In a move that both makes total sense and seems like a slam dunk, DC has announced that Warren Ellis will curate a new WildStorm imprint for DC. The line will launch with “The Wild Storm” in February, written by Ellis and illustrated by Jon Davis-Hunt. The announcement revealed that Ellis will curate the other books in the line, many of which will spin out of “The Wild Storm.” “WildC.A.T.S.,” “Michael Cray,” and “Zealot” were all named as future titles.
Ellis established himself as one of comics’ most interesting voices at WildStorm in the mid-90s, writing books like “StormWatch,” “The Authority,” “DV8,” and “Planetary.” He parted ways with DC in less than amicable fashion, and his reunion with the publisher seems like a big deal.
Ellis had this to say about the announcement: “After long reflection, I couldn’t turn down the invitation to renovate the house that Jim Lee built, and refit its unique combination of cosmic paranoia and paramilitary conspiracy for the post-political space madness of the twenty-teens. Looking back to look forward.”
The launch is compared to the recent DC ‘pop-up imprint’ Young Animal, curated by Gerard Way, which sees a similar structure and scope: a main book (“Doom Patrol”) written by the curator, with his fingerprints seen on three other titles.
The one wrinkle not discussed in the initial announcement is the question of continuity; DC currently is using a few WildStorm characters in their main continuity, specifically Apollo and Midnighter, who star in a new miniseries launching tomorrow. It could be a situation, again, similar to Young Animal, where continuity is seemingly fluid – the books don’t necessarily take place in or out of the main ‘Rebirth’ world – but it would seem odd to have a WildStorm without Apollo and Midnighter. Also of note is that a number of the characters discussed – the Engineer, Grifter, etc – have been a part of DC’s main continuity in the not-too-distant past.
WildStorm, of course, was launched by (now DC co-publisher) Jim Lee as part of Image Comics in 1992, and made the move to DC Entertainment in 1999. The imprint has been inactive since 2010.
Stay tuned to Multiversity for more news about WildStorm as it becomes available, and view the full press release, as well as Davis-Hunt’s character designs for six characters, below.
WARREN ELLIS, WILDSTORM UNIVERSE RETURN TO DC!
Debuts in February as Pop-Up Imprint, Ellis to Curate Line and Write Premiere Title
BURBANK, CA (October 4, 2016) – DC announced today that New York Times best-selling writer Warren Ellis (TRANSMETROPOLITAN, RED, THE AUTHORITY) will be the curator of a new pop-up imprint, known simply as “WildStorm.”
Following the success of DC’s Young Animal, this new imprint will debut mid-February 2017 with a regular monthly comic titled THE WILD STORM, written by Ellis with art by Jon Davis-Hunt (Vertigo’s CLEAN ROOM). This ongoing series will reset the known WildStorm universe and introduce new iterations of WildStorm characters such as Grifter, Voodoo, The Engineer, Jenny Sparks and others.
“After long reflection, I couldn’t turn down the invitation to renovate the house that Jim Lee built, and refit its unique combination of cosmic paranoia and paramilitary conspiracy for the post-political space madness of the twenty-teens,” said Ellis. “Looking back to look forward.”
THE WILD STORM will serve as a launching pad for several future series: MICHAEL CRAY, WILDC.A.T.S. and ZEALOT.
“There are precious few visionaries in our business and fewer still like Warren who can elevate mythos with both stylistic panache and idiosyncratic spectacle. His work at WildStorm remains the tone which best defines and reflects the WildStorm Universe,” said DC Publisher Jim Lee. “I know I speak for WildStorm fans the world over when I say I can’t wait to see what Warren and Jon have in store for fans in February!”
More information on this new imprint will be revealed on the “Meet the Publishers” panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 8 from 4pm-5pm Eastern Time. For all of the latest updates from New York Comic Con, download the new DC All Access mobile app for a complete list of panels and talent signings, behind the scenes coverage and in-depth interviews directly from DC’s web series, “DC All Access.” The app is available for free at the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to the iconic brands DC (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, the Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is one of the largest English-language publishers of comics in the world.
