Are the 'WildC.A.T.s' Making a Return? Jim Lee Says: "YES"

Back in the 90's Jim Lee took the world by storm with his Wild C.A.T.s comic book for the creator owned publishing company, Image Comics.

It didn't take long for the imaginative characters to find their way into an animated series. The personalities and character designs were unique and refreshing for the time they were introduced. Breaking off into Wildstorm Studios, Jim Lee took his idea to new heights.

Eventually in 1999 Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics and in 2010 it was shut down.

When DC launched it's reboot in 2011, with the "New 52", a couple of the characters, Grifter and Voodoo, found themselves headlining their own titles. Both titles were handled carelessly with little direction and poor storytelling. Grifter lasted longer, however, as the polarizing writer/artist Rob Liefeld (another founding member of Image Comics) took over to try saving the title. Grifter even shared panels with Superman, which was a testament to DC's hope of making the character relevant in the greater DCU.

A year after the launch of the New 52, Grifter's alter-ego, Cole Cash, made an appearance with his fellow members of Team 7 during the 'zero issue' themed September.

But through it all, none of it was enough to keep the title running.

As time passed, and the members of the Wild C.A.T.s seemingly forgotten, Grifter showed up one more time to play a part in the big DC event: Future's End. It was clear that Grifter still had a role to play as a gunslinging lone wolf in a world torn apart by a singularity known as 'Brother Eye'.

Once the story ended though, so too did the former Wild C.A.T.s' tale.

When Jim Lee appeared at SDCC to discuss 'Rebirth' a question was asked about the possibility of the Wild C.A.T.s making a return. And the answer will have comic book fans of the 90's very excited:

"The answer is yes. We will be announcing the details at New York Comic Con."

(Psst! We may not have been at the San Diego Comic-Con, but we know how to 'Google' and find important news. This little tidbit was culled from CBR and we're giving it a signal boost with a 'critical' blast.)

New York Comic-Con takes place October 6th - 9th, so we still have a few more months before we can get any information about what being planned. With any luck, between now and then, maybe some of those mysterious 'sources' we always hear about will leak some info.

Recently, in the pages of Justice League #1, there was a lot of mention of the 'Kindred'. Wild C.A.T.s fans will affiliate that word heavily with Grifter (and Backlash). Given that it was a mini-series for Image that current DC artist Brett Booth (TITANS) worked on, one has to wonder...Happy accident? Or foreshadowing things to come for Grifter's re-appearance? If DC has working plans to bring back the 'covert action team', then the 'Kindred' could be an early hint.

Will the Wild C.A.T.s experience a 'Rebirth' of their own and get a soft reboot of the franchise? It's been so long since we've seen them, outside of Grifter, that's exactly what should happen.

I'm hoping Jim Lee will be on art duties. While he never seems to get books out on time, having him on the first story arc will be an excellent way to re-launch the series. And if they're already preparing to make an announcement, he's got plenty of time to get those panels done! You know what? I don't even care if he just does the covers...he NEEDS to be involved somehow. Perhaps there are a few of the 90's top artists, willing to join DC, to keep the title going. Since Booth is busy, maybe Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri or Travis Charest would be willing!

As a fan of Wild C.A.T.s, and someone who still has the 1st issue, and two copies of the foil embossed 2nd issue, I can't wait until October to hear more!