Wildcats: World's End TPB

I'm always down for some post-apocalyptic fiction, and having it written by Christos Gage and feature the Wildstorm universe is just icing on the cake. This is the first trade I've picked up since Numbers of the Beast, and as promised, the Wildstorm U is destroyed. After clones of the High blew up all over the world, mankind (and the Earth in general) is struggling to survive. Pockets of humanity are barely making ends meet, although there are still plenty of super-heroes around to try and help. This trade introduces us to three different protectors; the Wildcats, Majestic, and Tumbleweed.

The Wildcats have staked off LA, setting up as many folks as they can in their old Halo Corporation HQ. The building has power, protection, and safety. Sure, there are daemonites in the city, but they do reach an understanding.

Majestic is sort of portrayed as a bad guy, but frankly, I think he has the right idea. Majestic has claimed the Hawaiian Islands. After protecting them from damage during the explosions of the High clones, he is now stocking it with survivors to make it the perfect city-state. He's sort of cold and calculated about it, but I have no doubt that the folks he's protecting appreciate him.

Tumbleweed (along with a slew of old animal characters from Wildstorm) has created a verdant jungle/forest in the middle of the American desert. This haven for wildlife is off-limits for humans, although they can live on its edges.

The trade has a nice episodic feel as the Wildcats team sort of checks in with these different groups. There is still plenty of character development and combat, but the world-building is the best part for me. I'm especially pleased to see Tumbleweed. I loved a ton of those new Numbers of the Beast characters and this is the first one I've seen pop up after that series.

Neil Googe does a nice job with the art. He's got a cartoony style that works well with the super-hero material and keeps the starving people from looking too upsetting. The showdown with the daemonites (including a ginormous Maul) is probably the best part of the book.

Good