Wildcats V3.0 #22 Review

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Reviewer: Jesse Baker
Story Title: Nameless

Written by: Joe Casey
Penciled by: Duncan Rouleau
Inked by: John Dell and Trevor Scott
Colored by: Randy Mayor
Lettered by: Rob Leigh
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publisher: Wildstorm Comics/DC Comics

With two issues left, we head into the homestretch for “Wildcats V3.0” as the book heads towards the sad anti-climatic conclusion of the Coda War. It’s ironic (and tragic) on so many levels that the book is being cancelled with an arc involving the Coda (one of the most hated aspects of the Wildcats franchise) while the political and corporate aspects (which is the bread and butter of the series) are being given the shaft with no real conclusion. But, Jim Lee is more than happy to be a good little corporate whore for DC and draw Batman and Superman for his corporate masters and in the end, isn’t that all that really matters? It’s enough to make me hope and pray that sales for “Superman” go straight into the toilet so that we can establish once and for all that Jim Lee isn’t a draw anymore and that the only reason his Batman sold was due to the novelty factor of Jim Lee…

That being said, this month’s issue is a welcomed surprise as Joe Casey takes the focus off the Coda War and onto Spartan, who has to deal with a telepathic child-murdering assassin hired by the National Parks Service to kill him. Wax (who accidentally sicced the assassin onto Spartan while posing as his evil boss from hell) tries to warn Spartan but luckily for him, Spartan has the situation well in hand as Spartan decides to exact some nasty vengeance against the child-killing assassin.

Meanwhile, Grifter and the rest of the Halo Black Ops and Accounting gang prepare for the Coda to lay waste to their current hideout, which by the end of the issue is being attacked by the full force of the Coda Amazonian Army of DOOM.

Vivisection
OK. Casey answers some questions this issue with the revelation that the power source for his batteries came from a dimension outside reality. Furthermore, we get some advancement of the Coda War plot as the Coda make a large-scale attack onto Grifter and company, setting up the finale of the arc and series.

The issue does have some problems though, as Casey is now forced to resort to using the National Park Service as his enemy for Spartan and the Halo Corporations thanks to the events of the Coup De’Tat. That being said, it’s a real shame that Casey’s last arc on the book will leave this contrived but interesting aspect of the Wildcats franchise unresolved. Especially since you know whoever is drafted to reboot “Wildcats V4.0: Revenge of the Perv-Suits” will totally abandon Wax and the National Park Service aspects of the franchise.

Finally, as if a final “F-You” to the those of us in the know about the cancellation of Wildcats V3.0 we get a gushing ad in the editorial page of the issue for the upcoming Wildcats/Cyberforce TPB. Let’s be honest, no one gives a damn about this since the two “hot” artists who drew the issue are now soulless corporate whores who’s balls have long been cut off (Jim Lee) and a never-was hanger-on who’s art skills have turned to utter and complete s— in the last decade (Mark Silvestri). That being said, Alex Sinclair should be ashamed to be shill this piece of garbage, given how Joe Casey has gone on the record that DC is refusing to collect the remaining 12 issues of Wildcats V3.0 in TPB yet giving this stinking pile of a crossover a trade paperback release. Why not do something more constructive Alex and pimp the already existing Wildcats V3 Trades? Especially given recent revelations like how Sleeper is only still being published do to the sales of the trade-paperbacks. Maybe if Wildstorm would outright admit in print that their trade sales are essential to the survival of their books then maybe people would buy them.