WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 #19 REVIEW

[Chris Wilson]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0304/WildcatsVersion30CVR19.jpg"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0304/WildcatsVersion30CVR19t.jpg" align=left alt="Wildcats 3.0 #19"></a>Reviewer: Chris Wilson, sneakydub@hotmail.com
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: The Shot Heard…

And so begins the war…

Writer: Joe Casey
Artists: Pascal Ferry
Cover Art: Dustin Nguyen, Rian Hughes
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Colorist: Randy Mayor & Wendy Broome of WSXF[sic]
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Ben Abernathy

We begin this issue in Athens, tossed into a firefight between fetish assassins and CIA agents. That’s all well and fun, except for it being quite a jolt from where we left off. Obviously, Coup d’Etat was out of sequence and most likely occurs sometime after the current storyline in Wildcats Version 3.0. However, we did miss an entire month of a continuous plot to be interrupted by a story that was contextually unrelated. This isn’t so much a problem, but it does demand that extra uncomfortable time in reorienting one’s self from the dissociation of the two plots. And so we begin in earnest this time…

Agent Addison has gotten himself into some hot water with the Coda, a sorority of tough women who get off on killing things. One of those things would be Addison at the moment, as his cover’s been compromised. It’s never quite made clear exactly how they become aware of the CIA’s mission, but one assumes that the Coda are not your average bubble-headed blondes. Yet in a book that’s touted to be as smart and intriguing as Wildcats Version 3.0, it’s a bit of a disappointment when the reasoning for a failed espionage operation is left to reader speculation. Regardless, the blown cover is a great—however clichéd—setup for the ensuing fight scene.

Technically, the entire book is a single fight scene (save for the very last page), which is never a bad thing when done with panache. And panache is certainly the order of the day in issue #19. Wildcats goes Matrix in a fight that pits Addison, Chandler, Agent Orange and Zealot against the relentless Coda. Okay, if you’ve been a fan of Wildcats for a while then you know that “relentless” is a gross understatement when it comes to the Coda. These are women that know what they want, and they’ll destroy everything in a mile radius to get it. Indeed, our heroes recognize the unwieldy odds, but that doesn’t stop them from chopping up a few dominatrices before their luck runs out. Take note: lots of killer babes getting blowed up real good. And there’s nothing wrong with such gratuitous violence in comics, right?

Well, if it’s at the expense of the story, then maybe there is something wrong. Again--as has been Casey’s failing point with this series--there is very little here that moves along the overall plot of the book. Indulging in passionate gun slinging and swordplay is always a treat—let there be no doubt. Yet that’s pretty much all we get in this issue. There’s no mention of Halo at all. We still have no idea where Zealot’s sudden motivation to (single-handedly) destroy the Coda comes from other than she doesn’t really like them anymore. And the mystique to Agent Orange still has yet to be diluted.

It’s most likely that this issue was used as fodder for the post Coup newbies, as it’s always a good idea to pull a new reader in with Hollywood flare and gradually build into the heady material that usually permeates this book. However the introduction to Wildcats Version 3.0 in Coup d’Etat portrays such a different premise for the book that there’s a mental disconnect. The Coup issue portrays the Wildcats as a group that could go about reflecting bullets and toppling cities if they wanted, but they chose different means to save the world. Issue #19 gives the complete opposite of that position, where Amazons are decapitating each other while dodging explosions. Of course, these actions scenes are the red-headed stepchild of Casey’s plots, only allowed out of the closet once every few months. They are greatly appreciated, to be sure, but this instance may be a harsh awakening for those jumping on from the Coup issue.

Regardless, Wildcats Version 3.0 #19 is a very good showing by Casey and guest artist Pascal Ferry. Here, Casey seems to adapt a screenplay to comics, and, panel for panel, Ferry matches the camera with his pencils. The reader recognizes the urgent intensity being created as even a character’s thoughts are captured in action. The pace is constantly moving, Ferry never skipping a beat by adapting nuanced angles to show off Casey’s plot. You watch the sequence fly by thinking, “Damn, that had to hurt.” The coloring is much brighter in tone than normally used (it is outside during daylight) but certainly doesn’t deafen the effect of the many huge explosions throughout this issue. Covering Zealot in sun and blood is a sight to behold, and Wildstorm FX pulls it off with great acumen.

A great issue of Wildcats Version 3.0, indeed. Wait around another issue or two to get to the smart stuff. Surely Casey’s got more up his sleeve than a bunch of biker babes murdering each other with swords and bombs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that :D

ART:
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STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wshalf.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg

OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg

Buy this issue online now from X-WORLD and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=156&cat=WILDCATS+VERSION+3%2E0)

[gatorgav]

Good review Chris. I really like this issue too. I thought the Grand Sarin was pretty cool albeit a bit like Boba Fett (hmm does that mean she was Fettish?) Seems like there has been a lot of buzz around this title lately. I love Ferry's art but I really can't wait for Dustin to get back from his Batman stint.

[trinh]

Originally posted by Chris Wilson
[B
Well, if it’s at the expense of the story, then maybe there is something wrong. Again--as has been Casey’s failing point with this series--there is very little here that moves along the overall plot of the book. Indulging in passionate gun slinging and swordplay is always a treat—let there be no doubt. Yet that’s pretty much all we get in this issue. There’s no mention of Halo at all. We still have no idea where Zealot’s sudden motivation to (single-handedly) destroy the Coda comes from other than she doesn’t really like them anymore. And the mystique to Agent Orange still has yet to be diluted.[/B]

talk about overly verbose. you could have had the same review with two paragraphs.

there's more flip-flopping here than in a john kerry campaign...first you say that the action is at the expense of the story, bad and cliched, then you say it's great. which is it?

also, casey's failing point with this series? PLEASE. the fact that he doesn't cover backstories means he spends less time going over what happened before and can spend more time advancing the plot.

this issue, notwithstanding, there have been more plot advancement in the previous 18 issues than what brian bendis can do in 3 years.

to understand where zealot's motivation comes from...and it's not "sudden"...you have to have read the previous issues. is that a problem for newer readers? sure, but you can't say that casey's fault is not moving forward.

[Dylan McKay]

Did anyone else find there to be a cathartic element to this book?

[Nick Costanzo]

DAMN! My shop sold out of this issue before I could get it.... I'm so depressed :(

[Dan Porter]

Originally posted by trinh
talk about overly verbose. you could have had the same review with two paragraphs.


And you could have had the same post without being so negative.

Please don't criticize reviewers unless you can be polite about it.

-DPorter

[Zeb Aslam]

Heh...congrats Chris! You've got a heckler! You know what they say...you're not really a reviewer until you've experienced the criticism of someone who's not ;) Anyway, I agree with you on the review...it was not as good as previous offerings have been, but it was still a good issue. Zealot being my second favourite WildCAT, it was fun to see her here too...and the Grand Sarin looked way too much like Boba Fett!! The first time I saw the cover I was thinking, "Maybe they're having a Star Wars/WildCATS crossover or something" Still great book...and hopefully we'll return to the thought-provoking storylines next issue.

[Chris Nutall]

I was unimpressed by this issue. I wanted to know how Coup was affecting the Wildcats, instead we get a battle that I could get from almost any comic.

Chris

[Dylan McKay]

Originally posted by Chris
I was unimpressed by this issue. I wanted to know how Coup was affecting the Wildcats, instead we get a battle that I could get from almost any comic.

Chris
Reminds of the discussion my dad and I had after watching Kill Bill. My dad was dissapointed, no substance, riddled with questions and plot holes, completely over the top and nothing original or worthwhile (Although he agreed that the technical marit of the filming and editting was top notch.). I agreed on all but the last point, no Kill Bill was not a great story, but it was a brilliant action movie that took everyone this side of Kurosawa who ever attempted an action movie to school. This is the much the same way. Yes, it is just pure uninhibitted violence with very little plot backing it up. But it is not a fight that you could get anywhere else. I challenge anyone to find a compairably good fight published in 2004. Heck, try 2003 as well. From my reading knowledge the last fight of this calibre was Orion #5. So I'm comfortable saying that Casey/ Ferry took everyone this side of Walt Simonsen to school on the subject of comic book fight scenes. I'm almost of the mind that I don't care if I see another comic book fight, because I doubt that it'll match up with this.

[Chris Wilson]

Originally posted by trinh
talk about overly verbose. you could have had the same review with two paragraphs.


Eek! I'll try to tone down the verbage, but I do so like the English language... however poorly I abuse her.


there's more flip-flopping here than in a john kerry campaign...first you say that the action is at the expense of the story, bad and cliched, then you say it's great. which is it?


Note that I never said the action was bad and cliched. I just don't think it was conducive to a linear understanding of the Wildcats directly following the Coup issues. For instance, this...

Originally posted by Chris
I was unimpressed by this issue. I wanted to know how Coup was affecting the Wildcats, instead we get a battle that I could get from almost any comic.

... is what I'm talking about.

also, casey's failing point with this series? PLEASE. the fact that he doesn't cover backstories means he spends less time going over what happened before and can spend more time advancing the plot.

Again, I think you've misinterpreted my intent. Wildcats 3.0 is indeed a very good book, due mostly to Casey's script. However, the man is not infallible. And my gripe, however minimal it may seem to you, is that his stories tend to build very slowly to the point of "conflict-resolution," which is stock for any serialized media.


to understand where zealot's motivation comes from...and it's not &quot;sudden&quot;...you have to have read the previous issues. is that a problem for newer readers? sure, but you can't say that casey's fault is not moving forward.

Actually it is quite sudden, as her reapperance since her supposed death has been defined solely by this agenda for shutting down the Coda. Anyone that is familiar with the character knows that she's no Superman or Captain America--she's not a Boy-Scout who does good for the pure sake of virtue. It's only been revealed that Zealot currently sees the Coda as corrupt and that she's compelled to bring them down. However, we're never offered a distinct motivation for such an agenda.

Heh, I at one point swore an oath never to defend myself on these boards. But then I sniffed some magic fairy dust, and a the magnanimous King Hornet told me to type the above.

-Chris

[wolvie 1234]

posted by Chris Wilson

We begin this issue in Athens, tossed into a firefight between fetish assassins and CIA agents. That’s all well and fun, except for it being quite a jolt from where we left off. Obviously, Coup d’Etat was out of sequence and most likely occurs sometime after the current storyline in Wildcats Version 3.0. However, we did miss an entire month of a continuous plot to be interrupted by a story that was contextually unrelated. This isn’t so much a problem, but it does demand that extra uncomfortable time in reorienting one’s self from the dissociation of the two plots. And so we begin in earnest this time…

Agent Addison has gotten himself into some hot water with the Coda, a sorority of tough women who get off on killing things. One of those things would be Addison at the moment, as his cover’s been compromised. It’s never quite made clear exactly how they become aware of the CIA’s mission, but one assumes that the Coda are not your average bubble-headed blondes. Yet in a book that’s touted to be as smart and intriguing as Wildcats Version 3.0, it’s a bit of a disappointment when the reasoning for a failed espionage operation is left to reader speculation. Regardless, the blown cover is a great—however clichéd—setup for the ensuing fight scene.

You have to read previous issues to know why.Is not the writers fault just yours.
The CIA team was in undercorver mission to take the Codas,one of them passing as a target for the Codas.


Well, if it’s at the expense of the story, then maybe there is something wrong. Again--as has been Casey’s failing point with this series--there is very little here that moves along the overall plot of the book. Indulging in passionate gun slinging and swordplay is always a treat—let there be no doubt. Yet that’s pretty much all we get in this issue. There’s no mention of Halo at all. We still have no idea where Zealot’s sudden motivation to (single-handedly) destroy the Coda comes from other than she doesn’t really like them anymore. And the mystique to Agent Orange still has yet to be diluted.

You need to admire the pace Casey put in this series,there isn't much action in the title but when is time Casey delivers.
To know where Zealot’s sudden motivation comes you need to know the character ,which you don't.
Also helps read v2 last issues.


It’s most likely that this issue was used as fodder for the post Coup newbies, as it’s always a good idea to pull a new reader in with Hollywood flare and gradually build into the heady material that usually permeates this book. However the introduction to Wildcats Version 3.0 in Coup d’Etat portrays such a different premise for the book that there’s a mental disconnect. The Coup issue portrays the Wildcats as a group that could go about reflecting bullets and toppling cities if they wanted, but they chose different means to save the world. Issue #19 gives the complete opposite of that position, where Amazons are decapitating each other while dodging explosions. Of course, these actions scenes are the red-headed stepchild of Casey’s plots, only allowed out of the closet once every few months. They are greatly appreciated, to be sure, but this instance may be a harsh awakening for those jumping on from the Coup issue.

I assume you just read only the coup issue ,if not you just need to read the previous issues to know that Zealot is not part of the Wildcats.
And Grifter is goig to help her ,and Marlowes (the reflecting bullets and toppling cities one) know nothing about this and he couldn't care less.