Wetworks (comics)

Originally intended as one of the core Image Comics launch titles in 1992, the series was put on hiatus until 1994 due to the death of Portacio's sister. After re-solicitation by Image (through Jim Lee's Wildstorm imprint), the original series ran for 43 issues, from 1994–1998. The first 3 issues were collected as a trade paperback in 1996 from Image Comics/Wildstorm.

A relaunch of the same title began in 2006 by writer Mike Carey and creator Whilce Portacio. It follows the original team leader, Dane, as he and Mother One form a new Wetworks team to continue combating supernatural forces. As of issue #10 the creative team changed to writer J. M. DeMatteis and artists Joel Gomez and Trevor Scott, with Portacio remaining on as cover artist.[1] The new series was cancelled with issue #15.

Wetworks reappeared as one of the one-shots in Wildstorm: Armageddon, but it was not one of the series restarted following the World's End events. However, Dane and the other Wetworks characters were featured in the Wildcats title throughout the World’s End event. A two part five page back-up story featuring Dane was published in Wildcats vol. 5 issue 2 and The Authority vol. 5 issue 2. The story is collected in the “Wildstorm After the Fall” trade paperback. A one-shot entitled Wetworks: Mutations was published near the end near the end of the World’s End storyline.

Wetworks is a covert operations team in the Wildstorm Universe, designated Team 7, led by Colonel Jackson Dane, who was a member of the original Team 7. In issue #1 of the series, Team 7 was sent on a (suicide) mission by International Operations' (I/O) Director Miles Craven. The mission was to enter a terrorist enclave on the Raanes Peninsula (Eastern Europe) and extract a biological agent the terrorists had in their possession. Once the team reached the target, they found out that someone had raided the enclave before them. While investigating, the team found several big transparent tubes containing some kind of golden fluid. At that moment, the explosives they were carrying were activated by remote control, displaying a ten-minute countdown. That was when the team knew they were double crossed.

A hidden sniper shot at one of the tubes when team member Clayton "Claymore" Maure was examining it. The tube broke and the golden fluid jumped on Claymore as if it were alive, covering his whole body. If that was not enough, they were attacked by some terrorists. The terrorists started shooting, but the bullets bounced off Claymore's gold-covered body. Time was ticking and Col. Dane decided the team should open the remaining tubes to use the golden symbiotes as protection against the detonation of the explosives

Wetworks original team of (vol. 1)

After the detonation, the enclave was destroyed, but Team 7 emerged from the fire unharmed. That was when I/O's cleaners (three aircraft) were ordered to enter the site to kill the surviving team members. The field leader of the cleaners, Mother One, double crossed I/O and shot down two aircraft before destroying her own. Mother One also had a golden symbiote, although it was not shown how she acquired it.

Mother One explained to Team 7 they were double crossed by Craven and I/O and asked them to accompany her to her boss, industrialist Armand Waering.

Col. Dane reluctantly accepted and they started to work for Armand Waering. Waering told them that he wanted to kill the Vampire Nation because they wanted to take over the world from the humans. What he did not tell the team was that he was actually the Jaquar, leader of the Werenation.

Two members of Wetworks died early in their battles with the undead – Flattop and Crossbones. Later Pilgrim's brother, Nathaniel Blackbird joined the squad, and they learned that both he and Pilgrim (unknown to her) were both werewolves. Several members of the squad died during a major mission some time later, including Dozer and Claymore, and Wetworks broke up. Recently Dane has reactivated the team to deal with breaks in reality caused by another superteam, which have been turned into portals for forces from another dimension.

One collection of the first series has been released:

• Wetworks: Rebirth (collects #1–3, 96 pages, Image Comics/Wildstorm, October 1996, ISBN 1-887279-33-4)

The new series has been collected in two trade paperbacks:

• Wetworks Book 1 (collects #1–5 plus two short stories, 136 pages, Wildstorm, October 2007, ISBN 978-1-4012-1375-6)
• Wetworks Book 2 (collects #6–9 and 13–15, 160 pages, Wildstorm, January 2008, ISBN 978-1-4012-1639-9)

• Independent Hero Page
• Review of issue #1 of the new series