Wildcats #1

Creators: Grant Morrison, writer; Jim Lee and Scott Williams, artists
Wildstorm, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? This issue makes one thing clear: Grant Morrison is the new John Byrne — i.e., the guy you call when a series needs a major makeover. That Wildcats co-creator Jim Lee is back on art should prompt many readers to give it a shot — though given the delays seen on Lee and Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, skeptical fans will drop this in droves if it’s even the slightest bit late. Morrison swings the book back toward its superhero roots, looking to reunite some of the more popular characters to battle renewed threats from two of the more popular Wildstorm villains. The book’s key conceit is summed up by Spartan: “How would truly adult superheroes behave?” The book isn’t really adult – despite the violence and funky sex scene – and still struggles for an identity. That’s the real problem for a book that has never set the world on fire despite excellent and vastly different runs by Alan Moore and Joe Casey. With Lee and Williams on art, the book is, of course, pretty to look at. But it needs to deliver spectacle and story on a consistent basis to avoid being just another relaunch. Grade: B-