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WildC.A.T.S #4 from DC pits a lone Grifter against hostile forces up close and far away. Matthew Rosenberg writes this issue, with Stephen Segovia on pencils, Elmer Santos on colors, and Ferran Delgado on letters. Previously, The C.A.T.S went off to rescue a politician’s weird son with last-minute help in a warzone from a teleported (and surprised) Grifter. The team got blown out of a helicopter but escaped. Grifter, on the other hand…
Took a literal fall. This issue opens with him back on solid, war-torn ground, literally fighting for his life against ethnic cleansing soldiers. This is the crux of the issue, where we watch Grifter struggle to survive. This nets readers some appreciable action scenes featuring real-world looking tanks and weaponry, handled very well by Segovia. Grifter gets to show off some good (and senseless) moves while on the run. I loved the comments in another language by the soldiers and the locals who Grifter saves, all of them cussing him out while he can’t understand a word of it. Santos turns up the colors to eleven while Delgado matches it, and the pages are alight with explosions, huge SFX, and a Grifter who slowly goes from riches to rags. This issue makes it clear. No one gives a darn about Grifter.
Meanwhile, Zannah (Zealot) and Fairchild try to bypass the Spartan androids in order to see Marlowe. They want to get Grifter and bring him home. Too bad the bots won’t let them, so they try a few nefarious ways of breaking and entering to get their leader’s attention. This B-plot provided a few laughs and a bit of personal data on one character. But again, the point is hammered home. No one cares about what happens to Grifter, not even Marlowe or some on the team.
This brought to mind to a tiny bump in the road for me about the series thus far. The story is heavily focused on Grifter, and I love that. The character is much more human and nuanced than he was in the 90s. However, the rest of the cast gets the merest hints of development and panel time. Some, like Maul and Warblade, just get shown once. I’m sure this will change once the storyline pulls them together, but right now this is a team book of one.
Don’t get me wrong, though. This issue rocks; Grifter is a fave of mine due to Rosenberg’s expert character work, so I know he’ll soon turn that same work out for Zealot, Voodoo, Fairchild, Warblade, Spartan, Void, Maul, and Ladytron. Bits of it are being laid out. For now, enjoy the big summer blockbuster scenes, the cracks, and the indecency of personal quirks that pop up.
WildC.A.T.S #4 is a colorful, flashy, bloody survival drama where we get to see the resilience of Grifter. While we still aren’t getting enough of the other C.A.T.S to satiate curiosity, this issue really put forth that Grifter isn’t alone…completely. There’s a lot of string-pulling behind the scenes that I can’t wait to see how they connect and for this team to really overcome Marlowe and be all they can be. This is a great issue full of little giggles, action, corruption, and surprises. Get your copy. Bring Grifter home.
WildC.A.T.S #4 is available wherever comic books are sold.
WildC.A.T.S #4
TL;DR
WildC.A.T.S #4 is a colorful, flashy, bloody survival drama where we get to see the resilience of Grifter. While we still aren’t getting enough of the other C.A.T.S to satiate curiosity, this issue really put forth that Grifter isn’t alone…completely. There’s a lot of string-pulling behind the scenes that I can’t wait to see how they connect and for this team to really overcome Marlowe and be all they can be. This is a great issue full of little giggles, action, corruption, and surprises.
William J. Jackson is a small town laddie who self publishes books of punk genres, Victorian Age superheroes, rocket ships and human turmoil. He loves him some comic books, Nature, Star Trek and the fine art of the introvert.
