanda Waller's beginnings, this is the book for you. Story is good, if not as fulfilling as it could have been. Artwork is great. Give it a shot.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews