From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Wildstorm Universe is the main fictional shared universe where a core of stories published by Wildstorm take place. It is also part of the wider DC Multiverse and, following the WorldStorm "reboot" and an appearance in 52, is now designated Earth-50.

"Wildstorm Universe" was also the name of one of three brands launched by Wildstorm to help differentiate their titles set in the same universe from other, separate titles. ^[1]

Contents 1 Titles 2 WorldStorm 2.1 Captain Atom: Armageddon 2.2 Rebooted WildStorm Universe 2.3 WorldStorm relaunch publications 2.3.1 September 2006 2.3.2 October 2006 2.3.3 November 2006 2.3.4 December 2006 2.3.5 Collections 3 Description 3.1 Metahumans 4 Earth-50 5 Collections 6 See also 7 References

Main article: List of Wildstorm titles

The main titles expanding on the bulk of the Wildstorm Universe are:

• The Authority
• The Establishment
• Gen¹³
• The Monarchy
• Mr. Majestic
• Planetary
• Sleeper
• Stormwatch
• WildC.A.T.s

WorldStorm is a partial reboot and crossover event that redefined the Wildstorm fictional universe of comic books, resulting in a new status quo for its characters.

In 2005/2006, DCU character Captain Atom appeared in a nine-part limited series entitled Captain Atom: Armageddon under DC's WildStorm imprint. Captain Atom's sacrifice in Superman/Batman sent him to the WildStorm universe for a certain amount of time in which this series took place. In this title, he wore the yellow/red outfit seen in the Kingdom Come series.

At the moment of his apparent death, Captain Atom experienced a time-shift coinciding with his 2005 appearance in Superman/Batman, resulting in his arrival in the WildStorm Universe. He quickly gets into a fight with an overzealous Mr. Majestic and the fight ended with Majestic soundly defeated. Seeing the frightened reactions of onlookers, and puzzling over his own altered appearance, he realizes that he has somehow become trapped on an alternate Earth, one where super-heroes are feared by the general populace. Mistaken by the local super-heroes as the force destined to destroy their universe, he was in fact an instrument used ultimately by Nikola Hanssen, new host for half the essence of the Void, to reclaim her whole power (partially lodged in his own body, and cause of his altered appearance) and use it to trigger the reboot of the WildStorm universe, in the WorldStorm event.

The Wildstorm Universe is now a part of the recreated DC Multiverse and is designated Earth-50.^[2]

As a result the various WSU characters and teams had their past retroactively changed. As of late 2006/early 2007 many of the main WildStorm books (Wildcats, Stormwatch, The Authority) are being relaunched in a new status quo that is being gradually revealed, but already known to contradict important details of the past of the previous version of the WildStorm Universe.

It is interesting to note that Planetary was not relaunched, and in the post-Worldstorm issues there has been no overt signs on the reboot.

The new titles are listed below. Dates are subject to change.

• Wildcats by Grant Morrison and Jim Lee, only 1 issue released so far.
• Wetworks by Mike Carey and Whilce Portacio.

• The Authority by Grant Morrison and Gene Ha, only 2 issues released so far.
• Gen¹³ by Gail Simone and Talent Caldwell.
• Deathblow by Brian Azzarello and Carlos D'Anda.
• WorldStorm #1, a one-shot with preview stories of the upcoming Tranquility and Stormwatch PHD plus source information on the relaunched Universe.

• Stormwatch: PHD (Post-Human Division), by Christos Gage and Doug Mahnke, about a group of mostly-new characters with the goal of allowing humans to take down superpowered threats.
• The Midnighter, by Garth Ennis and Chris Sprouse.

• Welcome to Tranquility, by Gail Simone and Neil Googe, an all-new title about a superhero retirement community.

Worldstorm-related trade paperbacks include:

• Captain Atom: Armageddon (by Will Pfeifer and Giuseppe Camuncoli, 192 pages, November 2006, ISBN 1-4012-1106-2)

The concept of the Wildstorm universe has similarities to the real world. It basically shares the same history as the real world except for many differences that set it apart from other universes such as the DC Universe. The existence of fictional cities such as Tranquility, and the stories being set in various countries are a good example. Sentient alien beings (such as Kherubim and Drahn) and even functioning interstellar societies are generally known to exist, and the arrival of alien spacecraft is not uncommon. Technologies which are only theoretical in the real world or are outright impossible according to modern science, such as faster-than-light travel and artificial intelligence, are functional and reproducible, though they are often portrayed as highly experimental and difficult to achieve. Immortal aliens such as the Kherubim have effectively effected Earth's history since ancient times that have led to creation of legends and myths about gods, demons and heavenly places based on their activities on Earth. However, the majority of stories in the Wildstorm universe are farther away from reality. One notable difference is the takeover of the United States Of America by the lethal superhuman team, the Authority.

There are three types of metahumans living in the Wildstorm Universe:

Alien-human hybrids: Hybrids are the result of interbreeding between humans and aliens. The most common hybrid are Kherubim-human half-breeds who inherit the powers of the Kherubim race, but also manifest unique powers not found among the immortal alien race. Examples include Voodoo, Backlash, Crimson, and Warblade.

Seedlings: Another type of metahuman are known as seedlings. They are people who are mutated during to a radiation of a special comet that passed close to Earth. Many who were exposed to this comet became superhuman and were known as "Comet Enhanciles" or "Seedlings". Examples include Battalion, Diva, Hellstrike, and Fuji.

Earth-50 is a fictional reality within the stories of DC Comics, which first appears in the 52 series released on 5/2/2007. It is revealed that Earth-50 exists in a parallel universe, and is one of the many newly created Earths of the DC Comics Multiverse, as seen in the finale of the 52 series. This version of the Earth appears to be populated by the characters from the Wildstorm Universe. On this alternate earth, metahumans have no inhibitions against removing human political leadership if they engage in initiatives that harm others, much like Alex Ross and Mark Waid's Kingdom Come series for DC Comics, or the earlier Squadron Supreme for Marvel Comics.

In Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Wildstorm,a team which consists of Donna Troy, Kyle Rayner, Jason Todd, Bob the Monitor, are searching for Ray Palmer, who seems to be the only one who can stop the forecoming Great Disaster which many have been warning about since Countdown has started. They learn that Ray had left New Earth and started travelling through the Multiverse, and the first Earth they search is Earth-50, where they begin talking to some of the Wildstorm heroes in hopes of finding Ray, such as the Gen¹³, Grifter, Wetworks, and Stormwatch Prime. The Challengers finally get a lead when they find a speedster named Surge, who Ray marked as a way to let them know that he left. Suddenly, Surge is killed by Midnighter, who tells them that Surge had assissnated the Pope, and the four get in battle with the Authority when Majestic intervenes, who tells them that they are no threat and forces the Authority to leave. Donna, Jason, Kyle, and Bob then proceed to check another Earth. Meanwhile, Grunge and Burnout meet Donna's doppleganger Dark Angel, now a servant for the Monitors, who is trying to find the Challengers and stop them.

There have been a number of trade paperbacks:

• WildC.A.T.s: Compendium TPB - Written by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee; art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Collecting issues #1-4 of WildC.A.T.s (volume 1).
• WildC.A.T.s.: A Gathering of Eagles TPB - Written by Chris Claremont; art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. The classic story from WildC.A.T.s (volume 1) #10-12 that introduced Chris Claremont's Huntsman! When a Raksha spaceship crashes on Earth, it sets off a chain of events that involves the WildC.A.T.s, Alabaster Wu, the Troika, the beautiful and murderous Tapestry, Soldier, Savant, Majestic and the charismatic and dangerous Huntsman!
• WildC.A.T.s: Homecoming/Gang War - These two trade paperbacks feature the complete work of Alan Moore on WildC.A.T.s as well as much of Travis Charest's art. When the original WildC.A.T.s are lost and presumed dead, Zealot's sister, Savant, forms a new team with disastrous results. Meanwhile, the original team returns to their home planet of Khera and finds that it isn't what they thought it was. Homecoming collects issues #21-27 and Gang War reprints issues #28-34 of WildC.A.T.s (volume 1).
• StormWatch TPB Vol. 1-5 - These volumes feature Warren Ellis' original groundbreaking work on the series depicting a complex international peacekeeping force. It laid the groundwork, both thematically and intellectually, for the Authority.
• The Authority (Vol. 1) #1-29 - Written by Warren Ellis with art by Bryan Hitch (issues #1-12) then Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, et. al (with a brief subplot by Tom Peyer and Dustin Nguyen). The Authority told the stories of a small group of superheroes who took a proactive stance on saving the world.
• Wildcats 3.0 #1-24 - Written by Joe Casey with art by Dustin Nguyen, et al. Featured Spartan trying to better the world using benevolent business tactics.
• Coup D'etat TPB - Written by Ed Brubaker, Joe Casey, Robbie Morrison and Micah Wright; Art by Jim Lee, Carlos D'Anda, Alé Garza, Whilce Portacio, and various. Tao has tricked the U.S. government into committing an interdimensional atrocity, and only the Authority can save the planet! The crossover event that brought the WildStorm Universe to its knees is now available as a trade paperback that collects Coup D'état: The Authority, Coup D'état: Stormwatch, Coup D'état: Wildcats and Coup D'état: Sleeper. When The Authority decides to take control of the situation - and the world - their actions send out shock waves that shake the foundation of the WildStorm Universe. Can Stormwatch: Team Achilles and the Wildcats co-exist with the Authority under the new status quo?
• The Authority: Revolution Books 1-2 - Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Dustin Nguyen. After the events of the linewide crossover Coup D'etat, the Authority must deal with the political ramifications of ruling the United States of America. Collects The Authority: Revolution #1-6 (Book 1) and #7-12 (Book 2).
• Sleeper TPB Vol. 1-4 - Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips. Exploring the ramifications of a superpowered soldier becoming a sleeper agent infiltrating an international crime syndicate run by the world's most manipulative man.
• Team 7 #1-4 - Written by Chuck Dixon and Aaron Wiesenfeld. Team 7 are the nation's most elite soldiers. So what happens when they become a lab experiment intended to create psychic soldiers?
• Gen¹³ Collected Edition TPB - Written by Brandon Choi, Jim Lee, and J. Scott Campbell; art by J. Scott Campbell and Alex Garner. Collecting the entire 5-issue Gen¹³ mini-series. Aided by former Team Seven leader John Lynch, five teenagers with remarkable power must make their escape from the clutches of Ivana Baiul's array of killers from Internal Operations. NOTE: this volume is now available as Gen¹³: Who They Are and How They Came to Be TPB released in 2006.
• Gen¹³: Starting Over TPB - Written by Brandon Choi, J. Scott Campbell and Jim Lee; Art by J. Scott Campbell, Alex Garner, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams. Collecting issues #1-7 of Gen¹³ (volume 2). Under the leadership of their mentor Lynch, the super-powered teenagers of Gen¹³ live a life of fighting evil, saving the world, and partying hard. From the sunny shores of California to the exotic jungles of Coda Island, these five super-powered teenagers (Fairchild, Burnout, Freefall, Grunge, and Rainmaker) tour the world as they stay one step ahead of the covert organization that's out to get them. Even in the cobbled streets of Italy, the Gen-Active gang finds starting over isn't as easy as they thought! Employing strong characterization and wacky humor, this trade paperback presents the offbeat adventures of Gen¹³.
• Planetary TPB Vol. 1-3 - Written by Warren Ellis with art by John Cassaday. The secret history of the world which featured a Warren Ellis take on classic comic book superheroes and classic literary heroes.
• Deathblow: Sinners and Saints TPB - Written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi; Art by Jim Lee and Tim Sale (artist). Collects Deathblow (volume 1) #1-12. While on a top-secret mission as part of an elite Cold War black ops team, Navy Seal Michael Cray was betrayed and exposed to a hazardous mutagen. Twenty years later with the exposure finally manifesting itself, the world's deadliest mercenary suddenly became a living weapon with extraordinary powers. Changing his ways and taking on the guise of Deathblow, Cray now looks to save his soul by becoming mankind's last hope of survival in an epic battle between good and evil. Standing alone against the Dark Angel and his four horsemen, Deathblow must find a way to protect the Holy Grail and the child of Light or bear witness to Armageddon.
• Wetworks: Rebirth TPB - Written by Brandon Choi & Whilce Portacio with art by Whilce Portacio & Scott Williams. Collecting issues #1-3 of the original Wetworks series. Dispatched on what was believed to be a mission to stop a group of nationalists from gaining access to a powerful biological warfare agent---members of Team 7 discover that they have been betrayed by their superiors at International Operations. After surviving the suicide mission and subsequent merging with a powerful symbiotic armor, the team goes rogue. Now pledging allegiance to industrialist Armand Waering, WetWorks uses their new-found powers to wage a secret battle against the Vampire Nation and other supernatural threats.

• List of Wildstorm titles
• DC Universe
• Planetary/JLA: Terra Occulta, which showed a slightly different version of Wildstorm Universe.
• Fire From Heaven, an earlier crossover event in the Wildstorm Universe.