Series Retrospective --WildC.A.T.S: The Animated Series

The WildC.A.T.s television series was created in 1994 and aired on CBS. The series was produced by WildStorm Productions in association with Nelvana. Although DC Comics owns the rights to the characters (due to DC's 1998 purchase of WildStorm), FUNimation Entertainment distributed the series' run on DVD, which was released on July 19, 2005.

It ran for thirteen episodes with a family-friendly storyline. WildC.A.T.s featured a rock soundtrack, and a theme song performed by Sheree Jeacocke and Gerry Mosby. WildC.A.T.s, along with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Skeleton Warriors, was grouped into the "Action Zone" showcase that used a wraparound animated fly-though pre-credit sequence to bookend the three very different programs.The series was canceled around the same time that the "Action Zone" concept was officially retired (although TMNT retained the "Action Zone" credit sequence until the end of its run two years later).

The group was composed of all the original WildC.A.T.s. The major villain was Helspont, and the Troika and the Coda were featured as supporting characters. Mr. Majestic also made appearances, though not as a member of the group. 

In the behind-the-scenes interview video that is linked above, WildCATs creator Jim Lee clarifies that he was a part of the creative process in terms of bringing this cartoon to life and approving the changes in relation to their comic book counterparts. He approved storyboards and even chose the voices of the characters. He admits that he was conflicted about the comic book being adapted into a Saturday morning cartoon. You can hear it from his own mouth that more people saw this cartoon than read the comic books of the same name. He states that his favorite character is Grifter (obviously) out of all of the WildCATs. I'm not surprised to hear that in the least, especially when you look at how many times he has popped up in other media since he started working for DC Comics. Grifter is one of the only remaining members of the original team that is still part of the current iteration of the WildCATs in the comics. 

Jim Lee said that he didn't get a chance to enjoy the cartoon while it originally aired as he was so busy with everything else going on with Image at the time. Only years after the fact, he has had the chance to reflect on the fact that he's been able to bring one of his childhood ideas and fantasies to life and he doesn't regret a moment of bringing this to life in animation. 

Wildcats, sometimes rendered WildCats or WildC.A.T.s, is a superhero team created by the American comic book artist Jim Lee and writer Brandon Choi. 

Publication History (In Comics)

The team first appeared in August 1992 in the first issue of their eponymous comic book WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams, published by Image Comics. It was Image founding partner Jim Lee's first work published by the newly launched company, and his first creator-owned project. The Wildcats were the starting point for Lee's menagerie of interconnected superhero creations which became the foundation of the Wildstorm Universe. The Wildcats launched at the apex of a speculator-fueled comics sales boom and was wildly popular at its inception, with wholesale sales to comic book stores above one million copies for early issues. This first series ran for 50 issues, and in addition to Lee, featured work by comics creators such as Travis Charest, Chris Claremont, James Robinson and Alan Moore. This popularity saw the property expand into other media, with an animated adaptation of the comic debuting on CBS in 1994 and a toyline from Playmates Toys. 

In 1998, ownership of the Wildcats concepts and characters were sold to DC Comics, a subsidiary of Time Warner, as part of DC's acquisition of Lee's company Wildstorm Productions. A new incarnation of the team was soon launched under the simplified title Wildcats, focusing on the former members of the now-disbanded team and emphasizing a grittier tone during its 28-issue run. The third series, Wildcats Version 3.0, revolved around the HALO Corporation, its CEO Jack Marlowe (an amalgamation of original team members Spartan and Void), Grifter, and a gallery of new characters subverting corporate politics to their cause of creating a better world. This incarnation lasted 24 issues and was followed by a nine-issue limited series titled Wildcats: Nemesis, which returned to a more superheroic style reminiscent of the first series. In late 2006, a fourth ongoing series was launched as a part of the Worldstorm publishing initiative. The series saw the return of Jim Lee as regular penciller for the first time since its first volume while Grant Morrison took over writing duties. Only one issue was ever published, with future issues placed on hold. In mid-2008, the fifth volume of Wildcats was launched, tying into the World's End crossover event. 

Episode Summaries

Episode 1: "Dark Blade Falling"

Computer expert and martial artist Reno Bryce is ambushed by Daemonite agents, but is saved by the Wild C.A.T.s, who reveal that he is a descendant of the Kherubim. When his true form is unveiled as Warblade, Bryce runs away, only to be captured and possessed by the Daemonites.

Episode 2: "Heart of Steel"

After the Wild C.A.T.s stop the Troika from stealing top-secret data from Infidyne Corporation, Spartan reunites with Karyn, an Infidyne employee who was his old flame when he was still human. Karyn offers Spartan a second chance in life by regenerating his human body, but he is torn between his love for her and his duty as the team leader.

Episode 3: "Cry of the Coda"

The Eastern European nation of Yurgovia threatens its neighbors with a weapon that generates earthquakes, and Helspont wants it for his quest to find the Orb. Marlowe sends the Wild C.A.T.s to Yurgovia to destroy the weapon, but Zealot discovers that her former pupil Artemis has turned the Coda into mercenaries working with the Daemonites.

Episode 4: "The Evil Within"

In order to take control of a spy satellite to help him locate the Orb, Helspont has the President of the United States possessed by a Daemonite. Meanwhile, after a falling out with Zealot, Voodoo goes AWOL and is led to believe that her parents are still alive and looking for her.

Episode 5: "The Big Takedown"

Following a breach at a Halo Enterprises lab by the Troika, Grifter brings in his former pupil Lonely to help improve the security system of Marlowe's company. When Void notices that Lonely has been tagged with a Daemonite tracking dart, the Wild C.A.T.s stage a contingency plan during Lonely's security breach test to prevent the Troika from stealing a powerful x-ray lens, but Lonely reveals his ulterior motive to Grifter.

Episode 6: "Lives in the Balance"

After wandering through space for thousands of years, the ancient Kherubim leader Majestyk awakens when his stasis pod crashes on Earth. He reveals to the Wild C.A.T.s that Helspont is after the Orb, but while Spartan's team is sent to Holland to foil a Troika diamond heist and Majestyk and Zealot teleport to Maryland to retrieve the quantum generator, Marlowe suspects Majestyk is hiding something inside the stasis pod.

Episode 7: "Soul of a Giant"

Helspont hires an archaeologist to search for an ancient tablet that contains clues leading to the Orb. Maul discovers that the archaeologist is none other than his father, who he has not seen since his transformation.

Episode 8: "Betrayed"

During an attack at Halo Enterprises' headquarters, Marlowe is blasted with a Daemonite psionic transmitter. Warblade leaves to participate in a martial arts tournament in Japan, but when Helspont takes control of Marlowe's mind and jeopardizes the WildC.A.T.s' mission in the Himalayas, he must decide between winning the trophy and saving his teammates.

Episode 9: "Black Razor's Edge"

Helspont locates the Orb, but in order to reach it, he plans to steal the U.S. government's new anti-missile laser. He also has the government's covert security team Black Razor track down and destroy the WildC.A.T.s. Leading Black Razor is Max Cash, Grifter's estranged elder brother.

Episode 10: "And Then There Were None"

The Daemonites locate and unearth the temple containing the Orb. The WildC.A.T.s arrive at the temple to stop Helspont from reaching the Orb, but all but Voodoo fall into the temple's traps. Being the least experienced member of the team, she must fend off against Helspont while finding a way to free her teammates.

Episode 11: "M.V.P."

Helspont has the Wild C.A.T.s framed for attacking the President on national TV and arrested by the Black Razor. He also steals two nuclear missiles to blast out the temple containing the Orb and destroy the WildC.A.T.s at Fort Knox, but Marlowe uses his financial power to foil his plans.

Episode 12: "The End Game, Part One"

While the Wild C.A.T.s prevent the Daemonites from stealing an anti-gravity device at a NASA research facility, Grifter is hit by a stasis cannon by a possessed Lonely. Zealot pursues Lonely across the city to avenge her comatose lover while the rest of the team sends the device to a more secure location, unaware that it is an elaborate trap set by Helspont.

Episode 13: "The End Game, Part Two"

Helspont has stolen the anti-gravity device and prepares a captured Zealot to become his newest servant. After being freed from Daemonite possession, Lonely rushes to Halo Enterprises to save Marlowe from being possessed. An injured Grifter awakens from his coma and heads for the Behemoth alone to rescue Zealot. Meanwhile, after Warblade cracks the Code of Threes, the Wild C.A.T.s return to the temple to release the Orb, but Voodoo realizes why it was sealed by the Elders in the first place.

Where To Watch?

The entire series is available on DVD, distributed by FUNimation Entertainment. I personally picked it up for less than $10, but I've seen it go for $10-20 at the most on Amazon and even cheaper on eBay brand new, so it's not hard to find in terms of acquiring a physical copy of the series. 

For those looking to stream it instead, it's available (unofficially and officially) both on YouTube via various retro channels and it's available for streaming legally on the TubiTV streaming app in its entirety. Once again, it's only 13 episodes total, so it makes for a quick lazy day binge. 

My Thoughts:

I know that a lot of my long-time readers will see this write-up as me re-treading familiar territory as I covered this series briefly as part of a Collectors' Corner article when I was discussing the toy line and again when I did a piece on Stuff That I Like. I don't mind revisiting this series as it's one of the first non-Marvel Comics-based comic book properties I adored growing up. This team opened my eyes to experiment and look into more possibilities outside of Marvel Comics. 

When the WildC.A.T.s cartoon premiered on CBS's weekend animation block, I was already reading the comics of the same name since my older brother was getting them regularly and sharing them with me, like a lot of comic books that I was exposed to in my youth at an early age. Unlike a lot of people (even today), I didn't mind the changes to the characters' origins and backgrounds as even in the original run of their comics, a lot of those stories were far too complicated and convoluted than they needed to be. Then again, it was the '90s and that edginess was trendy, so it was a byproduct of it's era of origin. 

Was the theme song cheesy and totally '90s? Was the cartoon essentially a 20-30 minute toy commercial? Yeah, pretty much. Totally got my ass wanting the toys back then. I'm still collecting them to this day actually. We'll talk about that some more in the toy line section... This series only ran with one season, consisting of only a mere 13 episodes, but by the end, I loved this team even more than I did from reading the comics at the time. Was this show a X-Men: The Animated Series killer? Of course, it wasn't. As someone who grew up during this time period, I tell you right now that was the farthest thing from kids' in my age group was thinking of about this cartoon at the time. We saw it as another cool comic book-based superhero cartoon to add to the list of many on television at the time along with X-Men, Batman, The Incredible Hulk, Ironman, Spider-Man, Ultraforce, and the Fantastic Four. Even revisiting this cartoon roughly two decades later, I can appreciate the individual episodes that dove into the backstories of each of the members of the WildC.A.T.s and showed why they are each valuable members to this team. Spartan chose the mission over his humanity and the love of his life. Voodoo found the family she was always looking for as part of the WildC.A.T.s and discovered a strength within herself that she never knew she possessed otherwise. Maul is towering hulk of a man that actually has the mind of intellectual within. He sacrifices that intelligence for vast strength to fight the Daemonites. Grifter's criminal past always comes into question when he's trying to walk the path of a true hero. Zealot's countless centuries fighting the Daemonites has turned her cold and unfeeling, until she joined the WildC.A.T.s, all of which she sees more than mere comrades. Warblade just wanted a normal life, but found himself dragged into the battle against the Daemonites unwillingly. That proves to be a costly mistake by the Daemonites he comes around to the cause. 

It's always going to hold a soft spot in my heart as it's the realization of one of my all-time favorite comic book artists taking the characters he created in his childhood and youth and actually made his dream come true by making both an ongoing (at the time anyway) comic book and approving this cartoon to be made. As a kid growing up, it was a glimmer of hope that maybe I could see something like this happen with my characters someday. I still have this (foolish) dream of aspiring to see my creations on a stage like this in my lifetime. 

Over the years I have seen people regard this cartoon as one of the "worst" comic book adaptations and superhero cartoons of all-time. I honestly think those critiques are ridiculous and I will die standing on the hill that this cartoon is criminally underrated. Sure, it was fool's errand to size it up as "competition" for X-Men: The Animated Series when that powerhouse wasn't being challenged by anything outside of that network on Saturday mornings other than Pokemon over on Kids' WB and even in the end that was a close arms race at one point. It was already set up to fail being a part of CBS's dying SatAm block that was barely hanging on with the last few seasons of the original TMNT cartoon at the time. This cartoon's move to USA's animation block didn't do it any favors either, but at least it got a bit more eyeballs on it than it did on CBS' block. 

Merchandise

Tie-In Comic Book

I honestly didn't know this one-shot comic even existed until I was gathering information for this Series Retrospective article. That was pretty bad ass to see that Jim Lee personally did the cover art for this comic book. Another added plus was seeing this spread showcasing the toy lines for all three of these cartoons on the CBS Saturday morning Action Zone. I wouldn't mind hunting down a copy of this to own someday.  

Playmates Toys released a Wild C.A.T.s toy line of six-inch action figures from 1994 to 1995. The characters featured in the toy line were Spartan (standard and ECM Stealth Suit versions), Grifter, Zealot (Kherubim Warrior and Coda Uniform versions), Warblade (standard and Bio-Flexon Suit versions), Maul (standard and Flexon Combat Suit versions), Voodoo, Void, Helspont (standard and Ceremonial Battle Dress versions), Pike, and a generic Daemonite. Mr. Majestic, Max Cash (as Black Razor), Slag, and a color variant of Pike (ECM Stealth Suit) were released as part of the comics-oriented "Image Universe" sub-line. The Bullet Bike was the sole vehicle in the toy line. There were two diorama-style 2-packs that were bundled with an exclusive comic book featuring scenes between Grifter vs. Daemonite and Spartan vs. Helspont. In addition, Playmates released giant 10-inch figures of Spartan, Grifter, and Maul.

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I have been painstakingly collecting this toy line since my older brother gifted them to me when I was a kid. It amazes me how well these figures' sculpts and molds still hold up well to this day as they were amazing quality figures for the time, rivaling next to the Spawn and Playmates' own TMNT toy lines in terms of detail. My only complaint is the limited posing options for them, but that's a minor gripe to be honest. The two-packs include a comic book and two trading cards of the two bundled characters within the packaging but were only limited to a Grifter vs. Daemonite 2-Pack and Spartan vs. Helspont 2-Pack. 

Video Game

Among the countless number of sidescrolling beat 'em ups on the SNES during this time period, this was easily one of the ones that flew underneath most people's radars. I honestly only played a single level or two of this via emulation over the years and that was enough for me. You play as a different WildCAT per stage (only Spartan, Warblade, and Maul are playable) and the game doesn't support 2-Players as it's a solely single player affair. Plus it's rather disappointing that Zealot, Voodoo, nor Grifter are playable. This just feels like a quick cash grab to market off of the cartoon during the time of its inception on television, like a lot of half-assed tie-in video games. This game isn't awful, but if you're looking for a good beat 'em up or just a superhero/comic book tie-in video game, then there are SOOO many much better options than this. Even as a fan of the WildCATs, I can't recommend going out of your way to obtain nor to play this in general. The only positive nod that I can give this video game is the fact that the sprites look pretty well made to say that this uses a lot of the goons and grunts from the cartoon. Even the WildCATs themselves that are playable don't look that bad in these graphics, so that's a plus. I can't say that I'm really enamored with the graphical style of this game (even from this time period) as the sprites and environments look washed out in a lot of instances. 

Appearances in Other Media & Legacy

In the years that followed this cartoon's cancellation, the WildStorm label (along with Image Comics that was home to the WildC.A.T.s) was bought by DC Comics in 1998. There have been numerous attempts to integrate the WildStorm Universe and its many characters into the DC Universe properly since 2011 (with the New 52 initiative) to mixed results, but that hasn't stopped DC Comics from continuing to bring back these characters in some capacity over the years.