"Change or Die" is the crowning climax of Stormwatch Vol. 1 and at the same time is the series' last gasp of glory. It's a masterful story. The High is easy to read as a rebuttal of Miracleman - the attempts of himself and a small pantheon of (mostly) benign superhumans (clearly based on the JLA) to change the world into an utopia is undone by corruption within his own ranks and by too much of the world simply not wanting a utopia. The High's group also features a couple of concepts to be evident in The Authority - the Doctor and the Engineer - and they're generally a well-rounded bunch of characters rather than a lazy plot device.
The story also serves to tie up several of the ongoing subplots opened up by Ellis' run. The most important of these is Henry Bendix losing it. in some ways it's a bit of a shame that he does, it could have been more powerful if he simply utterly believed in his way of doing things. His slide is actually better handled than it seems on the first read as he simply seems obsessed with making sure the world changes at the pace he wants and it's only when he reveals his infatuation for Rose Tattoo that he really goes mad. As I say, it's a bit of a missed opportunity that he simply goes off in the deep end but it's still a great story, and the development had been hinted at - we already knew Rose wasn't your average superhero while there were hints about his possibly psychopathic character with the killing of Dr. Krug in "New World Order" and the police action on Gamorra in "Mutagen".
Rose is the other main thread brought to an end. She's described as basically a personification of death, which in a way is a bit obvious (what the Hell else could she have been?). What's more of a letdown is that once this elemental force is unleashed on The High's followers she kills just two of them before Jack simply breaks her neck. It's a bit of a let-down.
Despite all this, there's a huge amount to praise in this story. Superman avatar John Cumberland's backstory is seamlessly intertwined with that of Jenny Sparks, really making the character feel like he hasn't just sprang into existance for this story while all of the SW team get their little moments. It's nice the way that one of the things that catches Bendix out is his own misjudgement of his team's willingness to kill without question while Winter gets a few great scenes, stoically battling Cumberland, and trying to talk sense into his followers. Ellis does a fine job of making space for a Stormwatch ensemble piece, fleshing out the rough characters of The High's followers while also giving centre-stage to the inevitable confrontation between Jenny and Bendix and still finding time for Jackson to return to the field. Overall it's a masterpiece that transcends some of its' minor faults with its' scope.
The book also contains the preview and first arc from the inferior second series of Stormwatch. This sees the team radically reorganised, with Jackson as the new Weatherman and a single official field-team (comprising the old SW Prime and the remaining two members of SW Red) with SW Black being used for black ops. The preview is a smug little issue, though it does allow a brief restating of the characters.
"Strange Weather" sees this new look put into proper action. It's the last actual SW story and does feature some ongoing strands, mainly that a change in Weatherman hasn't improved relations with America. It feels a little like Ellis is going through the motions, though. There are some really nice character moments but the actual storyline doesn't hold well at three issues long. It does form a decent foundation for the relaunched series but as this wasn't used, it just feels like a dull story. Overall the book's worth the price for "Change or Die" though. It's just a shame the second volume would be such a damp squib.
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