Longbox Digging: Wildcats Version 3.0 Vol. 2: Full Disclosure

Written by Joe Casey
Art by Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend

So, having finally read most of the earlier parts of Casey's run on Wildcats, I figured it was a good time to re-read Volume 2, and then move on to the single issues that were never collected in trade. It turns out I'm missing a few, so now I know what I'll be hunting for come Boxing Day...

In this volume, Casey almost completely abandons the trappings of a superhero comic, choosing instead to focus on the corporate aspects of life at Halo. There is the lengthy scene wherein Dolby, the accountant, is trained to replace Grifter, who was crippled in volume one, but his mission feels tangential - there is never even any follow-up with the child that he 'rescued' from the FBI.

The rest of the book is all about Spartan's machinations in the business world. Sure, that still involves accounting firms that are fronts for the CIA, but it is just as much about hostile takeovers of major media corporations. What makes this book so great is that the corporate stuff is just as exciting and well-drawn as the few action scenes.

Casey was really on to something with this book. I'm looking forward to re-reading (or reading for the first time) the rest of the series.