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Welcome back, superhero fans, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Image Comics fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the mid-1990s to examine one of the many tales of Jim Lee’s original WildStorm universe through the original Gen13 mini-series.
There is a lot to enjoy in the WildStorm comic book universe of the 1990s with such titles like WildCATS: Covert Action Teams, Team 7, StormWatch, Grifter, Backlash and Wetworks to name some. The WildStorm depicts the world as chaotic filled with strong paramilitary concepts, conspiracies and even aliens from deep space.
Along the way, WildStorm has its own take on the sub-genre of super-powered teenagers which was realized as Gen13 (stylized as Gen13). Strangely enough, the team – which actually first appeared in the Deathmate Black crossover comic book in 1993 – was originally titled as Gen X but WildStorm had to rebrand it into Gen13 as Marvel Comics already trademarked the name Generation X for an X-Men-related comic book project. To learn more about production history and background of Gen13, click here.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at Gen13 #1, published by Image Comics in 1994 with a story written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi with artwork done by Jeffrey Scott Campbell (ink work by Alex Garner). This is the first issue of the mini-series.
Early story
The story begins sometime in 1979 when a married couple (Stephen and Rachel Callahan) desperate runs away with their two little children. A team of armored troops (the Black Razors) riding two hovering vehicles catches up with them and hit Rachel with bullets passing through her body. Stephen, who is carrying his son Matthew, uses his power to destroy one of the hovering vehicles. One of the Black Razors realized that the husband is gen-active and nobody informed their team that he was with Gen12.
Agonizing with severe head pain, Stephen tells Matthew to take his little sister Nicole with him and run to the trees. As far as Stephen is concerned, he is finished and all he can do is buy time for the two little children to escape. He tells Matthew to protect his sister. Suddenly, the Black Razors killed Stephen right in front of Matthew and Nicole.
Fifteen years later, a young, nerdy college student named Caitlin Fairchild makes her way through the college campus in Princeton. She is a gifted student who has been focused on maintaining a high grade and graduate with her advanced degree in computer science in the near future.
Upon arriving at the dormitory, she meets her promiscuous roommate Alexa who informs her that some guys arrived earlier looking for her. The guys were described as middle-aged suits and they wanted to talk to Caitlin about some internship program. Alexa then leaves.
A few hours later, Caitlin wakes up as the door gets knocked. Special agent baker of the National Security Committee tells her that she has been accepted into the Gen13 program and her presence is immediately required in order to process her into the program before it begins the next day…
Quality
I enjoyed this comic book the first time I had it in 1994. I can clearly say that it is still fun and engaging to read again today.
This comic book was written with the intention to introduce super-powered teenagers as a new and really distinctive team in one corner of the original WildStorm universe while also expanding the lore by focusing more on International Operations’ unethical covert operations which will easily remind people about government conspiracies, top secret missions and the like. The story has really strong elements about conspiracies, unethical scientific experiments and even human rights violations. The story by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi has a strong structure but what stood out to me was the really creative writing done to bring the characters to life complete with a touch of the 1990s vibe (in reference to comic book trends and real-life society).
John Lynch, a former member of Team 7 and also one of the high-ranking officials of IO who occasionally appeared in prior WildStorm comic books, gets a nice share of the spotlight in the story and indeed he is not full control of his organization. In fact, IO’s execution of a new program about developing people with special abilities or powers (without their knowledge) raises Lynch’s concerns as he himself was a victim of betrayal and exposure to an experimental gas during his time with Team 7. Lynch also appeared in The Kindred mini-series (read my reviews by clicking here, here and here).
When it comes to the characters, Gen13’s members here are introduced with notable differences in terms of personality. The nerdy Caitlin Fairchild is the very promising smart young lady who has the potential to succeed. Bobby (Burnout) is the quiet guy who quickly realizes that true unity is needed in order for a group to succeed under the program they are in. Roxy is the undisciplined and rebellious young lady while Grunge is the loose cannon and has trouble with authorities. While it is clear you won’t see much of their powers yet in this comic book, they turned out to be interesting enough to follow thanks to the strong creative writing by Lee and Choi.
When it comes to the visuals, Jeffrey Scott Campbell’s artworks really stood out mainly due to his distinctive style. If you look closely at how he draws the faces of women – particularly the ones who are young and fit – you will realize the exaggerated look complete with the big eyes and curves seen on females in anime or even manga (Japanese comics). If you are looking visual realism on the characters, you won’t find it here at all. Campbell’s style truly defined the look of the characters and yet he was able to draw armored troops (Black Razors and the armed security guard) with a really high level of details (including their weapons) which really stood out visually. Campbell is also good with superhero spectacle and hard action. Last but not least, there is a deliberate amount of erotic imagery in this comic book which serves as a reminder that this is a story aimed at young adult and adult readers.
Conclusion
Indeed, Gen13 #1 (1994) remains entertaining to read mainly because of the strong writing. The story moved at a smooth pace, the exposition was done cleverly, and the characters ended up being worthy enough to pay attention to. By the time I reached the end, I am convinced to go on to the next issue and rediscover not only more of the mini-series but also the way it expanded the lore of the WildStorm universe of the 1990s. This comic book alone strongly emphasized the connections with other elements of the WildStorm universe, particularly with Team 7 (its mini-series launched months after this one) and the dark legacy of IO. It is an adulterated superhero comic book that really offered readers something new and intriguing.
Overall, Gen13 #1 (1994) is recommended.
+++++
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