Joe Casey Comics: Wildcats #20

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

After the events of "Serial Boxes," Joe Casey is joined by guest artist Steve Dillon for the two-part "Sodom and Modem." The story revolves around Grifter visiting Miami and his staying at the same hotel as Jeremy Stone. The first issue deals with the weird complicated relationship the former WildC.A.T.S. have with one another. You get the idea here that Cole and Jeremy don't really like one another all that much. Cole is mostly interested in picking up platinum blonde-haired women, while Jeremy wallows in self-pity.

In one scene, Cole makes fun of Jeremy for his efforts to "cure" Pris of her Daemonite genetics, which causes Jeremy to level Cole with a giant purple fist. Both men are assholes, but they can't escape one another, not really. Casey recognises that their past has stuck them together--despite what Jack Marlowe said at the end of last issue. For all of this book's concerns with the future, the past is an ever-compelling and influencing factor in the lives of these characters.

Cole's obsession with platinum blondes stems from his inability to get over Zealot. Jeremy uses his brains in an effort to finally get the hot girl to like him, no doubt trying to overcome lots of rejection and hurt feelings--all the while ignoring what she wants (or that it seemed she liked him already).

Also introduced in this issue are three CIA agents investigating Jeremy for his interfacing with MADGE, a government computer that is a closed system and, supposedly, unhackable. And not only that, it's fallen in love with Jeremy. Among the CIA agents is Agent Orange, who we'll learn more about next issue. He is worth paying attention to as he becomes part of Casey's big picture in Wildcats 3.0, which we're fast approaching.

To be concluded next time.