WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, (often rendered Wildstorm) published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999. The WildStorm imprint remains editorially separate from its DC parent, with its main studio located on the West Coast. The imprint takes its name from the combining the titles of the Jim Lee comic series WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch.
WildStorm publishes common American comics, as well as independently created content and licensed properties from other companies, covering a wide variety of genres. Its main fictional universe, the Wildstorm Universe, features typical costumed heroes in various scenarios.
The publishing activities of WildStorm have varied, with changes in ownership affecting the ongoing publication of some of its titles. Peaking during the 1990s, WildStorm maintained a number of its core titles from its early period (such as WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch) and subsequently continued to publish material expanding its core universe. WildStorm's main titles include WildC.A.T.S, Stormwatch, Gen¹³, Wetworks and The Authority, though it also produces single-character-oriented series like Deathblow and Midnighter, and has at times published secondary titles like Welcome to Tranquility.
WildStorm published a number of creator-owned material and licensed properties such as Red Menace, Ex Machina, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, World of Warcraft, StarCraft, the game Dante's Inferno and The X-Files.
In 2011, the WildStorm imprint was disolved, and all of the characters published under that imprint were absorbed into the new DC Universe, which is commonly referred to as The New 52.
The Wildstorm Animated Universe
The Wildstorm Animated Universe began with Nelvana's WildC.A.T.S animated series. The show ran for one season from 1994-1995. There were thirteen half hour episodes produced in all. In 1998, an animated film was made by Disney and Paramount Pictures: Gen¹³. It was based on the comic of the same name, and it had a few releases overseas, but it was shelved in America when DC Comics purchased Wildstorm.