Bummer; No, "WILDCATS," Comic in the Foreseeable Future

Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt did a stellar job with their weird reboot of the Wildstorm Universe in their book, "The Wild Storm," which also had an amazing spin-off, "Michael Cray," by the talented Bryan Hill and N. Steven Harris. It was announced there would be a book taking-place after, "The Wild Storm," that would run six issues and be scripted by Warren Ellis with art by Ramon Villalobos, it was to be called, "WILDCATS." I keep using the word, "Was," instead of, "Is," because the book was announced as delayed, then Warren Ellis said in his newsletter (always a good read) that the book was essentially cancelled/dead/not coming out anytime soon.

It is unclear if Ellis is more to blame for this or Villalobos and neither have said anything mean about the other as they both are quite nice fellows. What is clear however, is that as of right now, "WILDCATS," ain't happening, and that is a bummer for someone such as me who always enjoys Ellis' writing and Villalobos' artwork. Maybe someday we will get it in some form, but for now this is just disappointing.

A Kickstarter That Looks Fascinating--"Ajala: A Series of Adventures."

When I recently said how, “Wildstorm: Michael Cray,” was among my favorite mini/maxi-series of 2018 I got in touch with its writer and artist—Bryan Hill and N. Steven Harris, respectively—to let them know how much I loved it. They both were very appreciative of my love for the book and Mr. Harris made me aware of how he was a part of a Kickstarter campaign to collect the issues of a mini-series he has worked on, “Ajala: A Series of Adventures.”

Mr. Harris was kind enough to provide me a PDF of what had been completed of the issues the collected book would contain (issues 5 and 6 are still being made, as the campaign discusses), and I loved what I read. I can see why Ajala’s series has won two Glyph awards (for best female character) as it contains a stellar mixture of action, socio-political discussion, and a frank portrayals of race throughout. The current-events elements never come off as ham-fisted or shoehorned in, as some comics seem to struggle with when they try to discuss, "The world outside our window," but instead the stories of Ajala handle everything great in regards to social issues as well as scenes of action jam-packed with stellar illustration. The campaign has not yet reached its funding goal and only has six days left, so if you are interested in backing it I would encourage you to do so ASAP. With the fantastic artwork of N. Steven Harris and a story by Robert Garrett I know I'm hoping the book gets the needed funds!

Mini/Maxi-Series of the Year--2018 in Revew

Limited in Length, Not In Scope
A mini-series (6 issues or less) and/or maxi-series (generally 12 issues) may not be as long-running as an ongoing comic, but that doesn't mean their concepts or effort are any more limited. This year one maxi-series I adored finished and a mini-series I am loving is nearing its end. I wanted to make sure and sing the praises of each of them.

Mini and Maxi Fun

Wildstorm: Michael Cray
While Warren Ellis has been offering his new take on the Wildstorm universe, this snazzy spin-off (of which there were supposed to be more, but only this one has happened so far) is doing all kinds of crazy and experimental stuff that caught my attention. Having finished this year, the 12 issues that came out had the titular Michael Cray basically tasked with taking-out terrible people threatening the safety of the world, and these people all happened to be takes on assorted DC heroes with just the slightest change making them often terrible, monstrous, beings. There are plenty of, "The heroes are evil in this Universe," tales, but Bryan Hill's writing gives it some extra oomph that elevates it to something special in having his hero--Michael Cray--possibly be the worst monster of all. Artist N. Steven Harris provides stellar artwork as well, with a style that is a little scratchy in a way that makes the kinetic moments of action really pop. For a barely-discussed little spin-off maxi-series this was one stellar comic, and Bryan Hill has been continuing to prove he is a talent to be reckoned with on books like this or the currently being released (and quite impressive) new Vertigo series, "American Carnage." Keep an eye on Bryan Hill, he's only getting better and better.

The Wrong Earth
Earlier in the previous week I discussed how much I love Jamal Igle's work on, "The Wrong Earth," and his artistic contributions are one major reason I love this mini-series. That said, the overall concept of a campy comic-world's hero switching places with the protagonist of a grim-and-gritty Universe is solid, and the writing of Tom Peyer is pitch-perfect in its satirical take on how as a society we seem to constantly mold and alter our favorite heroes to fit current societal tastes. It is clever, funny, and just the right mixture of critical and heartfelt. For the first comic to be released by new publisher, Ahoy Comics, they are coming out of the gate strong.