Who are the Wildcats? In an ages-old war between two alien races called the Kherubim and the Daemonites, the Wildcats are the people stuck in-between. Some of them are full-blooded extra-terrestrials in human form, while others are the half-breed progeny or just normal humans like you or I caught up in the middle of it. Created in the aftermath of Jim Lee's uber-successful run on X-Men, it took that formula (and some of its archetypes) and expanded it in a more sci-fi and political direction. You have the robotic boy scout Spartan, the lone wolf Grifter, the warrior princess Zealot, the alluring but conflicted Voodoo, the berzerker Warblade, and the brainiac-with-brawn Maul, all led by a diminutive man named Emp. Over the course of the years, the Wildcats concept radically evolved to cover issues of identity, corporate politics, espionage, and just as a showcase of awesome talent.
Launched in 1992, Jim Lee's Wildcats series (originally titled WildC.A.T.S.) became one of the most memorable titles launching out of the mid-90s comic boom. It became the flagship title for Lee's burgeoning Wildstorm Studios imprint, and continued on even after Lee sold the company to DC in 1998. Over the years, many notable creators in addition to the iconic Jim Lee worked on the tittle — Alan Moore, Joe Casey, James Robinson, Travis Charest, Jae Lee, Chris Claremont, Sean Phillips, Steve Dillon, Dustin Nguyen, Grant Morrison and others. Although DC shuttered the Wildstorm line last year with Wildcats and the other titles included, the series 15+ year run contained some notable gems that comics have largely forgotten.
But that's never stopped us before; here's six recommended readings if you want to get to know Wildcats. Although a large number of these are out-of-print, these storyarcs are easy to find in the back-issue bin and who knows, DC might collect them in preparation for a promised relaunch later this year.
WildC.A.T.S. Ladytron: This is without argue the hardest stories to find out of the six presented here, but it's well worth it. Released as a prestige format one-shot in 2001, it takes the Alan Moore-created character of Ladytron into her own solo adventure exploring her initial creation and relatives the cyborg superhero might have. Ladytron was one of the most memorable creations out of Moore's run, and in this one-shot writer Joe Casey and artist Eric Canete the budding character and explore her robotic roots. This is one of the earliest showcases of the innovative artwork of Eric Canete, and Joe Casey's no slouch either.
Wildcats Version 3.0 Year One: Although Joe Casey had worked on the Wildcats series for years before this 2002 relaunch, Wildcats Version 3.0 saw him take a dramatic different, more corporate approach, to Jim Lee's heroes. Factor in the stunning artwork of then comics-newcomer Dustin Nguyen and it was an awesome comic to buy every month. Although comic sales never matched up to critical acclaim, it became a defining work for Casey, Nguyen, as well as the characters in general. It also inspired a wealth of other comics — Matt Fraction's run on Invincible Iron Man would be a far different book if he hadn't read Wildcats Version 3.0.
WildC.A.T.S. Compendium: This is where it all started — Jim Lee and co-writer Brandon Choi's initial four-issue volley breaking down the concept and characters that would serve as the platform for the entire Wildstorm universe to come. Mixing the cover heroics of X-Men with
more classic elements out of DC's playbook, Lee pushed forward the idea of what super-hero comics could be in this and both Marvel & DC took years to catch up.
Wildcats: Street Smart: Although produced during the un-even period in Wildcats lore between the ultra-popular runs of Alan Moore and Joe Casey, Wildcats: Street Smart shows the team disillusioned and fraying at the seams. Not so much a team but a collection of people trying to find out what to do next, it shows what Grifter, Voodoo, Maul and Spartan would do if left to their own devices. The real star of the show here is Travis Charest — his artwork takes the best of Jim Lee and poster artist Drew Struzan and puts it into an amazing package that has people still talking about it fifteen years later.
Alan Moore: The Complete WildC.A.T.S.: Although he only did 14 issues of the title, it showed just how different the Wildcats could be. Moore introduced a completely new team of Wildcats to action while the originals were in the wind, and left behind a host of concepts and characters that were mined for years — including the diabolical Tao that showed up in Sleeper. After the star-spanning stories that came before, Alan Moore took this motley crew of aliens, half-breed and guys like you and I into the streets of the world and covered what being a super-hero would really be like in those times. When you're reading, make sure you pay attention at Clark's Bar — it was a not-so-subtle jab at DC's Clark Kent if he ran an after-hours bar for super-heroes.
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What about X-Men/Wildcats?…not relevant but 3 out of 4 stories are good.
Street Smart’s ace. Charest’s art is fantastic, as you say, but Lobdell’s writing is excellent as well.
The Casey books are outstanding. I just recently read Wildcats 3.0 year two and loved the shit out it.
Some of my favorite comics of all-time are on this list. Moore’s work is phenominal; the James Robinson arc before it is worth reading as well, if only to even further elevate the Moore stuff.
I enjoyed the series till it got cancelled earlier this year, however this writer’s correct that none of the new stuff is on the same level with the trades listed above.
The problem with Joe Casey’s Wildcats 3.0 is the minute you finish the two new collection put out by DC, you want more, but then you realize there is none.
@jjcolin Oh yeh, the Wolverine/Zealot one and the post apocalyptic one are amazing..
Read most of Vol.2, but 3.0 is where it’s at. Must get if don’t own.
I first came across Wildcats thanks to the Saturday Morning Cartoon that aired on…I believe CBS? I remember LOVING it as a kid, and was one of my favorites alongside Batman: TAS and X-Men. I watched it again not too long ago, and was quite baffled to why I loved it so much, as it did NOT hold up at all when viewed as an adult, whereas a decent chuck of what I used to watch did for me.
But that’s neither here nor there, as my initial love for the cartoon fueled me to pick up alot of the Wildcats (and by proxy, Wildstorm) stories and trades. The WildC.A.Ts Compedium is a fun trade and perfect startpoint for anyone who’s not familiar with the series. It’s VERY MUCH a product of it’s time, but a fun one regardless. The WildC.A.Ts Trilogy, which roughly came after this story, is another solid buy. Great 90’s-fied artwork by Jae Lee as well. As noted, Chris Claremont did a few issues of this series, but if you want to read those, be sure to get the issues and not the crappy out-of-print trade that collects them. The trade omits the backmatter that introduce new characters like Savant and Mr. Majestic, so when they show up in the main story in the arc, it’s super out-of context.
That Alan Moore trade is gold. Not only are there great stories in it, but Moore evolves the Wildcats mythos and overarching story in a way so that future stories would never retread the ground of the previous era. I love it when this happens in superhero comics, as I wouldn’t say that it’s a rare occurance, but it certainly doesn’t happen that often. I haven’t read the Complete Robinson trade yet, but I believe that takes you to the end of this particular era of Wildcats stories.
Which is where Scott Lobdell and Joe Casey comes in. As mentioned, the Street Smart trade puts these characters in a great new direction. Right off the bat, it’s obvious that the story had grown up. It’s still very much a superhero story, but it was no longer primarily about who can blast who the hardest. The stories certainly had those elements, but at the core was something alot more…human.
All of these trades are great starting points. Great suggestions.
This has made me want to pick up what I’m missing from vol 2 now. My paypal account is going to take a hammering :/
Great article. Wildcats is something I’ve wanted to read for a long time but have not really known where to “jump in”. This type of “where do I start” is helpful in identifying the trades to get.
I have only read Christos Gage’s run, and I loved it! Made a perfect jumping on point from the perspective of someone with no knowledge of the series or characters going in.
I got the initial Wildcats run back during the first wave of image…then i got out of comics for a while. Nice article…i might jump back in and get a few trades.
I did love me some Grifter back in the day. Great character with a great look.
Joe Casey really took this book to some amazing places. The idea of Maul, who would increase his mass, using his powers to be a big brain is great. It’s a shame Wildstorm wouldn’t get consistent artists for Moore’s run and I love Cyclops and Jean Grey showing up during their honeymoon. Anything Sean Phillips did was also fantastic.
Influential? really? I don’t think I’ll ever be persuaded of that. When they write the history of superhero comics of the last twenty years Wildcats will be given a passing mention when they talk about the formation of Image and when they talk about the ‘slumming it’ period of Alan Moore’s career.
The original run of WildC.A.T.s is underrated by a lot of people. Especially towards the end when nobody was paying attention.