Why so little buzz about all the WILDCATS books?

[Orb]

I have been an avid comics fan since the 90's but never really got in to anything outside of marvel and dc proper until a couple of years ago. I picked up the Captain Atom: Armageddon minis and I got hooked on the wildstorm universe, especially the WILDACATS/Majestic lines.

It seems like no one is that in to them as compared to other characters and Publishing universes. I see some solid backstories and an all around mix of SCI FI and Fantasy that is really edgy.

Am I missing something about these books that would make it obvious to me why they are so low on the radar compared to other non DC/Marvel juggernauts?

[Bigby Wolf]

Well, I myself have never read any WILDCATS comics, but I sure will when Grant Morrison and Jim Lee start their run on a new series this year. I am familiar with them, as I watched the cartoon back then. I have been tempted to pick up the trades of Wildcats 3.0 as I have heard alot of good stuff about it. Maybe someone could give some opinions on 3.0?

[S.A. Parvaze]

Wildcats Version 3.0 was excellent. It really pushed the envelope as to what superheroes are and what they can be. And that's probably what lent it poor sales...

I haven't read Nemesis or any of the previous incarnations of Wildcats to any great extent, so I can't comment on them. Are you sure Grant Morrison will be the writer of the next Wildcats project? I thought it was Casey again, and I hope you're not confusing Grant for Robbie Morrison, who's writing the current Wildcats: Nemesis mini.


EDIT: Ah, Grant it is. Hrmm, that'll be worth a look.

[Dino Pollard]

I was such a huge fan of Casey's take on the Wildcats and I'm extremely disappointed at the way Wildstorm/DC is apparently ignoring all the great work he did. In the Majestic series, apparently Jack Marlowe has gone back to being Spartan for no apparent reason. And as much as I love Grant's work, this type of thing has me worried that not even he will acknowledge what Casey did.

And the thing I don't get is why? Pre-Casey, the WildCATS just weren't all that interesting. I've started reading those older issues recently, and could Jim Lee have made it any more obvious that WildCATS was nothing more than a complete and total rip-off of the X-Men?

[Tiso]

I know what you mean, I was such a huge comic book fan back in the 90's and used to buy from Image, Marvel, and other small publishers, but not DC for some reason. I used to watch the Wildcats TV show, but never bothered with the comics as much. I had a few from the first series before everything 2.0, 3.0, etc. I liked the premise of them, but could they be anymore of a knock off of X-Men? I understand Jim Lee was still on good terms with Marvel until he went to Image to do his own stuff. I think the problem is that Wildstorm never gives the readers a reason to really care about the Wildstorm Universe, unlike how DC and Marvel are putting book after book out to get our attention.

I think Wildstorm appeals to the old school fans of the universe when we were younger. I remembered when I picked up Wildcats: Nemesis I was going "Is that Zealot and Grifter? I remember them. Who is Majestic?" It was picking up that and Captain Atom that got me interested in Wildstorm again. I went back and looked up a lot of information on what happened to the people of Storwatch since I have almost all of the run before it went to the pre-Authority age with Millar. Not a lot of people know or care about the Wildstorm Universe to see how cool it really is. I like the Wildcats, but why would I want to read about them when The Authority could smoke them any day of the week? I am going back to get the trades of these Wildcat books as well other Wildstorm books just to get re-acquainted with the characters and storylines.

[Joe Illidge]

Casey's WILDCATS, Volume 2 and 3.0, were comic book magic, and any garbage following it is a slap in the face of evolution.

That said, when Grant M. hits, I gotta give the first issue a chance.


Originally posted by Bigby Wolf

Maybe someone could give some opinions on 3.0?

GREAT STUFF!

If IF you are into science fiction and real world stuff like corporate dynamics.

If you're into conventional superheroics, it will likely not be your cup of tea.


Originally posted by Dino Pollard

And the thing I don't get is why? Pre-Casey, the WildCATS just weren't all that interesting. I've started reading those older issues recently, and could Jim Lee have made it any more obvious that WildCATS was nothing more than a complete and total rip-off of the X-Men?

All too true, but like with various other WILDSTORM titles, good British writers redeemed the book.

James Robinson made the book serious in the mid-teens of volume one, ESPECIALLY his two-parter, issues 16 and 17 I THINK, reintroducing and defining Ben Santini and The Black Razors.

Them Alan Moore came and turned the series on its duff with issues 21-34, which are collected in two trade paperbacks.

Past that, and the Casey stuff, WILDCATS is so-what material.

[Picard]

I've hardly read anything from Wildstorm, but due to the new Captain Atom mini and the previous Majestic mini and current Majestic comic, I've become more interested about the Wildstorm-universe.
But there are a few things I would like to know.

How does the Authority tie into this? Are they even living on the same earth as Wildcats (or on the moon)? :)
From what I've gathered, they more or less rule their earth, but it didn't look like that was the case in the new Cap Atom mini.

Are Wildcats and the Authority enemies?
if so, have they fought? :)
etc

A little background would be greatly appreciated.

[Dino Pollard]

The Authority took over America during the "Coup De'tat" storyline, but unless I'm mistaken, they lost control during "The Authority: Revolution" limited series.

[Tiso]

I've hardly read anything from Wildstorm, but due to the new Captain Atom mini and the previous Majestic mini and current Majestic comic, I've become more interested about the Wildstorm-universe.
But there are a few things I would like to know.

How does the Authority tie into this? Are they even living on the same earth as Wildcats (or on the moon)? :)
From what I've gathered, they more or less rule their earth, but it didn't look like that was the case in the new Cap Atom mini.

Are Wildcats and the Authority enemies?
if so, have they fought? :)
etc

A little background would be greatly appreciated.

The Authority tie-into the story because they have more than enough experience with the multiverse and how to handle threats from it. In this case they were monitoring Captain Atom to see if he was a threat and now it seems they want to add him to their ranks, not that they are already too powerful for their own good. The Authority took over the United States in Coup D'Eat and started over throwing dictactors and what not in other countries, shaping the world for the better in their own way. Then the events of the first half of The Authority: Revolution had them give back control of the country after what happened in Washington D.C. and they disbanded until the later half of the series where they came back years later.

As for the Wildcats ever fighting The Authority. I am not sure. I have just begun catching up on Wildstorm, but I would see them knowing of each other but never interfering with each other. The Wildcats are greatly outmatched if they were to fight. The only people who even stand a chance to some of the members are Majestic and Spartan (business suit one, runs Halo) since Majestic could take out Apollo and Spartan could probably do the same or even take on Jenny Quantum or Engineer. Although rumors are they are supposed to fight soon, to the death no less.

[Picard]

Thanks for the info guys.
I just saw that Coup D'Eat was written by Brubaker and pencilled by Jim Lee so I'm staring with that one :)

[Magnus2k]

I'm reading the Cap Atom mini, Majestic and the Wildcats mini, and I love em all. I'm greatly interested in Wildstorm now. Majestic is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. He's kind of got a Superman/Batman/Captain America thing going there, and I dig it.

[TNC]

I don't know, I'd LOVE to see the WILDC.A.T.S. fight The Authority and i think they can win it! Majestic could whoop Apollo, Warblade would whoop Swift, Grifter can fight Midnighter, Spartan vs. the Engineer, etc. The Doctor would be the only MAJOR problem.

[jonsnow]

Outside of Infinite Crisis, my favorite reads right now are WildCATs: Nemesis, Majestic, and Captain Atom.

[jonsnow]

Majestic the character is making a bid at supplanting Batman as my favorite character there is.

[jonsnow]

Very disappointed by Nemesis #6. Caldwell's art is a huge part of why I like this series, and we get a filler artist, who while not bad, is not Talent Caldwell.

[Picard]

Ok, I've read the first volume of The Authority now, and I must say that I'm plesantly surprised.
Starting to love the characters, eventhough they are a bunch of brutal sociopaths :)
The only thing that gets to me is the constant need to be "edgy" and cool. We get it, they are edgy and cool, but we don't need to be forcefed with that information every page.
Still, I would definitley recommend this book to anyone.