When longtime comic book collectors fondly reminisce the 1990’s, something that may very well come up is that of WildStorm. Serving as a testament to the prolific career of the legendary Jim Lee, the imprint was actually started while he was still working at Image – a company he co-founded, mind you – before becoming a part of DC in 1999.
In short order, the label enthralled readers with original properties such as WildCATs, Stormwatch and The Authority. Or, if that didn’t do it for you, perhaps you dug their A Nightmare on Elm Street or Resident Evil tie-ins, the latter of which was especially meaningful to me because it was one of the survival horror franchise’s first ventures outside of the video game medium.
But, as you know, all good things must come to an end and the imprint eventually folded with some of its key characters being absorbed into DC continuity proper at the start of the New 52. More recently, however, the publisher has resurrected these concepts in a more self-contained manner with the limited series dubbed The Wild Storm, but those yearning for something a little more “classic” should be happy to learn that a hardcover collection in the form of WildStorm: A Celebration of 25 Years will drop later this year.
Featuring reprints of WildStorm’s greatest stories, behind-the-scenes material and brand-new art and stories, this will undoubtedly make a handsome addition to anyone’s shelf. Fortunately, we’re able to present some samples in the gallery at the top, which include:
–THE AUTHORITY story preview from Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary and Laura Martin
–BACKLASH short story preview from Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund and Andrew Dalhouse
–DEATHBLOW pinup from Tim Sale and Brennan Wagner
–WILDCATS pinup from Ryan Benjamin
WildStorm: A Celebration of 25 Years is set to arrive on August 23.
