Wildcat (British comics)

Wildcat was a fortnightly British comics periodical published by Fleetway Publications from 22 October 1988 to 25 March 1989. A science fiction adventure comic, the title only lasted for 12 editions before being merged with another Fleetway title, Eagle.

Creation

In 1987 IPC Magazines had sold their comic titles to Robert Maxwell's Mirror Group Newspapers. The following year the experienced group editor Barrie Tomlinson – who had previously launched the successful Tiger spinoff Roy of the Rovers and the 1982 revival of Eagle, as well as the shorter-lived Speed and Scream! – was asked to create a new science fiction-themed anthology as a 'junior version' of 2000 AD. Tomlinson devised a novel concept for the new title, Wildcat; whereas previous Fleetway anthology comics had largely (if not universally) consisted of unconnected stories, he decided that the five strips of the new title would interlink. Tomlinson had enjoyed moving out of his comfort zone of sports comics previously and relished that Wildcat gave him a chance to try science fiction; while 2000 AD itself was under his group, he largely left the capable Steve MacManus to run the title unless his help was asked for. The idea of linking the stories was also something new for Tomlinson, while also giving Wildcat a different twist to 2000AD.

The central conceit of Wildcat concerned an eponymous ship setting out from a doomed Earth in the year 2500, looking for a new planet to colonise. One thread consisted of standalone stories set on the Wildcat itself, while four serials – "Turbo Jones", "Loner", "Kitten Magee" and "Joe Alien" – would follow the exploration exploits of various parties onboard the ship. Tomlinson devised the initial stories himself and wrote the scripts for the first couple of issues before passing some of them on to other writers. Tomlinson retained "Turbo Jones" – initially drawn by Ian Kennedy and later Spanish duo Vanyo – and "Loner", with art by David Pugh.