Wildcats #28

“Bad Medicine 2 of 4: Firebreak” (No Spoilers)

Writer: Adam Beechen
Pencils: Tim Seeley
Inks: Andy Smith
Colors: Carlos Badilla
Letters: Wes Abbott
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Jim Chadwick
Cover: Dave Gibbons & Kevin Nowlan
Variant Cover: Andy Park

Ok, now that the shock of the Wildstorm news has past, I think I was able to enjoy this issue a lot more than the previous. I feel the epic nature of this story has kicked in once again!

I’m getting the feeling now that we’re in the last half hour of a movie that you’ve been enjoying very much. For the most part, you know comics are ongoing and movies have an end. Well, now that I know this universe will have an end, I’m eagerly anticipating how this all will wrap up. Beechen and Seeley really do make this feel like the end of the world. It’s pretty bittersweet how exciting it all is now, knowing that the end is imminent.

It is noteworthy that this is artist Tim Seeley’s last issue as well. We will get to see his rendition of these characters one more time on the cover of next month’s #29 but these are his last interiors on the title. One of the things I appreciated the most about Seeley’s work is how faithful he was to the spirit of the characters. Plus he inserted so many nods to past Wildstorm stuff, only longtime fans would be able to find and appreciate them all. You could also tell he had a lot of fun with these characters and he some great work here. But don’t grieve too much because he’s passing the title off into the capable hands of Mike S. Miller (who did two great issues of The Authority earlier this year).

Beechen also continues to give us some great cameos by Wildstorm characters long since forgotten. It’s good that we got to see some of them in the pages of a Wildstorm book one last time. Plus, he’s also pulling out some great surprise appearances as more characters play into the story. Authority fans will be happy to see a member present we haven’t seen in a while (and it’s not who you think!).

The fat lady’s warming up her voice as she preps for her song as the Wildstorm Universe moves into its final act. I hope some people are picking up these issues out of curiosity since the announcement to experience a true end of the universe story. As we begin the crescendo into the final verse, I expect Beechen and Miller will give us a grand finale.

9 out 10 (Excellent!)