Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats #11

[Continuing my look at Joe Casey's run on Wildcats. New posts Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]

This is a very straight-forward issue that acts as a transition between the previous three issues and the rest of the run, in a way. Most of the issue follows Grifter being hired to find something that turns out to be Maxine Manchester, aka Ladytron--which results in fighting evil child robots and a couple of robotic religious people. Very action-filled, kind of funny and defines what Grifter's post-WildC.A.T.S. plans are: mercenary and guy-who-shoots guns. He does not evolve.

The reintroduction of Ladytron is a fun one as Casey writes her very well. She is pure id and Casey runs with it. She is also the first reintroduction of the second group of WildC.A.T.S. that Alan Moore brought in while the first team was in space. Casey's run is very much about building on the past and Ladytron has also lost her way like the other characters. She has had two causes in her life, Tao's war on crime and the rbot religion where she was a nun, and both have led nowhere, leaving her unfulfilled and purposeless. She comes from a different place than the others, but fits in with them well.

There is a two-page scene that gives us the full message from Emp to Spartan where he informs Spartan that Halo is his, that it's all been set up and Spartan can do what he wants, free from the influence and goals of Emp. Casey is very smart to make this the only Spartan scene in this issue, as it sets up next issue's big revelation as to what Spartan's next move is.

So, join me next time when we meet Jack Marlowe, new chairman and CEO of Halo.