The characters in Wildcats 3.0 are not your average brand of super-heroes. One of them is a corporate tycoon who seems bent on benevolent world domination, and isn't above giving in to blackmail by crooked information brokers. Another is a former mercenary and killer who hires beefy enforcers to beat up targets now that he's stuck in a wheelchair and can't do it himself. And yet another uses his mind control powers to sleep with his boss's wife, which is at the least betrayal and could very easily be considered a form of super-powered rape. These aren't nice people. But what they are is undeniably fascinating to read about.
Casey is crafting Wildcats 3.0 in a form that can make it a bit of rough going in single issue format. There's very little in the way of recap here, and if you haven't been reading all along (or if you've just forgotten some of it), you're likely to wonder what the hell some of these characters are talking about. The downside of this is that the book could be called inaccessible, the upside is that it's going to make for a great trade paperback and each issue is full of material, since Casey doesn't have to spend a lot of time on reiterating what has already happened. And while it might be useful to know the context of our two accountants, or how Grifter got in that wheelchair, or what has happened to Agent Wax, the fact of the matter is that it really isn't that relevant to what's going on in this issue.
What's going on in this issue is fascinating all on its own, because it's an example of personal politics played for keeps with little in the way of traditional morality to slow it down. Marlowe's an android, Rendozzo's a crook, Cash is a killer and Wax is a corrupt fed. None of these people come from your traditional walk of life, and not knowing where their boundaries are is a big part of what makes the book exciting. What is Rendozzo's favor, and will the team balk at performing it? What is Wax's larger plan, if there is one? What's going to happen with Dolby and Cash, given Dolby's understandable anger? All interesting questions, which will certainly bring me back for the next issue.
The dark and unusual tone of the series is reinforced by the artwork of Nguyen, Friend and Mayor. The characters have a clean line and some of the most complex, fascinating facial features to be found in comics, and the art shows influence from sources as varied as Travis Charest, Mike Mignola, Walt Simonson and Eduardo Risso. The look is shadowy and dark, but without the oppressive coloring that often accompanies that style, as Mayor gives everything a nice splash of color, whether it's the glow of lights, the pink energy effect of Marlowe's teleportation or the antiseptic lighting of Marlowe's inner chamber.
Wildcats 3.0 is not about nice people. While WildC.A.T.s was all about super-heroes with a touch of 90s-era violence and Wildcats 2.0 was an espionage book, Wildcats 3.0 is about manipulation, corporate, personal and otherwise. It's unlike any other super-hero book out there, and it's excellent work from all involved.
