Wildguard is a small franchise that started out at Image Comics. Having this in my underrated Image list, I thought it appropriate to expand on why it’s so good. Not only is the initial concept a great idea, but its structure and characters go beyond it all. Which highlights the kind of sad reality that nothing’s come out of it since 2008.
Superheroes As Celebrities Sounds Familiar…
Before we go any further I have to make some disclaimers. This comic did not begin the idea of Superheroes on reality TV or celebrities! You have Booster Gold, an influencer from before it was a lucrative career. Then there’s DC’s other try at superhero celebrities Blood Pack… yeah there’s a reason this only lasted four issues. And of course there’s Youngblood… a franchise where it’s only defining trait is periods of delays.
But I guess it has some merit to it, Youngblood is actually where Wildguard creator Todd Nauck starts his career. Unless you count the Mutant Mishaps backups in Marvel’s What The–?!. Or is that just me because Nauck spreading Youngblood’s Disease gives me a headache?
Eventually Nauck gets to work at DC featuring the diverse lineups in Legion of Super-Heroes and Young Justice. So with these experiences, Nauck combines them to create Wildguard. All of the celebrity superhero shenanigans that Youngblood barely capitalizes on and the colorful casts of Young Justice.
What’s Wildguard All About?
Wildguard starts as an American Idol-style reality show where anything Nauck doodles can join a team. From just the first pages, you can tell Nauck is having a good time developing the characters. Each of them have distinct powers and designs, some of them aren’t even what you expect. For example, one speedster is a lion-man instead of a cheetah. And they’ve all got personalities that make them distinct and memorable. Red Rover might have powers like Wolverine, but he’s a superhero fan who genuinely wants to help out his fellow contestants.
Make no mistake, there are favorites in Nauck’s lineup the more you read on. But the kicker here is that fans get to vote on who last team member will be. You just can’t beat the Five Man Band’s efficien– Oh wait. There’s also the hero who leads them, superstar hero Four. I guess she wanted to avoid any and all cliches. Still you gotta admit, twenty years before X-Men voting is impressive… oh right Legion of Super-Heroes did something similar in the 60s. Nauck still does it better though, he takes time to develop the winner and show the dynamic with the team.
Creators’ Picks
Normally I’m against spoilers but Wildguard isn’t readily available. Hopefully this gives readers some anticipation if they find copies.
Although maybe I already did that mentioning Red Rover. He’s just plain heroic as a natural team player willing to save a stranger while sacrificing his own safety. In the online strips that became Wildguard: Insider readers find that there’s more than a little intrigue to him.
Next there’s Ignacia, the team’s resident everywoman. This pyrokinetic is trying to find herself amid so many other heroes. She’s got all the right instincts to be a hero and is capable of thinking outside the box. As the least experienced member, she has the most growth potential.
Snapback, the elastic hero shows just how much was put into his concept. Most of his artwork shows him without a visible spine. It plays well as a joke considering how much his girlfriend Shonda pushes him into action. But he’s also a great team player with a lot of heart and enjoys the small perks of job. Who wouldn’t be satisfied to save one of their favorite actors?
Lily Hammer is the default brawn besides Four. Along with her thick German accent, her indestructible war hammer is practically her main feature. She craves the spotlight including posing for paparazzi when she gets the chance. Yet it’s not out of vanity, but trying to distract herself from a tragic past.
Who Did The Audience Choose?
Finally there’s the hero that got the readers’ votes Freezerburn. On first impression he’s a showboat ready for the limelight. He’s also ready to butt heads with fellow celebrity heroes when his 15 minutes of fame are at risk. But later readers see that he’s just insecure and wants to be worthy of admiration. Heck, when he gets a demerit, he outright asks what he did wrong to better himself without raising a fuss.
Wildguard On Superhero Formulas
As this lineup will suggest, this team is nothing like your usual super team. No flying bricks, speedsters, or even a flier; but if my post on superhero teams mean anything, drones have the latter covered. Plus what’s with the redundancies? Both Freezerburn and Ignacia have similar pyrokinetic powers even if Ignacia has better control over hers.
Here’s the thing; does any fan know what Banshee, Sunfire, and Thunderbird did for the X-Men? If you do great, but the reason why no casual does is because the creatives didn’t know what to do with them. Two out of three of them were jerks and Banshee just couldn’t compete with Storm as flier.
For Nauck, it’s better to work with characters you can actually have fun with than fill a checklist.
On Traditional Superhero Teams
In place of the Justice League and Avengers are the Ultra Super Mega Five. Did that name sound redundant? It’s kind of the idea, that SEO focused name is meant to show just how lazy this team is. They still do good work like fighting absurd threats and charity work. But with they way the exploit emergency protocol’s loopholes to get out of cleanup duty, it shows just how much of the “redundant six” is driven by their collective ego. With that in mind, their services like repairs and charity work are meant to overshadow any PR problems. The Ultra Super blah-blahs might not have a reality show, but they crave the spotlight twice as much.
And that’s just their attitude, their powers are even less complementary than Wildguard. Just about all of them have the vanilla power sets: super strength, durability, and flight. If not for their skillsets and costumes, you might think they’re all the same. Except for the speedster who used to date Four and stays good friends with her.
What Kind of Name Is Four Anyway?
While we’re at it, we should talk about Wildguard leader Four. Teri was raised in the entertainment industry as a sitcom star, a model, and a superhero. You’d think that always being in the spotlight would’ve made her sheltered. But instead it seems she was lucky enough to have a good upbringing with plenty of discipline. With help from her co-producers Four turned out just right to be a hero. Hey when you’ve got four superpowers that you can’t use all at once, you gotta be dependable.
But even she still has some growing left to do. There are times when Four butts heads with one of her co-producers (Cordelia) on handling the team. Remember that bit about Freezerburn? Well that demerit was Cordelia’s idea because she thought it would keep his ego in check, Four was just the mouthpiece. So when Freezerburn goes to speak to Four for a peer review, Four waives the fine realizing he didn’t really do anything wrong. Frankly with the Fool’s Gold mini, it’s hard to tell if this was the right call.
But the reason Four put this team together was never for fame. She did to have a team of people she can count on. Because as much as Four’s trying to enrich their lives, Wildguard is doing the same for her.
In Wildguard, Extras Get A Promotion
But one of the best aspects of Wildguard come from how Nauck takes the opportunity to develop his characters. Even characters who appear for just a short amount of time feel memorable. Jun-Go might look like another Tarzan rip-off, but between his backstory and attitude, he’s someone nobody can forget. But that might have to do with how an alien took his place to abduct so many hero hopefuls.
Need a better example? Travel Agent is just a guy with some high tech teleporting gloves. Even his costume is just a business casual wardrobe. The only reason he even joined tryouts was to help promote his business. But it had the added effect of boosting his confidence in the Wildguard strips.
And that’s just a one-and-done story, there are a few instances of bigger stories. Like how Astro Girl’s story leads her into Strong Bot’s which might’ve lead into another one.
Status Update…Pending
So where does anybody find Wildguard? Thing is nobody’s seen a new mini or strip since 2008. The official website was taken down…okay not really Nauck just redirected it to his website; but you can’t read the strips. Not that you can find the Insider mini-series that collected them… without help. You can’t even find these on digital (legally).
The most we got were a few sketches on Wildguard’s Facebook Page. Thankfully the latest were in 2021…
Look Nauck already explains in Insider that he keeps himself busy. This series might have been nominated for an award on a website that doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s no cash cow. As of this post, he’s been busy with DC’s Stargirl: The Lost Children. When he’s not doing that he’s trying to help out his Young Justice collaborator Peter David’s GoFundMe.
Room For A Wildguard Time Slot?
With all of the great characters in reality TV situations a reader has to wonder if this franchise should continue. Don’t get me wrong, I’d want to see these characters grow as people. But this series is so steeped in the 2000s; is reality TV even relevant?
Rhetorical question; the answer is yes.
Even in today’s streaming age, reality television is still a thing. Sure it’s nowhere as “modern” as live-streaming, but a study in 2021 shows that a large portion of people between 18 and 29 watch these. Even streaming platforms like Neflix and Hulu have entire sections of Reality shows. Superheroes just happen to be a good niche; some people compare the New Teen Titans run to this genre.
Honestly, the only thing really stopping anymore Wildguard is budget and time constraints. No pressure on Nauck, I think he more than anybody wants to come back to this series. But he’s going to need the backing of a lot of people and the time to give these characters the spotlight.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.