Stormwatch: Post Human Division

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Creative team
Stormwatch: Post Human Division
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Publisher	Wildstorm
Schedule	On hiatus
Format	Monthly
Publication date	November 2006 – November 2007 (#1-12) August 2008 — (#13)
Main character(s)	Current Roster John Doran Fahrenheit Paris Gorgeous The Monstrosity Black Betty The Machinist Jackson King
Writer(s)	Ian Edginton
Penciller(s)	Leandro Fernandez
Inker(s)	Francisco Paronzini
Creator(s)	Christos Gage Doug Mahnke

Stormwatch: Post Human Division is a Wildstorm Universe comic book which was one of several that started following Wildstorm's WorldStorm event. It began in November 2006, written by Christos Gage with Doug Mahnke handling the pencils (on #1-4 and 6-7).

The series ended in issue #12,^[1] but will restart in August 2008 under the "World’s End" banner following the conclusion of Wildstorm’s Number of the Beast limited series.^[2]

1 Overview
2 Characters
3 Storylines
4 Collections
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Overview

Several dead characters are back for this series, their resurrection being explained in the series.^[3] In this new series, Stormwatch Prime has been reconstituted as the United States' superhuman crisis response team, but a branch office has been set up in New York. Entitled Stormwatch: Post Human Division (P.H.D.), they are underfunded and overworked, their mission is to find "cost-effective" methods of saving the day.^[4]

[edit] Characters

The series follows the branch office as Stormwatch leader, former Weatherman Jackson King, tries to defeat superhuman menaces and balance the tight budget. The team assembled by King consists of:

John Doran, the team's leader, an NYPD officer who displayed incredible courage and insight which allowed him to survive a post human battle. He was also chosen as he represents the ordinary human being on the team.
Fahrenheit, Lauren Pennington, moved from Stormwatch Prime after injuries caused her to temporarily lose her powers.
Paris, a former Stormforce soldier with a natural aptitude to identify his opponents' weak points.
Gorgeous, Wanda Durst, a master manipulator and former moll to supervillains.
Black Betty, a former apprentice to a sorcerer named Jeremiah Cain.^[5]
The Monstrosity, Dr. Mordecai Shaw, forensics expert, shape-shifting human-alien hybrid and reluctant ex-supervillain.
The Machinist, Dino, an ex-supervillain and technology expert.

[edit] Storylines

[edit] Formation

As seen in Worldstorm preview (6 pages) and issues #1-4, #6-7 art by Doug Mahnke.

[edit] Resurrections

Issue #5, with art by Matthew Dow Smith.

The story helps explain the return of some of the members of Stormwatch thought killed in "WildC.A.T.s/Aliens".^[3]

[edit] Who Shot Jackson King?

Issues #8-9 with art by Andy Smith.

[edit] Death in the Family

Issues #10-12 with art by Andy Smith.

[edit] Breach of Trust

This took place during the The Authority: Prime limited series.

[edit] Visions of Armageddon

The fifth part of the Wildstorm: Armageddon crossover focused on Stormwatch: PHD. It was written by Christos Gage with art from penciller Leandro Fernandez^[6] and inker Francisco Paronzini.

John Doran is brought to post-apocalypse Earth by Void. There he encounters Fahrenheit who explains to him the fates of each member of PHD. Paris retreated to his nature preserve to look after his animals and kill any poachers foolish enough to trespass. Black Betty took her family inside of the comatose Jeramiah Cain's home and transported the brownstone to another dimension. Gorgeous has returned to her old ways of leaning on a man to look after her, in this case the Monstrosity; the two seem to be the picture of love. The Machinist has become a virtual god for being able to return the power to Raleigh, North Carolina. John himself has died, going down fighting.

The two are then teleported to the newly built Skywatch III space station where they are met by a bearded and armored Jackson King. After scans verify John's identity, King explains how the funding for the station opened up after the incident involving the bunker and how his powers have grown since being shot in the head. He outlines his plan to rebuild the world, better than before, to which John muses that King sounds like the Authority or his father. King refutes this.

Void reappears to return John to the present. After they're gone a technician reports to King that they have analyzed her temporal signature. The image of him overlooking the Earth mirrors the image of the shadowy figure seen in issue #5.

[edit] World's End

As part of the World’s End storyline, a number of titles were re-launched and one of those was Stormwatch: Post Human Division, with the writer Ian Edginton and the Armageddon art team.

It will restart in issue #13 dated August 20, 2008.^[7]

The story is set in the aftermath of Number of the Beast. Previews show the "Human" on the cover crossed out and replaced with the word "Earth." Jackson King is once again holding the title of Weatherman, running Stormwatch from the new Skywatch equipped with solar sails "in high orbit. Out of the reach of vacuum-capable 'supers,' yet close enough to still use the teleport." The change in name mirrors a change in the team, which is closer to Stormwatch Prime and contains various super-powered characters including Link, Fuji, Christine Trelane, Deathblow, Fahrenheit and Flint.

As of yet, there is no indication of why Deathblow has yet again returned from the dead or how Flint has returned following the abrupt ending of Stormwatch: Team Achilles.

[edit] Collections

The series has been collected in the following trade paperback:

Volume 1 (collects Worldstorm #1 and Stormwatch: Post Human Division #1-4 and 6-7, 160 pages, July 2007, ISBN 1401215009)^[8]
Volume 2 (collects Stormwatch: Post Human Division #5 and #8-12, 144 pages, April 2008, ISBN 1401216781)^[9]