Stormwatch - some of this is good, some of this is "meh" - the ending, where they go up against the not-even-disguised creatures from Aliens, is of the "meh" variety. Besides, Jackson King will drive you nuts - you'll keep calling him "Nick Fury" because he looks, acts and sounds just like Ultimate Nick Fury. I'd suggest just skipping directly to The Authority, and the Ellis/Hitch run (first 12 issues, I think). The Millar run will remind you much of Ultimates (heck, so will the Ellis run), but it's really, really uneven because of editorial interference from DC - it got heavily cut and cebsored and there were some fill-in stories while some editorial concerns got hashed out, and the run suffers for it.
WildCATS varies widely in quality and theme. Skip the very early Jim Lee stuff - it's sort of everything that was wrong with the 90s in comics. My favorite issues are the Volume 2 and 3 issues written by Joe Casey, and they take a distinct turn away from the earlier Alan Moore run - Moore's is more of a space opera thing (very reminiscent of the Shi'Ar) and Casey's is far more down-to-earth and sort of super-hero-y spy thriller with some social politics thrown in. Alan Moore did, I believe, invent the character of Ladytron, which is both amusing and annoying beyond belief.
Start with these trades in Volume 2: (thanks to
www.tplist.com for synopses)
1. Street Smart (1-6; w Scott Lobdell, Joe Casey; a Travis Charest & Richard Friend, Brian Hitch & Paul Neary; et al.). [From DC Comics: Once upon a time they were a Covert Action Team, now they are simply Wildcats who have gone their separate ways. The mercenary Grifter has returned to his former life as a freelance solider-for-hire, eking out a living, and having a ball doing what he does best. Until, that is, one dangerous mission unexpectedly reunites him with the last two people he wants to see—former teammates Spartan and Emp. Their story unfolds, along with that of Voodoo, Maul, Warblade, and the rest of the team formerly known as WildC.A.T.s, in a gripping tale of action and intrigue, loyalty and betrayal, and, ultimately, of what it really means to be a hero.]
2. Vicious Circles (8-13; w Joe Casey; a Sean Phillips). [From DC Comics: They are soldiers without a war, facing threats from the towering spires of Manhattan to the seedy underbelly of Vegas… from the boardrooms of downtown L.A. to the hidden realities within our own subconscious minds. Now, the past returns to haunt them in the guise of an immortal psychotic named Kenyan. And in the end, the WildCats will forfeit one of their own in a final confrontation.]
3. Serial Boxes (14-19; w Joe Casey; a Sean Phillips). [From DC Comics: A super-serial killer is on the loose and he's hell-bent on killing Jacob Marlowe over a decades-old blood feud. The bodies pile up as Samuel Smith, the man with the laser eyes, crisscrosses the country in a bloody search for his intended victim, leaving scores of unrelated Marlowes lying in the dust. But after discovering Jacob has died, Smith turns his deadly attentions to Spartan, Marlowe's replacement as head of the Halo Corporation and the Wildcats, and anyone unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire had better run for cover! The second volume of Joe Casey's and Sean Phillips's acclaimed run on Wildcats takes Grifter, Spartan, Voodoo, and the rest of the team on a vicious joyride to places they've never been before—now if only they can fight their way back]
4. Battery Park (20-28; w Joe Casey; a Sean Phillips, Steve Dillon). [From DC Comics: Following the devastating attacks by the psychotic Samuel Smith—attacks that left Priscilla Kitaen crippled, Jeremy Stone nearly blind, and Smith dead - the remains of the Wildcats must rely on one another as never before. But while Jeremy and Grifter deal with the threat of shadowy government agents (as well as a ghost or two from the past), the entire team must face an enemy within—one that could undo everything that they have worked for. In this final volume of their Wildcats 2.0 collaboration, writer Joe Casey and artist Sean Phillips are joined by guest artist Steve Dillon for a story of unexpected hope, merciless betrayal, and surprising redemption.]
Then pick up Volume 3 -
1. Brand Building (1-6; w Joe Casey; a Dustin Nguyen & Richard Friend). [From DC Comics: All great companies begin with a single idea. Make a better refrigerator. Design a better running shoe. Bring wireless communication to the masses. Change the world. The HALO Corporation is out to change the world in a whole new way. The vision of CEO Jack Marlowe (the android warrior formerly known as Spartan) is one of global harmony through consumerism, and he's got agents from every area of influence to help him achieve it. From NPS Agent Wax to underworld power broker C.C. Rendozzo to gunslinger-for-hire Grifter, Marlowe's campaign to make HALO a household name begins in this collection of issues #1-6 of Wildcats Version 3.0. While Marlowe taps into an otherworldly source of unlimited power to package and sell to the masses, the search for a missing FBI Agent becomes a nationwide hunt that leads to the dark heart of suburban America.]
2. Full Disclosure (7-12; w Joe Casey; a Dustin Nguyen & Richard Friend). [From DC Comics: The sprawling saga of the Wildcats continues with WILDCATS VERSION 3.0: FULL DISCLOSURE, collecting issues #7-12 of the critically acclaimed series. Writer Joe Casey and artists Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend continue the corporate intrigue and human drama involving Jack Marlowe's machinations to place the ever-growing Halo Corporation at the forefront of global culture. Meanwhile, Cole Cash drafts accountant Edwin Dolby as his gun-toting successor!]
The last 12 (?) issues of this run aren't collected in TPB, but someone you know might just have them in a digital format (they can be hard to find).
