| Publisher: | Wildstorm (Image Comics) |
| Date: | November 1997 – December 1998 |
| Issues: | 10 |
| Main Char Team: | Backlash, Taboo, Zealot, Ferrian, Vigor, Brawl, Styrian, Alea, Azrum, Geist, Crimson (unofficial member) |
| Creators: | Sean Ruffner, Brett Booth |
Wildcore was an American comic book series created and co-written by writer Sean Ruffner and artist Brett Booth debuting in 1997. Focusing on a team of superheroes of the same name, it was published by Wildstorm comics, then still a part of Image Comics, as a continuation of the series Backlash. After the series was canceled, the team's final story was told in the pages of Gen-Active, an anthology series.
The story of Wildcore starts in the pages of Backlash, where Marc Slayton (aka Backlash) and his girlfriend Amanda Reed (aka Taboo) work with the U.S. government's secret organization Department PSI. Slayton had collected a group of superhuman agents to assist him in his missions, but at the beginning of Wildcore, many of these agents have left or are reassigned. As a replacement, Wildcore is formed to combat the alien D'rahn.
The D'rahn are an ancient enemy of the Kherubim and Daemonites, who have appeared again after millennia of absence and are planning on taking over the world and the galaxy. The D'rahn claim the Kherubim, their former allies, betrayed them and therefore want revenge on the Kherubim first and foremost. Backlash, being half-Kherubim, and Ferrian, a full-blood Kherubim, are both members of Wildcore, making Wildcore a primary target for the D'rahn. Department PSI-director Antonio Giovanni also hires Zealot, another Kherubim, who has experience fighting the D'rahn.
Zealot is sent to infiltrate the Norfolk Naval base, where General Gant resides. Gant, as the leader of the Puritans (a group of humans who plan on eliminating all aliens on Earth), has a list with all suspected aliens on Earth. The D'rahn plan on obtaining the list so they can locate and strike against the remaining Kherubim on Earth. The Norfolk Naval base is protected by the Chasers, a group of superhumans, but when the D'rahn attack, the Chasers turn out to be no match for them. Zealot, Gant, and the Chaser leader Brawl survive the D'rahn's initial attack, but it turns out that Gant is a Daemonite. Gant and his Daemonites make a deal with the D'rahn: they will serve the D'rahn and, in return, the D'rahn will spare them. The D'rahn then reveal their special ability, Enlightenment, which allows them to change a being into a more powerful version. The D'rahn enlighten Gant's Daemonites. Wildcore is sent in and they manage to delete most of the list, but ten names remain on it. Brawl joins Wildcore and the team sets out to protect the names on the list.
The first target is Guy Blackfoot, but Wildcore is too late. Blackfoot is killed and one of the D'rahn enlightens his fiancé Alea, changing her into a superhuman. Meanwhile, Zealot and Ferrian ask Mister Majestic for assistance against the D'rahn. It is also revealed that the mage Azrum, part of Backlash's former group in Department PSI, was asked by Giovanni to seek out the witch Tapestry, hoping to use her magic against the D'rahn. Azrum hasn't contacted them since, so Wildcore decides to go on the offensive; Department PSI has located the D'rahn's base and Wildcore attacks. They are joined by Majestic and he kills the D'rahn's leader, Typhon. The D'rahn retreat to regroup.
Wildcore goes to investigate Azrum's disappearance and find that Tapestry has captured him. Tapestry uses her magic to enslave Zealot and wants to reshape the world in her image. The other Wildcore members manage to interfere with the spell. Wildcore and Tapestry are now on a medieval fantasy-type world and no longer remember their past. Only Ferrian manages to regain his memory and he gathers his former team to oppose Tapestry. They succeed and return to Earth, but Styrian is killed and Geist follows them back to Earth. Zealot leaves the team shortly afterward.
Wildcore assists in the worldwide emergency caused by Jacob Krigstein's super-powered agents attacking the world's major capitals.[1]
Geist eventually joined Wildcore and Alea became an active member. Wildcore was sent to Antarctica to quell a riot in Purgatory Maximum Security Penitentiary, nicknamed Purgatory Max, a prison for dangerous superhumans.[2] Supervillain Baron Tödt (see notes) and his group, the Axis, had entered the prison, killed all personnel and released all prisoners. Wildcore entered the prison, separating along the way. The inmates proceeded to overpower the separated Wildcore members, seemingly killing most of them. Taboo was saved by inmate Hangman, a prisoner seeking salvation. He warned her that the prison is about to explode. Backlash found the explosives a second before they detonated, and was caught in the blast, resulting in the loss of his left leg. Another inmate, former DV8 member Evo, who had been Hangman's cellmate, saved Backlash and took him outside. Being severely injured, Evo, Backlash and Taboo three collapsed outside the prison. Hangman congratulated Evo on doing the right thing, activated Backlash's beacon, and left. Department PSI arrived and found five bodies, telling his subordinates to take them back to a hospital and that all others must have died. (see notes)
While Marc convalesced at a hospital, Jodi Slayton, his daughter, who had become the super-hero known as Jet, decides to avenge her father by looking for the individuals involved in the riot and capturing them, spending months fighting criminals and searching for clues.[3] Midnighter was asked to do the same by former Stormwatch member Jackson King and assists Jet for a while, but allows her to handle things herself as she wishes.
Marc eventually recovered from the ordeal, gaining a cybernetic leg, replacing his severed leg.[4]
leader of Wildcore, Colonel Marc Slayton is half-Kherubim/half-human and has been active as a warrior and superhero for centuries, even though he couldn't remember most of it. Backlash can generate whips made of energy and turn himself into mist.