Comics: WildCATs relaunch; Gail Simone signs onto Death-Defying 'Devil; more

Today’s comics roundup features blasts from the past and some modern favorites alike. A hyper-’90s book is making its return while one of the most recognizable writers of the past decade and a half has landed a new comic.

First up, WildCATs. According to The Hollywood Reporter, one of Image Comics’ founding books is getting the reboot treatment from Warren Ellis, Ramon Villalobos, and Tamra Bonvillain — growing the new take from Ellis’ soon-ending The Wild Storm.

DC will be publishing the 24-issue reboot featuring the likes of Grifter, Savant, and Adrianna Tereshkova as they show off that classic ‘90s grit and cynicism in their ultimately benevolent mission. Jim Cheung and Chris Burnham will provide covers for Ellis’ first issue back with the team.

“The first line I wrote down for Wildcats was: ‘Saving the human race from the human race,’” Ellis said in a statement. “It’s a team made up of people who have seen the worst in everybody and everything, and yet still put themselves in frankly absurd amounts of jeopardy just so tomorrow might be a little bit better. And it’s a short series, so I might just kill them all. Come and see what happens.”

Featuring plenty of half-human hybrid heroes, cyborgs, and more, the team was just one component of a shared and complex universe created by Jim Lee. The original comic attracted such notable writers as Chris Claremont, Alan Moore, and Grant Morrison — all known for their unconventional approaches to superherodom — so expect nothing less from Ellis and his team this go-around.

“From the jump, Wildcats has always represented to me the most modern and cutting-edge approach to superhero comics,” Villalobos said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to draw fun and fashionable comics for the coolest and smartest audiences in comics. Wildcats has a heritage of genius creators who have worked on these characters, so it’s pretty cool to be able to awkwardly put my name among theirs.”

WildCATs #1 drops on Aug. 28.

Next, Gail Simone is making waves with a new company and a new comic. According to a release, Simone will be writing a new Death-Defying 'Devil series for Dynamite with art by longtime collaborator Walter Geovani (alongside colorist Adriano Augusto and letterer Simon Bowland).

With a Rod Serling-inspired storyline, Simone takes the long-running hero into the backyard of a dilapidated apartment. The tenants are mysterious, sure, but the building itself holds plenty of secrets and puzzles for the ‘Devil to solve over the course of the series.

Check out the cover and some interior pages below:

“I have been fascinated by the Death-Defying 'Devil since I first saw him on the cover of Jim Steranko’s History of Comics,” said Simone. “I had no idea who he was, but something about him looked menacing and compelling. Later, I got to read more of the stories and they feel like a precursor to the modern street-level heroes we have today. The guy throws razor boomerangs, how cool is that?” Simone also mentions that this will be Geovani’s first superhero project.

Some of the other artists fans can look forward to over the course of Simone’s run include Riccardo Federici, Tyler Kirkham, Ben Oliver, Lucio Parillo, and In-Hyuk Lee. The Death-Defying 'Devil #1 is planned for an August release.