Wildstorm

One question we’re always asked is “If I want to get into Wildstorm, where do I start?”  I’m going to list below the Wildstorm series that, in my personal opinion, are worth checking out.  You can also choose where to start by reading the list below and simply picking a spot that sounds good.  As with any universe, it would be ideal to start at the beginning but the Wildstorm Universe has several key runs that you can enjoy without going all the way back to the beginning.  (If you’d like to know which trades to follow the integration of the WSU into the DCU New 52, check those out here.) Or if you’re looking for info about Warren Ellis’ The Wild Storm then click here.  If you are looking for our Reading/Checklist click here.
– Joe

Ok, I guess we’ll start at the beginning as they say. The older Image stuff will probably be the easiest to find in discount bins.

Wildstorm Reading List


#1-13 (Jim Lee’s run)

WildC.A.T.s CompendiumWildC.A.T.s / Cyberforce: Killer InstinctWildC.A.T.s: A Gathering of EaglesWildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams (1992-1998)
It’s not everyone’s favorite but it’s one of mine. It shows the team come together and introduces Majestic (known as Mr. Majestic then) and the villain Tapestry. Plus it has all that pretty Jim Lee art. 😉 (Collected in trades:  WildC.A.T.s: Compendium, WildC.A.T.s/Cyberforce: Killer Instinct, WildC.A.T.s: A Gathering of Eagles) There was also an Absolute WildC.A.T.s released (pictured below) 

#15-20 (James Robinson’s run)
James Robinson Complete - WildC.A.T.S.A fun little run by James Robinson and Travis Charest that I feel is overlooked because of Alan Moore’s run that follows. (Collected in trade; James Robinson’s Complete WildC.A.T.s)

#21-34 (Alan Moore’s run)
This is the first critical point in Wildcats history because it’s the story that began to give the team an identity of its own instead of being considered “X-men rip-offs”. Also introduces the villain Tao who is later important to Ed Brubaker’s “Sleeper” and later in World’s End. It’s also noteworthy that Alan Moore did a story in #50 that features the death of one of the characters he introduced in his run.
Alan Moore's WildC.A.T.s. - Gang WarAlan Moore's WildC.A.T.s.: HomecomingAlan Moore's Complete WildC.A.T.sAlan Moore's Wild Worlds

(Collected in trades WildC.A.T.s: Homecoming, WildC.AT.s: Gang War, Alan Moore’s Complete WildC.A.T.s, Alan Moore’s Wild Worlds)

WildC.A.T.s Misc

WildC.A.T.s / X-men

WildC.A.T.s / X-men (Scott Lobdell)

Wildstorm Rising was the company’s first crossover that ran thought all their books.

Wildcats Volume 2 (1999-2001)
Wildcats - Street SmartWildcats - Vicious CirclesWildcats - Serial BoxesWildcats - Battery Park
#1-28 This run starts with Scott Lobdell and Travis Charest and it’s pretty cool then, but it really kicks into high gear when Joe Casey and Sean Phillips take over with #8 until the end. (Collected in trades Wildcats-Vol. 1: Street Smart, Wildcats-Vol. 2: Vicious Circles, Wildcats-Vol. 3: Serial Boxes, Wildcats-Vol. 4:Battery Park)

Wildcats 3.0 (2002-2004)
Wildcats Version 3.0 - Brand BuildingWildcats Version 3.0 - Full DisclosureWildcats Version 3.0 Year One TPB SC Col 1-12Wildcats Version 3.0 Year Two TPB SC Col 13-24

#1-24 This picks up directly from “Wildcats” and is considered to be the seminal Wildcats run. Also by Joe Casey. (Collected in trades Wildcats 3.0-Brand Building: , Wildcats 3.0-Vol. 2: Full Disclosure, Wildcats 3.0: Year One and Wildcats 3.0: Year Two

Wildcats Nemesis SC Col 1-9Wildcats: Nemesis (2005)
9 issue mini. Introduces the character of Nemesis who plays heavily into the Armageddon storyline later. (Collected in Wildcats: Nemesis trade)

Wildcats: World’s End (2008-2010)
The series that ended the Wildstorm Universe. ( Only the first two graphic novels were released Wildcats: World’s End & Wildcats: Family Secrets)

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Stormwatch Vol. 1 (1993-1997)
Stormwatch Volume 1 Hardcover 2012Stormwatch - Force of NatureStormwatch - Lightning Strikes SC Col 43-47Stormwatch - Change or Die

#37-50 (Warren Ellis’ run) This is where the seeds were planted for The Authority. Ellis does a good job of getting you up to speed on the characters. (Volume 1 Collected in Stormwatch Volume 1 – Hardcover 2012, Stormwatch-Book 1: Forces of Nature, Stormwatch-Book 2: Lightning Strikes, Stormwatch-Book 3: Change or Die)

Stormwatch Vol. 2 (1997-1998)
Stormwatch Volume 2 Hardcover 2012Stormwatch - A Finer WorldStormwatch - Final Orbit

11 issue run. Warren Ellis completes his second arc which paves the way for The Authority. It’s important to note that the one-shot crossover issue WildC.A.T.s/Aliens is vital to understand what happens between Stormwatch Vol. 2 #10 & 11. (Volume 2 Collected in Stormwatch Volume 2 – Hardcover 2012, Stormwatch-Book 4: A Finer World, Stormwatch-Book 5:Final Orbit)

The Monarchy – (2001)
The Monarchy - Bullets Over BabylonThis is where Stormwatch went astray. Jackson King and Christine put together an odd-ball team with the intention of still “making a finer world” but in his own forced way. We even have some old Wildstorm characters as regulars on the team, can you believe Union?!?!

Stormwatch: Team Achilles (2002-2004)
Stormwatch - Team Achilles Volume 1Stormwatch - Team Achilles Volume 223 issue series. This one takes place just before, during, and shortly after Coup d’etat. It’s the non-superhuman answer to teams like The Authority. Interesting thing about this series is it was canceled one issue before the finale because writer Micah Ian Wright was fired for lying about being in the military. (Collected in trades Stormwatch: Team Achilles Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, unfortunately rest of series is currently not collected)

Stormwatch P.H.D. (Post Human Division)  Worldstorm & World’s End (2007-2010)
Stormwatch P.H.D. - Book 1Stormwatch P.H.D. - Book 2This team kind of filled the void left by Team Achilles and is a great “superhero cop-drama” for the first 12 issues written by Christos Gage. At #13 it picks up the World’s End storyline. (Collected in trades Stormwatch: P.H.D. Vol. 1, Vol. 2,)

The Authority Vol. 1 (1999-2002)
The Authority Vol 1: RelentlessThe Authority Vol 1: Under New ManagementThe Authority Vol 1: Earth Inferno and Other StoriesThe Authority Vol 1: Transfer of Power

Picks up directly from Stormwatch Vol. 2. #1-12 (Warren Ellis’ run). Warren Ellis completes his run and it is arguably the best of the series. The series gets a little iffy afterward. Mark Millar picks it up at #13-16 which introduces Jenny Quantum. After that, problems with scheduling really messed up the series. (Collected in The Authority: Relentless, The Authority: Under New Management, The Authority: Earth Inferno & Other Stories, The Authority: Transfer of Power)

The Authority Vol. 2 (2003-2004)
The Authority Vol 2: Harsh RealitiesThe Authority Vol 2 - Fractured WorldsI personally think you can take or leave this series. It basically shows the team with Jenny Quantum growing up along side their adventures. (Collected in trades The Authority: Harsh Realities, The Authority: Fractured Worlds)

Coup d’etat (2004) / The Authority: Revolution (2004)
Coup D'etatThe Authority Revolution - Book 1The Authority Revolution - Book 2Coup d’etat is a 4 issue mini-series that shows how The Authority takes control of the U.S. (Collected in the Coup d’etat trade). This arc was a cross-over with Sleeper, Wildcats 3.0, Stormwatch: Team Achilles, and The Authority Volume 2 which leads into the Authority: Revolution. A 12 issue series that shows how The Authority loses control of the U.S. and shows Jenny Quantum becoming a teenager. (Collected in The Authority: Revolution Book 1 & The Authority: Revolution Book 2)

The Authority Vol. 3: Worldstorm / The Lost Year (2006, 2010-2011)
The Authority The Lost Year TPB Softcover Collects 1-7This is the Grant Morrison/Gene Ha series that got put on hold after the first 2 issues in 2006. But Keith Giffen took over writing it in 2009 and it has been re-titled “The Authority: The Lost Year”. This series is just ok as a whole. It’s a 12-issue mini that shows what The Authority was doing before World’s End. (Collected in The Authority: Lost Year-Book 1, Book 2 was cancelled)

The Authority: Prime (2007) / World’s End (2008-2010)
The Authority PrimeThe Authority World's End - Book 1The Authority World's End - Rule Brittania

Not the best story in the world, but it shows what the team was doing right before Worldstorm. (Collected in trade The Authority: Prime). We then go into World’s End, the series that ended the Wildstorm Universe. (Collected in trades The Authority: World’s End & The Authority: Rule Britannia)

Midnighter / Grifter & Midnighter (2007)
This mini-series followed by a solo series follows Midnighter. (Grifter & Midnighter, Midnighter Vol 1: Killing Machine, Midnighter Vol 2: Anthem, & Midnighter Vol 3: Assassin8, Midnighter: The Complete Wildstorm Series)

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Gen 13
There are two ways you can go with Gen 13. You can check out some of the earlier stuff or you can skip ahead and start with Gail Simone’s Vol. 4. She wrote it in such a way as to re-introduce the characters. So it’s your choice.

Gen 13-Vol. 1
Original 5 issue mini-series that introduces the kids. (Collected in either trade, Gen 13: Collected Edition or Gen 13: Who They Are and How They Came to Be)

Gen 13-Vol. 2
#1-18 (J. Scott Campbell issues) Similar to the Jim Lee WildC.A.T.s issues in that they’re more for the fun stories and great art than anything else.(Collected in trades Gen 13: Starting Over, Gen 13: Lost in Paradise, Gen 13: European Vacation, Gen 13: Issue #13 ABC Collected Edition)

#60-71 (Adam Warren run) Most of the Gen 13 series isn’t that great, but if you like Manga inspired-stuff, Warren’s run is for you and it actually ends the series. (Collected in trades Gen 13: Superhuman Like You & Gen 13: Meanwhile)

Gen 13-Vol.3
You can pretty much disregard this series.  But, if you insist…This only trade released contains #0-6 of the 16 issues released.  (Gen 13: September Song)

Gen 13-Vol. 4
Gail Simone did #1-13 and it is a decent re-introduction to the kids. #14-20 is a story arc called “15 Minutes” which I don’t think is very good but it’s important to note that #20 has a cliffhanger that leads directly into #21 (the 1st World’s End issue). (Collected in trades Gen 13: Best of a Bad Lot, Gen 13: Road Trip, Gen 13: 15 Minutes, Gen 13: World’s End)


Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday
Divine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday - Book OneDivine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday - Book TwoA fun series that does have ties to the WSU but can also be read as a stand-alone. Max Faraday does have importance in World’s End as well. 12 issue mini with the one-shots Divine Intervention: Wildcats and Divine Intervention: Gen 13 fitting between issue 11 & 12. (Collected in trades Divine Right-Book 1 & Book 2)

Planetary
Pretty much anything with Planetary is good.  The entire series is collected in trades. (Planetary Vol. 1: All Over the World & Other Stories, Planetary Vol. 2: The Fourth Man, Planetary Vol. 3: Leaving the 20th Century, & Planetary Vol. 4: Spacetime Archeology).

Point Blank / Sleeper: Season One & Sleeper Season Two
Sleeper Season 1Point Blank is the prelude to Sleeper, which is one of the most (if not the most) highly regarded WS stories ever. By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. (Collected in trades Point Blank, Sleeper: Season One, Sleeper: Season Two)

Team 7
Original 4 issue Team 7 mini-series is the best and it establishes a lot of characters who later become prominent in the WSU. (Collected in Team 7 trade).

Welcome to Tranquility
While simultaneously writing Gen 13, Gail Simone introduced the town of to the WSU (retroactively). Can be enjoyed without knowing too much about the WSU because it focuses on new characters. (Collected in Welcome to Tranquility Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 and there is a follow-up mini-series called Welcome to Tranquility: One Foot in the Grave.)

Wildstorm: After the Fall
The Wildstorm: After the Fall trade that collects the back-up stories that ran through the 1st year of World’s End titles (read concurrently with the 1st 4 World’s End trades).

Wildstorm: Armageddon, Revelations, Number of the Beast, Dreamwar (2008):
And then the Armageddon Trilogy that leads to World’s End (all traded): I know it’s a lot so feel free to ask questions if you got them. 🙂

13 comments

  1. No love for any Stormwatch prior to Warren Ellis? Admittedly it has some weak spots, but is my favorite incarnation of the team. How about the Wetworks series? That was some great stuff with some of the strongest continuity of any book in the WSU up until Steven Grant took over and made it a completely different book. Also, the original Deathblow series is phenomenal. Backlash had a fun series too, with Brett Booth’s art being almost as stunning as Jim Lee’s.

    1. Honestly, I only mentioned stuff that was in trade so people could find it easier or things I personally had read. I didn’t read too much of the pre-Ellis Stormwatch, Wetworks, or Deathblow. I’ve slowly been filling in those gaps in my collection. Backlash was one of my favorite series too but sadly even though it made to 32 issues, it never got traded. 🙁

      1. I’d recommend the Wildstorm Rising crossover, available in trade, as a glimpse into several books of the classic WSU before it was irrevocably changed by the introduction of Warren Ellis to Stormwatch. The first 5 years of Wildstorm were very interconnected and continuity-rich, but I think it’s somewhat of a secret because many readers only know the post-Ellis years.

          1. Yeah, Fire From Heaven is difficult to collect as individual issues because not only did it span lots of different comics, but they also created a couple new titles such as Sword of Damocles which only had 2 issues and were part of the crossover. And I seem to recall there was another story which acted as a prelude, found in the pages of the various Team 7-based books like Deathblow and Grifter.

  2. OTV recommended I check this site out. It looks pretty cool, I’m always looking to find more comics anyways, and these books have fantastic names attached to them. I just ordered the WildC.A.T.S compendium literally a minute ago.

    Great list, this will be helpful for me to jump in.

    1. Thanks for checking us out Jay! The WildC.A.T.S compendium is pretty awesome, he’s hoping we get to see some new Wildcats action in the new DCU 52. I hope you stick around to check out the podcast and more of what we have on the site, thanks again!

    2. thx for checking out our site Jay! Be warned, the WildC.A.T.S compendium is truly early 90’s stuff. As soon as your done, I’d encourage the Alan Moore and Wildcats Vol. 2 and Wildcats 3.0 books. Let us know what you think when you’re done reading!

      1. I finished the compendium a bit back, and i thought it was actually pretty great (even though early image has a very bad rep I liked it). It was a lot of fun and a pretty cool premise that didn’t really dazzle me but I thought it had a lot of potential.

        After I finished I went out and got Robinson and Alan Moore’s run on the title, Stormwatch vol 1, and the Mr. Majestic collection.

        Also two quick questions, is the “Fire From Heaven” crossover in trades? And what are the names of the company-wide events in order?

        1. Unfortunately, Fire from Heaven was never collected. Our WS Resource Wiki timeline should give you more details:

          http://wildstormresource.wetpaint.com/page/Timeline

          But the only really big crossovers were Wildstorm Rising, Fire From Heaven, and to a smaller extent, Coup D’Etat. After that you had Captain Atom: Armageddon, but that one can be skipped. Best just to go straight to World’s End which is the last big crossover before Wildstorm shut down.

          I also have a summary of Wildstorm up at Comicvine too:

          http://www.comicvine.com/wildstorm/57-708/

          I know it’s a lot so feel free to ask any questions you have. 🙂

  3. Thanks for putting this together mate, easily the best reading order out there and great to see there are still people passionate about this kickass universe.

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