Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats #13

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

Okay, the title of this issue is "ТРИНАДЦАТБ" (or maybe "ТРИНА ДЦАТБ") and I have no idea what that is supposed to mean as no translation tools online will give me anything close to English. But, this issue focuses on Void in one of Casey's more trippy comics.

The focus of the comic is on Adrianna Tereshkova, the human that has bonded with the Void entity and the problems encountered by the relationship between the two. We get flashes of Adrianna's past, including her family life and the pressure put on her by her father to be a great cosmonaut--and her rebelling only to settle into that life anyway.

Here, the Void entity is mistakenly cast as the Archangel that Adrianna's father always discusses and Adrianna realises this, which is part of what causes the problem. It is about control and who has dominance in the relationship, when neither does.

Again, this issue is really about what happens after a war. In Adrianna's case, her life was defined by the Cold War and living under communism in the Soviet Union--which fell just prior to WildC.A.T.S. #1 where she became involved in another war. For that time, she and the Void entity needed one another--there was purpose there. But, now, what purpose is there?

In the end, Adrianna chooses to forego life and die, leaving Void soulless. Void falls to Earth, specifically to Halo's offices and the arms of Jack Marlowe. Adrianna goes to heaven, is reunited with her father and sister, and finally meets the mother she never knew.

Like other issues in this first collection, Vicious Circles, this is merely set-up. The elimination of Adrianna from Void is a necessary one for the direction of the book. It also brings Void back into the fold, specifically as an ally of Marlowe.

This issue ends the first trade of Casey's run. Before starting Serial Boxes, I will look at the "Devil's Night" annual as it ties into the run and the Ladytron special that Casey did with Eric Canete.