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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Comic books |
| Founded | 1992; 33 years ago (1992) (original) February 16, 2017; 8 years ago (2017-02-16) (revival) |
| Founder | Jim Lee |
| Defunct | December 2010; 14 years ago (2010-12) (original) |
| Fate | Shut down (original) |
| Headquarters | La Jolla, California, U.S. |
Key people | |
| Parent | Image Comics (1992–1998) DC Comics (1998–present) |
Wildstorm Productions (stylized asWildStorm) is anAmerican comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established byJim Lee to publish throughImage Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint ofDC Comics in 1998.[1] Until it was shut down in 2010, the Wildstorm imprint remained editorially separate from DC Comics, with its main studio located inCalifornia. The imprint took its name from a portmanteau of the titles of theJim Lee comic seriesWildC.A.T.S. andStormwatch.[2]
Its main fictional universe, theWildstorm Universe, featuredcostumed heroes. Wildstorm maintained a number of its core titles from its early period, and continued to publish material expanding its core universe. Its main titles includedWildC.A.T.S,Stormwatch,Gen13,Wetworks, andThe Authority.
Wildstorm also published creator-owned material, and licensed properties from other companies, covering a wide variety ofgenres. Its creator-owned titles includedRed by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner,Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughn and Tony Harris,The Winter Men byBrett Lewis andJohn Paul Leon, and the first six issues ofThe Boys byGarth Ennis andDarick Robertson. Its licensed titles includedGears of War,Resident Evil,The X-Files,Friday the 13th,A Nightmare on Elm Street,The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Wildstorm was also home toAlan Moore'sAmerica's Best Comics imprint.
DC shut down the Wildstorm imprint in December 2010.[3] In September 2011, the company relaunched its entire superhero line with a rebooted continuity in an initiative known asThe New 52, which included Wildstorm characters incorporated into that continuity with its long-standing DC characters.
In February 2017 Wildstorm was revived as a standalone universe withThe Wild Storm, by writerWarren Ellis. However, the characters were reintroduced to DC continuity in 2021.[4]
Wildstorm, founded byJim Lee, was one of the founding studios that formedImage Comics in 1992.[5] Wildstorm, originally known as Aegis Entertainment, grew out of Homage Studios, a workspace shared by Lee,Whilce Portacio,Scott Williams, and others in San Diego, California.[6]
Image was founded by Lee, Portacio,Erik Larsen,Rob Liefeld,Todd McFarlane,Marc Silvestri, andJim Valentino. All but Portacio became full partners in the new firm.[7]Silvestri joined Homage Studios shortly after the founding of Image Comics. Although he worked at the studio, his projects appeared under his ownTop Cow imprint.[7] Silvestri continued to work out of Homage Studios until 1994.[6]
Lee's first project for Image and Aegis Entertainment wasWildC.A.T.s. The line was expanded withDeathblow,Stormwatch, andUnion in 1993.[8] An Homage Studios talent search publicized inWildC.A.T.s issue 2 led to the hiring ofBrett Booth,J. Scott Campbell, Alex Garner, and others in 1993.[6]
Also in 1993, Image andValiant Comics began publishing the inter-company crossoverDeathmate. The project was the result of a series of conversations Image Comics co-founder Jim Lee and then Valiant Comics publisher Steve Massarsky and Vice President of Marketing Jon Hartz had in 1992 over the possibility of a crossover. Homage Studios producedDeathmate Black, which was solicited for late summer but didn't ship until October.[8] "Many consider Deathmate the comic book that singlehandedly put an end to the industry's prosperous times and the biggest reason why so many comic book stores closed its doors for good," comics historian Jason Sacks wrote. "In truth, there was plenty of blame to go around."[8]
In late 1993, Lee changed his venture's name to Wildstorm Productions. He explained: "As Aegis grew and the marketplace changed, I decided a new name would more accurately define the nature of the titles we produce". Former DC editor Bill Kaplan was brought in to oversee production and scheduling, in an effort to combat the studio's problems with erratic publication schedules.[9]
Image published the Wildstorm titleGen13 issue 1 in 1994. Although pre-orders were disappointing at 173,000 copies, it became Image's biggest hit of the year at a time when the company's sales were dropping.[6][8] Though many Image titles sold more than 500,000 copies per issue in 1992 and 1993, by mid-1994 only the top-selling titles reached 250,000 in sales.[8] Image executive directorLarry Marder later said that theDeathmate crossover had damaged Image's reputation but thatGen13 led retailers to re-evaluate the company.[10]
A Saturday morning cartoon series ofWildC.A.T.s lasted only a single season (1994–1995), while a full-length animated version ofGen13 was produced but never released in the United States.[11]
Watchmen co-creatorAlan Moore took over writingWildC.A.T.S with issue 21 in 1995, and remained the regular writer on the title for 14 issues. His run on the series introduced a newWildC.A.T.S team consisting of both new and established characters who remained on earth while the other team adventured in space.[12]
Marvel hired Lee and Liefeld in 1995 to revamp four classic Marvel titles in an effort to boost sales. Marvel paid Lee and Liefled $1 million plus 40% royalties to produce the comic books through their respective studios.[13] Wildstorm producedIron Man andFantastic Four while Liefeld's Extreme Studios producedAvengers andCaptain America. Each of these titles relaunched in 1996 with a new issue 1 set in the "Heroes Reborn" universe, a separate continuity from the main Marvel comics line. Lee penciledFantastic Four and co-wrote it with Choi.Iron Man was penciled by Portacio and written by Lee andScott Lobdell. Sales onFantastic Four tripled.[14] Wildstorm took over Liefeld's titles with issue 7. Each Heroes Reborn title lasted 12 issues, after which the characters were reintroduced to the main Marvel continuity and the series resumed their previous numbering in 1998.[15]
In 1996, Wildstorm launched a new imprint called Homage Comics. Described as a "home for creator-owned material as well as a safe haven from an increasingly challenging comic book market," the initial line-up consisted ofAstro City byKurt Busiek, Terry Moore's previously self-publishedStrangers in Paradise, and a new title calledLeave it to Chance byJames Robinson andPaul Smith.[8]
Also in 1996, Wildstorm launched aGen13 spin-off calledDV8, written byWarren Ellis with art byHumberto Ramos. The first issue, which took a darker and more mature tone thanGen13,[16] was one of the top selling comics of the year.[17] Ellis also took over writingStormwatch in 1996 and likewise took the series in a more mature direction.[18]
Following Heroes Reborn, Jim Lee returned to Image Comics, writing and drawing a new series calledDivine Right: The Adventures of Max Faraday in 1997. Sales, however, were disappointing in part due to an erratic schedule: Lee only managed to publish seven issues over 15 months.[19]
In 1998, WildStorm launched theCliffhanger imprint to showcase created owned titles from a new generation of popular artists, starting withCrimson byHumberto Ramos,Danger Girl byJ. Scott Campbell, andBattle Chasers byJoe Madureira.[20]
Wildstorm also ventured into licensed comics, publishingResident Evil: The Official Comic Magazine, based on thevideo game franchise, in 1998.[21]
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Due to declining sales across the U.S. comics industry, and his view that his role as publisher and growing family demands interfered with his role as an artist, Lee leftImage Comics and sold WildStorm toDC Comics in late 1998,[22][23] enabling him to focus once again on art.[1][24] The deal went into effect in January 1999.[25] Wildstorm remained based in La Jolla, California, and was initially reported to retain editorial independence, while benefiting from DC's marketing efforts during a comic book market slump. DC, meanwhile, benefited from increased market share and access to Wildstorm's coloring department.[26] However, DC editorial intervened in a number of Wildstorm titles over the years and comics journalist Rich Johnston blamed this interference for the imprint's downfall of the imprint.[27]
By the time of the acquisition, Wildstorm had established a creative services business providing art and graphic design to external clients. Because DC had no interest in the creative services business, Ted Adams, who had previously run the business at Wildstorm, and three other former Wildstorm employees foundedIdea and Design Works (IDW) to serve the company's existing clients.[28]
WildStorm launched a new imprint titledAmerica's Best Comics (ABC) in January 1999 to publish a line of titles created byAlan Moore, includingPromethea,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,Tomorrow Stories,Tom Strong andTop 10.[26] Moore conceived of the line as what the comic book industry might have looked like if the superhero genre had not dominated the medium but instead developed around popular pre-superhero genres like pulp heroes, science fiction, and mythology.[26] Moore agreed to create the line before DC's acquisition of Wildstorm. Because Moore had vowed never to work for DC again, Lee and another Wildstorm representative flew to Moore's home in Northampton, England to work out a deal that would keep the ABC line entirely separate from DC's editorial.[26]
Later in 1999, WildStorm launchedThe Authority, written byWarren Ellis with art byBryan Hitch. The series was a successor to Ellis's work onStormwatch following the deaths of several characters from that title in pages of Ellis's 1998WildC.A.T.S/Aliens mini-series.[29]The Authority was a dark and violentsuperhero comic thatGrant Morrison described as a fusion of British cynicism with the utopian superhero ideals of Superman creatorsJerry Siegel andJoe Shuster.[30] Ellis wrote its first twelve issues before handing the series over toMark Millar. The success ofThe Authority set the tone for the future of Wildstorm and helped establish the "widescreen comics" trend.[31] Also in 1999, Wildstorm publishedPlanetary created by Ellis and artistJohn Cassaday. The ambitious series featured a team of "archeologists of the impossible" uncovering the "secret history of the 20th century" and was filled with pop culture references.[32]
Wildstorm moved the majority of its superhero titles to a new imprint called "Eye of the Storm" in 2002. The titles were labeled for "mature readers" as the content shifted away from traditional superhero stories towards more morally complex themes.[31] The imprint published critically acclaimed titles such asJoe Casey andDustin Nguyen'sWildcats 3.0,[33]Stormwatch: Team Achilles byMicah Ian Wright andWhilce Portacio,[34] andSleeper byEd Brubaker andSean Phillips.[35] Wright was fired by DC for lying about his military service.[36] The Eye of the Storm imprint was shuttered by the end of 2004.[37]
Meanwhile, Wildstorm continued publishing creator owned works. The company publishedGlobal Frequency byWarren Ellis in 2002, which was adapted byWarner Bros. into atelevision pilot that never aired but was eventually leaked to the internet.[38]Red by Ellis and artist Cully Hamner was published in 2003 and was adapted intoa film released in 2010. TheEisner Award winningEx Machina by Brian K. Vaughn and Tony Harris debuted in 2004. Wildstorm was also published the first six issues ofThe Boys byGarth Ennis andDarick Robertson in 2006, which was adapted into atelevision series beginning in 2019, before the comic book series moved to Dynamite Entertainment in 2007. Ennis explained that this was because DC Comics were uneasy with the anti-superhero tone of the work.[39] Other notable creator owned series published by Wildstorm includeAutomatic Kafka by Joe Casey andAshley Wood,The Winter Men byBrett Lewis andJohn Paul Leon, andSam Kieth'sZero Girl andFour Women.[40]
WildStorm also continued publishing licensed comics, includingThundercats andRobotech in 2002.[41][42] The imprint became a notable publisher of video game related comic books, publishing promotional comics and tie-ins for games includingEverquest,Gears of War,Ratchet and Clank,Resident Evil,Prototype, andWorld of Warcraft.[3][43] Other licensed titles includedX-Files,Fringe,A Nightmare on Elm Street,Friday the 13th, andThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre.[44][45][46]
After a series of disputes with DC, Moore announced in 2005 that he would do no new work for DC or Wildstorm after he finished his existing commitments.[47]League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier was published in 2007, after which the series moved toTop Shelf.[48] Moore also co-wroteAlbion, published in 2006 by Wildstorm, with his daughterLeah Moore and her husbandJohn Reppion. Wildstorm continued publishing ABC titles written by other writers, such asTom Strong and the Robots of Doom, written byPeter Hogan, in 2010.[49]
In 2006, The DC mini-seriesCaptain Atom: Armageddon reset the Wildstorm Universe and established it as one of the parallel worlds in the DC multiverse. This was followed by the "Worldstorm" event that relaunched several Wildstorm titles, including the flagship titlesWildcats byGrant Morrison and Jim Lee andThe Authority by Morrison andGene Ha. However, the two flagship titles ended with three issues published between them due to scheduling conflicts.[31] Other titles relaunched as part of the event includedDeathblow written byBrian Azzarello with art by Carlos Tan,Gen13, written byGail Simone with art byTalent Caldwell,Stormwatch: Post Human Division (PHD) written byChristos Gage with art byDoug Manhke, andWetworks, written byMike Carey with art by Portacio.[50]
In 2008, facing declining sales, the Wildstorm line saw yet another change in status quo. A series of cross-overs and mini series (Wildstorm: Armageddon,Wildstorm: Revelations, andNumber of The Beast) depicted a catastrophic event and the line's titles shifted shifted into a post-apocalyptic direction. This attempt to revitalize the line, however, did not result in a substantial increase in sales.[31] The imprint was shut down in December 2010, withWildcats (vol. 5) #30 as its last issue, although DC Comics announced that the characters would reappear some time in the future.[3][51] The imprint's licensed comics continued publishing under the DC banner.[3]
DC Comicsrelaunched its DC Universe imprint in September 2011, which included the integration of the WildStorm characters into the DC Universe. The initial wave of relaunched titles included:Voodoo andGrifter solo series, a revivedStormwatch title featuringJack Hawksmoor,Midnighter,Apollo, theEngineer, andJenny Quantum,[52][53][54] and a revived version ofTeam 7 with non-WildStorm charactersDeathstroke,Amanda Waller andBlack Canary. TheTeen Titans spin-off titleThe Ravagers featuredCaitlin Fairchild andWarblade as part of the cast,[55][56] whileWildC.A.T.s villainHelspont appeared inSuperman #7 and #8,[57][58]Grunge appeared inSuperboy #8,[59]Zealot appeared inDeathstroke #9,[60] andSpartan appeared inTeam 7 #5.[61] Midnighter was a recurring character inGrayson, before spinning off into his own ongoing series.
Wildstorm characters continued to appear in the DC Universe following theDC Rebirth relaunch in 2016, including in the GLAAD Media Award nominatedMidnighter and Apollo series published from 2016 to 2017.[62][63] In 2018 Tom Strong appeared inThe Terrifics and Promethea appeared inJustice League of America.[64][65]
On February 16, 2017, Wildstorm was officially revived withThe Wild Storm #1 byWarren Ellis andJon Davis-Hunt, a 24 issue series that re-imagined the Wildstorm Universe. On October 11, 2017, Wildstorm launched a second series underThe Wild Storm banner with the 12 issue mini-seriesThe Wild Storm: Michael Cray byBryan Hill. Following the conclusion ofThe Wild Storm DC Comics announced that a newWildcats six issue mini-series was to debut August 28, 2019, again penned by Ellis with art by Ramon Villalobos, but was cancelled in 2019.[66][67]
Grifter, Apollo, and The Midnighter appeared in the alternate future timeline seriesFuture State: Dark Detective in 2021.[68] The Wildstorm characters were then officially reintroduced into DC Universe continuity later that year inBatman: Urban Legends #5[4] andSuperman and The Authority.[69][70] The new Authority team then appeared as supporting characters in the Superman crossover story arcWarworld Saga.[71]
A 12 issueWildC.A.T.S series by Matthew Rosenberg and Stephen Segovia ran from 2022 to 2023.[72][73] The 2023 seriesBirds of Prey featured WildC.A.T.S member Zealot, and theOutsiders series relaunched the Wildstorm titlePlanetary with a new version of the character The Drummer as well as the Authority's sentient home The Carrier.[73][74] Wildstorm characters have also appeared inDC Black Label series includingSuperman vs. Lobo,Waller vs. Wildstorm, andJenny Sparks.[75][76][77]
In 2023,James Gunn ofDC Studios announced thata film based onThe Authority was in development and would help form the basis of the newDCU.[78] In November 2023,María Gabriela De Faría was cast to play The Engineer, a member of The Authority, in theSuperman film ahead ofThe Authority film.[79]
The Wildstorm seriesThe Authority helped start the "widescreen comics" trend that laid the ground work for modern superhero cinema.[80][81] Reflecting on Wildstorm's legacy in 2010, Image Comics co-founder Rob Liefeld called the series one of the most influential comic books of his lifetime.[82] It was also the first comic book published by DC or Marvel to feature a gay wedding.[83]
Four Wildstorm books madePaste Magazine's "The 20 Best Graphic Novels of the Decade (2000-2009)" list:Wildcats Version 3.0: Brand Building,Ex Machina Vol. 1,The Absolute Authority Vol. 1, andAbsolute Planetary.[84] TheABC titlePromethea was included onThe A.V. Club's "Top 25 comics of the ’00s" list.[85]
Joseph Hedges publishedWild Times: An Oral History of WildStorm Studios in 2017.[86]
In a landmark deal, DC purchased Jim Lee's WildStorm imprint, gaining another super hero universe.
{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}:|first= has generic name (help){{cite web}}:|first= has generic name (help){{cite web}}:|first= has generic name (help)Ellis's gay superhero couple Apollo and Midnighter have ther own book in the current Rebirth DC universe.
{{cite web}}:|first= has generic name (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Key People |
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