The first issue of this collection again features very little of the field team, mainly covering the fall-out from "The Bleed", and the sub B-movie discovery of a populated asteroid which infects a survey vessel that's brought onboard the station. And that's pretty much it, not a lot happening here.
The next section is the double-length WildC.A.T.S/Aliens crossover. Now, to get the positives out of the way, I've never really had much against the WildC.A.T.S - much like Stormwatch, once Image/Wildstorm started employing writers on the title they turned into a fairly decent bunch of characters. The story is well-paced, with a terrific amount of tension, and it's gratifying that they don't just go in and slaughter the Aliens who seem to have done away with Stormwatch with such consummate ease - they leave with half of the team in very bad shape. Chris Sprouse's art is also terrific - low-detailed, square-jawed stuff that just really works.
On the other hand it's meant to be a Stormwatch book and most of the characters get very short shrift. I know I may be missing the point (probably something about heroes getting snuffed out as quickly and meaninglessly as anyone else) but it's pretty irritating when Fuji and Hellstrike are just shown as empty costumes on the floor, with only the scantest explanation (how exactly do the Aliens kill them? About the only person to compromise Fuji's suit was The bloody High, and even he couldn't do much with Hellstrike beyond making him gurn a bit). Lauren doesn't do much better but at least Winter gets a suitably heroic end.
The final issue tidies up what few loose ends are left, confirming the end of Stormwatch, giving a brief taster of The Authority with the return of Jenny, and niping the projected return of Bendix in the bud. But then the first objective is moot - Stormwatch ended with "Change or Die", and it's really been leading towards The Authority ever since.
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