Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Rescue: En Route
Written by: Todd Nauck
Penciled by: Todd Nauck
Inked by: Larry Stucker
Colored by: Tom McCraw
Lettered by: M-Crusade
Editor: n/a
Publisher: Image
The Concept
Creator Todd Nauck’s own words best describe the WildGuard concept:
What is WildGuard? WildGuard is a made-for-TV superteam. An “American Idol” for superheroes, hundreds of heroes converge to try out for this reality TV show. Yet, only five will be chosen to fill WildGuard’s roster.Who will be chosen? Casting the team members is the driving force to this six issue mini-series. Readers are invited to visit www.wildguard.com where they can view mini-profiles on forty five different heroes. Fans will be able to vote for the character they want on the team and try to guess who the final five will be. There will also be articles spotlighting other characters that inhabit the WildGuard Universe.Who is creating WildGuard?WildGuard features story, art, and covers by creator Todd Nauck. Todd is best known for his consistent run on DC’s Young Justice. Todd first came to the comic industry working for Image after being discovered from his WildGuard mini-comics in 1994. Now, almost ten years later, Todd is able to bring his characters to the comics stands through the Image imprint.
Is The Voting Over?
In WildGuard’s first glitch, issue #3 indicates that the fan-interactive voting part was over last week, on November 19th, while its website indicates that November 26th is the last date.
If you want to vote, but haven’t done so, I recommend you go to the WildGuard site and do so before this upcoming new comics day. Unlike the U.S. Presidential voting system, creator Todd Nauck’s encourages fans to vote often – the website is set up to allow fans to vote once every 24 hours.
So pick your faves and be part of the system.
The website also has profiles of your 46 hero(ine) choices for the team.
The last time I recall this type of interactive process, although we used phones back them, was for A Death in the Family within DC’s Batman franchise in the good old ’80s. That process ended with readers/callers voting to have Jason Todd, the second Robin, killed. WildGuard’s interactive approach uses 21st Century technology and is a wee bit less morbid.
Love and Hate
I love letter pages.
Thank you to Todd Nauck for bringing back the letter column in his WildGuard series!
I loathe variant cover gimmicks.
While creator Todd Nauck is drawing all the “A” Covers, the “B” Covers (1 for each issue) are being done by some of the best in biz – Arthur (Tom Strong Terrific Tales) Adams, Keron (New Mutants) Grant, Ed (Batman/Superman) McGuinness, Paco (Thor) Medina, Phil (Birds of Prey) Noto, and Mike (Fantastic Four) Wieringo. The variant covers feature each artist’s ideal team of 5.
Quality variant covers shipping in a 50-50 ratio. I know that sounds good, but I still hate the variant cover gimmicks.
The “choose the member of WildGuard” gimmick, on the other hand, is a great gimmick!
Where We’ve Been
I really enjoyed the first two issues.
One of the key points in my review of a book is whether the issue is accessible for new readers. So if you’re picking up issue #3, and don’t have #1 and 2, will you be lost?
In the case of WildGuard, you won’t. It has a nice summary page on the inside cover.
So, to use Todd Nauck’s scribblings again, here’s what’s happened so far:
After the Ultra Mega Super Five left a defeated giant robot in the middle of the WildGuard head-quarters, the heroes auditioning soon came to discover the robot was more than it appeared.
Unknown to the Ultra Megas and the auditioners, the robot housed an army of armored soldiers intent on abducting the heroes. The heroic hopefuls engaged the troops in an all-out battle but the invaders soon got the upper hand; abducting the heroes in strange yellow spheres. Nearly all the contestants were taken away save for a small group.
Producer “X,” is now revealed to be superhero/superstar Four, leads the eighteen remaining contenders on a rescue mission. Meanwhile, two others have found a way to infiltrate this strange army’s stronghold.
The Current Offering
Issue #3 continues the WildGuard saga and is really action-packed and a visual treat.
Ignacia (a heat powered hero) and Jun Jo (a Tarzan like character) are the infiltrators of the kidnapper(s)’ flying lair and are trying to free their fellow contestants, while Four and the remaining (heroic) contestants pursue in their own team plane.
The main plot doesn’t advance that much in this issue, as the story is focused more on characterization. Readers get to know team-leader Four as well as the likely team of “5” for Wild Guard (although creator Todd Nauck says that only 4 yet-to-be-revealed team-members are “locks”), Red Rover, Ignacia, Jun Jo, Wannabe (the vain newbie heroine) and Snapback (an elastic bodied hero).
You really do get in the heads of these characters as they are front and center in the story and have the most speaking parts.
Todd Nauck does a great job on the writing and penciling end of things. The asides / breaks in action where contestants reveal how they’re feeling, is very reminiscent of the reality TV trend and goes a long way to give readers insight into many of the characters outside of the six I’ve mentioned previously. Todd has really benefited and learned from working with writers such as Peter David, on Todd’s longest stint ever on a book (Young Justice).
The vibrant colors used by colorist Tom McCraw really add to the book’s visual beauty.
Issue #3 is marked by slow plot development, with solid characterization on a few key hero(ine)s, and great art from pencils to inks to letters to colors. You can tell the creative team is excited about this book. You should pick it up (if you can find it).
The Buzz
WildGuard was actually featured in the September 2, 2003 edition of TV Guide – quite an accomplishment for any comic book, let alone a new one that is not based on a DC or Marvel TV or movie tie-in.
Issue #1 has also sold out at the distributor. So if you see it, and/or issues 2 and 3, snap them up!
The Ideal Team
While at the outset we know that 4 members are predetermined (and unrevealed as of yet) for Wild Guard, I’ll still suggest to you my ideal team of 5, almost discounting Todd Nauck’s writing and character emphasis to date. It’s a given that the veteran super-heroine Four, a.k.a. Producer “X” for the WildGuard TV show, will lead the team. So, here is the team of 5 that she should lead:
(1) Red Rover – fitting the non-powered, courageous Batman / Wildcat (DC) archetype – male
(2) Freezerburn – fitting the thermal powered (hot and cold in this case) hero archetype – male
(3) Longfellow – (another character that) fits the elastic bodied Plastic Man (DC) archetype – male
(4) Lily Hammer – fitting the a-god-walks-among-us, Thor (Marvel), archetype – female
(5) Wannabe – fitting the excited newbie archetype – female
A Call to Action
So, what are you waiting for? Hurry and go to the WildGuard website and cast your e-ballot for your fave WildGuarder.
