:wildstorm_universe: 💥 The WildStorm 30th Anniversary Adventure Pack 💥 :wildstorm_universe:

[Vroom]

Happy November @TheWildstormUniverse, and all WildStorm fans throughout the DCUI community!

2022 marks the 30th anniversary of WildStorm, famed superstar Jim Lee’s creator-owned imprint full of spies, super heroes, fantasy and more, including some of your favorites from the DC Universe and, if you look closely, Image Comics!

Below is a multi-genre sampler of some of WildStorm’s best and brightest from 1992 to the modern era.

Also: If you know absolutely nothing about WildStorm, this sampler bundle is PERFECT for you! Every book here is completely new reader-friendly and just waiting for you to dive into the action-packed adventure!

Also also: You can check out the Official DC Book Club’s WildStorm entry for Team One: WildC.A.T.S right here .

Without further ado, here are your doorways into new worlds of adventure, intrigue and MORE:

WildC.A.Ts: Covert Action Teams #1

Stormwatch (1993-1997) #1

Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday #1

The Authority (1999-) #1

Planetary #1

Sleeper #1

Global Frequency #1

Ex Machina #1

Welcome to Tranquility #1

DC/Wildstorm: DreamWar #1

Stormwatch (2011-) #1

The Wild Storm #1

Chat as you like about the above books. Which series did you sample? Is this your first time reading a WildStorm comic?

If you’d like more from the WildStorm Universe, DC has you covered with these current and upcoming titles:

WildC.A.T.S #1 (Now available at comic retailers, and available on DCUI Ultra in December):

Written by Matthew Rosenberg. Art and Cover by Stephen Segovia. Spinning off from the pages of Batman comes a senses-shattering new series! The HALO Corporation has gathered a motley crew of operatives, led by Cole Grifter Cash, who are going to make the world a better place…no matter who they have to kill! Working in the shadows of the DC Universe, this new covert team has been tasked with gathering an elite group of scientists for the first phase of their plan…but the Cats’ mysterious leader, Void, might have other plans!

WildStorm 30th Anniversary Special (On-sale 11/29, and available on DCUI Ultra in late December):

Cover by Jim Lee. Written by Matthew Rosenberg, Brandon Choi, J. Scott Campbell, Brett Booth, Ed Brisson and others Art by Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell, Bryan Hitch, Brett Booth, and others In 1992 Jim Lee changed the course of comics history with the founding of WildStorm Productions, which would revolutionize the business and launch the careers of so many top creators. To this day, 30 years later, the impact of the imprint, its characters, and its creators is still felt! In honor of this legacy comes a 100-page giant that pays homage to the past…and looks toward the future! Part of this mammoth special will be reprinting–for the first time in periodical form!–short stories from the acclaimed WildStorm: A Celebration of 25 Years hardcover, including stories by Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell, Brett Booth, Dustin Nguyen, and more…plus new stories featuring WildStorm characters in the DC core line, charting their future in the DC Universe…

No matter your interests in comics, it can be said with absolute certainty that WildStorm truly has a title for every interest and taste.

Be among the brave and the bold. Be wild, take a risk and step out from the comfort zone of the tried and true comics you know, as you step into a new universe brimming with unparalleled adventure and intrigue.

A universe home to some of the most highly-acclaimed, fan-favorite, pop culture movements of the last 30 years…the WildStorm Universe.

[D4RK5TARZ]

I am really excited for all of this Wildstorm love!!! I still have to read that first issue of Wildcats, well the new one.

[Vroom]

@D4RK5TARZ

I am really excited for all of this Wildstorm love!!!

Right?

WildStorm is the next great passion/obsession for the fans who don’t know of it yet, and what better way to get into the imprint than with a handy-dandy, new fan/reader-friendly sampler?

Do you have a fav book from those highlighted in the OP?

@D4RK5TARZ

I still have to read that first issue of Wildcats, well the new one.

I’m reading it right now. So far, so very good.

[D4RK5TARZ]

I am planning on reading it soon. I am way too deep into Horizon Forbidden West to do much else at the moment. It is rare for me to get into video games like this, so I am totally okay with my attention drawn elsewhere outside of comics and movies.

[Vroom]

No problemo. Having something to draw your attention elsewhere is good, as it prevents burnout on the things you love.

If you could please, pump a quarter into the game for me.

[Jay_Kay]

I played the hell out of that game when it came out earlier this year – great stuff, glad to hear you’re enjoying it!

As for the reading – I’ve read some of those, but not all, so I’ll definitely try and go through these and give my thoughts here.

[Vroom]

I look forward to your thoughts, Ace!

[chintzybeatnik]

Divine Right, Planetary and Sleeper are probably three of my favorite series of all time.

I did read a lot of other Wildstorm titles over the years though.

And I liked the new WildC.A.T.S. #1 quite a bit. Eagerly awaiting the 30th Anniversary Special.

[Vroom]

@chintzybeatnik

Divine Right, Planetary and Sleeper are probably three of my favorite series of all time.

Excellent choices!

Divine Right is my all-time favorite WildStorm series (as well as my favorite Jim Lee credit), and what more can be said about Planetary other than it truly is ART.

Its not hyperbole to say Planetary belongs in art museums because of how artistically beautiful it is and because of how it truly represents the comic book medium at its absolute BEST.

As for Sleeper, that’s one of Ed Brubaker’s best gigs, DC or otherwise, as its a tip-top thriller and then some.

[Jay_Kay]

WildC.A.Ts:

First off, man is that a pain to type right.

Anyway, when I read through this issue, I started with the little forward by Jim Lee and one thing that struck me was him talking about how he’s still learning to make comics and sort of viewed every issue as a new lesson. I can appreciate the humbleness presented here, considering that this was the start of his superstar status in comics, but I think the “still learning” thing comes out in this issue.

I can definitely pick up quibbles and problems in this. There lot of terms and ideas being thrown at the reader with little to no explanation, like “Cabal,” “Daemonite,” “Kheribem,” “Coda” and more. Also, there are characters that seem original at first but can feel derivative – Zealot basically being X-treme Wonder Woman, Void being “what if Dr. Manhattan, but sexy cosmonaut,” Grifter being Gambit and Spartan being Cyclops.

All that said, there is a certain sense of excitement in this that I think makes the book something you keep reading even with the flaws.

One small note about reading these with modern devices – I get why they did the whole “centerfold” style two page spreads back in the day, because it allows for the biggest space possible for big moments, but man are those a pain to read on phones or tablets.

[Jay_Kay]

Stormwatch:

This was an interesting book to read in comparison to WildCATs. On one hand, I thought the focus on Battallion’s personal life with his brother Malcolm was surprising and worked fairly well. I also appreciated that they decided to have who is basically their lead character/leader of the group be a black man – always good to see some diversity.

On the other hand, from this first issue, there just isn’t a lot to what this book is really about. Like, we get the idea of what Stormwatch is, but we don’t know much about the other heroes or especially the villains. Without that, all we have is a bunch of dudes punching each other for…reasons, and it just doesn’t come off very compelling.

Now, to be fair, I found out that there is an issue #0 to this book, and unlike other times where these companies release a zero issue later to throw in some retcons or a early years story, this #0 actually came out first and at a glance looks like it does set things up a bit more. Kind of wish I started there and may go back to it at a later date.

Divine Right:

This was a book I was definitely curious to try: partly because I had almost never heard of it until now, and because this is the first time we see Jim Lee writing something strictly by himself without a co-writer like Brandon Choi or possibly Geoff Johns.

This was interesting to read – as I got to the end I thought to myself, “holy crap, this is basically a gritty Freakazoid.” Like the other two books, there’s definitely a sense of “throw a bunch of crazy stuff and drip-feed the answers,” but I think it works better since our main character Max as well as Dudebro Friend and Hot Sister are just as much out of the loop as us. In that sense, I kind of wish they had focused a little less on the espionage stuff and we got more of a sense of who these main characters are outside of their archtypes – after all, if you don’t care about your leads, why continue to read them at all?

Either way, I’m definitely curious enough to keep reading and see where this book goes.

[Vroom]

@Jay_Kay

WildC.A.Ts:

First off, man is that a pain to type right.

What’s so hard about always typing a title with a set amount of capital letters and punctuating it just so?

@Jay_Kay

All that said, there is a certain sense of excitement in this that I think makes the book something you keep reading even with the flaws.

Agreed, and in fact, that was the exact thought I had when I first read WildC.A.T.S v1 #1 many years ago (and under the Image banner ).

@Jay_Kay

One small note about reading these with modern devices – I get why they did the whole “centerfold” style two page spreads back in the day, because it allows for the biggest space possible for big moments, but man are those a pain to read on phones or tablets.

Have you tried reading it on a computer? It gives you a li’l crick in the neck, that’s for sure.

@Jay_Kay

Divine Right:

This was a book I was definitely curious to try: partly because I had almost never heard of it until now, and because this is the first time we see Jim Lee writing something strictly by himself without a co-writer like Brandon Choi or possibly Geoff Johns.

I’m happy you tried the first issue of Divine Right, aka the best Jim Lee credit that evidently nobody is familiar with!

@Jay_Kay

This was interesting to read – as I got to the end I thought to myself, “holy crap, this is basically a gritty Freakazoid.”

As a Freakazoid fan since 1995 and a Divine Right fan since 2013, I’ve never likened one to the other, until you made the comparison.

When next I read Divine Right, I’ll try to do so while watching Freakazoid and see what comes of that media-meld.

@Jay_Kay

Either way, I’m definitely curious enough to keep reading and see where this book goes.

Fantastic! Do please carry on with Divine Right and “report back” on what you thought of the rest of the mag.

SN: There are two one-shots (Divine Intervention: Gen13 and Divine Intervention: WildC.A.T.S) that fit into the series later in its run and are not individually available in digital.

However…the 2014 trade edition of Divine Right should be in our library soon (as of this writing, it hasn’t yet populated into the Divine Right folder).

If you want the full experience of the series (including the Wizard #1/2 issue and the above-mentioned one-shots) you might want to carry on with it through the trade instead.

One can enjoy issues 1-12 on their own just fine, but since the trade will now be in our library, that would be the best, and most complete, way to read Divine Right via DCUI, especially for readers new to the title.

Thanks for stopping by, @Jay_Kay! Hope to see you again.

[Vroom]

If you’re new to WildStorm and haven’t yet chosen a book from the sampler in the OP, our own @HubCityQuestion has posted a rad, new reader-friendly, crash course on WildStorm right here:

WildStorm: A Crash Course

[HubCityQuestion]

I thought you’d like this, Vroom!

[Vroom]

As Phil Hartman’s rendition of Ed McMahon said on SNL, “You sir, are correct!”

[Vroom]

Ultra members now have access to these wonderfully wild and frenetically fun tomes in our library:

SN: Regarding further anniversary content, the WildStorm 30th Anniversary Special should be in our library by the end of December.

[Vroom]

Another collection now available for Ultra members:

The basic 12-issue Divine Right series is available in our library.

However, the above volume includes that plus the following issues that are not individually available in our library right now:

• Divine Intervention: Gen13 one-shot
• Divine Intervention: WildC.A.T.S one-shot
• Divine Right #1/2
• Divine Right Preview

If Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday is new to you and you’re an Ultra member, I would recommend checking out the trade over the single issues, as it has everything that pertains to the series.

Happy reading!

[Jay_Kay]

The Authority #1:

I hate to classify this as simply “Stormwatch, but better,” but it kind of is. In that, I think this first issue better showcases who these characers are, what their overall mission is, and perhaps more importantly, what seperates them from other similar team superhero books.

One thing that stuck out at me reading this again was I went back to check when this was made, and I was kind of surprised that this first issue came out in 1999, because in a way this feels like a very post 9/11 book, especially when you get the scene with Jackson King and Christine talking about how hopeless they felt without Stormwatch after the attack on Moscow. It sort of speaks to the need and desire for big solutions to problems that ordinary armies couldn’t fix that I think a lot of people were feeling at that time, and the idea of The Authority fighting this strange, evil and unknown terrorism is part of what made the book so popular during that time.

Speaking of that terorrism, I have to point out the one big, BIG flaw in this issue and really this first arc, and that’s the main villain of Kaizen Gamorra. Maybe this is just me reading this with 2022 hindsight, but I dunno, I would hope that using such a old, washed out racist stereotype like the Fu Manchu look would have been passe by then.

Planetary #1:

This is interesting in terms of the other Wildstorm books offered, because this is the first one that I feel steps the most away from the standard superhero storytelling. We still get some, but it’s subverted and set as a sort of antagonist against more pulpy heroes from the early 20th century. I don’t know if our three protagonists really charm as much as Ellis other work in The Authority, but you can definitely see the potential for them there. Overall, it’s a good “pilot” that gives you a single story that tells you what the book is about. Good stuff.

[Vroom]

@Jay_Kay

The Authority #1:

I hate to classify this as simply “Stormwatch, but better,” but it kind of is.

I think that’s fair to say, as The Authority was more or less Stormwatch 2.0.

Speaking of Stormwatch, these are now available for Ultra members:

For any unaware, the above volumes lead into The Authority, as well as introduce Apollo and Midnighter.

@Jay_Kay

I have to point out the one big, BIG flaw in this issue and really this first arc, and that’s the main villain of Kaizen Gamorra. Maybe this is just me reading this with 2022 hindsight, but I dunno, I would hope that using such a old, washed out racist stereotype like the Fu Manchu look would have been passe by then.

You know, I’ve often wondered if that stereotype had some kind of other meaning behind it.

Like, did Ellis have some sort of ulterior meaning in mind when he and Hitch made Kaizen as they did, or was it just a coincidence?

I’d be curious to read any thoughts Ellis has offered on the creation of Gamorra.

@Jay_Kay

Planetary #1:

@Jay_Kay

Good stuff.

YES. Planetary is easily one of the top 10 books published by DC (regardless of imprint) since the series debuted.

We all have our own opinions of course, but in my mind, its a FACT that Planetary truly IS that damn grand, great and wonderful and then some.

Its the kind of title you can hand to a non-comic reader while saying “Super heroes are great, but there’s more to comics than them. Read this.”, and the person will come back with “I’m now addicted to comics for life. More, please!”

Speaking of Warren Ellis @Jay_Kay, I’d be interested in your thoughts on Global Frequency, i.e. the best spy comic not written by Greg Rucka.

Thanks for chiming in!

[chintzybeatnik]

I finally got around to reading the 30th Anniversary Special.

Very fun. Made me super nostalgic for the classic Wildstorm books.