Wildcats #1

Now, this review may have a bit of bias as I love the WildCats by default. Ever since they first appeared in the 90's as WildC.A.T.s under Image Comics, I've been a dedicated fan. They are pretty much the only superhero team that was able to tear me away from the X-Men when I was young. It's been awhile since the Cats have had a regular book since Joe Casey's run (version 3.0) ended a couple of years ago. There's been a mini-series here and there, while volume 4, which started roughly 2 years ago, came to a halt when Jim Lee and Grant Morrison couldn't commit to the damn book.

Well, they're back, and this series is picking up right after the Number of The Beast mini-series wherein the Apocalypse happened, and whatever is left of humanity and post-humans (what they call super-powered beings in this universe) is struggling for survival. The world has turned into a place where people struggle for survival, while others are taking advantage of the situation and are preying on survivors. The environment reminds me of Remender's End League, if that would make you picture it easier.

We see a lot of the original team from the 90's as well as some of the newer characters introduced over the years. The WildCats are staying in LA, and are going around town looking for survivors and offering them shelter and food. I like the fact that a lot of the history and concepts introduced over the years are still being acknowledged and used in this book. Christos Gage really does write good superhero comics, my basis being from what I've read with StormWatch PHD and this issue. He writes good Wildstorm books. There, that statement isn't as bold. For a first issue, it gives you just the right amount of exposition to lay out the relationships between the characters, which I feel is good for both new and old readers alike. It also gives you one hell of a mystery, which is what the hell happened to Majestic, one of the Superman-like characters in this universe, and why he's being so dickish.

I've always liked Neil Googe's art from his work on Welcome To Tranquility. For some reason the art in this book isn't as appealing, maybe mostly due to the fact that the coloring is much darker than in Tranquility, and the fact that I don't like the way he drew Zealot's face. His touches to the other characters are good, however, like the older, bearded Grifter and the different ways he cam draw Jeremy (Maul).

All in all, if you're a WildCats or a Wildstorm fan, there's a high possibility that you'll like this book. If you want a good superhero book that isn't the usual superhero schtick, this and a lot of the other WSU books are highly recommended.