Waller vs. Wildstorm #4 is the final issue of Spencer Ackerman and Evan Narcisse’s DC Black Label series about Amanda Waller’s rise to power in the waning days of the Cold War. Amanda Waller has been working with Adeline Kane to establish a strategic American foothold in the Pacific. Their use of espionage and super heroics makes for a very talky issue that still delivers some great world building and a bit of action.
The opening text boxes are from Lois Lane’s reporting on the recent happenings in Gamorra and Checkmate’s hand in them. This efficiently recaps the events of the first three issues and provides historical context for the fictional lands of Gamorra and Parousia. This transitions into a government hearing in which the chairman is reading the article and its gruesome revelations to Amanda and Adeline themselves. This scene is quietly brutal as the white men leading the hearing are more annoyed by how they found out about the humans rights violations committed in Gamorra than the fact that horrible things happened to people. This total disregard for the matters they are dealing with is reinforced by some great little details – one dude falls asleep for a bit, and the chairman can’t be bothered to refer to Amanda by name, opting to call her “the other lady.”
After the inconvenience of the hearing is over, it’s time to meet The Weatherman and the true wielders of power in this story. In a very cool bit of world building, Amanda, Adelide, and some members of Skywatch are flown up to the Skywatch satellite in special suits designed for near space travel. Once aboard they meet a different, yet similar group of men. Different in that they are more gleeful about the events in Gamorra, but similar in that their minds are elsewhere, unconcerned with these women they’re being forced to talk to. Once plans for the future of Gamorra are settled upon, Amanda and Adeline are ushered out of the story so the men can continue about their business. Adeline gets “promoted” into a role where she can’t be troublesome and Amanda gets sent to operate the infamous Belle Reve prison.
From space to Virginia to a pacific island, the art is consistently detailed and expressive. A very conversational issue remains dynamic and visually interesting across the many locales of the story. Jesus Merion and Vicente Ciruentes have the range as the story traverses the lushest jungles to the most sterile near-space conference rooms while Michael Atiyeh’s colors are also up to the diverse challenges of the tropical plant life, the cold, smooth, sci-fi surfaces, and everything in between.
Waller vs. Wildstorm has been a unique corner of superhero comics this year and has been a pleasure to review. Comics newcomer Spencer Ackerman is welcome back any time.
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