I know I’ve been ragging on Jim Lee lately–specifically his redesign of Superman’s costume. Then I took a minute to remember that he’s the most influential (and hard working) comic artist of his generation. Copies of his fine-lined tough guys and leggy femme fatales have been on collectors’ shelves, and in would-be artists’ portfolios, for the past twenty years.
Making up for my fanboy tantrums, I’d like to praise some of Lee’s iconic early work, namely his creator-owned Image title WildC.A.T.S. With forgivable dorkiness, C.A.T.S. stands for Covert Action Teams (well, almost). When Image began publishing in 1992, their new superhero universe needed its own mythology, and in most cases got it. Where Marvel’s X-Men are mutant outcasts battling evil mutants, Lee’s characters are alien/human hybrids who fight souped-up despots.
The words hovering over Lee’s art, however, have always been secondary. Even today, rereading the first four issues for the seventieth time, the panels’ electricity seems to cook and make runny any attempt at verbal storytelling (sorry, co-creator and writer Brandon Choi). Not only is this nothing to complain about as a reader, but most artists would give Satan a massage for this to be true of their work. Comics proved long ago that they can be mature and complex, standing alongside literature and cinema. Nevertheless, as legendary artist Jack Kirby knew–and proved at least twice a month–superheroes perform a kind of blockbuster ballet. If you can pull your eyes off the panels, the art has failed.
The early 90s were the tsunami crest of Lee’s career. His comics from this time are indeed not-put-downable (here, meticulous inker Scott Williams gets his props). This was also an era when the limits of violence and good taste were routinely shredded (especially at Image); WildC.A.T.S. remained classy. And let me not forget the miraculous coloring of Joe Chiodo (computer-assisted and groundbreaking at the time), which is still shockingly rich today.
Without any further worship, let’s meet our heroes: there’s Jacob Marlowe (half alien dwarf who bankrolls the covert action), Spartan (valiant android leader), Voodoo (pole-dancer who can see and exorcise evil daemonites from human hosts), Grifter (requisite bad-ass gunslinger), Zealot (requisite warrior princess), Warblade (half alien who likes to carve people up), Maul (half alien who grows in size while losing brain power), and finally Void (great teleporter/bad conversationalist).
They go up against the evil Cabal, a group of alien hybrids who want humanity decimated to make room on Earth for the rest of their daemonite brethren. The two parties’ struggle involves an all-powerful orb, a space gateway, and a third group led by someone called the Gnome. To place the plot too far under the microscope is to jabber like some D&D player, hungover from all that dice rolling.
Worth noting though, is that a snarkier name for this post could be Mixology. Lee and Choi ransack and remix elements from Marvel, DC, and Hollywood science fiction, to commanding effect. Warblade’s hands are essentially liquid metal, like the T-1000 in Terminator 2. He also stands in for Wolverine when someone needs to be vengefully pureed. Zealot is from a battle-ready sisterhood named the Coda, not unlike the Amazonian Wonder Woman. Grifter, an old soldier who ages slowly, is like a Vietnam era Captain America–which more or less makes him the Punisher. Maul is a fine-tuned if shallow Bruce Banner, whose Hulk only loses control if he grows too big.
Lovers Voodoo and Spartan, fairly original as far as my comics reading goes, are neat in other ways. When we meet her, Voodoo is dancing in a club, already dressed in the pseudo-slave-girl attire that many super-heroines only don while adventuring. A great commentary there, intentional or not. Spartan, meanwhile, reminds me of the Aliens realm brought to life by Ridley Scott and James Cameron. He sacrifices himself (like Bishop) to save everyone, while destroying his cybernetic body in a wash of milky fluid.
So, like a fantasy baseball team, the WildC.A.T.S. are expertly assembled. That their story, fueled by beautiful bodies and mayhem, rockets along like a classic action film, is no small feat. Lee has a flawless sense of visual rhythm. His creations, if not conceptually robust, still make fearless iconic statements in panel after oversized panel (statements which became trading cards, action figures and a cartoon show).
It’s also no surprise that DC eventually bought Wildstorm, Lee’s imprint at Image, and that Zealot, Grifter and Voodoo were part of the New 52 relaunch. They now mix with Batman, Green Lantern and the rest of the DC Universe. I probably still need to say it, though, right?
Superman Unchained is going to rock.
