COLLECTORS' CORNER -- Volume 1: Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.s

Background & History

The WildC.A.T.s television series was created in 1994 and aired on CBS. The series was produced by WildStorm Productions in association with Nelvana. Although DC Comics owns the rights to the characters (due to DC's 1999 purchase of WildStorm), FUNimation Entertainment distributed the series' run on DVD, which was released on July 19, 2005.

Yeah, I know the theme song is cheesy, but I liked it... 

It ran for thirteen episodes with a family-friendly storyline. WildC.A.T.s featured a rock soundtrack, and a theme song performed by Sheree Jeacocke and Gerry Mosby. WildC.A.T.s, along with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Skeleton Warriors, was grouped into the "Action Zone" showcase that used a wraparound animated fly-though pre-credit sequence to bookend the three very different programs.[citation needed] The series was canceled around the same time that the "Action Zone" concept was officially retired (although TMNT retained the "Action Zone" credit sequence until the end of its run two years later).[citation needed]

The group was composed of all the original WildC.A.T.s. The major villain was Helspont, and the Troika and the Coda were featured as supporting characters. Mr. Majestic also made appearances, though not as a member of the group.

Differences between the comics and television series

The main differences of the series and the comic books were:

• Jacob Marlowe, the Kherubim Lord Emp, was an ordinary human.
• Warblade discovers his powers when he becomes part of the group, in the first episode. Because of this, he is the group's rookie, a position occupied by Voodoo in the comic book.
• Void is an android and a Kherubim artificial intelligence.
• Majestic is an antagonist, obsessed with finding the Orb and destroying the Daemonites.
• Max Cash, Grifter's comic universe younger brother, is the older brother, and the leader of an International Operations special unit called the Black Razors.
• Pike, who in the comics is a human/Kherubim hybrid working for the Daemonites, is a Daemonite himself in the TV series.
• Voodoo is a telekinetic in addition to being a telepath.
• Maul does not have a human form; his Titanthrope form is permanent. In addition, he becomes more enraged as he grows in size, as opposed to losing intelligence.
• Zealot and Grifter become a couple by the series' end.
• Spartan was a Kherubim rebuilt as a cyborg instead of being an android.

Also, Playmates Toys released a toyline based on the TV series. The characters featured in the toyline were Grifter, Helspont, Maul, Max Cash (as a Black Razor), Mister Majestic, Pike, Slag, Spartan, Void, Voodoo, Warblade, Zealot and a generic Daemonite.

Collection Status

As pictured, I own Spartan, Zealot, Warblade, Helspont, Pike (Stealth variant), Void, Voodoo, and the Grifter vs. Daemonite (2-Pack).

What's left to collect? 

Bullet Bike
Daemonite
Grifter
Deluxe Grifter (optional)
Helspont
Helspont in ceremonial battle dress (optional)
Maul
Mr. Majestic
Black Pike
Pike
Black Razor
Slag
Black Spartan (optional)
Spartan
Warblade
Void
Voodoo
Zealot
Zealot (variant)
Grifter and Daemonite 2 pack
Spartan Vs Helspont 2 pack
10" Grifter (optional)
10" Spartan (optional)

Unfortunately, I'm limited to mostly online outlets to find these figures as most people don't even bother collecting them at all. Fortunately for me, when I have ran across them in stores and local comic book shops, they have been dirt cheap.

If anything, I would be happy to get all of the basic figure if at all. I can live without all of the vehicles (Bullet Bike) and the variant/duplicates that sport only VERY minor differences from the original figures they were based off of.

Why? 

- These figures were VERY detailed and living examples of Jim Lee's artistic talents. Playmates toys' were very popular and known for their ridiculous amount of detail at the time

- One of the first non-Marvel based comic book properties I adored growing up. This team opened my eyes to experiment and look into more possibilities outside of Marvel. 

- Here's a secret about me: I RARELY like the full roster of ANY superhero team. There's always that one (or many, nowadays) member who irks me so much either character-wise or design-wise that I can't find myself enjoying the group as a whole because of it. With WildCATs I liked everyone - the heroes, the villains, even the minor cameos from other Image Comics' characters.

- Last but not least, WildCATs has had a rough time after the big boom of comics in the late 90s. After that these heroes have popped up in Image and more recently DC Comics off and on to mixed results. Collecting the figures is out of respect to Jim Lee's former grandeur with their original run.