- The powers that be have sent me to prepare you for the coming war. Take my hand, Marlowe. You shall suffer no more. Your life shall never be the same...
- — Void
WildC.A.T.s #1 is an issue of the series WildC.A.T.s (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1992.
Synopsis for "Resurrection Day"
July 29th 1980:
Scientists from the US research station Zebra discover the remains of a Russian satellite that had crash-landed in the Antarctic. From the wreckage, Adrianna Teshkova, now known as Void appears. She speaks wildly about something called "the orb" and then disappears into the time-stream.
August 9th 1992:
At the International Operations (I/O) Crisis Control Center in McLean Virginia, director John Lynch monitors an explosion taking place in Georgetown. His assistant Frank Colby suggests to him that the explosion may have been caused by two rogue covert action teams. Void appears in the middle of the room and just as quickly teleports away again (This event actually takes place between issue #'s 1-2).
August 8th 1990:
A group of New York street thugs decide to beat up on a homeless man named Jacob Marlowe. Marlowe reflexively emits a blast of energy - a power that he had forgotten he had. Void teleports to the scene (from the timestream) and informs Marlowe that he is in fact an alien named Lord Emp from the planet Kherub. She tells him that he is meant for a greater destiny and decides to help him on the road to recovery.
August 8th 1992 (The Present):
Two years later and Jacob Marlowe is the CEO of Halo Incorporated, a multi-billion dollar company. Not only that, but he is the leader of a team of alien-human hybrid agents known as the WildC.A.T.s. The WildC.A.T.s are: Marlowe, Void, Spartan, Maul and Warblade. Void informs Marlowe that they must stop the Daemonite Cabal from initiating Project: Reunification. To this end, they must find a Gifted One with the power of sight before the Cabal does.
Later that same day, we find Helspont leader of the Cabal and his agents Pike, Providence, Hestia, and Devin. Helspont discovers that a Cabal lackey named Alberto Cassini has betrayed them by selling information on the location of the Gifted One to an information broker known as the Gnome. Helspont has Pike kill Cassini by smashing his face into a bowl of pasta.
The following day, Marlowe and Void go to visit the Gnome in Iran. The Gnome gives Marlowe the location of the Gifted One in exchange for an unconditional and undisclosed promise that Marlowe swears to honor. After receiving the information, the WildC.A.T.s fly off to Georgetown, Virginia.
Meanwhile, the adventurer known as Grifter and his mentor, the Coda warrior Zealot likewise track down the location of the Gifted One. Grifter goes inside a strip club called the Hot Spot where he finds Priscilla Kitaen aka Voodoo dancing on stage. He is about to approach her when he recognizes the Coda assassin Devin as well as two Daemonite agents entering the room. Voodoo has the uncanny ability to see Daemonites in their true form (The Daemonites are shape-shifters). Grifter springs into action and begins fighting the Daemonite agents. The WildC.A.T.s emerge on the scene and lend Grifter some assistance. Zealot likewise arrives and finishes off the last of the Daemonites. The Coda assassin Devin, refusing to go down quietly detonates a large explosive that destroys the entire club (This is the explosion recorded by Director Lynch in the beginning of the issue).
But Lynch isn't the only one monitoring the affair. From his submersible ship the Behemoth, Helspont watches the explosion with his Cabal agent B'lial. B'lial is actually a mole impersonating Vice President Dan Quayle.
Appearing in "Resurrection Day"
Featured Characters:
- WildC.A.T.s (First appearance)
- Grifter (Cole Cash) (First appearance)
- Jacob Marlowe (Emp) (First appearance)
- Maul (Jeremy Stone) (First appearance)
- Spartan (Yohn Kohl/"Hadrian") (First appearance)
- Void (Adrianna Tereshkova) (First appearance)
- Warblade (Reno Bryce) (First appearance)
- Zealot (Zannah) (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Voodoo (Priscilla Kitaen) (First appearance)
- International Operations (First appearance)
- John Lynch (First appearance)
- Alicia Turner (Behind the scenes)
- Frank Colby (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Gnome (Ali Fargham) (First appearance)
- Daemonites (First appearance)
- The Cabal (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Coda Sisterhood (First appearance)
- Andy Stansfield (First appearance)
- Jessica Tokwell (On a TV or computer screen)
- Dan Quayle (Possessed)
- Jimmy (Flashback only)
- McCoy (Flashback only)
- Sal (First appearance)
- Julie "Jules" Newberry (First appearance)
Locations:
- Antarctica
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Halo Building (First appearance)
- Virginia
- Chesapeake Bay
- McLean
- International Operations Crisis Control Center (First appearance)
- Washington, D.C.
- Iran
Items:
- Coda Clef Blade (First appearance)
- Daemonite Flash Suits (First appearance)
- Orb
- VAD PP30
Vehicles:
- Behemoth
- MIRV
Notes
- Originally published by Image Comics and Malibu Comics and later folded into Jim Lee's WildStorm Productions. In 1998, ownership of the WildC.A.T.s concepts and characters were sold to DC Comics, a subsidiary of Time Warner, as part of DC's acquisition of WildStorm Productions.
- This issue is reprinted in WildC.A.T.s: Compendium trade paperback. It is also reprinted in Wildstorm: A Celebration of 25 Years in black-and-white line art.
- The indicia of the first issue indicates that this is a 3-issue mini-series, when in fact the story was lengthened to accommodate a fourth issue. Rather than beginning a second volume of WildC.A.T.s, Jim Lee decided to extend the numbering sequence with issue #5.
- Also shipped with a newsstand edition and a variant Gold edition.
- Not all of the information explained in this synopsis is revealed in this issue.
- First appearance of all characters. The WildC.A.T.s chronologically appeared last in WildC.A.T.s #0.
- First indicator that Grifter is considerably older than he looks. He comments about once visiting the Hot Spot in 1972.
Trivia
- This issue posits that then-United States Vice President Dan Quayle is possessed by an alien Daemonite named B'lial.
- Jacob Marlowe awakening in the alley occurs at the same time that S.H.O.C. troops are chasing Velocity in Cyberforce (Volume 1) #1.
- Guest cameo appearance by reporter Jessica Tokwell. Jessica is a regularly seen background character featured in the Spawn comic book series.
- It is suggested in this issue that Helspont is also the biblical figure Judas Iscariot.
- One of the dancers at the Hot Spot mistakenly refers to Grifter as Shaft. Shaft is a protagonist from the Youngblood series created by Rob Liefeld. I.O. director John Lynch makes reference to the Youngblood teams(s) in this issue.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- WildC.A.T.s Recommended Reading
- Grifter Recommended Reading
- Mr. Majestic Recommended Reading
- Spartan Recommended Reading
- Voodoo Recommended Reading
- Zealot Recommended Reading