Essential Wildstorm Universe Reading

[Yellowjacket]

Hello all,

I recently picked up The Authority (Ellis/Millar run) and am enjoying it thoroughly. So much so that I am intrigued by other various Wildstorm Universe titles. I have heard good things about WildCats, Stormwatch and Gen13 and I was wondering if there was an essential reading list to get a better grasp of the entire universe.

Thanks
Scott

[grendel824]

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=77140 should start you off, at least.

[aelio]

Yeah, what Grendel said.
I also just want to express WAREN ELLIS STORMWATCH!!! These are collected in tpb: Force of Nature, Lightning Strikes, Change or Die, A Finer World,and Final Orbit. They are all awesome and set up modern WSU. For classic WSU, look into Stormatch, WildC.A.T.S. and Gen13 volume 1.

[Screwtape]

Agreed, and while you're at it, read Alan Moore's WildCATS stuff, starting at ish 21 of Vol. 1 and going through #34 (there's also a short in #50 that ties things up and explains how Tao makes in into Sleeper).

And of course, Sleeper is excellent, as is Warren Ellis's Stormwatch stuff.

Scott Campbell's Gen13 is quite good, though I don't like the other people who worked on the title, except Ellis's 2-ish story collected in the TPB "Gen13: London - New York - Hell" with art by Steve Dillon, who is one of my faves.

Warren's DV8 is also lots of fun.

Garth Ennis's Authority: Kev stuff is very funny.

And of course, never forget Planetary, one of the best books the imprint still puts out. The writing is a little scattershot and it never comes out on time, but John Cassaday's artwork is marvelous.

If you're interested in a sort of "Wildstorm Sampler," I highly recommend the WildCATS/X-Men crossover TPB. It has some gorgeous artwork in it and there are a couple of Ellis stories, I believe.

Also, read Desolation Jones whenever you possibly can. It's my favorite book on the market today. Not sure if it's "in-continuity" Wildstorm stuff, but it comes out under their imprint.

-s.

[Chris Thomas]

agree with authority esp current brubaker run. ellis stormwatch is really essential to current wu.

but .. if you haven't read sleeper.. then ..o . my . god
sleeper rules

[d00m]

Also, read Desolation Jones whenever you possibly can. It's my favorite book on the market today. Not sure if it's "in-continuity" Wildstorm stuff, but it comes out under their imprint.

True that! Its an awesome book. Everyone should pick it up

[Dizzy D]

Also, read Desolation Jones whenever you possibly can. It's my favorite book on the market today. Not sure if it's "in-continuity" Wildstorm stuff, but it comes out under their imprint.

-s.

It isn't in-continuity. It's on the Wildstorm Signature imprint that also includes Astro City, Silent Dragon and Ex Machina.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I was wondering if there was an essential reading list to get a better grasp of the entire universe.

Thanks
Scott

The only problem with answering this is that the WU has gone through several different phases.
There was a time when Team 7 was essential reading because it had the formative years of several major players in the WU.
These days however very little is related to those stories.

[Dizzy D]

The only problem with answering this is that the WU has gone through several different phases.
There was a time when Team 7 was essential reading because it had the formative years of several major players in the WU.
These days however very little is related to those stories.

True.. even former flagship titles as Stormwatch and Wildcats have little to do with most titles around right now. (yes, Majestic started out in Wildcats, but his current stories are more line with his solotitle.)

[Screwtape]

Well, if the Grant Morrison/Jim Lee rumors have any truth to them, there may be some good WildCATS readin' yet again sometime very soon. Anybody got links to that?
-s.

[Mick Martin]

I'm a relative newb to the Wildstorm Universe and for me the great thing is that in the cases of the best Wildstorm has to offer, nothing else IS "essential" as far as continuity is concerned. I think Sleeper is the best superhero related series I've read since Watchmen, and while there's stuff connecting the story to Wildcats, Authority, Team 7, etc., absolutely NOTHING ELSE is necessary to appreciate and understand Sleeper. Even the prequel, Point Blank, isn't required reading (though it's damn good and worth your time and money).

[theh-bomb]

Automatic Kafka is worth checking out too. It doesn't have much to do with the entire Wildstorm univers, but it does branch out a few ideas that Casey introduced in Wildcats vol. 2 (i.e. the National Park Service)

Gen 13 vol 1, especially Adam Warren's run.

Point Blank and Sleeper

Wildcats all three volumes

the Coup D'etat crossover

Stormwatch: Team Achilles is okay, towards the end it got a little lame, and the last issue never came out.

And I'm probably the only one who will say this, but The Establishment was a pretty fun title too. You can most likely find all 13 issues in your comic shop's quarter and dollar bins. It branches off of ideas from some of the other Wildstorm titles, Daemonites still fighting the was, Jenny Sparks' husband, etc. It's a shame it got cancelled.