COUP D'ETAT: SLEEPER REVIEW

[Nick Costanzo]

<img src="http://filebox.vt.edu/users/ncostanz/coupdetatsleeper1.jpg" align=left alt="Coup D'Etat: Sleeper">Reviewer: Nick Costanzo
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Coup D'Etat

There's the smell of treachery in the air. That and corpses.

Written by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Jim Lee
Colors by: Alex Sinclair
Letters by: Phil Balsman
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Editorial Director: Jim Lee
Published by: Paul Levitz

Free will. It's like butterfly wings: once touched, they never get off the ground. No, I only set the stage. You pull your own strings. - Al Pacino, in the role of Satan

And so Wildstorm's much-hyped Coup D'Etat crossover begins, and it does so with a bang. Literally. No, screw that. Bang is an insult. This crossover begins with pure, unbridled, unapologetic destruction that renders the state of Florida to an ash tray, and that's only part of the story.

Ed Brubaker crafts a first issue that blends intense action sequences with an incredibly complex conspiracy plot that leaves my head spinning hours after I've first read it. And really, where better to start a conspiracy than in the brilliant pages of Sleeper? I've only recently discovered this book, but already Tao has become one of my favorite villains. If you read this issue scratching your head over who this guy was, I highly suggest you go out and buy Sleeper #12 right away, and then get busy picking up on all the back issues you missed out on.

Tao isn't the kind of man to simply lay waste to a city for the fun of it, or steal nuclear weapons to gain power or money. He's far more interested in seeing what a supposedly civilized and democratic government might do if it accidentally came across some technology it is clearly not ready for. I mean surely, they'd at least test it extensively, and make sure they know how it works. Especially if this technology had access to the inter-dimensional bleed that once threatened to crush this reality under the folds of every other one simultaneously. Something that nearly snuffed out all the life on this planet... they wouldn't play with something like that. Right?

Heh, of course they would. And the resulting destruction proves too much for even the Authority to handle, and millions of human and alien lives are lost. Tao's plan works better than even he probably realized. As a result, the Authority makes the decision we've all paid to see... they're taking over the United States, because the current leadership has used up all its chances. And for me, the most intriguing thing about this decision is the fact that they do it with the full knowledge that Tao was behind it. Sure, Tao set the stage, but as John Lynch declares near the end, it was the government's fault for taking such an obvious and risky bait. Just because Tao gave them the technology, doesn't mean for a second that they wouldn't have used it had they gotten it some other way. That the Authority comes to the same conclusion is both refreshing, and also quite a bit frightening. It will be very interesting to see just how accountable the Authority will hold the country's leaders once they take over, and exactly who will take the blame.

The conspiracy alone is more than enough to make this a great comic. The fact that everything else works so well is a very rich and tasty gravy. If I didn't know better I'd have thought that Brubaker had written the Authority for years. The team dynamic is wonderful, perfectly capturing the no-nonsense approach the team takes when facing disaster. Its nice to see someone writing Jack Hawksmoor as the true leader that he is, making life or death decisions with a cool head despite the hopelessness of the situation. I also have to applaud his use of the Doctor. To see him use his powers so creatively, especially in light of the painful reminder that he has limitations early on, is a real joy.

The story in this issue was perfect, setting up the main story while never growing dull on its own. Unfortunately, the art pales in comparison.

A big selling point to many readers coming into this crossover is Jim Lee on the art chores for this issue. Sadly, he fails to impress here. I was expecting the defined, detailed work of the man who shot Batman up to #1 last year. Instead, his work is sketchy, and the backgrounds all too often resort to messy, poorly defined blotches of ink. There are quite a few pretty panels, but overall I'm quite disappointed. The page where the alien ship crashes into the city is particularly displeasing, appearing rushed, sloppy, and confusing. I'd like to think that the finished product would have looked better had a separate inker been hired, but sadly we'll never know.

Alex Sinclair's colors, on the other hand, are terrific. Each setting is bathed in a different monochromatic color scheme, wonderfully setting the mood of the environment. Violent, blinding yellows in the disaster area. Calm blues aboard the Carrier. A harsh lack of color in the interrogation scene. Its perfect.

Coup D'Etat: Sleeper is an absolute must-buy for the fans of any of the series involved and a great starting point for anyone brave enough to start branching outside the confines of the almighty X. This story not only has huge ambitions, but also the courage to actually follow through on them. Coup continues in Stormwatch next week, and you better believe I'm counting down the minutes to see how this plays out.

ART:
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STORY:
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OVERALL:
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By this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=10190)

[BarbelithXavier]

I thought Jim Lee's art was refreshingly less over-rendered than usual, a kind of homage to the look and tone Sean Phillips has set up for Sleeper. I liked it, it felt like a sleeper comic but still Lee-ish enough for the cool superhero action from the Authority. And Brubaker does write a cool Authority, can't wait for Pop Will Eat Itself.

[Suzene]

Great review!

This was a terrific way to kick off the event! And a mega-cross-over that counts introducing the story as more important than having two teams beat the snot out of each other in the first issue? I was shocked, I tell you, shocked!

Suzene

[Wolverine]

Great review! This looks like it will become one of the best of the year. and the reason why jim's art look different from batman was the fact that he inked his own work this time while Scott Williams does the ultra detailed work with him on Batman

[topkat74]

Great Review!! You sound as excited by this issue as I was. Man, if Brubaker had been writing the Authority from the beginning of the re-launch I would have been so on board. I never read an issue of Sleeper before but I'm gonna go out today and get the trade. I liked Jim Lee's art, it seemed less messy than his Batman pages. Damn, that guy likes lines everywhere.

[A.W. Pemberton]

I was going to review this, but you beat me to it :aargh: ;). That being said, your review was better than the one I drafted. Oh well. At least I got some practice.

I thought you were a little harsh on Jim Lee, though. I thought his grittier style fitted in better with the mature tone of the book.

[Nick Costanzo]

Heh, sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better, I'd already gotten the assignment a bit over a week ago ^_^

I'm also hitting up the Stormwatch review in a couple weeks for part two of Coup, as well as part four in the Authority. Busy month :)

As for the art, it seemed to me like Jim Lee was trying to imitate Phillips where convenient. The backgrounds looked very rushed, and lacked the organic feel that Phillips has. Now, I can understand the disaster scene looking a bit muddled, as it works for destruction like that. But the carrier scene afterward had a background that looked like fingerpaints, and that just struck me as lazy.

[Riliss]

This was an absolutely awesome comic.

[Lobster Johnson]

I'm totally getting this comic!
I collect Wildcats, so the coup d'etat was coming my way already, but now I'm really looking forward to picking it up.

Good review :clap:

[BoomBot]

Hmmm...I didn't like this issue as much. I thought it was close to the usual standard antics of the Authority. The detailed plot was nice but still did not make the issue good enough. I too felt this wasn't Lee's quality work as usual. It felt rushed and sloppy and too sketchy.

I suppose I'll stick with the crossover. I hope it gets better.

[Chris Wilson]

Cool review... well, except for the art comments. I thought this was great Lee work; just a different ink job than we're used to.

So, I am sooooo stoked for the next issue of Coup! I can't wait to see how this all pans out. The plot set up in this issue is very interesting (although they just killed my grandma in Ft. Lauderdale :( ). I don't know if this is enough incentive for me to go out and read Sleeper regularly--it was mostly an Authority issue. But we'll see how this all pans out in the rest of the Coup.

Can't wait till next Wednesday!!!!

-Chris

[GilSpiderig]

OK guys, I'm asking for your help here...from reading this review, I think I am going to love this limited series...but the thing is I don't know anything about the Authority, Sleeper, or Wildcats...this is where you guys come in, if you guys can fill me in about these comics and it doesnt have to be anything big, it would be greatly appreciated...soooooo just send me a private message to help me out...thanks ;)

[ferretnaura]

I'm getting this story for two reasons

1) I'm an authority fan and like to be a completist with their appearances
2) Lee Bermejo (a former student of mine) is coloring in the covers.

Now that I've read the first issue, I'm hooked. The story, art, and cross-over power was outstanding. I'm looking forward to the next issue. I may not know all of these "sleeper" characters, but there were enough "known" characters in this opening chapter that everyone should know someone to keep them interesting (a negative point to a lot of crossovers).

Looking forward to Stormwatch!

[Nick Costanzo]

Originally posted by GilSpiderig
OK guys, I'm asking for your help here...from reading this review, I think I am going to love this limited series...but the thing is I don't know anything about the Authority, Sleeper, or Wildcats...this is where you guys come in, if you guys can fill me in about these comics and it doesnt have to be anything big, it would be greatly appreciated...soooooo just send me a private message to help me out...thanks ;)

The Authority: Like the JLA, except they dont mess around. They tackle global threats with extreme prejudice, and the body counts are usually quite large. No one who ever faces the Authority ever comes back to haunt them. This includes not only super human invasion forces, but corrupt dictatorships in Southeast Asia as well. The countries of the world are so scared of them that they once sent a super being with over 2000 super powers to try and kill them off, but even that didn't work in the end.

They basically fight for a "higher authority", fighting to make the world a better place as they see fit, damn the consequences or who gets thrown from power in the process.

Sleeper: A great story about an agent named Holden who has the ability to absorb pain, and who's mind is unreadable. As such, he's sent to infiltrate the operations of a man known as Tao (Tactically Augmented Organism, I think...). Tao is above and beyond normal human comprehension, and seeks to expose the lies and fallacies of the world through chaotic acts of destruction.

Its a story with several twists and turns, and the line between good and evil is very blurry here. I've only read issue 12, but even that little bit had my head spinning. Its a real must read if you're into crime/conspiracy stories.

Wildcats 3.0: I've very little knowledge of what this team was like before their transformation, but now Wildcats chronicles the Halo Corporation, a company that is making advances in technology that are slowly changing the world. Things like batteries that never die, to cars that never need gas. Its all run by a half android/half alien hybrid thing named Jack Marlowe. I really need to get more back issues to really find out what the deal with these characters are, I just know they're fun to read in the present. There is just a whole hell of a lot going on with this book, its hard to summarize it in a single paragraph.

Our good moderator Jordan T. Maxwell has stated "Wildcats 3.0 is so good none of you are worthy to be alive in its pressence" or something like that. Pick up a few back issues and see how you like it, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Each one of these titles, in my rarely humble opinion, are a hell of a lot more interesting than anything Marvel's putting out at the moment, with the possible exception of Ultimate Spiderman.

All of these titles are mature by the way, so there's the occasional swearing and nudity flash, just in case stuff like that turns you off. In my case, it doesn't, so I like it :)

[chamber1]

I have this issue pulled for me but wont be able to pick it up for a couple weeks, but it sounds great! I hope Lee's art is more sketchy cause his batman stuff was nineties art all over again except for those watercolour parts which showed his potential if he was willing to experiment. My only regret will be that when this crossover is over, i will lament the fact that The Authority could be soo great but DC refuses to put big names behind it :(.

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

man, this issue was awesome. i want a freaking poster of that last page. If this is any indication of what Brubaker's going to do once he's on the Authority, then i think we may be on the verge of the team and book not just getting a creative improvement, but actually becoming RELEVANT again.

i always think it's nice to see Lee do something that's outside his usual "style," like his first few issues of Deathblow back in the day. And just seeing him render these characters that have helped change his imprint from a passable and fun new take on superheroes into one of the most revisionist superhero universes around and a true vanguard for what the future of the genre can be...well, it just leant everything a certain air of "blessing," i guess. can't wait to see how the Cats react to this...though i'm not a big fan of the new Stormwatch. don't dislike it, just haven't been able to get into it. and since they're alive again, for some reason i'd love to see the Gen 13 kids make a cameo (hey, they did in the Point Blank mini).

and i know it's pointless daydreaming...but i'd bow down and worship Wildstorm as my new religion if the Monarchy showed up at all. :)

[GilSpiderig]

Can anyone suggest what TPBs i should get for Authority, and Wildcats, and Sleeper to get a good knowledge of it....wouldnt want to get left out you know:D (I doubt there are any Sleeper TPBs....are there?)

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

Originally posted by GilSpiderig
Can anyone suggest what TPBs i should get for Authority, and Wildcats, and Sleeper to get a good knowledge of it....wouldnt want to get left out you know:D (I doubt there are any Sleeper TPBs....are there?)

Wildcats: well, there are plenty of trades collecting some of the more memorable runs of the past couple of volumes, but to understand what's going on right now i recommend getting your grubby little hands on the following...

Vicious Circles
Serial Boxes
Battery Park

all of which are volume 2, so really just giving you set up and background for certain characters. Volume 3 trades consist of...

Brand Building
Full Disclosure (which you'll have to wait a month or so for, lol)

Authority: some of the more recent stuff isn't too relevant, so don't worry too much about that. Just pick up the trades of the first volume and you'll be fine...

Relentless
Under New Management
Earth Inferno and Other Stories
Transfer of Power

Sleeper: there's only one trade of the first half of this series, but i'd highly recommend either getting the second trade when it comes out or going out and buying the remaining individual issues because this series really is "that damn good." :)

Out in the Cold

[LordofDreams]

poo, this issue ruled. I have not picked up any other issues of Sleeper before. Every other EOTS title though. If I had to drop every other title, I would just to keep my wildstorm goodness.

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

for the love of all things holy, Lord....go get Sleeper! you're so missing out! heck, in this issue you only get the barest glimpse of the sweetness that is Holden Carver and associates.

go now...and speak no more on it till thou hast read. :)