2.79 (444) WildCATS/ X-Men Golden Age ... Marvel n Image ...

Well, well, well ... in happier times, Marvel and Image finally decided to work together to pull this crossover series off ... mind you this is before Jim Lee's Wildstorm studios and characters were acquired and absorbed into the DC mythos

So here we see a series of one-shots showing us that the Cats and X-Men have actually encountered each other over the years i.e. not in alternate realities but in this, our prime reality and thus trying to make it seem like they are all in 616 and such a joy to read

This is the first issue to be released and it features an almost black-n-white style of artwork from superstar Travis Charest. While I loved Jim Lee, Travis, if I dare say so (and why not, eh) outdid even Lee here in this one shot

As for story, it talks about the time of the war, back when we have Nazis running around doing crazy experiments and a perpetual torn in the side of the Nazis is super-soldier Wolverine. However, at that point, W didn't know about the fact that aliens have taken on the identity of human Nazis and are actually in cahoots with the stormies

Enter Zealot! She who is from another offshoot of aliens named Khera and has stayed on our planet hundreds of year constantly battling Daemonites wherever they may rear their ugly head and one of the most pertinent of these nasties are now with the Nazis ... and so our 2 heroes met!

Awesome art, awesome story, awesome action sequences - what more do you need?

Ratings: 9/10

2.78 (443) WildCATS vol 1 #3 ... Image ...

There was a time, more than two decades now (wow I find that hard to believe) when comics were all about having a good time - if action, let's go overboard. If pencilling, then let's forget about perfect human anatomy but rather idealized it. And if we talk about printing, let's go for the best ink and colour and paper and that's the glory of Image!

And this issue from Jim Lee is a celebration of all that ... as we see the CATS finally coming to a head against team Badrock ... oops I mean, Youngblood. Hehehe!

As the name implies, Wildcats are covert independent teams and they are busy tracking alien scum that are hellbent (Helspont is one of the bad guys) on Earth domination while Youngblood is part of US enforcement super-cops style ... SPOILER ALERT ... and so when the trail of aliens led to the government senior officials (I so wanna so who but I need to keep lips sealed Sigh!) ... well someone decided to tip the US team off and so they come charging for the CATS

And as every comic fan so loves and want to see, first is always misunderstanding that both are good guys and every first encounter must have a great fight and this? It's just that. Awesome!

Love the artwork but it could have benefitted from perhaps (in my opinion) heavier inking and a more muted colour palette thus giving the right scenes greater accentuation. Still this is a colourful amusement park style fun read on every single panel. Go CATS!

My fave 'blood? Badrock rocks!

Ratings: 8/10