Back in the ’90s, Jim Lee‘s WildStorm imprint featured the breakouts of many of Image Comics’ first titles and several future superstar artists. After it was purchased by DC in 1998, WildStorm pushed the comics medium even further with books like The Authority and Planetary that are still influential to this day. Now, author Joseph Hedges has assembled a new look back at the history of WildStorm—but he needs your help to make it a reality.
Over on Kickstarter, Hedges has launched a campaign to publish Wild Times: An Oral History of WildStorm Studios, a comprehensive history of the imprint for which he’s already completed interviews with 75 comic book writers, artists, editors, and others involved in the 18-year history of the studio.
On his website, Hedges posted a sample chapter as well as a video teaser featuring artist Lee Bermejo discussing his work on Warren Ellis‘ Global Frequency and a NSFW example of how the WildStorm office dealt with Ellis’ late scripts in a very funny way:
While WildStorm standouts J. Scott Campbell, Adam Hughes, and Scott Dunbier are among the creators who agreed to be interviewed, neither Lee nor Ellis appear to be among the contributors. However, the book will cover not only Ellis’ groundbreaking run with the company, but its entire history—including the brief period that Lee and WildStorm worked on Marvel’s Heroes Reborn imprint and up to DC’s decision to close down WildStorm and incorporate its characters into the DC Universe. However, since this is an unauthorized work, Wild Times will not include any illustrations from the WildStorm comics.
Hedges has set a relatively modest goal for his Kickstarter campaign: $6,640 by February 2. Among the rewards for backers are digital and print copies of the book, as well as the opportunity for WildStorm fans to be interviewed about their passion for the comics in a special spot on the book’s website. You can follow the Kickstarter campaign here.
Are you excited to see some of the behind-the-scenes stories of WildStorm come to life? Let us know in the comment section below!
Image: Wildstorm/DC Comics
