Wildc.A.T.S: Homecoming

After reading this book as well as the rest of Moore's stint on WildC.A.T.S. I now fully understand why DC wouldn't let him have the Charlton heroes. For those that don't know, DC bought the Charlton comics roster (Captain Atom, The Question, Blue Beetle, etc). When they wouldn't let him use them they became Dr Manhattan, Rorsach, and Nite Owl. When you see how Moore used them, I understand DC's trepidation if not outright fear. It's like loaning your favorite shirt to a linebacker. You know when you get it back it's going to be stretched way out of shape and you'll never be able to wear it again without looking kinda silly. That's what he does to not just characters but the entire premise of comics he's on: Marvelman (Miracleman), Swampthing, Glory & Supreme. It's great for us as readers, if the plot of a story is the paper then he not only writes on both sides of the paper but in anagrams, ambigrams, in the margins, then uses it to make origami. But comic companies beware: You'll never find a tailor to take-in your concepts to get them to fit again.

Before asking Alan Moore to write your comic book, make sure you are not at all attached to the premise or any of the characters. The WildC.A.T.s started off a mostly alien super-team stranded far from their homeworld with a very simple mission: fight the Daemonites. In his first few issues, Moore splits the group in half, sends part of the team home to Khera, introduces some very strange new characters, and reveals that the war they've been fighting has been over for centuries. Oops. Stripped of their motivation, the characters end up having to face down a more insidious threat on Khera, and the double-blinds and manipulations of fellow superheroes on earth. The quantum leap from cookie-cutter fistfights to hard, character-driven sci-fi is a bit of a jolt, but it's a welcome one, and Moore uses it to serve the characters as they find new ways to work and fight together. The central question of the series ceases to be, "How do we win this war?" and becomes, "What do we do now that the war is over?" Travis Charest does the bulk of the pencils on this storyline, and they're terrific.

If you're like me, standard superhero comics where characters just beat up on each other are pretty boring. So what happens when one of the greatest comics writers takes on mindless violence? Sheer brilliance. Moore brings much-needed depth to the characters which up until this point had just been two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. He adds social commentary, ingenious plot twists, and layers of meaning. No, it's not as great as Watchmen, or From Hell, or any title where he created the characters/world, but working within the confines of what he's been given, Moore creates a superhero story that deviates from the norm and is well worth reading.

This book (or these books, as this is a collected edition) are great stuff - Alan Moore crafts a wickedly poignant tale around the return of the original C.A.T.s from their homeworld of Khera. While they originally went to Khera thinking it a utopia of paradise, they leave when events turn bitter. Arriving home on Earth, they find themselves right in the middle of the crime war the new WildC.A.T.S. have started. The conclusion is classic Moore, and the art (a mix of Travis Charest and Kevin Maguire) is top notch, Charest's in paticular. If you are a fan of Alan Moore, WildC.A.T.s, or just good old fashion intergalactic superhero action, this book's for you.

Fans of Moore's will not be dissappointed. Terrific dialogue, mood-setting art like no other -- He truly set the standard for comics.