Stormwatch #50

Stormwatch #50, released in 1997, serves as the climactic conclusion to the second volume of the Image Comics series created by Jim Lee. This issue was written by Warren Ellis, who took over the title to transform it from a standard superhero book into a gritty, politically charged narrative that examined the complications of a United Nations-sanctioned super-team. The story arc, titled 'Change or Die,' famously culminated in the brutal dissolution of the existing team, setting the stage for the launch of The Authority.

The interior art was provided by Bryan Hitch, whose transition to a cinematic, widescreen style of paneling became a definitive aesthetic for the series. His approach focused on realistic textures and scale, which helped ground the superhuman conflict in a recognizable geopolitical environment. The issue was received by critics and readers as a watershed moment in nineties comics, signaling a departure from traditional capes-and-tights tropes toward a more cynical and sophisticated exploration of power and global intervention.