written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
The "Dark Art" storyline comes to a head as Daredevil tracks down the serial-killer/artist Muse, who has taken Sam, his protege/sidekick, to his horrific hideout where he keeps the discarded bodies or body parts of his aborted "works of art." Daredevil engages him in a fight, but not before he inflicts grave injuries on someone. The Inhuman police force shows up and a tense confrontation follows.
I suppose it was inevitable that a story that had as good a build-up as this did would be a let-down somehow. There are only so many ways a murder-mystery thriller can play out, after all, and it turns out Soule chose one of the less cathartic, decidedly more anticlimactic ones. I can't go into this much further without spoiling how the story ends, or doesn't end, but suffice it to say I found the ending less than satisfying if logical from the point of view of serialized storytelling.
Still getting here was reasonably fun, and the issue promised a much stronger ending than it delivered. Perhaps what made things particularly sad was that, as much of a letdown as the ending was, I could see it coming from a mile away.
This was not Garney's strongest issue in this story arc, but he finished off well, before he's off on yet another break while another artist takes over for the next story.
This hiccup notwithstanding, "Dark Art" is still, for me anyway, Charles Soule's strongest story arc so far, and if there's one consolation I have from this non-ending of sorts, it's that Soule may yet have plans for the characters involved.
7/10
Friday, December 16, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Blindspot in a Bind: A Review of Daredevil #13
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
Daredevil's pursuit of the murderous Muse continues, but this time it's his protege Blindspot who finds himself within striking distance of the mysterious self-proclaimed artist. After Muse murders a bailiff, he flees to the sewers with a judge, with Blindspot in hot pursuit. In the sewers, it turns out Muse has gathered two policemen, a politician along with his newly captured judge, and he already has plans for his next grisly tableau. Blindspot intervenes, and Muse turns his ire towards him. Will Blindspot be able to hold his own, at least long enough for Daredevil to make it to the scene?
I'm not quite sure why, but I really find myself enjoying this story a lot. This is the one arc I've read since Soule took over the title from Mark Waid and Chris Samnee that really has me hooked, and I think a large part of that is how Soule approaches this as more of a psychological thriller than the crime noir approach that characterized the stories before this one. The urgency feels real, and the fact that Blindspot is a new, arguably expendable character means that the peril in this particular situation has some weight to it. Also, even with the involvement of the Inhumans, the story has a distinctly grounded feel to it, and all of this makes for a surprisingly riveting read.
Garney's sketchy artwork is a perfect fit for this particular approach to storytelling, and I have to say as the series' main artist, he really does himself proud with this arc. He's still not among my favorite Daredevil artists ever, but it now becomes apparent to me why Marvel chose him as Samnee's replacement. Milla's greyscale coloring adds the just the right amount of atmosphere and chills.
Things come to a head next issue, and I'm anxious to see how this crime thriller will ultimately be resolved.
8.5/10
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
Daredevil's pursuit of the murderous Muse continues, but this time it's his protege Blindspot who finds himself within striking distance of the mysterious self-proclaimed artist. After Muse murders a bailiff, he flees to the sewers with a judge, with Blindspot in hot pursuit. In the sewers, it turns out Muse has gathered two policemen, a politician along with his newly captured judge, and he already has plans for his next grisly tableau. Blindspot intervenes, and Muse turns his ire towards him. Will Blindspot be able to hold his own, at least long enough for Daredevil to make it to the scene?
I'm not quite sure why, but I really find myself enjoying this story a lot. This is the one arc I've read since Soule took over the title from Mark Waid and Chris Samnee that really has me hooked, and I think a large part of that is how Soule approaches this as more of a psychological thriller than the crime noir approach that characterized the stories before this one. The urgency feels real, and the fact that Blindspot is a new, arguably expendable character means that the peril in this particular situation has some weight to it. Also, even with the involvement of the Inhumans, the story has a distinctly grounded feel to it, and all of this makes for a surprisingly riveting read.
Garney's sketchy artwork is a perfect fit for this particular approach to storytelling, and I have to say as the series' main artist, he really does himself proud with this arc. He's still not among my favorite Daredevil artists ever, but it now becomes apparent to me why Marvel chose him as Samnee's replacement. Milla's greyscale coloring adds the just the right amount of atmosphere and chills.
Things come to a head next issue, and I'm anxious to see how this crime thriller will ultimately be resolved.
8.5/10
The Revenge of the 90s: A Review of The Clone Conspiracy #3 (Spoiler Warning)
written by Dan Slott
drawn by Jim Cheung (pencils) and John Dell (inks)
colored by Justin Ponsor
It's difficult to review this issue without treading into at least mild spoiler territory, given that, even without a disclosure of the main plot points, there are hints galore as to what it contains. So a spoiler alert is in order.
Peter and Spider-Gwen, who is revealed to have been operating undercover with the Jackal, having kidnapped the Gwen clone, escape from the Jackal and his operatives, who constitute a substantial portion of Spider-Man's formerly dead rogues gallery, but their troubles are far from over. Kaine, who has the actual Gwen clone in his custody, takes her to Horizon Labs for her clone medication, without which her artificial body will deteriorate. A much more serious problem looms if no cure is found for the Gwen clone's condition: apparently everyone who has received the regenerative treatment from New U will now suffer problems similar to that of the clones, and degenerate into zombies, unless a cure is found. However, the Jackal's New U operatives attack Horizon Labs, and in the aftermath Peter confronts the Jackal, intending to end this latest scheme of his. He is shocked by what he ultimately discovers.
I didn't follow all of the mammoth "Clone Saga" of the 1990s, which, in collected edition, takes up several twelve-issue volumes as far as I can tell. One thing I know, however, was that I was extremely disappointed with how it ended. Without giving away too much, it is evident that Dan Slott felt as I did about the ending, and even felt the same way about the conclusion of that story that Judd Winick felt about the "Death of the Family" storyline in which DC Comics killed off Jason Todd, aka Robin II. That's about as far as I'll go to discuss the plot, but to anyone who knows what happened in the 90s Clone Saga, that's far enough. To be honest, this is something I've wanted to see for a long time, and judging by how he plays the long game, I am reasonably confident that Slott has big plans for the development he has just introduced.
Cheung has been consistently good throughout this miniseries, but he really delivers some serious money shots here, including a gorgeous two-page spread and a show-stopper of a splash panel for the issue's big reveal. His Spider-Man is one of the best I've seen in years, and the years I have waited to see his art on the interiors of a Spider-Man book all feel worth it now.
The story does feel a little contrived, and while it may feel that way because not all of the pieces have quite fallen into place, it does irk me that a lot of key events to this miniseries happened in the mother "Amazing Spider-Man" title rather than here. A lot of the writing feels like it was meant to direct the reader at other books, and while that's a good marketing ploy, it doesn't do this book any favors from a storytelling perspective.
Still, the fanboy in me has been transported back to 1996, when I was feeling cheated by Marvel's editorial. Suddenly, the wrong has been righted.
Not only do I intend to see this miniseries through, I am now genuinely interested to see what Marvel has in store after it's done.
8.5/10
drawn by Jim Cheung (pencils) and John Dell (inks)
colored by Justin Ponsor
It's difficult to review this issue without treading into at least mild spoiler territory, given that, even without a disclosure of the main plot points, there are hints galore as to what it contains. So a spoiler alert is in order.
Peter and Spider-Gwen, who is revealed to have been operating undercover with the Jackal, having kidnapped the Gwen clone, escape from the Jackal and his operatives, who constitute a substantial portion of Spider-Man's formerly dead rogues gallery, but their troubles are far from over. Kaine, who has the actual Gwen clone in his custody, takes her to Horizon Labs for her clone medication, without which her artificial body will deteriorate. A much more serious problem looms if no cure is found for the Gwen clone's condition: apparently everyone who has received the regenerative treatment from New U will now suffer problems similar to that of the clones, and degenerate into zombies, unless a cure is found. However, the Jackal's New U operatives attack Horizon Labs, and in the aftermath Peter confronts the Jackal, intending to end this latest scheme of his. He is shocked by what he ultimately discovers.
I didn't follow all of the mammoth "Clone Saga" of the 1990s, which, in collected edition, takes up several twelve-issue volumes as far as I can tell. One thing I know, however, was that I was extremely disappointed with how it ended. Without giving away too much, it is evident that Dan Slott felt as I did about the ending, and even felt the same way about the conclusion of that story that Judd Winick felt about the "Death of the Family" storyline in which DC Comics killed off Jason Todd, aka Robin II. That's about as far as I'll go to discuss the plot, but to anyone who knows what happened in the 90s Clone Saga, that's far enough. To be honest, this is something I've wanted to see for a long time, and judging by how he plays the long game, I am reasonably confident that Slott has big plans for the development he has just introduced.
Cheung has been consistently good throughout this miniseries, but he really delivers some serious money shots here, including a gorgeous two-page spread and a show-stopper of a splash panel for the issue's big reveal. His Spider-Man is one of the best I've seen in years, and the years I have waited to see his art on the interiors of a Spider-Man book all feel worth it now.
The story does feel a little contrived, and while it may feel that way because not all of the pieces have quite fallen into place, it does irk me that a lot of key events to this miniseries happened in the mother "Amazing Spider-Man" title rather than here. A lot of the writing feels like it was meant to direct the reader at other books, and while that's a good marketing ploy, it doesn't do this book any favors from a storytelling perspective.
Still, the fanboy in me has been transported back to 1996, when I was feeling cheated by Marvel's editorial. Suddenly, the wrong has been righted.
Not only do I intend to see this miniseries through, I am now genuinely interested to see what Marvel has in store after it's done.
8.5/10
Small but Terrible: A Review of Black Widow #8
written by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid
drawn by Samnee
colored by Matthew Wilson
Having confronted the mistress of the new Red Room (called the "Dark Room") Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, and her new partner the psychic half of the 'Weeping Lion' duo that she confronted and conquered in the first story arc set out to take down the child assassins that were trained in the new facility, and track one of them down to a tour of the White House. As they engage her, a mysterious entity watches the entire thing from the moon.
While this marks a natural continuation from the events of the last issue, this particular effort was, to me, one of the weaker issues since this team relaunched this title. There's no shortage of action, but while Samnee and Waid have successfully staged an issue as an extended action sequence, here the story feels a little thin. The real story twists, it seems, are being saved for the next issue, which promises an appearance by the Winter Soldier and at least one more major character who has been out of circulation for a while now. Also, the characterization of Natasha as somewhat sloppy in her undercover work comes across as a bit out-of-character, even if it's suggested that her abilities are impaired by her emotional connection to the Dark Room's predecessor.
Samnee does well, as always, but this isn't one of his better issues.
This issue isn't what I'd call a turkey, but it is a bit of a creative misstep. It does set up some pretty interesting things for the future, though.
6.5/10
drawn by Samnee
colored by Matthew Wilson
Having confronted the mistress of the new Red Room (called the "Dark Room") Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, and her new partner the psychic half of the 'Weeping Lion' duo that she confronted and conquered in the first story arc set out to take down the child assassins that were trained in the new facility, and track one of them down to a tour of the White House. As they engage her, a mysterious entity watches the entire thing from the moon.
While this marks a natural continuation from the events of the last issue, this particular effort was, to me, one of the weaker issues since this team relaunched this title. There's no shortage of action, but while Samnee and Waid have successfully staged an issue as an extended action sequence, here the story feels a little thin. The real story twists, it seems, are being saved for the next issue, which promises an appearance by the Winter Soldier and at least one more major character who has been out of circulation for a while now. Also, the characterization of Natasha as somewhat sloppy in her undercover work comes across as a bit out-of-character, even if it's suggested that her abilities are impaired by her emotional connection to the Dark Room's predecessor.
Samnee does well, as always, but this isn't one of his better issues.
This issue isn't what I'd call a turkey, but it is a bit of a creative misstep. It does set up some pretty interesting things for the future, though.
6.5/10
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of The Clone Conspiracy #2
written by Dan Slott
drawn by Jim Cheung (pencils) John Dell (inks)
colored by Justin Ponsor
In the course of investigating the disappearance of one of his missing employees, Peter looks into the headquarters of the mysterious New U, which provided the drug used to treat the missing employee. There, he finds himself facing a host of his deadliest foes, including the Rhino, Electro and Doctor Octopus, all of whom are led by no less than the Jackal. Things, however, take a strange twist. Meanwhile, Kaine, one of the original Spider-Man clones, is in a race against time to find a cure for a deadly disease that could destroy humanity.
While I felt the first issue kicked things off well enough, here the pace picks up consdirably, with Slott dropping a couple of well-timed narrative bombshells. He clearly picks up where he left off with "Spider-Verse," with Kaine and another key player from that game-changing storyline making appearances. As compact as the issue is, Slott makes the most out of the available pages to take the story in a very interesting direction, and sets up the next issue quite nicely.
More than just Spider-Verse, though, Slott revisits a much earlier storyline from six years ago, in which Peter declared emphatically that "no one dies." It's central to this story, and after all that Slott has put Peter through over the last few years I am genuinely curious as to what he has in store for him now.
Artist Jim Cheung continues to shine here, and fortunately Justin Ponsor works with a slightly brighter color palette. I'm happy that Cheung is drawing this series all the way through unlike the bookend issues he did for the Infinity event miniseries a few years back. I hope he's able to do every single issue without a fill-in artist taking over. I wouldn't even mind a delay.
8.5/10
drawn by Jim Cheung (pencils) John Dell (inks)
colored by Justin Ponsor
In the course of investigating the disappearance of one of his missing employees, Peter looks into the headquarters of the mysterious New U, which provided the drug used to treat the missing employee. There, he finds himself facing a host of his deadliest foes, including the Rhino, Electro and Doctor Octopus, all of whom are led by no less than the Jackal. Things, however, take a strange twist. Meanwhile, Kaine, one of the original Spider-Man clones, is in a race against time to find a cure for a deadly disease that could destroy humanity.
While I felt the first issue kicked things off well enough, here the pace picks up consdirably, with Slott dropping a couple of well-timed narrative bombshells. He clearly picks up where he left off with "Spider-Verse," with Kaine and another key player from that game-changing storyline making appearances. As compact as the issue is, Slott makes the most out of the available pages to take the story in a very interesting direction, and sets up the next issue quite nicely.
More than just Spider-Verse, though, Slott revisits a much earlier storyline from six years ago, in which Peter declared emphatically that "no one dies." It's central to this story, and after all that Slott has put Peter through over the last few years I am genuinely curious as to what he has in store for him now.
Artist Jim Cheung continues to shine here, and fortunately Justin Ponsor works with a slightly brighter color palette. I'm happy that Cheung is drawing this series all the way through unlike the bookend issues he did for the Infinity event miniseries a few years back. I hope he's able to do every single issue without a fill-in artist taking over. I wouldn't even mind a delay.
8.5/10
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Taming a Weeping Lion: A Review of Black Widow #7
written by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid
drawn by Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
After conquering her antagonist at the end of the last story arc, the Weeping Lion, Natasha sets her sights on the headmistress of the new Red Room, which is churning out and deploying new child assassins. Helping her out is the psychic who was the real brains behind the Lion. She confronts ghosts from her past, but much remains to be done. Revealed here, for the first time, is the Lion's "secret origin" which reveals that he was, in fact, the nephew and cousin of one of her victims many years before.
While I'm not generally a fan of retcons, any excuse to see Chris Samnee drawing characters in 50's or 60's style is worth seeing him (aided by Mark Waid) tinker with history a little bit. This one features Natasha as a child assassin making her first kill, and it just so happens that the telepath who was effectively the brains of the "Weeping Lion" was in the back seat of the car where the murder took place, also as a child.
The story raises questions, of course, given that Natasha is actually very old but looks young courtesy of the Infinity Formula or its Soviet equivalent, and makes one wonder how this similarly-youthful looking telepath preserved his looks over the years, making his own back story, as unthinkable as this may seem, even more interesting than Natasha's adventures. It's also disappointing when one realizes that, as a bad guy with an axe to grind against the titular anti-heroine, the Lion is inevitably going to come off worse. But it should be interesting to see how they'll get there. This issue also bears the relatively rare distinction of being effective kick-off point for a new story-line and a "done-in-one" issue.
As always, Samnee's art is the main draw here (pardon the pun). There's minimal action, save for the flashback sequence in which Natasha murders the Weeping Lion's uncle, but it's utterly riveting just the same, particularly as Samnee gets to flex his "retro" muscles once more.
I really like that Samnee and Waid are getting to tell the kind of stories they want to tell, but the market being as fickle as it is, I doubt this series will last too much longer, especially considering that it isn't tied into any major event, like Civil War II. I will continue to enjoy it for what it is, though, for as long as it lasts.
8/10
drawn by Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
After conquering her antagonist at the end of the last story arc, the Weeping Lion, Natasha sets her sights on the headmistress of the new Red Room, which is churning out and deploying new child assassins. Helping her out is the psychic who was the real brains behind the Lion. She confronts ghosts from her past, but much remains to be done. Revealed here, for the first time, is the Lion's "secret origin" which reveals that he was, in fact, the nephew and cousin of one of her victims many years before.
While I'm not generally a fan of retcons, any excuse to see Chris Samnee drawing characters in 50's or 60's style is worth seeing him (aided by Mark Waid) tinker with history a little bit. This one features Natasha as a child assassin making her first kill, and it just so happens that the telepath who was effectively the brains of the "Weeping Lion" was in the back seat of the car where the murder took place, also as a child.
The story raises questions, of course, given that Natasha is actually very old but looks young courtesy of the Infinity Formula or its Soviet equivalent, and makes one wonder how this similarly-youthful looking telepath preserved his looks over the years, making his own back story, as unthinkable as this may seem, even more interesting than Natasha's adventures. It's also disappointing when one realizes that, as a bad guy with an axe to grind against the titular anti-heroine, the Lion is inevitably going to come off worse. But it should be interesting to see how they'll get there. This issue also bears the relatively rare distinction of being effective kick-off point for a new story-line and a "done-in-one" issue.
As always, Samnee's art is the main draw here (pardon the pun). There's minimal action, save for the flashback sequence in which Natasha murders the Weeping Lion's uncle, but it's utterly riveting just the same, particularly as Samnee gets to flex his "retro" muscles once more.
I really like that Samnee and Waid are getting to tell the kind of stories they want to tell, but the market being as fickle as it is, I doubt this series will last too much longer, especially considering that it isn't tied into any major event, like Civil War II. I will continue to enjoy it for what it is, though, for as long as it lasts.
8/10
Sunday, October 23, 2016
"Dark Art" takes on an Inhuman Twist: A Review of Daredevil #12
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
Following Matt's encounter with the perpetrator of the grisly "art-driven" murders at the end of last issue, he briefly tussles with the killer, who appears to be super-powered, and who ultimately escapes him. He returns to the scene of the crime, only to find that investigators dispatched by New Attilan are on the scene, given that the victims are all Inhumans. Matt asks the Inhuman investigator, a former NYPD detective to share information with the human authorities, but the investigator refuses, telling Matt to take it up with Medusa instead. A tense confrontation between Daredevil and the Inhumans follows, and in the meantime the killer is still very much on the loose.
I welcomed the new creative team a year ago with some trepidation; nobody could top my beloved Waid/Samnee duo, and truth be told, Soule and Garney still aren't on quite that level. For me, however, this new story arc and this particular issue are easily the highlight of Soule's stint on the book so far. I have thoroughly enjoyed the murder-mystery aspect of it, and adding the Inhumans to the mix, rather than demystify the story and make it more "traditionally superhero," actually makes things interesting as it brings Medusa's politics into the mix; her motives are good of her kingdom of New Attilan, but not necessarily for the greater good. Soule knows the character inside-out by now, having worked on the Inhumans books for the last several years, and their integration into Daredevil's grittier, down-to-earth world is relatively seamless.
Also, in this issue, Soule and Garney manage to deliver something I've been hoping to see for quite some time: a masterfully drawn and choreographed fight sequence, in which Daredevil goes head-to-head against the Inhumans' high priest Karnak. Artist Ron Garney delivers in a big way on this one, and while I think there could have been a more imaginative use of panels, it's rock-solid storytelling that deserves all the kudos I can give it.
The issue ends on a heck of a cliffhanger, and while this book seems to have fallen off the radar of a lot of people (a Google search failed to turn up any reviews), personally this is the most excited I've been about this iteration of the title since its relaunch last year.
8.5/10
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
Following Matt's encounter with the perpetrator of the grisly "art-driven" murders at the end of last issue, he briefly tussles with the killer, who appears to be super-powered, and who ultimately escapes him. He returns to the scene of the crime, only to find that investigators dispatched by New Attilan are on the scene, given that the victims are all Inhumans. Matt asks the Inhuman investigator, a former NYPD detective to share information with the human authorities, but the investigator refuses, telling Matt to take it up with Medusa instead. A tense confrontation between Daredevil and the Inhumans follows, and in the meantime the killer is still very much on the loose.
I welcomed the new creative team a year ago with some trepidation; nobody could top my beloved Waid/Samnee duo, and truth be told, Soule and Garney still aren't on quite that level. For me, however, this new story arc and this particular issue are easily the highlight of Soule's stint on the book so far. I have thoroughly enjoyed the murder-mystery aspect of it, and adding the Inhumans to the mix, rather than demystify the story and make it more "traditionally superhero," actually makes things interesting as it brings Medusa's politics into the mix; her motives are good of her kingdom of New Attilan, but not necessarily for the greater good. Soule knows the character inside-out by now, having worked on the Inhumans books for the last several years, and their integration into Daredevil's grittier, down-to-earth world is relatively seamless.
Also, in this issue, Soule and Garney manage to deliver something I've been hoping to see for quite some time: a masterfully drawn and choreographed fight sequence, in which Daredevil goes head-to-head against the Inhumans' high priest Karnak. Artist Ron Garney delivers in a big way on this one, and while I think there could have been a more imaginative use of panels, it's rock-solid storytelling that deserves all the kudos I can give it.
The issue ends on a heck of a cliffhanger, and while this book seems to have fallen off the radar of a lot of people (a Google search failed to turn up any reviews), personally this is the most excited I've been about this iteration of the title since its relaunch last year.
8.5/10
The Revolution Unmasked: A Review of Black Panther #7
written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
art by Chris Sprouse (p) and Karl Story (i)
colored by Laura Martin
While T'Challa springs his meticulously laid trap around Ezekiel Stane, his sister Shuri, still on another plane of existence comes to an important realization about herself. Tetu and Zenzi seek the support and blessing of Changamire, Tetu's mentor, an academic and a revolutionary, but his reaction is not what they expect.
This is a surprisingly dense issue, though the bulk of the issue seems focused on the big throwdown between Black Panther and his allies on the one hand and Ezekiel Stane and his crew on the other. As much as I have enjoyed the work of Chris Sprouse and Karl Story up until this point I confess I find myself as little disappointed at their somewhat unremarkable renderings in this issue, especially considering the rather spectacular fight sequence they were given to illustrate. Coates infused this story with a very health dose of good old-fashioned superhero action, something this title has been conspicuously missing, and I have to say this is a story that deserves much better art than Sprouse and Story have delivered here, which is a real shame.
The good news is that while this second arc may be wrapping up, Coates clearly has a lot more to say, and I hold out hope that, while Sprouse and Story stumbled a bit with this issue, they'll be back in fighting form for the climax of this arc. Coates has created something really special with this book, and even though this issue is the first creative misstep I've seen ever since this particular iteration of the title launched it is still eminently readable. I hope Coates sticks around Marvel long after he's moved on from this book, because his writing is really something special. I just hope he always has artists that can deliver the goods for him.
7.5/10
art by Chris Sprouse (p) and Karl Story (i)
colored by Laura Martin
While T'Challa springs his meticulously laid trap around Ezekiel Stane, his sister Shuri, still on another plane of existence comes to an important realization about herself. Tetu and Zenzi seek the support and blessing of Changamire, Tetu's mentor, an academic and a revolutionary, but his reaction is not what they expect.
This is a surprisingly dense issue, though the bulk of the issue seems focused on the big throwdown between Black Panther and his allies on the one hand and Ezekiel Stane and his crew on the other. As much as I have enjoyed the work of Chris Sprouse and Karl Story up until this point I confess I find myself as little disappointed at their somewhat unremarkable renderings in this issue, especially considering the rather spectacular fight sequence they were given to illustrate. Coates infused this story with a very health dose of good old-fashioned superhero action, something this title has been conspicuously missing, and I have to say this is a story that deserves much better art than Sprouse and Story have delivered here, which is a real shame.
The good news is that while this second arc may be wrapping up, Coates clearly has a lot more to say, and I hold out hope that, while Sprouse and Story stumbled a bit with this issue, they'll be back in fighting form for the climax of this arc. Coates has created something really special with this book, and even though this issue is the first creative misstep I've seen ever since this particular iteration of the title launched it is still eminently readable. I hope Coates sticks around Marvel long after he's moved on from this book, because his writing is really something special. I just hope he always has artists that can deliver the goods for him.
7.5/10
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Black Panther #6
written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
drawn by Chris Sprouse (p) and Karl Story (i)
colored by Laura Martin
As the revolution being waged by Tetu, Zenzi and the rogue Dora Milaje Ayo and Aneka continues to heat up, T'Challa finds himself adopting somewhat unconventional counter-insurgency tactics. The King of Wakanda devises a plan to draw Ezekiel Stane out, using both craftiness, his newly-converted "inside man" and his scientific acumen. He also gets a little help from his friends, like a walk-on from a very popular Avenger and a number of other surprise guest stars who make their appearance on the very last page. Meanwhile, Shuri continues to explore her soul and her culture with her spiritual mother.
Coates kicks his second mini-story-arc into high gear, and it's nice to see the rest of the Marvel Universe trickle in bit by bit, and given the appearance of Ezekiel Stane one of the guests in the book is not exactly a surprise, but it is nonetheless most welcome. Also, I like seeing T'Challa regain his confidence and his bearings after the psychological beating he took in the first several issues of this arc. He is no longer lashing out with blind rage; he understands his enemies and adopts the appropriate strategy to deal with them. This is vintage T'Challa, one of the smartest minds in the entire Marvel Universe. Coates had him on the ropes for quite long enough, and it's really gratifying to see him start to fight back.
Sprouse and Story continue to impress as the relief team for Brian Stelfreeze, so much so that as glad as I'll be to welcome Stelfreeze back, I know I'll miss these guys; I hope they continue to work at Marvel for a few more projects.
9/10
drawn by Chris Sprouse (p) and Karl Story (i)
colored by Laura Martin
As the revolution being waged by Tetu, Zenzi and the rogue Dora Milaje Ayo and Aneka continues to heat up, T'Challa finds himself adopting somewhat unconventional counter-insurgency tactics. The King of Wakanda devises a plan to draw Ezekiel Stane out, using both craftiness, his newly-converted "inside man" and his scientific acumen. He also gets a little help from his friends, like a walk-on from a very popular Avenger and a number of other surprise guest stars who make their appearance on the very last page. Meanwhile, Shuri continues to explore her soul and her culture with her spiritual mother.
Coates kicks his second mini-story-arc into high gear, and it's nice to see the rest of the Marvel Universe trickle in bit by bit, and given the appearance of Ezekiel Stane one of the guests in the book is not exactly a surprise, but it is nonetheless most welcome. Also, I like seeing T'Challa regain his confidence and his bearings after the psychological beating he took in the first several issues of this arc. He is no longer lashing out with blind rage; he understands his enemies and adopts the appropriate strategy to deal with them. This is vintage T'Challa, one of the smartest minds in the entire Marvel Universe. Coates had him on the ropes for quite long enough, and it's really gratifying to see him start to fight back.
Sprouse and Story continue to impress as the relief team for Brian Stelfreeze, so much so that as glad as I'll be to welcome Stelfreeze back, I know I'll miss these guys; I hope they continue to work at Marvel for a few more projects.
9/10
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Catch-up Reading: A Review of Black Panther #5
written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
drawn by Chris Sprouse (p) and Karl Story (i)
colored by Laura Martin
Following his unconventional, iconoclastic take on Black Panther in his first four issues, Ta-Nehisi Coates launches into his second arc with things getting nastier as the embattled T'Challa turns the wick up on those who would depose him. He recruits fellow Avenger Manifold, and goes on the attack. On one occasion he very nearly brutalizes one of the rebels he is fighting when he is stopped by one of his lieutenants. He assembles high-ranking security officials from authoritarian regimes all around the world, specifically because of their skill at suppressing revolutions by any means necessary.
I quite enjoyed the notion of T'Challa, wearing his monarch's hat, recognizing the need to take into account the unpleasantness of realpolitik in dealing with an extremely unwieldy situation. Coates has really done this character a great service in the issues he's written so far, portraying T'Challa as a deeply flawed, fallen king seeking redemption in the eyes of his people, and yet hesitant to take the harsher steps needed to consolidate his hold on the monarchy. In particular I was quite struck by the scene in which T'Challa consults the "experts" from the gathered, albeit fictional, authoritarian regimes such as Genosha and Madripoor. I was vaguely surprised that Doctor Doom's Latveria was not represented, but I think there would have been some continuity issues there given that Doctor Doom is now an Iron Man (of some sort) apart from the fact that it probably would have felt a little too "on the nose." Coates' writing is extraordinary, really, and I hope he gets some kind of award, whether it's a Harvey or an Eisner for it.
As much as I miss Brian Stelfreeze, who takes a break for the next four issues, I find veteran artist Chris Sprouse, whose work I have actually not seen much of in Marvel's books despite the fact that he's been around for years, to be a more than suitable replacement for now. There's actually some similarity in their styles, which probably account for why he was chosen, and he is clearly a very capable storyteller apart from being a pretty impressive draftsman. Still, like I said, Stelfreeze is much missed.
The first arc (more particularly the first issue) took a little while to really get going, but with the preliminaries out of the way, the good news is that this arc really hits the ground running, and I'm really looking forward to what Coates has in store for T'Challa and the rest of Wakanda.
8.5/10
drawn by Chris Sprouse (p) and Karl Story (i)
colored by Laura Martin
Following his unconventional, iconoclastic take on Black Panther in his first four issues, Ta-Nehisi Coates launches into his second arc with things getting nastier as the embattled T'Challa turns the wick up on those who would depose him. He recruits fellow Avenger Manifold, and goes on the attack. On one occasion he very nearly brutalizes one of the rebels he is fighting when he is stopped by one of his lieutenants. He assembles high-ranking security officials from authoritarian regimes all around the world, specifically because of their skill at suppressing revolutions by any means necessary.
I quite enjoyed the notion of T'Challa, wearing his monarch's hat, recognizing the need to take into account the unpleasantness of realpolitik in dealing with an extremely unwieldy situation. Coates has really done this character a great service in the issues he's written so far, portraying T'Challa as a deeply flawed, fallen king seeking redemption in the eyes of his people, and yet hesitant to take the harsher steps needed to consolidate his hold on the monarchy. In particular I was quite struck by the scene in which T'Challa consults the "experts" from the gathered, albeit fictional, authoritarian regimes such as Genosha and Madripoor. I was vaguely surprised that Doctor Doom's Latveria was not represented, but I think there would have been some continuity issues there given that Doctor Doom is now an Iron Man (of some sort) apart from the fact that it probably would have felt a little too "on the nose." Coates' writing is extraordinary, really, and I hope he gets some kind of award, whether it's a Harvey or an Eisner for it.
As much as I miss Brian Stelfreeze, who takes a break for the next four issues, I find veteran artist Chris Sprouse, whose work I have actually not seen much of in Marvel's books despite the fact that he's been around for years, to be a more than suitable replacement for now. There's actually some similarity in their styles, which probably account for why he was chosen, and he is clearly a very capable storyteller apart from being a pretty impressive draftsman. Still, like I said, Stelfreeze is much missed.
The first arc (more particularly the first issue) took a little while to really get going, but with the preliminaries out of the way, the good news is that this arc really hits the ground running, and I'm really looking forward to what Coates has in store for T'Challa and the rest of Wakanda.
8.5/10
Monday, October 17, 2016
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Daredevil #10 and #11
written by Charles Soule
illustrated by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
After two somewhat lackluster story arcs, one featuring Elektra and the other Spider-Man (the latter of which I could not even find the time to review), I was starting to lose hope for this particular writer, who had a promising, if not particularly remarkable opening arc, but with the story arc "Dark Art" I feel that Charles Soule has found his stride.
Matt is back to work at night court, while his sidekick/protege, Sam Chung a.k.a. Blindspot, who had his arm broken a while back by Elektra has just healed and is itching to hop around town. During one of his sorties, Blindspot actually finds an invitation to go to a Manhattan storehouse, where he finds a grisly sight; a dead man slumped against a large mural, which appears to have been painted in blood. Matt investigates, even if it mean shirking his duties yet again, which makes him even more unpopular with the night court lawyers, who already hate his guts because of how regularly he defeated them in his past life as a defense attorney. The painting consists of the blood of over 100 people.
In the second issue, things get heated up as the owner of the warehouse in which the blood mural was found decides to open up an exhibit for profit, much to the irritation of a highly influential politician, who has a personal interest in the matter as the blood of her missing niece is among those that went into the painting. Matt's boss, the district attorney, leans on him to find grounds to enjoin the grisly exhibit, sort of as punishment for Matt skipping out on his work to be Daredevil, and while it grates on Matt, he obliges. However, all that is rendered moot when the mysterious, still unknown artist of the mural posts a newer, even more gruesome oeuvre in another building. The chase for the artist is on, and Daredevil is on the case.
When I was a high school student many, many years ago, I read an article about how a particular filmmaker make a movie about murder taking place in an art gallery, which he chose as the milieu because the tranquility of an art gallery seemed like such an unlikely place to find death. Though I never saw the movie, I rather liked the concept, and I think Soule plays it out quite well here. This is a story that plays to his strengths, and makes good use of the slow-burn treatment he's using here.
I'm still not a fan of Ron Garney's scratchy, sketchy art, and I honestly find myself wondering why he needed four issues off from the title to prepare these issues, considering he isn't exactly a Jim Lee or Steve McNiven. I suppose he had some other problems unrelated to his work. It is nicely kinetic, though, and the style is a nice fit for the story, I'll give it that, but I still yearn for the days of Chris Samnee.
For the first time in months, I find myself on bated breath to see what happens next!
8.5/10 for both issues
illustrated by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
After two somewhat lackluster story arcs, one featuring Elektra and the other Spider-Man (the latter of which I could not even find the time to review), I was starting to lose hope for this particular writer, who had a promising, if not particularly remarkable opening arc, but with the story arc "Dark Art" I feel that Charles Soule has found his stride.
Matt is back to work at night court, while his sidekick/protege, Sam Chung a.k.a. Blindspot, who had his arm broken a while back by Elektra has just healed and is itching to hop around town. During one of his sorties, Blindspot actually finds an invitation to go to a Manhattan storehouse, where he finds a grisly sight; a dead man slumped against a large mural, which appears to have been painted in blood. Matt investigates, even if it mean shirking his duties yet again, which makes him even more unpopular with the night court lawyers, who already hate his guts because of how regularly he defeated them in his past life as a defense attorney. The painting consists of the blood of over 100 people.
In the second issue, things get heated up as the owner of the warehouse in which the blood mural was found decides to open up an exhibit for profit, much to the irritation of a highly influential politician, who has a personal interest in the matter as the blood of her missing niece is among those that went into the painting. Matt's boss, the district attorney, leans on him to find grounds to enjoin the grisly exhibit, sort of as punishment for Matt skipping out on his work to be Daredevil, and while it grates on Matt, he obliges. However, all that is rendered moot when the mysterious, still unknown artist of the mural posts a newer, even more gruesome oeuvre in another building. The chase for the artist is on, and Daredevil is on the case.
When I was a high school student many, many years ago, I read an article about how a particular filmmaker make a movie about murder taking place in an art gallery, which he chose as the milieu because the tranquility of an art gallery seemed like such an unlikely place to find death. Though I never saw the movie, I rather liked the concept, and I think Soule plays it out quite well here. This is a story that plays to his strengths, and makes good use of the slow-burn treatment he's using here.
I'm still not a fan of Ron Garney's scratchy, sketchy art, and I honestly find myself wondering why he needed four issues off from the title to prepare these issues, considering he isn't exactly a Jim Lee or Steve McNiven. I suppose he had some other problems unrelated to his work. It is nicely kinetic, though, and the style is a nice fit for the story, I'll give it that, but I still yearn for the days of Chris Samnee.
For the first time in months, I find myself on bated breath to see what happens next!
8.5/10 for both issues
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Black Panther #3 and #4
written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze
colored by Laura Martin
These issues are several months old, and anyone interested in reading this review will no doubt have read them both already (and indeed, they are included in the first collected edition of this volume of Black Panther), but I enjoyed reading them so much I feel I have to weigh in.
The uprising against T'Challa and his court continues as its protagonists, the renegade Dora Milaje Aneka and Ayo, and the mysterious shaman Tetu and the powerful sorceress Zenzi continue their onslaught on two different fronts. T'Challa confronts and defeats Zenzi but Tetu proves to be more than a match for him and his tech. Meanwhile the stakes are raised as the ruthless Ezekiel Stane joins the ranks of the would-be revolutionaries, with somewhat explosive results. T'Challa realizes that to win the war against his own people, he will have to take things to another level.
Coates and Stelfreeze wrap up the first mini-arc of this series on a decidedly grim note meant to press the story ever further forward. What interests me in particular about this title is how, even with the introduction of the distinctly super-villainous Ezekiel Stane, this book still feels distinctly "un-superheroic," and in fact dabbles tangentially in the concept of transitional justice as it discusses the fallout that citizens often suffer from the actions or inaction of their leaders.
What genuinely interests me about this book is how T'Challa's opponents in this story, four issues in, are, in defiance of storytelling convention, not bad guys. They don't fit the mold. They come closest to that description when they hook up with Stane, but even he is a bit more of a revolutionary than a strictly malevolent character, and is rather consistent with their own leanings. Not only are they not bad guys, but in truth as one reads the story one feels even more sympathetic towards them than towards the title character himself, especially the revolutionary Tetu, whose words strike T'Challa stronger than blows ever could. With this sort of set-up I am keenly interested to see where Coates can take this story in the months to come.
I'm also extremely glad Coates has, as his collaborator, the sublimely-talented Brian Stelfreeze, whose work actually looks better with each issue of the series that goes by. A highlight of his art was the fight sequence in issue #3, which was particularly striking. Even more remarkable is the fact that this book features quite a few talking heads, but Stelfreeze never misses a beat, and his characters are simply beautiful, full of so much more nuance than one usually finds on faces drawn by comic-book artists. This guy's work is really something special.
Coates' year with the King of Wakanda is almost half over, and I'll be darned if he doesn't have me hankering for the second.
9/10 (both issues)
illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze
colored by Laura Martin
These issues are several months old, and anyone interested in reading this review will no doubt have read them both already (and indeed, they are included in the first collected edition of this volume of Black Panther), but I enjoyed reading them so much I feel I have to weigh in.
The uprising against T'Challa and his court continues as its protagonists, the renegade Dora Milaje Aneka and Ayo, and the mysterious shaman Tetu and the powerful sorceress Zenzi continue their onslaught on two different fronts. T'Challa confronts and defeats Zenzi but Tetu proves to be more than a match for him and his tech. Meanwhile the stakes are raised as the ruthless Ezekiel Stane joins the ranks of the would-be revolutionaries, with somewhat explosive results. T'Challa realizes that to win the war against his own people, he will have to take things to another level.
Coates and Stelfreeze wrap up the first mini-arc of this series on a decidedly grim note meant to press the story ever further forward. What interests me in particular about this title is how, even with the introduction of the distinctly super-villainous Ezekiel Stane, this book still feels distinctly "un-superheroic," and in fact dabbles tangentially in the concept of transitional justice as it discusses the fallout that citizens often suffer from the actions or inaction of their leaders.
What genuinely interests me about this book is how T'Challa's opponents in this story, four issues in, are, in defiance of storytelling convention, not bad guys. They don't fit the mold. They come closest to that description when they hook up with Stane, but even he is a bit more of a revolutionary than a strictly malevolent character, and is rather consistent with their own leanings. Not only are they not bad guys, but in truth as one reads the story one feels even more sympathetic towards them than towards the title character himself, especially the revolutionary Tetu, whose words strike T'Challa stronger than blows ever could. With this sort of set-up I am keenly interested to see where Coates can take this story in the months to come.
I'm also extremely glad Coates has, as his collaborator, the sublimely-talented Brian Stelfreeze, whose work actually looks better with each issue of the series that goes by. A highlight of his art was the fight sequence in issue #3, which was particularly striking. Even more remarkable is the fact that this book features quite a few talking heads, but Stelfreeze never misses a beat, and his characters are simply beautiful, full of so much more nuance than one usually finds on faces drawn by comic-book artists. This guy's work is really something special.
Coates' year with the King of Wakanda is almost half over, and I'll be darned if he doesn't have me hankering for the second.
9/10 (both issues)
Here Come the Clones (Again): A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man: The Clone Conspiracy
written by Dan Slott
illustrated by Jim Cheung (pencils) and John Dell (inks)
colored by Justin Ponsor
I'm actually loath to write yet another review of a comic book series that I'm not sure I can review from its first issue to its last, but Dan Slott's latest Spider-Man miniseries "The Clone Conspiracy" looks like the most significant Spider-event since...well, the last one, anyway, the supposedly game-changing "Spider-Verse," which, as near as I can tell did not really change much that mattered. Well, truth be told, I was really lured in by the promise of art by one of my favorite Marvel artists Jim Cheung.
The issue begins with the funeral of a major supporting character, who was refused an experimental medical treatment from a mysterious outfit called New U, based on Peter Parker's recommendation. It turns out Peter's fear stemmed the fact that one of his employees had previously received the treatment and, upon shaking his hand, had set off Peter's Spider-sense. Peter's business partner (and sort-of-ex-girlfriend) Anna Maria Marconi investigate what happened to Peter's employee, only to find out that, true to Peter's suspicions, his treatment had negative side effects, upon the manifestation of which New U had whisked him away. Peter dons his Spider-Man togs to investigate what's really going on at New U, and what he discovers throws him for a loop.
To Slott's credit, he pretty much goes straight to the point with this story, and I enjoyed the way he navigated through so many key Spidey characters in this issue. He utilizes the obligatory talking heads portion of the story quite efficiently and sets up a nicely action-packed sequence that allows Cheung enough room to flex his muscles and set the stage for the next chapter, which, I'll admit is reasonably intriguing. It's not quite the page turner that any number of Slott's Superior Spider-Man issues were, but Slott's gift of building tension is still reasonably evident here. I gave up the main "Amazing Spider-Man" title when Giuseppe Camuncoli, whose work I really don't like, became the series main artist, and it was nice reading a Slott script for the first time in about a year.
I have to say, though, that one genuinely disappointing aspect of this book is Justin Ponsor's extremely murky, dark coloring. I get that this book is supposed to be kind of grim, and is meant to foreshadow sinister things for the wall-crawler, but I still think that Ponsor, who has used much brighter color palettes in his past work, went way overboard with the "atmosphere" in this book.
It's not quite the best work I've seen from any of the creators, but the fact that Slott and Cheung got together in the first place is reason enough to celebrate.
7.5/10
illustrated by Jim Cheung (pencils) and John Dell (inks)
colored by Justin Ponsor
I'm actually loath to write yet another review of a comic book series that I'm not sure I can review from its first issue to its last, but Dan Slott's latest Spider-Man miniseries "The Clone Conspiracy" looks like the most significant Spider-event since...well, the last one, anyway, the supposedly game-changing "Spider-Verse," which, as near as I can tell did not really change much that mattered. Well, truth be told, I was really lured in by the promise of art by one of my favorite Marvel artists Jim Cheung.
The issue begins with the funeral of a major supporting character, who was refused an experimental medical treatment from a mysterious outfit called New U, based on Peter Parker's recommendation. It turns out Peter's fear stemmed the fact that one of his employees had previously received the treatment and, upon shaking his hand, had set off Peter's Spider-sense. Peter's business partner (and sort-of-ex-girlfriend) Anna Maria Marconi investigate what happened to Peter's employee, only to find out that, true to Peter's suspicions, his treatment had negative side effects, upon the manifestation of which New U had whisked him away. Peter dons his Spider-Man togs to investigate what's really going on at New U, and what he discovers throws him for a loop.
To Slott's credit, he pretty much goes straight to the point with this story, and I enjoyed the way he navigated through so many key Spidey characters in this issue. He utilizes the obligatory talking heads portion of the story quite efficiently and sets up a nicely action-packed sequence that allows Cheung enough room to flex his muscles and set the stage for the next chapter, which, I'll admit is reasonably intriguing. It's not quite the page turner that any number of Slott's Superior Spider-Man issues were, but Slott's gift of building tension is still reasonably evident here. I gave up the main "Amazing Spider-Man" title when Giuseppe Camuncoli, whose work I really don't like, became the series main artist, and it was nice reading a Slott script for the first time in about a year.
I have to say, though, that one genuinely disappointing aspect of this book is Justin Ponsor's extremely murky, dark coloring. I get that this book is supposed to be kind of grim, and is meant to foreshadow sinister things for the wall-crawler, but I still think that Ponsor, who has used much brighter color palettes in his past work, went way overboard with the "atmosphere" in this book.
It's not quite the best work I've seen from any of the creators, but the fact that Slott and Cheung got together in the first place is reason enough to celebrate.
7.5/10
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of All-New, All-Different Avengers #10, 11 and 12
written by Mark Waid
illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
colored by Dave McCaig
After a full-blown six-issue arc featuring two artists and the return of a major Avengers villain, as well as a brief dalliance into crossover territory, Mark Waid treats readers of this title to a simpler, three-issue arc featuring another major villain (Annihilus) and some sterling art by Mahmud Asrar.
On a mission to find Jesse Alexander, the missing father of the current Nova, Sam Alexander, the Avengers find themselves trapped on a planet along with several other space travelers, and in trying to escape they realize that the person holding them prisoner is none other than Annihilus, who is using some sort of space cannon to ensure no one can escape. While the Avengers have dealt with Annihilus in the past, this will certainly be a baptism of fire for its newer members like Thor (Jane Foster), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan).
While the story was a pleasant enough read, knowing that the book, and the Marvel Universe as a whole, is headed for even more status-quo-shattering upheaval puts a bit of a damper on the enjoyment. In a few short months, Miles, Kamala and Sam will be splitting from the Avengers and forming their own book, which makes all of this "team-gelling" seem somewhat pointless at this stage, though I will credit Waid and Asrar for a well-crafted, short but sweet story, even though the cleanness of Asrar's art sort of tapered off towards the last issue of the arc. Also, the time spent on Nadia Pym, the late Hank Pym's daughter and the new Wasp is clearly meant to set her up for big things, but, to me anyway, felt like wasted pages. The next story arc will likely focus on her.
It's also evident at this stage that none of the new Avengers like Thor, Spider-Man or Ms. Marvel really gets the attention each of the individual characters deserves. While Thor got a bit of interesting solo time during the first arc, in which she made out with Falcon and had her nasty little secret revealed (also to Falcon, coincidentally enough), but there's no such development here, arguably for lack of time. I was also a little bewildered at how the Avengers like Spider-Man suddenly know Ms. Marvel's secret identity, which she kept a closely guarded secret. Clearly, something significant happened in another book, which is another thing that kind of peeved me.
Anyway, there doesn't seem to be much of a point in "investing" in these characters as a team considering where they're headed, but for the time being I am enjoying these stories well enough, if with a little sadness at knowing what's to come.
7.5/10 for issues 10 and 11
6.9/10 for issue 12
illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
colored by Dave McCaig
After a full-blown six-issue arc featuring two artists and the return of a major Avengers villain, as well as a brief dalliance into crossover territory, Mark Waid treats readers of this title to a simpler, three-issue arc featuring another major villain (Annihilus) and some sterling art by Mahmud Asrar.
On a mission to find Jesse Alexander, the missing father of the current Nova, Sam Alexander, the Avengers find themselves trapped on a planet along with several other space travelers, and in trying to escape they realize that the person holding them prisoner is none other than Annihilus, who is using some sort of space cannon to ensure no one can escape. While the Avengers have dealt with Annihilus in the past, this will certainly be a baptism of fire for its newer members like Thor (Jane Foster), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan).
While the story was a pleasant enough read, knowing that the book, and the Marvel Universe as a whole, is headed for even more status-quo-shattering upheaval puts a bit of a damper on the enjoyment. In a few short months, Miles, Kamala and Sam will be splitting from the Avengers and forming their own book, which makes all of this "team-gelling" seem somewhat pointless at this stage, though I will credit Waid and Asrar for a well-crafted, short but sweet story, even though the cleanness of Asrar's art sort of tapered off towards the last issue of the arc. Also, the time spent on Nadia Pym, the late Hank Pym's daughter and the new Wasp is clearly meant to set her up for big things, but, to me anyway, felt like wasted pages. The next story arc will likely focus on her.
It's also evident at this stage that none of the new Avengers like Thor, Spider-Man or Ms. Marvel really gets the attention each of the individual characters deserves. While Thor got a bit of interesting solo time during the first arc, in which she made out with Falcon and had her nasty little secret revealed (also to Falcon, coincidentally enough), but there's no such development here, arguably for lack of time. I was also a little bewildered at how the Avengers like Spider-Man suddenly know Ms. Marvel's secret identity, which she kept a closely guarded secret. Clearly, something significant happened in another book, which is another thing that kind of peeved me.
Anyway, there doesn't seem to be much of a point in "investing" in these characters as a team considering where they're headed, but for the time being I am enjoying these stories well enough, if with a little sadness at knowing what's to come.
7.5/10 for issues 10 and 11
6.9/10 for issue 12
Friday, August 26, 2016
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Spider-Man/Deadpool #8
written by Joe Kelly
penciled by Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales
colored by Jason Keith
Spidey and Deadpool track down the mysterious Patient Zero, who has stolen secrets from Peter's company, including genetic manipulation. They find a formidable foe and, in Patient Zero's army of mutated homeless people, a heck of a fight. Worst of all things may yet take a turn for the worse next issue. Meanwhile, Peter's memories from his deal with Mephisto to undo his marriage seem to be slowly creeping back.
This issue marks the return of the creative team that launched the book following a couple of throwaway filler issues, and more importantly, a return to form after a couple of issues I was not entirely happy with. Kelly now declares what I had suspected, that it was because of the enchantment of the succubus that Peter was unable to evade Deadpool's fatal bullet back at the end of issue #4. Quite rightfully, Peter is seriously pissed at Deadpool, who gets his comeuppance somewhat for his misdeeds with several shards of glass being shoved into his backside.
I confess I'm quite interested to see where this Patient Zero business will go, and by finally bringing him out of the shadows Kelly and McGuinness have started to fast-track the book in that direction.
While Peter Parker only gets half the book's page-time considering he shares it with Deadpool, I like the way Kelly handles Peter and his new status quo. I really am not a fan of Giuseppe Camuncoli's artwork, which is why I dropped the main Spider-Man book upon its relaunch last year, but Kelly has more or less kept me up to speed on where Peter is, and I have to say, though the "One More Day" reference vaguely annoyed me last issue, I'm slightly intrigued to see where he will take this, and how far editorial will let him take it.
McGuinness not only treats us to his usual sterling artwork; he treats readers to his own take on a "stealth" costume for Spidey, departing from the "classic" alien-based suit and the more recently "Tron" inspired suit. This one's got red eyepieces and a red Spider-logo, and seem to affirm that, with his multi-million dollar company and formidable tech, Peter really is the new Tony Stark (especially since Tony Stark, as I understand it, is, per events going on in other books, somehow out of the picture). I'm also a fan of his design for his monsters; it seems McGuinness is a fan of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, judging by some of these designs, and by the way he drew the old Spider-man bad guys Styx and Stone a few issues back. I never tire of looking at this guy's artwork, and hope he sticks around this book for at least another year.
Next issue promises a major throw-down, and I hope Joe and Ed can keep things interesting!
8/10
penciled by Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales
colored by Jason Keith
Spidey and Deadpool track down the mysterious Patient Zero, who has stolen secrets from Peter's company, including genetic manipulation. They find a formidable foe and, in Patient Zero's army of mutated homeless people, a heck of a fight. Worst of all things may yet take a turn for the worse next issue. Meanwhile, Peter's memories from his deal with Mephisto to undo his marriage seem to be slowly creeping back.
This issue marks the return of the creative team that launched the book following a couple of throwaway filler issues, and more importantly, a return to form after a couple of issues I was not entirely happy with. Kelly now declares what I had suspected, that it was because of the enchantment of the succubus that Peter was unable to evade Deadpool's fatal bullet back at the end of issue #4. Quite rightfully, Peter is seriously pissed at Deadpool, who gets his comeuppance somewhat for his misdeeds with several shards of glass being shoved into his backside.
I confess I'm quite interested to see where this Patient Zero business will go, and by finally bringing him out of the shadows Kelly and McGuinness have started to fast-track the book in that direction.
While Peter Parker only gets half the book's page-time considering he shares it with Deadpool, I like the way Kelly handles Peter and his new status quo. I really am not a fan of Giuseppe Camuncoli's artwork, which is why I dropped the main Spider-Man book upon its relaunch last year, but Kelly has more or less kept me up to speed on where Peter is, and I have to say, though the "One More Day" reference vaguely annoyed me last issue, I'm slightly intrigued to see where he will take this, and how far editorial will let him take it.
McGuinness not only treats us to his usual sterling artwork; he treats readers to his own take on a "stealth" costume for Spidey, departing from the "classic" alien-based suit and the more recently "Tron" inspired suit. This one's got red eyepieces and a red Spider-logo, and seem to affirm that, with his multi-million dollar company and formidable tech, Peter really is the new Tony Stark (especially since Tony Stark, as I understand it, is, per events going on in other books, somehow out of the picture). I'm also a fan of his design for his monsters; it seems McGuinness is a fan of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, judging by some of these designs, and by the way he drew the old Spider-man bad guys Styx and Stone a few issues back. I never tire of looking at this guy's artwork, and hope he sticks around this book for at least another year.
Next issue promises a major throw-down, and I hope Joe and Ed can keep things interesting!
8/10
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Spider-Man #5
written by Brian Bendis
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
The inaugural arc of Miles Morales' first book as the member of the "mainstream" Marvel Universe comes to an end as Miles, a prisoner of Black Cat, breaks free using his powers, with the Black Cat getting away, but not before threatening him.
Yes, this issue is every bit as unsatisfying as it sounds.
Since Dan Slott made the decision to have Peter Parker's one-time flame and perpetual anti-heroine Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat, go full on bad guy back when Otto Octavius was Spider-Man, I haven't been a huge fan of the stories that have come out of that decision. I liked Gerry Conway's take on the character a couple of years back in a "mob" storyline in which Spider-Man took on his one-time ally the Wraith, but other than that I have had little interest in the way Felicia has been written.
Bendis doesn't really do anything to change that, though at the very least he did give Pichelli more to draw this issue than a bunch of talking heads (though really, there's still plenty of that). The Spider-Man/Hammerhead slugfest was, while not exactly outstanding, enjoyable just the same.
I've been following Miles Morales' adventures quite faithfully since the character was introduced in 2011, but lately Bendis seems to have lost the stride he exhibited when writing those early adventures. Maybe he should consider handing the character over to a new writer.
6/10
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
The inaugural arc of Miles Morales' first book as the member of the "mainstream" Marvel Universe comes to an end as Miles, a prisoner of Black Cat, breaks free using his powers, with the Black Cat getting away, but not before threatening him.
Yes, this issue is every bit as unsatisfying as it sounds.
Since Dan Slott made the decision to have Peter Parker's one-time flame and perpetual anti-heroine Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat, go full on bad guy back when Otto Octavius was Spider-Man, I haven't been a huge fan of the stories that have come out of that decision. I liked Gerry Conway's take on the character a couple of years back in a "mob" storyline in which Spider-Man took on his one-time ally the Wraith, but other than that I have had little interest in the way Felicia has been written.
Bendis doesn't really do anything to change that, though at the very least he did give Pichelli more to draw this issue than a bunch of talking heads (though really, there's still plenty of that). The Spider-Man/Hammerhead slugfest was, while not exactly outstanding, enjoyable just the same.
I've been following Miles Morales' adventures quite faithfully since the character was introduced in 2011, but lately Bendis seems to have lost the stride he exhibited when writing those early adventures. Maybe he should consider handing the character over to a new writer.
6/10
Catch-up Reading: Black Widow #4, 5 and 6
written by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
The problem with working all the time is having the comics I collect basically just pile up, as a result of which the next few reviews I will write will be completely out-of-date; anyone who would want to read these issues will have to raid the back-issue stacks.
Anyway, Chris Samnee and Mark Waid have finally wrapped up their first story arc on their new Black Widow series, and man, was it a good read. It had its flaws, but it was, overall, extremely entertaining, especially for a relatively fledgling writer.
In issue #4, Black Widow recovers from injuries suffered in the previous issue, then confronts the headmistress of the Red Room and a former rival of hers who has now become the top assassin. She obtains the intelligence she was sent to get by the mysterious Weeping Lion, but with the knowledge that the new Red Room and its deadly new recruits, headed by her old rival, are very much a threat.
In issue #5, Black Widow meets with Agent Elder of S.H.I.E.L.D., under the watchful eye of the Weeping Lion's minions, who attack when they realize that Widow, still in possession of the intelligence the Weeping Lion sent her to retrieve, is about to betray them. The consequences for the Widow are significant.
In issue #6, with one of her darkest secrets revealed, the Black Widow must now strike back at the Weeping Lion with every ounce of skill and cunning she can muster, and this is no mean task, as the revelation of the last issue now has set Iron Man on her trail.
In my last review, I wondered out loud just how shocking Black Widow's secrets were that the Weeping Lion was threatening to reveal, and speculated that a retcon would be involved. As it turned out, I was partially right, though to be fair to Samnee and Waid, it is a bit of a "behind the scenes" retcon or something that could plausibly be slotted into the original story, much like Ed Brubaker's "untold" stories of Bucky's World War II adventures. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the retcon, but I thought Samnee and Waid handled it well enough to forgive the little cliche.
Samnee's art remains the star here; he's really reaching new heights as a visual storyteller, and the fact that he's only a few steps away from writing and drawing on his own makes him a truly formidable creator in the mold of John Byrne, Walter Simonson and Dave Sim to name but a few. I know that writers who are also artists aren't exactly rare, but few of them can tell stories with this much visual pop. Still, Samnee has yet to take the final step and do the scripting on his own. I suspect we'll be seeing that soon enough.
I really enjoyed the pacing of this six-issue arc, which wrapped up quite neatly with plenty of material for future stories, especially those involving the revitalized Red Room.
8/10 for issue #4
8/10 for issue #5
8.5/10 for issue #6
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
The problem with working all the time is having the comics I collect basically just pile up, as a result of which the next few reviews I will write will be completely out-of-date; anyone who would want to read these issues will have to raid the back-issue stacks.
Anyway, Chris Samnee and Mark Waid have finally wrapped up their first story arc on their new Black Widow series, and man, was it a good read. It had its flaws, but it was, overall, extremely entertaining, especially for a relatively fledgling writer.
In issue #4, Black Widow recovers from injuries suffered in the previous issue, then confronts the headmistress of the Red Room and a former rival of hers who has now become the top assassin. She obtains the intelligence she was sent to get by the mysterious Weeping Lion, but with the knowledge that the new Red Room and its deadly new recruits, headed by her old rival, are very much a threat.
In issue #5, Black Widow meets with Agent Elder of S.H.I.E.L.D., under the watchful eye of the Weeping Lion's minions, who attack when they realize that Widow, still in possession of the intelligence the Weeping Lion sent her to retrieve, is about to betray them. The consequences for the Widow are significant.
In issue #6, with one of her darkest secrets revealed, the Black Widow must now strike back at the Weeping Lion with every ounce of skill and cunning she can muster, and this is no mean task, as the revelation of the last issue now has set Iron Man on her trail.
In my last review, I wondered out loud just how shocking Black Widow's secrets were that the Weeping Lion was threatening to reveal, and speculated that a retcon would be involved. As it turned out, I was partially right, though to be fair to Samnee and Waid, it is a bit of a "behind the scenes" retcon or something that could plausibly be slotted into the original story, much like Ed Brubaker's "untold" stories of Bucky's World War II adventures. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the retcon, but I thought Samnee and Waid handled it well enough to forgive the little cliche.
Samnee's art remains the star here; he's really reaching new heights as a visual storyteller, and the fact that he's only a few steps away from writing and drawing on his own makes him a truly formidable creator in the mold of John Byrne, Walter Simonson and Dave Sim to name but a few. I know that writers who are also artists aren't exactly rare, but few of them can tell stories with this much visual pop. Still, Samnee has yet to take the final step and do the scripting on his own. I suspect we'll be seeing that soon enough.
I really enjoyed the pacing of this six-issue arc, which wrapped up quite neatly with plenty of material for future stories, especially those involving the revitalized Red Room.
8/10 for issue #4
8/10 for issue #5
8.5/10 for issue #6
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Did...Did Marvel Just...? (MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR CIVIL WAR II)
In my spoiler-laden post on what I enjoyed about the (rather loose) big screen adaptation of the Marvel Comics miniseries "Civil War" I pointed out the hateful narrative trope of killing an expendable character, usually a black person, to ramp up the story's sense of menace or urgency. I wrote about how I had despised the way writer Mark Millar basically pulled a rarely-used minority character, Bill Foster aka Black Goliath, out of mothballs just so he could kill him.
And now, to kick off the new "Civil War II" miniseries, writer Brian Michael Bendis decided to show everyone he meant business by killing off not one but two minority characters, the African American James Rhodes aka War Machine and the female She-Hulk.
I haven't read the story, but really, my anger at this gimmick really knows no bounds. I know that every war has casualties, but really, to kill off minority characters is a cliche that's practically as old as pop culture itself, and the fact that Bendis has picked one of the strongest female characters in comic books these days, both literally and figuratively is beyond despicable. It's bad enough that there's such a dearth of non-white male characters in comics as it is; Bendis manages to rub some serious salt in the wound of all of us hoping for more minority representation.
I know that in the Marvel Universe, death is rarely dealt with any finality when it comes to major characters, but the fact that specific characters were targeted just to give the story more "weight" just goes to show how creatively bankrupt Marvel in general, and Bendis in particular, now are. I can think of a number of other characters who could have gotten the axe and who, unlike these two, would not likely be resurrected by a future editorial regime.
In any case, it just feels hateful.
I hope some future writer does something really horrible to Jessica Jones, or one of Bendis' pathetic creations, like the horrible excuse for an X-Man "Goldballs."
And now, to kick off the new "Civil War II" miniseries, writer Brian Michael Bendis decided to show everyone he meant business by killing off not one but two minority characters, the African American James Rhodes aka War Machine and the female She-Hulk.
I haven't read the story, but really, my anger at this gimmick really knows no bounds. I know that every war has casualties, but really, to kill off minority characters is a cliche that's practically as old as pop culture itself, and the fact that Bendis has picked one of the strongest female characters in comic books these days, both literally and figuratively is beyond despicable. It's bad enough that there's such a dearth of non-white male characters in comics as it is; Bendis manages to rub some serious salt in the wound of all of us hoping for more minority representation.
I know that in the Marvel Universe, death is rarely dealt with any finality when it comes to major characters, but the fact that specific characters were targeted just to give the story more "weight" just goes to show how creatively bankrupt Marvel in general, and Bendis in particular, now are. I can think of a number of other characters who could have gotten the axe and who, unlike these two, would not likely be resurrected by a future editorial regime.
In any case, it just feels hateful.
I hope some future writer does something really horrible to Jessica Jones, or one of Bendis' pathetic creations, like the horrible excuse for an X-Man "Goldballs."
Saturday, May 28, 2016
A Blast from Her Past: A Review of Black Widow #2 and #3
co-written by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid
illustrated by Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
In issue #2, Natasha's daring heist of sensitive data from a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier is explained with a flashback. Most of the story takes place at a secret cemetery for fallen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, where Director Hill and Agent Elder attend a funeral for a young agent when several men try to attack them, only to be killed off, one by one, by Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. the Black Widow. She believes Hill and Elder have fallen into a trap, only to find out too late who the real target of the trap was. She is eventually forced to pull off the Helicarrier heist using one of the oldest tricks in the book: good old fashioned blackmail.
In issue #3, Natasha's new "principal" the Weeping Lion, directs her to travel to Russia, to her old training facility the Red Room to find something. As she arrives at the dilapidated facility, memories come flooding back, even as she finds and neutralizes scavengers, and manages to discover something even more terrifying than her.
As much as I am still enjoying this series, the fact that Samnee's doing the plotting is becoming a bit more evident here as the story's starting to seem a little thin to be stretched over three issues. The first issue, which was basically one long chase and fight sequence, was a real show-stopper, but when Samnee and Waid explain in a second-issue flashback that Natasha was basically blackmailed with secrets from her past, I couldn't help but think: "THAT old chestnut?" I realize that as a former Soviet spy (and in the comic books, through some Russian version of the Super Soldier Serum or Infinity Formula, she's really been around since World War II), she has a checkered past, but how much does that even matter anymore? Sure, they're clearly still playing the whole antihero card for her in having her do something bad to avoid her dirty little secrets being exposed, but by screwing over S.H.I.E.L.D. to serve a bad guy in order to save her own ass it strikes me that she's made herself some powerful enemies anyway, so it doesn't seem all that logical. The action sequences, of which there are several throughout this issue, were great, though, and it seems to me that Samnee has raised his game quite a bit as an artist and as a visual storyteller.
Issue #3, while it still has me wondering just how damning the documents the Weeping Lion has on Natasha are, at least it doesn't involve her taking on an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier full of agents and doesn't feel like an affront to storytelling logic. It's nice and low key, and it offers us a glimpse into her past in the Red Room, though I don't know how much of that is left to tell short of wandering into retcon territory. In any event, this was a more enjoyable issue.
Don't get me wrong; I remain a huge fan of these creators, and I definitely want to see what comes next, but considering the lofty standard of storytelling the pair of them had established during their lengthy run on Daredevil I was a little bit disappointed to see them coming down to earth a little bit. One aspect of the storytelling I appreciate though is the way they're keeping things mysterious. This really appears to be Samnee's show, with Waid basically just lending the dialogue, but even though Samnee isn't quite the scribe Waid is, I still appreciate his sense of pacing and how to build the sense of peril and menace our heroine faces.
Black Widow has never been a best-selling book so I don't see them lasting on it as long as they did on DD, but I am still looking forward to what these guys have to offer.
7.5/10 for issue #2
8/10 for issue #3
illustrated by Samnee
colored by Matt Wilson
In issue #2, Natasha's daring heist of sensitive data from a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier is explained with a flashback. Most of the story takes place at a secret cemetery for fallen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, where Director Hill and Agent Elder attend a funeral for a young agent when several men try to attack them, only to be killed off, one by one, by Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. the Black Widow. She believes Hill and Elder have fallen into a trap, only to find out too late who the real target of the trap was. She is eventually forced to pull off the Helicarrier heist using one of the oldest tricks in the book: good old fashioned blackmail.
In issue #3, Natasha's new "principal" the Weeping Lion, directs her to travel to Russia, to her old training facility the Red Room to find something. As she arrives at the dilapidated facility, memories come flooding back, even as she finds and neutralizes scavengers, and manages to discover something even more terrifying than her.
As much as I am still enjoying this series, the fact that Samnee's doing the plotting is becoming a bit more evident here as the story's starting to seem a little thin to be stretched over three issues. The first issue, which was basically one long chase and fight sequence, was a real show-stopper, but when Samnee and Waid explain in a second-issue flashback that Natasha was basically blackmailed with secrets from her past, I couldn't help but think: "THAT old chestnut?" I realize that as a former Soviet spy (and in the comic books, through some Russian version of the Super Soldier Serum or Infinity Formula, she's really been around since World War II), she has a checkered past, but how much does that even matter anymore? Sure, they're clearly still playing the whole antihero card for her in having her do something bad to avoid her dirty little secrets being exposed, but by screwing over S.H.I.E.L.D. to serve a bad guy in order to save her own ass it strikes me that she's made herself some powerful enemies anyway, so it doesn't seem all that logical. The action sequences, of which there are several throughout this issue, were great, though, and it seems to me that Samnee has raised his game quite a bit as an artist and as a visual storyteller.
Issue #3, while it still has me wondering just how damning the documents the Weeping Lion has on Natasha are, at least it doesn't involve her taking on an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier full of agents and doesn't feel like an affront to storytelling logic. It's nice and low key, and it offers us a glimpse into her past in the Red Room, though I don't know how much of that is left to tell short of wandering into retcon territory. In any event, this was a more enjoyable issue.
Don't get me wrong; I remain a huge fan of these creators, and I definitely want to see what comes next, but considering the lofty standard of storytelling the pair of them had established during their lengthy run on Daredevil I was a little bit disappointed to see them coming down to earth a little bit. One aspect of the storytelling I appreciate though is the way they're keeping things mysterious. This really appears to be Samnee's show, with Waid basically just lending the dialogue, but even though Samnee isn't quite the scribe Waid is, I still appreciate his sense of pacing and how to build the sense of peril and menace our heroine faces.
Black Widow has never been a best-selling book so I don't see them lasting on it as long as they did on DD, but I am still looking forward to what these guys have to offer.
7.5/10 for issue #2
8/10 for issue #3
Budding Insurgency: A Review of Black Panther #2
written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
drawn by Brian Stelfreeze
colored by Laura Martin
T'Challa tracks down the mysterious telepath who has been stoking the anger of the Wakandans against him, only to find out the true, terrifying nature of her powers, while two of his rogue Dora Milaje free oppressed women in another district of Wakanda, and start sowing the seeds of discontent among his subjects as well, as they firmly believe that no one man should wield power over the whole country. Meanwhile, T'Challa's sister Shuri may not be as dead as he thinks she is.
Two issues in and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates has me hooked on this story of internal struggle in Wakanda on two fronts. I'll admit I'm a little concerned that T'Challa's primary antagonists are all women; as I'm not really keen on supporting a misogynistic story, but what's fascinating about how these characters are all described so far is that, especially in the case of the two Dora Milaje guardswomen, their anger against T'Challa appears to be coming from someplace righteous. This makes me quite keen to see how all of this will shake down eventually.
While there are only two main sequences in this story, Coates paces his action well, and gives us the Black Panther martial arts sequence he had to have known readers were eager to see. There is at least one other sequence squeezed in as one of T'Challa's advisers talks to a former student of his, but it feels more like a quiet interlude. It was gratifying to see T'Challa in action, something Coates scrimped on a bit last issue. This not only gave the chance for T'Challa to cut loose, but artist Stelfreeze as well.
Speaking of Stelfreeze, his work has actually improved since the already impressive art he turned in last issue, probably because Coates shifts from talking heads to action sequences this time around. I really love it when an artist picks up steam with the succeeding issue; it makes it even more exciting to look forward to the next issue. The sequence in which T'Challa learns just how his enemy's power works (she has more in common with Dani Moonstar of the New Mutants than Professor X), is a spectacular collaboration between Stelfreeze and colorist Laura Martin and is easily one of the best-illustrated sequences I've seen in some time.
Coates is telling a genuinely fascinating story on his own terms, without (so far) a gratuitous cameo from a Marvel Universe regular. I truly hope he can keep up this standard of quality storytelling, because this is a character that truly deserves it.
9/10
drawn by Brian Stelfreeze
colored by Laura Martin
T'Challa tracks down the mysterious telepath who has been stoking the anger of the Wakandans against him, only to find out the true, terrifying nature of her powers, while two of his rogue Dora Milaje free oppressed women in another district of Wakanda, and start sowing the seeds of discontent among his subjects as well, as they firmly believe that no one man should wield power over the whole country. Meanwhile, T'Challa's sister Shuri may not be as dead as he thinks she is.
Two issues in and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates has me hooked on this story of internal struggle in Wakanda on two fronts. I'll admit I'm a little concerned that T'Challa's primary antagonists are all women; as I'm not really keen on supporting a misogynistic story, but what's fascinating about how these characters are all described so far is that, especially in the case of the two Dora Milaje guardswomen, their anger against T'Challa appears to be coming from someplace righteous. This makes me quite keen to see how all of this will shake down eventually.
While there are only two main sequences in this story, Coates paces his action well, and gives us the Black Panther martial arts sequence he had to have known readers were eager to see. There is at least one other sequence squeezed in as one of T'Challa's advisers talks to a former student of his, but it feels more like a quiet interlude. It was gratifying to see T'Challa in action, something Coates scrimped on a bit last issue. This not only gave the chance for T'Challa to cut loose, but artist Stelfreeze as well.
Speaking of Stelfreeze, his work has actually improved since the already impressive art he turned in last issue, probably because Coates shifts from talking heads to action sequences this time around. I really love it when an artist picks up steam with the succeeding issue; it makes it even more exciting to look forward to the next issue. The sequence in which T'Challa learns just how his enemy's power works (she has more in common with Dani Moonstar of the New Mutants than Professor X), is a spectacular collaboration between Stelfreeze and colorist Laura Martin and is easily one of the best-illustrated sequences I've seen in some time.
Coates is telling a genuinely fascinating story on his own terms, without (so far) a gratuitous cameo from a Marvel Universe regular. I truly hope he can keep up this standard of quality storytelling, because this is a character that truly deserves it.
9/10
Friday, May 27, 2016
Quick Looks: Spider-Man #4
written by Brian Michael Bendis
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
Miles Morales spends the vast majority of this issue arguing with Ganke about meeting the new student at their school, former X-Man Goldballs. After that, he gets attacked and captured by Hammerhead.
Considering how much I enjoyed Miles' Morales adventures back when he was in the "Ultimate" universe, I am surprised by how utterly appalling this latest issue is. I know Bendis is fond of talking heads, but this issue just takes it to an illogical extreme, and two characters essentially get into a fight over a lame Bendis creation. Self-promotion at its worst, really.
I hear Pichelli's leaving this book after this story arc. If this kind of storytelling keeps up, so am I.
4/10
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
Miles Morales spends the vast majority of this issue arguing with Ganke about meeting the new student at their school, former X-Man Goldballs. After that, he gets attacked and captured by Hammerhead.
Considering how much I enjoyed Miles' Morales adventures back when he was in the "Ultimate" universe, I am surprised by how utterly appalling this latest issue is. I know Bendis is fond of talking heads, but this issue just takes it to an illogical extreme, and two characters essentially get into a fight over a lame Bendis creation. Self-promotion at its worst, really.
I hear Pichelli's leaving this book after this story arc. If this kind of storytelling keeps up, so am I.
4/10
Quick Looks: All-New, All-Different Avengers #9
written by Mark Waid
drawn by Mahmud Asrar
colored by Dave McCaig
After the crossover event "Assault at Standoff Hill" which included two issues of this title, the book goes back to solo mode with this issue, as the All-New All-Different Avengers (sans Captain America and Thor) receive a very special visitor: the Wasp! This is not quite the Wasp we all know, though she is still a Pym. Also, Kang's not quite yet done with the Vision, as some quirks left behind in his programming prove to be quite the menace. Finally, Nova's dad is still lost in space, and the team resolve to help Sam find his dad.
I consider myself a fan of this series and while the first arc had its faults, it was still a solid read. This issue manages to maintain that standard somewhat, but is still a little low-key. Waid's not quite firing on all cylinders like he was over on Daredevil (and is in Black Widow, which he's co-writing with artist Chris Samnee), but this is still a perfectly respectable issue, and a very neat done-in-one of sorts as well as it introduces the new Wasp in a full story replete with two epilogues, the second of which sets up the next few issues.
Mahmud Asrar is back after series co-artist Adam Kubert took over for two issues, and man oh man, this guy has yet to disappoint. I am looking forward to the story arc that is set in space because I imagine this guy will be turning some outstanding work for those issues. My hopes are high.
8/10
drawn by Mahmud Asrar
colored by Dave McCaig
After the crossover event "Assault at Standoff Hill" which included two issues of this title, the book goes back to solo mode with this issue, as the All-New All-Different Avengers (sans Captain America and Thor) receive a very special visitor: the Wasp! This is not quite the Wasp we all know, though she is still a Pym. Also, Kang's not quite yet done with the Vision, as some quirks left behind in his programming prove to be quite the menace. Finally, Nova's dad is still lost in space, and the team resolve to help Sam find his dad.
I consider myself a fan of this series and while the first arc had its faults, it was still a solid read. This issue manages to maintain that standard somewhat, but is still a little low-key. Waid's not quite firing on all cylinders like he was over on Daredevil (and is in Black Widow, which he's co-writing with artist Chris Samnee), but this is still a perfectly respectable issue, and a very neat done-in-one of sorts as well as it introduces the new Wasp in a full story replete with two epilogues, the second of which sets up the next few issues.
Mahmud Asrar is back after series co-artist Adam Kubert took over for two issues, and man oh man, this guy has yet to disappoint. I am looking forward to the story arc that is set in space because I imagine this guy will be turning some outstanding work for those issues. My hopes are high.
8/10
Quick Looks: A Review of Daredevil #7
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Matteo Bufagni
colored by Matt Milla
Matt and Elektra stop fighting long enough for Matt to learn just why Elektra wants to kill him. Elektra believes her daughter, that Matt had, up until this point known nothing about, has been kidnapped, and believes his is somehow involved. Matt gets to the bottom of what has happened, and while he clears things up with Elektra, it seems someone is gunning for him yet again.
While I had known this story arc would be a brief one, it basically opened up more questions for me than it answered. Matt pays Foggy Nelson a visit this time and clarifies that in this new, post-Secret Wars world, it is truly only Foggy who knows Matt's secret, with Elektra, who has known Matt since before he actually became Daredevil, being similarly blindsided. I am still no closer to knowing the mysterious process through which this happened, though. In that, the issue was a tad frustrating, especially since it just repeated what had already been stated previously: only Foggy knows Matt's secret.
Surprisingly little happens in this issue, especially given how the last issue was able to pack quite a bit of exposition and set-up into twenty pages. Anyway, Soule's script is decent and Bufagni's artwork is consistent with the standard he set last issue, but really, given the disclosures I was hoping to read here, this issue was an almost inevitable disappointment.
6.7/10
drawn by Matteo Bufagni
colored by Matt Milla
Matt and Elektra stop fighting long enough for Matt to learn just why Elektra wants to kill him. Elektra believes her daughter, that Matt had, up until this point known nothing about, has been kidnapped, and believes his is somehow involved. Matt gets to the bottom of what has happened, and while he clears things up with Elektra, it seems someone is gunning for him yet again.
While I had known this story arc would be a brief one, it basically opened up more questions for me than it answered. Matt pays Foggy Nelson a visit this time and clarifies that in this new, post-Secret Wars world, it is truly only Foggy who knows Matt's secret, with Elektra, who has known Matt since before he actually became Daredevil, being similarly blindsided. I am still no closer to knowing the mysterious process through which this happened, though. In that, the issue was a tad frustrating, especially since it just repeated what had already been stated previously: only Foggy knows Matt's secret.
Surprisingly little happens in this issue, especially given how the last issue was able to pack quite a bit of exposition and set-up into twenty pages. Anyway, Soule's script is decent and Bufagni's artwork is consistent with the standard he set last issue, but really, given the disclosures I was hoping to read here, this issue was an almost inevitable disappointment.
6.7/10
Quick Looks: Spider-Man/Deadpool #5
written by Joe Kelly
illustrated by Ed McGuinness (pencils), Mark Morales (inks)
colored by Jason Keith
Superstar Deadpool creators Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness wrap up their first story-arc on this book, in which Spider-Man, having been shot in the face by Deadpool last issue, has himself a bit of an out-of-body experience, while Deadpool, upon realizing that Peter Parker wasn't the dirtbag he'd been led to think he was when he was hired to kill him, quite literally goes to hell and back to bring him back to life.
Now, I was not fond of the issue that preceded this one, and while I did not disclose it, part of that was down to the fact that Deadpool, whose abilities do not include lightning fast reflexes, was basically able to shoot Spider-Man point blank and kill him, something which, given Spider-Man's spider sense and preternatural speed and agility, should have been impossible.
It was done, though, in the service of this idiotic variation of the overused story trope of one "good" guy (Deadpool, hence the quotes) being tricked into attacking another good guy (Spider-Man) by a behind-the-scenes bad guy. Basically, Kelly just ignored a long-established rule of Spider-Man lore to advance his lame plot, and it utterly pissed me off. Deadpool should not be able to kill Spider-Man, at least not the way he did. Sure, one could argue that Spider-Man was enchanted by a succubus in issue #4 (he was) and that this somehow impaired him, but I honestly think Kelly should have established that a little better before foisting such a poorly-conceived twist on readers.
And then there was the reference in the story to the infamous One More Day storyline which, unless Kelly intends to explore that thread somewhere down the line, served no other purpose than to annoy.
This book started off fun but has been rather irritating for two issues in a row, now. Fortunately, McGuinness' art remains fantastic, and he wraps up this arc in fine style, with the little thread dangling about finding out who set Deadpool up in the first place, or the mysterious "patient zero." Possibly against my better judgment, I'll be coming back for that, for the pretty pictures if nothing else.
6/10
illustrated by Ed McGuinness (pencils), Mark Morales (inks)
colored by Jason Keith
Superstar Deadpool creators Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness wrap up their first story-arc on this book, in which Spider-Man, having been shot in the face by Deadpool last issue, has himself a bit of an out-of-body experience, while Deadpool, upon realizing that Peter Parker wasn't the dirtbag he'd been led to think he was when he was hired to kill him, quite literally goes to hell and back to bring him back to life.
Now, I was not fond of the issue that preceded this one, and while I did not disclose it, part of that was down to the fact that Deadpool, whose abilities do not include lightning fast reflexes, was basically able to shoot Spider-Man point blank and kill him, something which, given Spider-Man's spider sense and preternatural speed and agility, should have been impossible.
It was done, though, in the service of this idiotic variation of the overused story trope of one "good" guy (Deadpool, hence the quotes) being tricked into attacking another good guy (Spider-Man) by a behind-the-scenes bad guy. Basically, Kelly just ignored a long-established rule of Spider-Man lore to advance his lame plot, and it utterly pissed me off. Deadpool should not be able to kill Spider-Man, at least not the way he did. Sure, one could argue that Spider-Man was enchanted by a succubus in issue #4 (he was) and that this somehow impaired him, but I honestly think Kelly should have established that a little better before foisting such a poorly-conceived twist on readers.
And then there was the reference in the story to the infamous One More Day storyline which, unless Kelly intends to explore that thread somewhere down the line, served no other purpose than to annoy.
This book started off fun but has been rather irritating for two issues in a row, now. Fortunately, McGuinness' art remains fantastic, and he wraps up this arc in fine style, with the little thread dangling about finding out who set Deadpool up in the first place, or the mysterious "patient zero." Possibly against my better judgment, I'll be coming back for that, for the pretty pictures if nothing else.
6/10
How I Imagine the Decision to Make Captain America Evil Was Reached
According to Tom Brevoort, the idea to have Captain America turned into a Hydra agent was reached back in 2014. Here's my little "fanfic" on how that conversation went...(in spirit, if not in fact).
"Have you seen these sales figures for 'Superior Spider-Man?' We haven't seen these kinds of numbers regularly on the book since before Straczynski left!"
"Holy shit, you weren't kidding. How many issues has it been now?"
"It's been six or seven issues in, and we've barely seen any attrition! People are really reading these stories!"
"Huh. Who'd thought that one sure way to get people to read about a superhero was by replacing him with a bad guy..."
"I know, it's insane!"
"Who else could we give this treatment? Whose books need the boost? Iron Man? Cap? Thor?"
"Iron Man could use a boost. Sales have been flagging since the last reboot."
"Okay. Give him a 'superior' relaunch, as soon as possible."
"How? Swap him out with the Mandarin?"
"Nah, too obvious. And we've already messed with his armor and powers. Let's dial it back a little, make him the prick he was when he started being Iron Man."
"Ummm, okay. And Thor?"
"Well, he's already kind of a hotheaded prick isn't he? And having him possessed wouldn't be any fun; it's the kind of thing that could happen to him, being from a magical realm and all. I mean, we've already made him a frog, for God's sake. Why don't we do what we did with Loki, and make him a woman?"
"Huh?"
"Well, not Thor himself, but, you know, pass the mantle to someone else. Like that time when Simonson replaced Thor with that weird alien horse-looking thing. Yes, woman Thor."
"Uhhh...we'll see. And Cap?"
"Two reboots in as many years and people still don't seem interested. The guy's already been in two movies, including the Avengers, but not even that works."
"So, we swap him out with the Red Skull's mind?"
"We already did that when we brought him back to life. And we've already killed him too. This guy's a hard sell; he's just too boring to sustain sales for very long. Let me think..."
"..."
"Well?"
"I got it."
"What?"
"Make him an agent of Hydra."
"A...what?"
"I mean, we can't kill him or mind-swap him. We already did that."
"So...he's mind-controlled?"
"Nah, that's too boring, and readers will see right through that."
"So what, then? Have him switch sides?"
"Nope. Make it so that he's been a Hydra agent all along. And make reference to old issues that support the theory."
"I...what? No! Just...what?"
"This is totally fucked up. We're talking about an American icon!"
"I know, right? How soon can we make it happen?"
"Well, there are still a few events lined up...and we've already got plans to de-power him by taking out the super-soldier serum and replacing him with Falcon."
"Perfect, when you put him back in the flag, you drop the bomb on the readers. And time it for right after the 'Civil War' movie. We want to be able to bitch-slap readers eager to get their Captain America fix!"
"Why don't we just...I don't know...just give him a topnotch creative team or something?"
"Because comic book fans, especially the ones sustaining these sales for Spider-Man, aren't happy unless something really messed up is happening to their favorite characters. That's why Batman sells so well every month; he's perpetually messed up! If these losers even think things are going to be fine and dandy for a character like Cap, they'll drop the book like a hot potato. Make Cap a Hydra agent, and they'll stick around month after month to see what our angle is, or what the twist is. Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong."
"..."
"Are we all in agreement then?"
"..."
"Okay. Have a two-year storyline prepped. This should last till the third Avengers movie, and give us plenty of time to think of how much worse we could fuck him up after that. Maybe he could murder the UN Secretary General or something."
"..."
"Make it happen."
"All right."
"Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
"Have you seen these sales figures for 'Superior Spider-Man?' We haven't seen these kinds of numbers regularly on the book since before Straczynski left!"
"Holy shit, you weren't kidding. How many issues has it been now?"
"It's been six or seven issues in, and we've barely seen any attrition! People are really reading these stories!"
"Huh. Who'd thought that one sure way to get people to read about a superhero was by replacing him with a bad guy..."
"I know, it's insane!"
"Who else could we give this treatment? Whose books need the boost? Iron Man? Cap? Thor?"
"Iron Man could use a boost. Sales have been flagging since the last reboot."
"Okay. Give him a 'superior' relaunch, as soon as possible."
"How? Swap him out with the Mandarin?"
"Nah, too obvious. And we've already messed with his armor and powers. Let's dial it back a little, make him the prick he was when he started being Iron Man."
"Ummm, okay. And Thor?"
"Well, he's already kind of a hotheaded prick isn't he? And having him possessed wouldn't be any fun; it's the kind of thing that could happen to him, being from a magical realm and all. I mean, we've already made him a frog, for God's sake. Why don't we do what we did with Loki, and make him a woman?"
"Huh?"
"Well, not Thor himself, but, you know, pass the mantle to someone else. Like that time when Simonson replaced Thor with that weird alien horse-looking thing. Yes, woman Thor."
"Uhhh...we'll see. And Cap?"
"Two reboots in as many years and people still don't seem interested. The guy's already been in two movies, including the Avengers, but not even that works."
"So, we swap him out with the Red Skull's mind?"
"We already did that when we brought him back to life. And we've already killed him too. This guy's a hard sell; he's just too boring to sustain sales for very long. Let me think..."
"..."
"Well?"
"I got it."
"What?"
"Make him an agent of Hydra."
"A...what?"
"I mean, we can't kill him or mind-swap him. We already did that."
"So...he's mind-controlled?"
"Nah, that's too boring, and readers will see right through that."
"So what, then? Have him switch sides?"
"Nope. Make it so that he's been a Hydra agent all along. And make reference to old issues that support the theory."
"I...what? No! Just...what?"
"This is totally fucked up. We're talking about an American icon!"
"I know, right? How soon can we make it happen?"
"Well, there are still a few events lined up...and we've already got plans to de-power him by taking out the super-soldier serum and replacing him with Falcon."
"Perfect, when you put him back in the flag, you drop the bomb on the readers. And time it for right after the 'Civil War' movie. We want to be able to bitch-slap readers eager to get their Captain America fix!"
"Why don't we just...I don't know...just give him a topnotch creative team or something?"
"Because comic book fans, especially the ones sustaining these sales for Spider-Man, aren't happy unless something really messed up is happening to their favorite characters. That's why Batman sells so well every month; he's perpetually messed up! If these losers even think things are going to be fine and dandy for a character like Cap, they'll drop the book like a hot potato. Make Cap a Hydra agent, and they'll stick around month after month to see what our angle is, or what the twist is. Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong."
"..."
"Are we all in agreement then?"
"..."
"Okay. Have a two-year storyline prepped. This should last till the third Avengers movie, and give us plenty of time to think of how much worse we could fuck him up after that. Maybe he could murder the UN Secretary General or something."
"..."
"Make it happen."
"All right."
"Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
My Pitch to Marvel: Doug Ramsey - Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Sometime last week a colleague and I spent our lunch break playing the classic game hangman. The category chosen was Marvel Comics characters, and the character my colleague picked was Douglas Ramsey, aka Cypher. Marvel nerd though I may be, it took me awhile to guess the character as he is relatively obscure and I have not been reading a lot of X-Men comic books lately. As I got it, my colleague said, "he's got a lame superpower" or something like that.
Up until exactly that point, I actually agreed. Of the New Mutants, the team into which the character was introduced in the 80s Cyper was arguably the weakest, as his power involved neither physical force nor some form of mind control but the ability to translate language and nothing more. Of course he would look like a complete wimp next to the likes of Sunspot, Cannonball, Magma, et al. It's sad because Chris Claremont created and wrote him to show that heroes don't need to be powerful to be, well, super, but in the end it clearly didn't work that way.
What occurred to me at exactly that moment, though, was the question: what if he was taken out of the context of the X-men and put in something else, as, say, a superspy?
In Captain America: Civil War, which I had watched not too long before that hangman game, Bucky tells Cap of the threat of several other Winter Soldiers whom he believes the villainous Zemo intends to bring out of deep freeze. In describing them as possible world-destroying threats, Bucky mentions, as one of their talents, the ability to speak 30 languages. Remembering both this line and Cypher's lone superpower, I thought, wouldn't the ability to speak any language one hears, make someone a truly formidable hero? Spy movies like the Mission Impossible movies and the Bourne series play up the lead character's ability to blend into an environment, and in Bourne's case that usually involves the ability to speak the local language. A character that can do that naturally could be an amazing spy, especially if he was able to hone those abilities through training, which he could easily get from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Essentially, this is my pitch to the people who make Marvel Comics (not the movies), to do something with a long-existing, not particularly prominent mutant property other than kill him or retroactively alter his sexual orientation.
Cypher is a fantastic Marvel character in that, unlike Steve Rogers who went from being a 98-pound weakling to being the ultimate fighting machine, he actually stayed the 98-pound weakling, even after getting his superpower (which for mutants like him, happens at puberty).
A few years back in the "Necrosha" storyline I think Marvel took up a long-standing fan suggestion to have Doug's language-acquiring powers include the ability to learn fighting ability as a form of "body language" which led to him defeating his entire team, the New Mutants. This was a bit of redemption for the character, and they followed it up (sort of) by including him in a new X-Factor team formed by a writer whose work I enjoy, Peter David.
Now, as much as I enjoy David's writing, I think to keep Cypher in an ensemble book full of fantastical characters (even if they're playing detective, as I think they are in this book) is a waste of his talents, which are more suited to the kind of work that the Black Widow and Winter Soldier do than to traditional "superheroing."
Not that I think Cypher deserves his own book; if sales warranted it he would surely have had one by now. I do think, though, a change of scenery is in order for this character.
I don't know if you ever get to read this, folks at Marvel, but if you do I hope you consider it.
Up until exactly that point, I actually agreed. Of the New Mutants, the team into which the character was introduced in the 80s Cyper was arguably the weakest, as his power involved neither physical force nor some form of mind control but the ability to translate language and nothing more. Of course he would look like a complete wimp next to the likes of Sunspot, Cannonball, Magma, et al. It's sad because Chris Claremont created and wrote him to show that heroes don't need to be powerful to be, well, super, but in the end it clearly didn't work that way.
What occurred to me at exactly that moment, though, was the question: what if he was taken out of the context of the X-men and put in something else, as, say, a superspy?
In Captain America: Civil War, which I had watched not too long before that hangman game, Bucky tells Cap of the threat of several other Winter Soldiers whom he believes the villainous Zemo intends to bring out of deep freeze. In describing them as possible world-destroying threats, Bucky mentions, as one of their talents, the ability to speak 30 languages. Remembering both this line and Cypher's lone superpower, I thought, wouldn't the ability to speak any language one hears, make someone a truly formidable hero? Spy movies like the Mission Impossible movies and the Bourne series play up the lead character's ability to blend into an environment, and in Bourne's case that usually involves the ability to speak the local language. A character that can do that naturally could be an amazing spy, especially if he was able to hone those abilities through training, which he could easily get from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Essentially, this is my pitch to the people who make Marvel Comics (not the movies), to do something with a long-existing, not particularly prominent mutant property other than kill him or retroactively alter his sexual orientation.
Cypher is a fantastic Marvel character in that, unlike Steve Rogers who went from being a 98-pound weakling to being the ultimate fighting machine, he actually stayed the 98-pound weakling, even after getting his superpower (which for mutants like him, happens at puberty).
A few years back in the "Necrosha" storyline I think Marvel took up a long-standing fan suggestion to have Doug's language-acquiring powers include the ability to learn fighting ability as a form of "body language" which led to him defeating his entire team, the New Mutants. This was a bit of redemption for the character, and they followed it up (sort of) by including him in a new X-Factor team formed by a writer whose work I enjoy, Peter David.
Now, as much as I enjoy David's writing, I think to keep Cypher in an ensemble book full of fantastical characters (even if they're playing detective, as I think they are in this book) is a waste of his talents, which are more suited to the kind of work that the Black Widow and Winter Soldier do than to traditional "superheroing."
Not that I think Cypher deserves his own book; if sales warranted it he would surely have had one by now. I do think, though, a change of scenery is in order for this character.
I don't know if you ever get to read this, folks at Marvel, but if you do I hope you consider it.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Quick Looks: Spider-Man/Deadpool #4
written by Joe Kelly
drawn by Ed McGuinness (pencils) and Mark Morales (inks)
colored by Jason Keith
Spider-Man and Deadpool double-date. Deadpool brings a succubus for Spider-man to date and manages to trick the new Thor into showing up as his...date? Also, Deadpool also finally gets around to doing something he's been meaning to do since issue one.
This issue is a bit more low key than the first three that came before it; there are no punch-ups, for one thing, and I have to say I didn't particularly care for it, much, either, as it basically involves Spider-Man being somehow complicit in a rather sleazy, sexist trick Deadpool pulls on the aforementioned succubus and Thor. It backfires and is supposed to be played for laughs, but for me the jokes, including one in which Spider-man uses an image modifier to pose as a black man named Leonardo diCaprio (seriously), fell flat.
McGuinness shines as always but Kelly's joke that's basically stretched out over an entire issue really didn't work for me. Anyway, the cliffhanger (and the series' general standard of quality) will ensure that I'll be back for the next issue.
6.5/10
drawn by Ed McGuinness (pencils) and Mark Morales (inks)
colored by Jason Keith
Spider-Man and Deadpool double-date. Deadpool brings a succubus for Spider-man to date and manages to trick the new Thor into showing up as his...date? Also, Deadpool also finally gets around to doing something he's been meaning to do since issue one.
This issue is a bit more low key than the first three that came before it; there are no punch-ups, for one thing, and I have to say I didn't particularly care for it, much, either, as it basically involves Spider-Man being somehow complicit in a rather sleazy, sexist trick Deadpool pulls on the aforementioned succubus and Thor. It backfires and is supposed to be played for laughs, but for me the jokes, including one in which Spider-man uses an image modifier to pose as a black man named Leonardo diCaprio (seriously), fell flat.
McGuinness shines as always but Kelly's joke that's basically stretched out over an entire issue really didn't work for me. Anyway, the cliffhanger (and the series' general standard of quality) will ensure that I'll be back for the next issue.
6.5/10
Quick Looks: A Review of Daredevil #6
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Matteo Bufagni
colored by Matt Milla
After spending the first story arc dealing mostly with Matt Murdock's new environment and supporting cast, writer Charles Soule kicks off his second arc with a most welcome blast from Matt's past: the assassin Elektra. She drops in on him at his new job with the Early Case Assessment Bureau as he debates over the proper bail for an accused, and has dinner with him shortly thereafter. Then, later in the evening, she tries to kill him.
Interestingly enough, this is the first encounter between these two characters in the context of Matt having magically deprived everyone except Foggy Nelson of knowledge of his secret identity, through means still not disclosed. It's an interesting situation considering that all of the romantic history between Matt and Elektra, as well as Daredevil and Elektra, remains despite the magical mindwipe, which is a first in the characters' entire shared history. Soule only touches slightly on what this implies before ending the issue with yet another twist. I rather liked this issue as it is the first issue of this new series that really explores just how different Matt's status quo is, and Soule does an interesting bit of striptease here with how things have changed.
The first arc, while it certainly had its good points, was, at its core, just another crimefighting adventure, albeit with some new faces and situations. Here, Daredevil finds himself facing the fallout from whatever "reset" button it is he pressed on his secret identity, and I have to admit Soule really has me looking forward to what's next. The art from newcomer Matteo Bufagni, while tonally consistent with Ron Garney's, (especially with series regular Matt Milla lending his noir-inspired color palette to this story as well) is, to me at least, notably cleaner. It would have been really nice had the interiors been drawn, as the cover was, by the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz, but as it is I'm happy enough to see a cover from this fantastic artist.
This story arc looks like it will only be a two-parter, but I'm hoping the next issue is generous with details on what really happened to Matt between the last volume of his book and this one.
7.9/10
drawn by Matteo Bufagni
colored by Matt Milla
After spending the first story arc dealing mostly with Matt Murdock's new environment and supporting cast, writer Charles Soule kicks off his second arc with a most welcome blast from Matt's past: the assassin Elektra. She drops in on him at his new job with the Early Case Assessment Bureau as he debates over the proper bail for an accused, and has dinner with him shortly thereafter. Then, later in the evening, she tries to kill him.
Interestingly enough, this is the first encounter between these two characters in the context of Matt having magically deprived everyone except Foggy Nelson of knowledge of his secret identity, through means still not disclosed. It's an interesting situation considering that all of the romantic history between Matt and Elektra, as well as Daredevil and Elektra, remains despite the magical mindwipe, which is a first in the characters' entire shared history. Soule only touches slightly on what this implies before ending the issue with yet another twist. I rather liked this issue as it is the first issue of this new series that really explores just how different Matt's status quo is, and Soule does an interesting bit of striptease here with how things have changed.
The first arc, while it certainly had its good points, was, at its core, just another crimefighting adventure, albeit with some new faces and situations. Here, Daredevil finds himself facing the fallout from whatever "reset" button it is he pressed on his secret identity, and I have to admit Soule really has me looking forward to what's next. The art from newcomer Matteo Bufagni, while tonally consistent with Ron Garney's, (especially with series regular Matt Milla lending his noir-inspired color palette to this story as well) is, to me at least, notably cleaner. It would have been really nice had the interiors been drawn, as the cover was, by the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz, but as it is I'm happy enough to see a cover from this fantastic artist.
This story arc looks like it will only be a two-parter, but I'm hoping the next issue is generous with details on what really happened to Matt between the last volume of his book and this one.
7.9/10
Sunday, April 10, 2016
The Royal Treatment: A Review of Black Panther #1
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
drawn by Brian Stelfreeze
colored by Laura Martin
The last time I picked up a Black Panther comic book it was being written by filmmaker Reginald Hudlin. I stopped collecting after two issues, even though it was drawn by one of my favorite artists, John Romita Jr., because I honestly couldn't get past how badly written it was. Since then, the title character T'Challa, the King of Wakanda has not really gotten a whole lot of love from Marvel; he's even been replaced by his sister Shuri and has not really had the high profile relaunches that many Marvel books have gotten in the last five years, though he did replace Daredevil as the guardian of Hell's Kitchen a few months before Mark Waid relaunched that particular character.
This new series by renowned reparations activist Ta-Nehisi Coates and acclaimed artist Brian Stelfreeze is probably the most attention they've given the character in a while, undoubtedly in preparation for the character's eventual film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
T'Challa returns to the throne of Wakanda and his role as the Black Panther after a long absence, and in troubled times. He reclaims the mantle from his sister, Shuri who had ruled Wakanda as the Black Panther until her death during the country's invasion by Thanos. Wakanda, in fact, is no longer the indomitable power it once was, having been ravaged by a series of threats from both without and within its borders, and T'Challa himself can feel his people's discontent as he tries to engage in dialogue with Vibranium miners. A riot is ignited, and T'Challa tries in vain to capture the mysterious instigator of all this, a telepath named Zenzi, who eludes his grasp. Meanwhile, one of his elite female royal guard, the Dora Milaje, faces the death penalty for murder. This does not sit well with her fellow guardswoman and lover who goes to extreme measures to save her. Meanwhile, even as he seeks to find and eliminate the threat to Wakanda, T'Challa has another secret mission...
The first thing that struck me about this issue was the dialogue; Coates has quite a gift for it. I had no knowledge of his work before this comic book so I went and read an article of his in The Atlantic about Bernie Sanders' stand on reparation for slavery, and I have to say he brings an intelligence to this book that I don't think it's seen since the acclaimed run of Christopher Priest. Reading this issue I was struck by how far we've come from the days when Marvel was obsessed with hiring Hollywood hacks like Ron Zimmerman and, well, Reginald Hudlin.
As a human rights lawyer I was quite intrigued by the elements touched on its this first issue, such as T'Challa having to combat and subdue dissenters, the existence of the death penalty in a supposedly advanced society like Wakanda and its application to a woman who was basically defending other women from a sexual predator. I perceived a disconnect between the notion of Wakanda being an extremely sophisticated society and the idea that they could still be so out-of-touch with human rights and women's rights in particular, even though they actually had a queen ruling them for some time. For that matter, the notion of a monarchy instead of a constitutional democracy ruling such an advanced country feels like another oddity. Coates doesn't hesitate to point out some of these inconsistencies in his dialogue, and I am intrigued to see how they will play out over time. It may seem like low-key storytelling due to the absence of a world-destroying villain or any significant action sequences, but I'm extremely interested by the political landscape Coates is establishing here. His narrative feels a little disjointed though; while I like the concepts he's playing with here, I feel his storytelling could be little smoother. Still, he clearly has very interesting plans for this series and I'm quite excited to see how events will unfold.
This is my first exposure to Brian Stelfreeze's sequential art; I've only ever seen his work on covers or the "Heroes" one-shot Marvel published right after 9/11. It's definitely not the flashiest I've seen, but it's a perfect complement to Coates' subdued narrative. With the exception of the opening splash, which was pretty powerful as it showed a bowed, wounded T'Challa apparently contemplating on his failings, Stelfreeze's art is mostly a restrained affair. As with Coates' writing though, there's clearly so much just bubbling under the surface.
Not bad for a self-confessed first-time comic book writer; not bad at all.
8/10
drawn by Brian Stelfreeze
colored by Laura Martin
The last time I picked up a Black Panther comic book it was being written by filmmaker Reginald Hudlin. I stopped collecting after two issues, even though it was drawn by one of my favorite artists, John Romita Jr., because I honestly couldn't get past how badly written it was. Since then, the title character T'Challa, the King of Wakanda has not really gotten a whole lot of love from Marvel; he's even been replaced by his sister Shuri and has not really had the high profile relaunches that many Marvel books have gotten in the last five years, though he did replace Daredevil as the guardian of Hell's Kitchen a few months before Mark Waid relaunched that particular character.
This new series by renowned reparations activist Ta-Nehisi Coates and acclaimed artist Brian Stelfreeze is probably the most attention they've given the character in a while, undoubtedly in preparation for the character's eventual film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
T'Challa returns to the throne of Wakanda and his role as the Black Panther after a long absence, and in troubled times. He reclaims the mantle from his sister, Shuri who had ruled Wakanda as the Black Panther until her death during the country's invasion by Thanos. Wakanda, in fact, is no longer the indomitable power it once was, having been ravaged by a series of threats from both without and within its borders, and T'Challa himself can feel his people's discontent as he tries to engage in dialogue with Vibranium miners. A riot is ignited, and T'Challa tries in vain to capture the mysterious instigator of all this, a telepath named Zenzi, who eludes his grasp. Meanwhile, one of his elite female royal guard, the Dora Milaje, faces the death penalty for murder. This does not sit well with her fellow guardswoman and lover who goes to extreme measures to save her. Meanwhile, even as he seeks to find and eliminate the threat to Wakanda, T'Challa has another secret mission...
The first thing that struck me about this issue was the dialogue; Coates has quite a gift for it. I had no knowledge of his work before this comic book so I went and read an article of his in The Atlantic about Bernie Sanders' stand on reparation for slavery, and I have to say he brings an intelligence to this book that I don't think it's seen since the acclaimed run of Christopher Priest. Reading this issue I was struck by how far we've come from the days when Marvel was obsessed with hiring Hollywood hacks like Ron Zimmerman and, well, Reginald Hudlin.
As a human rights lawyer I was quite intrigued by the elements touched on its this first issue, such as T'Challa having to combat and subdue dissenters, the existence of the death penalty in a supposedly advanced society like Wakanda and its application to a woman who was basically defending other women from a sexual predator. I perceived a disconnect between the notion of Wakanda being an extremely sophisticated society and the idea that they could still be so out-of-touch with human rights and women's rights in particular, even though they actually had a queen ruling them for some time. For that matter, the notion of a monarchy instead of a constitutional democracy ruling such an advanced country feels like another oddity. Coates doesn't hesitate to point out some of these inconsistencies in his dialogue, and I am intrigued to see how they will play out over time. It may seem like low-key storytelling due to the absence of a world-destroying villain or any significant action sequences, but I'm extremely interested by the political landscape Coates is establishing here. His narrative feels a little disjointed though; while I like the concepts he's playing with here, I feel his storytelling could be little smoother. Still, he clearly has very interesting plans for this series and I'm quite excited to see how events will unfold.
This is my first exposure to Brian Stelfreeze's sequential art; I've only ever seen his work on covers or the "Heroes" one-shot Marvel published right after 9/11. It's definitely not the flashiest I've seen, but it's a perfect complement to Coates' subdued narrative. With the exception of the opening splash, which was pretty powerful as it showed a bowed, wounded T'Challa apparently contemplating on his failings, Stelfreeze's art is mostly a restrained affair. As with Coates' writing though, there's clearly so much just bubbling under the surface.
Not bad for a self-confessed first-time comic book writer; not bad at all.
8/10
Quick Looks: A Review of Spider-Man #3
written by Brian Michael Bendis
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
After the punch-up between Miles Morales, a.ka. Spider-Man and Blackheart that basically spanned two issues, this is exclusively a talking-heads affair, with Miles' parents and grandmother confronting him about his bad grades, with a brief cameo by none other than Kamala Khan herself, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel. More interesting, however, is the meeting at the end of the issue between new crime boss Black Cat and old crime boss Hammerhead, in which they hatch somewhat sinister plans against the new Spidey, which will come to a head next issue, if the tease is to be believed.
Few people do talking heads issues quite as well as Bendis does; he's one of the few writers who is actually able to make these appear to be little more than filler, and this issue is no exception; its message is basically about the importance of staying in school, which is something Miles bitterly reconsiders after a scolding by his grandmother. It's a nice, compact little issue, aimed squarely at younger readers (and certainly not the 20 and 30 somethings who have either graduated or don't intend to go back to school), and I wonder if Bendis didn't have a little spat with his son about going to school before he wrote this.
Pichelli's art is incredible as always, but what's really worth noting here is her smoking hot Black Cat. I quite liked the foreshadowing that took place here and am interested to see how Miles will fare against a heavy hitter Black Cat, who has been a pretty nasty thorn in Peter Parker's side since she decided to go bad. Miles has had it easy so far, but maybe that's about to change.
7.5/10
drawn by Sara Pichelli
colored by Justin Ponsor
After the punch-up between Miles Morales, a.ka. Spider-Man and Blackheart that basically spanned two issues, this is exclusively a talking-heads affair, with Miles' parents and grandmother confronting him about his bad grades, with a brief cameo by none other than Kamala Khan herself, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel. More interesting, however, is the meeting at the end of the issue between new crime boss Black Cat and old crime boss Hammerhead, in which they hatch somewhat sinister plans against the new Spidey, which will come to a head next issue, if the tease is to be believed.
Few people do talking heads issues quite as well as Bendis does; he's one of the few writers who is actually able to make these appear to be little more than filler, and this issue is no exception; its message is basically about the importance of staying in school, which is something Miles bitterly reconsiders after a scolding by his grandmother. It's a nice, compact little issue, aimed squarely at younger readers (and certainly not the 20 and 30 somethings who have either graduated or don't intend to go back to school), and I wonder if Bendis didn't have a little spat with his son about going to school before he wrote this.
Pichelli's art is incredible as always, but what's really worth noting here is her smoking hot Black Cat. I quite liked the foreshadowing that took place here and am interested to see how Miles will fare against a heavy hitter Black Cat, who has been a pretty nasty thorn in Peter Parker's side since she decided to go bad. Miles has had it easy so far, but maybe that's about to change.
7.5/10
Quick Looks: A Review of Daredevil #5
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
The first arc of the new creative team of Daredevil comes to an end. The Hand have come for Billy Tenfingers, who stole their power, and this time they are not content to send a few dozen ninja; this time they send a giant corpse warrior, who in the course of his attack actually worse than kill Tenfingers; he exposes him to his followers as the coward that he is. Ruined, Tenfingers plans to kill his followers and start over, but Daredevil's new sidekick Blindspot might have something to say about that, so he calls out to Daredevil through a somewhat imaginative use of social networking, and in short order the man without fear is on the scene.
I approached this title with tempered expectations, considering my great affection for the creators that preceded Soule and Garney, and I have to say, while I still found this story all right, it really felt like a let down after the standard of quality that Waid and Samnee set for this title. I would have been more interested, truth be told, to see Soule explain what's been going on in Matt's life since this radical new status quo, but I suppose it'll sell more comic books to to reveal things a little bit at a time. As action-packed stories go, it was all right, it really didn't have anything I hadn't seen before, for all of the hype that's been made about Soule's being a lawyer and Garney's being a martial artist, neither of the creators' talents really contributed anything to the story.
I'm sticking around for Elektra's appearance next issue, and I sincerely hope things start to pick up from this point onwards. The previews for the issue look promising, and I still want to know just what happened to Matt.
6.5/10
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
The first arc of the new creative team of Daredevil comes to an end. The Hand have come for Billy Tenfingers, who stole their power, and this time they are not content to send a few dozen ninja; this time they send a giant corpse warrior, who in the course of his attack actually worse than kill Tenfingers; he exposes him to his followers as the coward that he is. Ruined, Tenfingers plans to kill his followers and start over, but Daredevil's new sidekick Blindspot might have something to say about that, so he calls out to Daredevil through a somewhat imaginative use of social networking, and in short order the man without fear is on the scene.
I approached this title with tempered expectations, considering my great affection for the creators that preceded Soule and Garney, and I have to say, while I still found this story all right, it really felt like a let down after the standard of quality that Waid and Samnee set for this title. I would have been more interested, truth be told, to see Soule explain what's been going on in Matt's life since this radical new status quo, but I suppose it'll sell more comic books to to reveal things a little bit at a time. As action-packed stories go, it was all right, it really didn't have anything I hadn't seen before, for all of the hype that's been made about Soule's being a lawyer and Garney's being a martial artist, neither of the creators' talents really contributed anything to the story.
I'm sticking around for Elektra's appearance next issue, and I sincerely hope things start to pick up from this point onwards. The previews for the issue look promising, and I still want to know just what happened to Matt.
6.5/10
Saturday, April 9, 2016
"Last Day On Earth" Indeed; A Review of the Walking Dead Season 6 Finale (Spoilers)
directed by Greg Nicotero
written by Scott Gimple and Matthew Negrete
When "The Walking Dead" comic book reached its 100th issue, writer Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Aldard marked the occasion by killing off a major character in one of the most brutal ways imaginable; having that character beaten to death with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. That was a momentous occasion given that the character killed had been with the book almost from the very beginning and was a main fixture in the television series as well.
As a result, this particular event got fans of the television series talking about when and how this particular story would unfold in the show.
And unfold it did last Monday (with several replays throughout the week) in the Season 6 finale. I have to say...I'm a tad disappointed.
I have noted, as of my last post, how I find the quality of this show to be declining and how I am taking issue with how the only challenge that seems to be facing the writers is how else to strip away all moral compunctions of the main characters as they make increasingly extreme decisions to ensure their own survival. I suppose Negan, played in the series by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and his Saviors are being set up as a way to show Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) how far they've fallen and how to rediscover their humanity.
Indeed, in this episode, the Saviors basically trap Rick's group, blocking their every attempt to escape the wide cordon they have established, and at the end, when Rick's group abandon their vehicle and attempt to escape the Saviors on foot, they are captured and the dreaded confrontation takes place, only not quite as we expect it to happen.
Elsewhere, Carol (Melissa McBride), who has left the group following her and Maggie's (Lauren Cohan) harrowing capture by and escape from several Saviors, which resulted in brutally killing their captors, is on her own, but is being pursued by avowed pacifist Morgan (Lennie James) who wants to convince her to return to the group. She is assaulted and overpowered by a wayward Savior, and Morgan must now decide just how important it is to him not to kill anyone, with Carol's life in the balance.
But to get back to the moment this entire season 6 has been building up to: Negan shows up, gives a chilling monologue, parts of which are lifted right out of the comic book, and beats one of the characters to death, but no one, knows who it is, and by no one I mean the camera switches to the point of view of the victim at the moment the beating occurs, so no one knows who got it, and the choices range from leader characters like Rick, Glenn (Steven Yeun), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Carl (Chandler Rigg) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) to perpetual wallflowers like Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) to relative newbies like Aaron (Ross Marquand), so it's pretty tough to narrow down. Not only that, but apparently when that scene was being filmed, none of the lead actors was present (with Dean Morgan basically just hitting in the direction of the camera) and none of the actors had been told who would die. I suppose that has since been remedied, but it doesn't change the fact that as cliff hangers go, this one felt somewhat mean-spirited.
This wasn't just another season-ender; this was meant to mark a huge milestone for the show. The entire season 6 has come and gone without a major character death, (though they had Glenn's "fake out" death during the first half of the season) and I figured they were "saving up" for this. What viewers got instead was a major cop-out, preceded by one of the most monotonous episodes I have ever seen in six years of viewing this series (with the Grimes' groups foiled attempts to escape getting tiresome pretty quickly). The sub plot with Carol and Morgan was utterly tepid. The only bright spot in the episode was Dean Morgan as Negan, and the performances of Lincoln and the rest of the principal cast as they contemplated their fate.
Such a waste...
4/10
written by Scott Gimple and Matthew Negrete
When "The Walking Dead" comic book reached its 100th issue, writer Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Aldard marked the occasion by killing off a major character in one of the most brutal ways imaginable; having that character beaten to death with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. That was a momentous occasion given that the character killed had been with the book almost from the very beginning and was a main fixture in the television series as well.
As a result, this particular event got fans of the television series talking about when and how this particular story would unfold in the show.
And unfold it did last Monday (with several replays throughout the week) in the Season 6 finale. I have to say...I'm a tad disappointed.
I have noted, as of my last post, how I find the quality of this show to be declining and how I am taking issue with how the only challenge that seems to be facing the writers is how else to strip away all moral compunctions of the main characters as they make increasingly extreme decisions to ensure their own survival. I suppose Negan, played in the series by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and his Saviors are being set up as a way to show Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) how far they've fallen and how to rediscover their humanity.
Indeed, in this episode, the Saviors basically trap Rick's group, blocking their every attempt to escape the wide cordon they have established, and at the end, when Rick's group abandon their vehicle and attempt to escape the Saviors on foot, they are captured and the dreaded confrontation takes place, only not quite as we expect it to happen.
Elsewhere, Carol (Melissa McBride), who has left the group following her and Maggie's (Lauren Cohan) harrowing capture by and escape from several Saviors, which resulted in brutally killing their captors, is on her own, but is being pursued by avowed pacifist Morgan (Lennie James) who wants to convince her to return to the group. She is assaulted and overpowered by a wayward Savior, and Morgan must now decide just how important it is to him not to kill anyone, with Carol's life in the balance.
But to get back to the moment this entire season 6 has been building up to: Negan shows up, gives a chilling monologue, parts of which are lifted right out of the comic book, and beats one of the characters to death, but no one, knows who it is, and by no one I mean the camera switches to the point of view of the victim at the moment the beating occurs, so no one knows who got it, and the choices range from leader characters like Rick, Glenn (Steven Yeun), Michonne (Danai Gurira), Carl (Chandler Rigg) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) to perpetual wallflowers like Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) to relative newbies like Aaron (Ross Marquand), so it's pretty tough to narrow down. Not only that, but apparently when that scene was being filmed, none of the lead actors was present (with Dean Morgan basically just hitting in the direction of the camera) and none of the actors had been told who would die. I suppose that has since been remedied, but it doesn't change the fact that as cliff hangers go, this one felt somewhat mean-spirited.
This wasn't just another season-ender; this was meant to mark a huge milestone for the show. The entire season 6 has come and gone without a major character death, (though they had Glenn's "fake out" death during the first half of the season) and I figured they were "saving up" for this. What viewers got instead was a major cop-out, preceded by one of the most monotonous episodes I have ever seen in six years of viewing this series (with the Grimes' groups foiled attempts to escape getting tiresome pretty quickly). The sub plot with Carol and Morgan was utterly tepid. The only bright spot in the episode was Dean Morgan as Negan, and the performances of Lincoln and the rest of the principal cast as they contemplated their fate.
Such a waste...
4/10
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Welcome to "Earth Prime," Miles Morales: A Review of Spider-Man #1 and 2
(w) Brian Bendis
(a) Sara Pichelli
(c) Justin Ponsor
It's honestly kind of hard to keep track of how many reset buttons were pushed, and what exactly they changed, in the wake of Marvel's recently-concluded "Secret Wars" event. It's a bit confusing, and frankly I hope some of the more disgraceful aspects of the continuity (e.g. Gwen Stacy having stress-sex with Norman Osborn and bearing his children) have finally been expunged for all time.
Whatever was done or undone, Miles Morales is now in the "mainstream" Marvel Universe, with his "Ultimate" universe having been one of the casualties of the aforementioned Secret Wars. He's back in school, his best friend Ganke is still around, and he's still Spider-Man, albeit a little older than when last I saw him. Here, he faces off against a pretty heavyweight threat in the demon Blackheart, and manages to come out on top, and as a result manages to impress the Avengers (who have apparently not yet disbanded at this time, and who have not yet informally recruited him, but I'll get into that later) and none other than the original Spider-Man himself, Peter Parker, who is now a big-time CEO whose adventures take him well beyond the borders of the United States. Media starts debating about him, and a local "YouTuber" has posted a video in which she has happily observed, thanks to a gaping tear in Miles' costume, that he is a person of color (though whether he is African American, Indian or Latini American remains unknown). As a result of his adventures, though, Miles' grades have begun to drop, and both his parents and another family member revealed at the end of issue #2 are deeply concerned. Another person who has taken interest in Miles, though, is the erstwhile Spider-Man friend and now-full-time Spider-Man foe Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat.
I followed just about all of Miles Morales' solo books, only missing out on issue #12 of his last "Ultimate" title (and if anyone knows where to find one at retail level, please let me know), and to my knowledge, his mother died at the hands of the Venom symbiote, so seeing her alive was a bit of a surprise for me, though I have been seeing the ramifications of this "Secret War" all over the place (with another example being Charles Soule's "Daredevil"). Once I got past that, the story was a pretty breezy read, though decompression seems to rear its head against as Bendis essentially stretched Miles' fight scene with Blackheart over two issues. Still, I think this particular arc worked out pretty well; there was just the right amount of exposition to establish that this is no longer the Ultimate Universe, though I suppose at some point down the line a little more explanation will be in order.
I'm a little confused as to when this story takes place in the Marvel timeline, given that, over at "All-New, All-Different Avengers" Miles is now very much a part of Tony's ragtag team, whereas here, they seem to be meeting him for the first time. This is an advantage of books being released at the same time; it helps keep people updated. To his credit, Bendis keeps things pretty simple and easy to follow, though I think people new to this character will have to do a little back-issue hunting. Also, I was a bit wary, though, especially bearing in mind Bendis' penchant for disregarding continuity, even the stuff he himself creates.
One aspect of the book with which I had practically no problem, though, was Sara Pichelli, who had, for awhile, turned the art duties of this book over to David Marquez. While I am a big fan of Marquez's work, Pichelli is Miles' real "mom," and her art has quite conspicuously improved since she was last on this book, which says quite a lot considering that she was already turning in some exemplary work back then. Miles has aged a little bit since she first got on the book; he's gone from fresh-faced tweener to gangly teenager, though I confess I remain partial to the "kid" look he had in the earlier issues, and which he still has in the Avengers book where he appears, courtesy of Mahmud Asrar's interpretation.
For me, it's so far, so good with these two issues, and it's interesting to see what Bendis has in store for Miles, given that the somewhat ruthless Black Cat has apparently taken an interest in him.
8/10
(a) Sara Pichelli
(c) Justin Ponsor
It's honestly kind of hard to keep track of how many reset buttons were pushed, and what exactly they changed, in the wake of Marvel's recently-concluded "Secret Wars" event. It's a bit confusing, and frankly I hope some of the more disgraceful aspects of the continuity (e.g. Gwen Stacy having stress-sex with Norman Osborn and bearing his children) have finally been expunged for all time.
Whatever was done or undone, Miles Morales is now in the "mainstream" Marvel Universe, with his "Ultimate" universe having been one of the casualties of the aforementioned Secret Wars. He's back in school, his best friend Ganke is still around, and he's still Spider-Man, albeit a little older than when last I saw him. Here, he faces off against a pretty heavyweight threat in the demon Blackheart, and manages to come out on top, and as a result manages to impress the Avengers (who have apparently not yet disbanded at this time, and who have not yet informally recruited him, but I'll get into that later) and none other than the original Spider-Man himself, Peter Parker, who is now a big-time CEO whose adventures take him well beyond the borders of the United States. Media starts debating about him, and a local "YouTuber" has posted a video in which she has happily observed, thanks to a gaping tear in Miles' costume, that he is a person of color (though whether he is African American, Indian or Latini American remains unknown). As a result of his adventures, though, Miles' grades have begun to drop, and both his parents and another family member revealed at the end of issue #2 are deeply concerned. Another person who has taken interest in Miles, though, is the erstwhile Spider-Man friend and now-full-time Spider-Man foe Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat.
I followed just about all of Miles Morales' solo books, only missing out on issue #12 of his last "Ultimate" title (and if anyone knows where to find one at retail level, please let me know), and to my knowledge, his mother died at the hands of the Venom symbiote, so seeing her alive was a bit of a surprise for me, though I have been seeing the ramifications of this "Secret War" all over the place (with another example being Charles Soule's "Daredevil"). Once I got past that, the story was a pretty breezy read, though decompression seems to rear its head against as Bendis essentially stretched Miles' fight scene with Blackheart over two issues. Still, I think this particular arc worked out pretty well; there was just the right amount of exposition to establish that this is no longer the Ultimate Universe, though I suppose at some point down the line a little more explanation will be in order.
I'm a little confused as to when this story takes place in the Marvel timeline, given that, over at "All-New, All-Different Avengers" Miles is now very much a part of Tony's ragtag team, whereas here, they seem to be meeting him for the first time. This is an advantage of books being released at the same time; it helps keep people updated. To his credit, Bendis keeps things pretty simple and easy to follow, though I think people new to this character will have to do a little back-issue hunting. Also, I was a bit wary, though, especially bearing in mind Bendis' penchant for disregarding continuity, even the stuff he himself creates.
One aspect of the book with which I had practically no problem, though, was Sara Pichelli, who had, for awhile, turned the art duties of this book over to David Marquez. While I am a big fan of Marquez's work, Pichelli is Miles' real "mom," and her art has quite conspicuously improved since she was last on this book, which says quite a lot considering that she was already turning in some exemplary work back then. Miles has aged a little bit since she first got on the book; he's gone from fresh-faced tweener to gangly teenager, though I confess I remain partial to the "kid" look he had in the earlier issues, and which he still has in the Avengers book where he appears, courtesy of Mahmud Asrar's interpretation.
For me, it's so far, so good with these two issues, and it's interesting to see what Bendis has in store for Miles, given that the somewhat ruthless Black Cat has apparently taken an interest in him.
8/10
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Gradual Erosion of Humanity: A Commentary on The Walking Dead, Season 6
Considering how diligently I have reviewed The Walking Dead in the past, it may seem strange to readers of this blog that I have yet to post a single review for Season 6.
There are a number of reasons for this, one of them being that I missed the entire first half of season 6 in which a number of significant events happened, like the attack of the gang called the Wolves on Alexandria and the resultant collapse of its perimeter wall, which led to the town being overrun by walkers before Rick (Andrew Lincoln), his group and the remaining residents of Alexandria forcefully took it back at the beginning of part 2 of Season 6. I therefore began my viewing of Season 6 a little disoriented as I missed out on several context-providing episodes.
Once I got back into the groove of things, however, I still wasn't entirely sure I had anything to say about this season. Rick hooking up with Michonne (Danai Gurira)? Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) developing an attraction for Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), even as he carries on with Rosita (Christian Serratos)? I know these are natural human impulses, but when longtime characters hook up in an ongoing series it often means the writers are running out of ideas. Abraham's longings, at least, are based on things that happened in the comic books, but Rick's and Michonne's coupling, while not unbelievable, just seemed a little out of left field.
Another reason I had a hard time writing about this season was the introduction of the infamous Saviors. As anyone who has read the comic series in the last few years, a major character dies at the hands of Negan, the leader of the Saviors, and in fact, a recent episode offered quite a bit of foreshadowing. Now, in Season 6 none of the mainstays of the series has died so far; Rick's crew has remained pretty much intact since the death of Noah back in Season 5, so I think it stands to reason a major death is in the offing, and while there is at least one obvious candidate based on what happened in the comic books, the television show has been well-known to deviate significantly from the source material from time to time. It's virtually a given, though, that a major character will die at Negan's hands when he appears in the Season 6 finale, and the feeling of dread that comes with knowing that is not a pleasant one.
Finally, watching the last two episodes, I realized why this show is finally starting to lose its appeal to me. When Rick and his crew murder a gang of thugs in their sleep, even if it is to ensure a food supply from the community that these thugs were threatening, and even though they go through the trouble of showing Glenn momentarily agonizing over the decision before shoving a knife into a sleeping man's head, I realized that, for however long this show lasts, there's really nowhere to go but down, insofar as these characters' humanity goes.
I remember watching uncomfortably when Rick and his group, in a fit of revenge-inspired rage, murdered the cannibals of Terminus in cold blood, long after they had gotten the better of them. It was such an oddity; a scene that was both horrifying and satisfying at the same time. The cannibals of Terminus, having almost killed, cooked and eaten Rick and crew, definitely had that coming.
Anyone who's read the comics for the last few years knows who the saviors are, and what they're capable of, and the show has already offered hints as to what kind of people they are, but just the same, seeing Rick and his people slit the throats of sleeping people just made me realize that Rick and company are, at some point, pretty much going to run out of lines to cross.
When Alexandria was introduced at the end of Season 5 there was something refreshing about it, and how the writers had basically turned everything on its head. Suddenly, Rick was the hostile interloper, driven crazy by both his harrowing experiences and a conspicuous lack of female affection. Of course, in the end, Rick was right, Alexandria was nearly overrun, first by a gang called the Wolves, then by walkers, and it was, again, through grit, determination and a lot of violence that Alexandria was reclaimed from the walker horde. It was encouraging to hear Rick talking to Carl about a whole new world.
If the new world really was a wonderful place, though, then there wouldn't be a story left to tell. Sure enough, barely three episodes later, here Rick is shooting unarmed people in the head.
There was little doubt that the Saviors are very unsavory characters, and I'm sure the big reveal of Negan, as played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, will be just as brutal as the pictures Glenn saw in the Saviors' headquarters portend it will be, but murdering them still didn't feel right.
Really, I don't know how much lower there is for these characters to sink in terms of what they're willing to do to survive, and the trajectory really is just inevitably downwards. That's the disadvantage of having a story like this, one about entropy, go on as long as this has. How much humanity can one strip away from a character and still have him or her be compelling? I suppose at some point the writers and directors of this show are going to find that out the hard way.
I just hope I'm not around to see it.
There are a number of reasons for this, one of them being that I missed the entire first half of season 6 in which a number of significant events happened, like the attack of the gang called the Wolves on Alexandria and the resultant collapse of its perimeter wall, which led to the town being overrun by walkers before Rick (Andrew Lincoln), his group and the remaining residents of Alexandria forcefully took it back at the beginning of part 2 of Season 6. I therefore began my viewing of Season 6 a little disoriented as I missed out on several context-providing episodes.
Once I got back into the groove of things, however, I still wasn't entirely sure I had anything to say about this season. Rick hooking up with Michonne (Danai Gurira)? Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) developing an attraction for Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), even as he carries on with Rosita (Christian Serratos)? I know these are natural human impulses, but when longtime characters hook up in an ongoing series it often means the writers are running out of ideas. Abraham's longings, at least, are based on things that happened in the comic books, but Rick's and Michonne's coupling, while not unbelievable, just seemed a little out of left field.
Another reason I had a hard time writing about this season was the introduction of the infamous Saviors. As anyone who has read the comic series in the last few years, a major character dies at the hands of Negan, the leader of the Saviors, and in fact, a recent episode offered quite a bit of foreshadowing. Now, in Season 6 none of the mainstays of the series has died so far; Rick's crew has remained pretty much intact since the death of Noah back in Season 5, so I think it stands to reason a major death is in the offing, and while there is at least one obvious candidate based on what happened in the comic books, the television show has been well-known to deviate significantly from the source material from time to time. It's virtually a given, though, that a major character will die at Negan's hands when he appears in the Season 6 finale, and the feeling of dread that comes with knowing that is not a pleasant one.
Finally, watching the last two episodes, I realized why this show is finally starting to lose its appeal to me. When Rick and his crew murder a gang of thugs in their sleep, even if it is to ensure a food supply from the community that these thugs were threatening, and even though they go through the trouble of showing Glenn momentarily agonizing over the decision before shoving a knife into a sleeping man's head, I realized that, for however long this show lasts, there's really nowhere to go but down, insofar as these characters' humanity goes.
I remember watching uncomfortably when Rick and his group, in a fit of revenge-inspired rage, murdered the cannibals of Terminus in cold blood, long after they had gotten the better of them. It was such an oddity; a scene that was both horrifying and satisfying at the same time. The cannibals of Terminus, having almost killed, cooked and eaten Rick and crew, definitely had that coming.
Anyone who's read the comics for the last few years knows who the saviors are, and what they're capable of, and the show has already offered hints as to what kind of people they are, but just the same, seeing Rick and his people slit the throats of sleeping people just made me realize that Rick and company are, at some point, pretty much going to run out of lines to cross.
When Alexandria was introduced at the end of Season 5 there was something refreshing about it, and how the writers had basically turned everything on its head. Suddenly, Rick was the hostile interloper, driven crazy by both his harrowing experiences and a conspicuous lack of female affection. Of course, in the end, Rick was right, Alexandria was nearly overrun, first by a gang called the Wolves, then by walkers, and it was, again, through grit, determination and a lot of violence that Alexandria was reclaimed from the walker horde. It was encouraging to hear Rick talking to Carl about a whole new world.
If the new world really was a wonderful place, though, then there wouldn't be a story left to tell. Sure enough, barely three episodes later, here Rick is shooting unarmed people in the head.
There was little doubt that the Saviors are very unsavory characters, and I'm sure the big reveal of Negan, as played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, will be just as brutal as the pictures Glenn saw in the Saviors' headquarters portend it will be, but murdering them still didn't feel right.
Really, I don't know how much lower there is for these characters to sink in terms of what they're willing to do to survive, and the trajectory really is just inevitably downwards. That's the disadvantage of having a story like this, one about entropy, go on as long as this has. How much humanity can one strip away from a character and still have him or her be compelling? I suppose at some point the writers and directors of this show are going to find that out the hard way.
I just hope I'm not around to see it.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
The Boys are Back: A Review of Black Widow #1
(w) Mark Waid
(a) Chris Samnee
(c) Matthew Wilson
It was with barely-contained excitement that I opened my copy of Black Widow #1 yesterday. This was my most-anticipated title of 2016, considering it marked the reunion of my favorite team of creators, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, along with colorist Matthew Wilson. I'm happy to report that they were every bit as good as I remember them to be, if not even better.
Basically, issue #1 is a 20-page chase sequence, in which Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, escapes from a Helicarrier in mid-flight, having stolen an undisclosed item then fights off a series of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to make good her escape.
Were it anyone except this team telling this story, I honestly don't know if they could have pulled it off with as much panache. I really love how Waid and Samnee basically hit the ground running with this story, and give the reader quite the mystery to chew on until the next issue comes out. After all, really engaging spy stories involve uncovering one mystery after another, and Waid and Samnee have laid down a pretty confounding one right off the bat.
What's striking is how there's minimal dialogue in this issue, and Black Widow herself doesn't even speak until the very last page, and even then only utters two words. Waid lets Samnee, who has taken on plotter duties with this series, do most of the storytelling, and he really runs with it.
Of course, stretching out a chase scene over an entire issue, no matter how talented the creative team, means that pretty much nothing else happens, and so it's understandable to decry what appears to be a bit of decompression, though given that this is apparently Samnee's first full plotted issue (he wrote and drew a short story in a Daredevil anthology last year), I'm willing to cut him a bit of slack, especially considering the eye-popping artwork that he and colorist Matt Wilson have turned in here, and especially considering that the lot of them now have me waiting on bated breath to see what happens next.
8.7/10
(a) Chris Samnee
(c) Matthew Wilson
It was with barely-contained excitement that I opened my copy of Black Widow #1 yesterday. This was my most-anticipated title of 2016, considering it marked the reunion of my favorite team of creators, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, along with colorist Matthew Wilson. I'm happy to report that they were every bit as good as I remember them to be, if not even better.
Basically, issue #1 is a 20-page chase sequence, in which Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, escapes from a Helicarrier in mid-flight, having stolen an undisclosed item then fights off a series of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to make good her escape.
Were it anyone except this team telling this story, I honestly don't know if they could have pulled it off with as much panache. I really love how Waid and Samnee basically hit the ground running with this story, and give the reader quite the mystery to chew on until the next issue comes out. After all, really engaging spy stories involve uncovering one mystery after another, and Waid and Samnee have laid down a pretty confounding one right off the bat.
What's striking is how there's minimal dialogue in this issue, and Black Widow herself doesn't even speak until the very last page, and even then only utters two words. Waid lets Samnee, who has taken on plotter duties with this series, do most of the storytelling, and he really runs with it.
Of course, stretching out a chase scene over an entire issue, no matter how talented the creative team, means that pretty much nothing else happens, and so it's understandable to decry what appears to be a bit of decompression, though given that this is apparently Samnee's first full plotted issue (he wrote and drew a short story in a Daredevil anthology last year), I'm willing to cut him a bit of slack, especially considering the eye-popping artwork that he and colorist Matt Wilson have turned in here, and especially considering that the lot of them now have me waiting on bated breath to see what happens next.
8.7/10
Budding Frenemies: A Review of Spider-Man/Deadpool issues #2 and #3
(w) Joe Kelly
(a) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales (ink)
(c) Jason Keith
Having read the first three issues of one of Marvel's runaway best-selling titles, I can't help but constantly ask myself the same question: why on earth didn't they think of this sooner? Placing this book in the hands of Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness, the creators arguably most commonly identified with the Merc with a Mouth after creators Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, was really a stroke of creative and marketing genius, and now that the Deadpool film is a bona fide blockbuster, Marvel looks well-positioned to ride that particular gravy train all the way to the bank for quite a while.
In issue #2, Deadpool continues to stalk Spider-Man, but more importantly Peter Parker, who is supposed to be his next target, not knowing, of course, that they are one and the same. Peter's company is about to launch a very significant product, but things go awry when a whole horde of Goblins shows up, and it may take both Peter and new Spidey Miles Morales to take them down...or, it may all be the trickery of Mysterio, in which case Deadpool may yet be of some service to them.
In issue #3, Spider-Man has decided to "hang out" with Deadpool in view of his surprisingly altruistic actions during the Mysterio attack, in which Wade actually stopped Mysterio without killing him. As it turns out, this involves a trip to Bolivia, where the pair of them, accompanied by Deadpool's ragtag band of mercenaries, take on a couple of blasts from Spidey's past, supervillains Styx and Stone both of whom have gotten a bit of an upgrade since Spider-Man last saw them. Meanwhile, Deadpool continues to hatch his mysterious plot against Peter Parker's life.
Even more than the first issue, each of these issues is a complete, satisfying read which, at the same time, ties into a bigger narrative tapestry, with biting dialogue (as one would expect by putting two of the Marvel Universe's chattiest characters together), spot-on characterization for Spidey (and I presume Deadpool), remarkably well-staged action sequences, and some really stunning art by superstar McGuinness who, in my opinion, should get a shot an a Deadpool-free Spider-Man book sometime in the future. This is an artist who understands Spidey's body language in action, and he is fortunate to be paired with Kelly, who, as both a former collaborator and Spidey writer himself, understands that quite well.
Kelly's shown an outstanding knack for single-issue stories and the tales he has woven in these last two issues are an improvement over the first, but what's really got me intrigued is the ongoing thread involving Deadpool's contract on Peter Parker's life, something which will certainly come to a head soon. The question is, though: once that thread is resolved, how will Kelly justify having Deadpool spend so much time around Spider-Man? Well, if anyone can answer that question, Joe and Ed certainly can.
8.5/10
(a) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales (ink)
(c) Jason Keith
Having read the first three issues of one of Marvel's runaway best-selling titles, I can't help but constantly ask myself the same question: why on earth didn't they think of this sooner? Placing this book in the hands of Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness, the creators arguably most commonly identified with the Merc with a Mouth after creators Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, was really a stroke of creative and marketing genius, and now that the Deadpool film is a bona fide blockbuster, Marvel looks well-positioned to ride that particular gravy train all the way to the bank for quite a while.
In issue #2, Deadpool continues to stalk Spider-Man, but more importantly Peter Parker, who is supposed to be his next target, not knowing, of course, that they are one and the same. Peter's company is about to launch a very significant product, but things go awry when a whole horde of Goblins shows up, and it may take both Peter and new Spidey Miles Morales to take them down...or, it may all be the trickery of Mysterio, in which case Deadpool may yet be of some service to them.
In issue #3, Spider-Man has decided to "hang out" with Deadpool in view of his surprisingly altruistic actions during the Mysterio attack, in which Wade actually stopped Mysterio without killing him. As it turns out, this involves a trip to Bolivia, where the pair of them, accompanied by Deadpool's ragtag band of mercenaries, take on a couple of blasts from Spidey's past, supervillains Styx and Stone both of whom have gotten a bit of an upgrade since Spider-Man last saw them. Meanwhile, Deadpool continues to hatch his mysterious plot against Peter Parker's life.
Even more than the first issue, each of these issues is a complete, satisfying read which, at the same time, ties into a bigger narrative tapestry, with biting dialogue (as one would expect by putting two of the Marvel Universe's chattiest characters together), spot-on characterization for Spidey (and I presume Deadpool), remarkably well-staged action sequences, and some really stunning art by superstar McGuinness who, in my opinion, should get a shot an a Deadpool-free Spider-Man book sometime in the future. This is an artist who understands Spidey's body language in action, and he is fortunate to be paired with Kelly, who, as both a former collaborator and Spidey writer himself, understands that quite well.
Kelly's shown an outstanding knack for single-issue stories and the tales he has woven in these last two issues are an improvement over the first, but what's really got me intrigued is the ongoing thread involving Deadpool's contract on Peter Parker's life, something which will certainly come to a head soon. The question is, though: once that thread is resolved, how will Kelly justify having Deadpool spend so much time around Spider-Man? Well, if anyone can answer that question, Joe and Ed certainly can.
8.5/10
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Truly New and Different: A Review of the First Story-arc of All New, All Different Avengers (Issues #1 to #6)
written by Mark Waid
drawn by Adam Kubert (issues #1 to #3) and Mahmud Asrar (issues #4 to #6, back-up story in issue #1)
colored by Sonia Oback (issues #1 to #3) and Dave McCaig (issues #4 to #6, back-up story in issue #1)
Recent events have fragmented the Avengers. Tony Stark is broke, Steve Rogers' age has caught up with him, and the various other members have gone their own separate ways. However, circumstances conspire (as they often do), and soon Tony, Sam Wilson, once known as the Falcon, now known as Captain America, and the Vision, find themselves banding together with a handful of new recruits, the new Spider-Man (Miles Morales), the new Nova (Sam Alexander), the new Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and the new Thor (Jane Foster) and forming an altogether new Avengers team, to face an extremely formidable threat: Kang the Conqueror. Worse still, he's conscripted a number of people to help him, like the murderous Warbringer, the mercenary Cyclone, the time-hopping Equinox and a shocking surprise recruit, which, all told, may prove too much for the newly-formed team.
I had wanted to review this arc issue by issue, especially after reading the much-hyped issue #4 (featuring the kiss between the new Thor and the new Cap) but couldn't get around to it, but I still think the arc as a whole is worth reviewing, especially for those on the fence about collecting this title.
The good news is that Mark Waid is in top form here, writing a pretty organic story as to why the various heroes involved should get together. It plays out better than the way Brian Bendis set up the "New Avengers" back in 2005, especially in terms of how he shoehorned Wolverine into the lineup, a fact which Waid pokes fun at in this series. The inaugural story arc is divided into two three-issue mini arcs and the whole thing is a very engaging read. Each of the four "new" Avengers gets ample "hero time" over the six issues, and it was nice to see Waid playing to each character's strengths. In particular, I really liked how Miles Morales used his brain to beat one of the bad guys in issue #6.
The even better news is that the artist lineup is superb. The nigh-legendary Adam Kubert lends his talents to the first three issues, but for me the real find is relative newcomer Mahmud Asrar, yet another recruit from the independent comics scene, whose work evokes Stuart Immonen and, in some instances, Adam Hughes. It's hard to find artists that have a handle both on action and character moments, but Asrar has them down pat. This new generation of artists like him, David Marquez and Sara Pichelli truly are taking comics to new visual heights.
As a flagship Avengers title, this one isn't bad at all. I have a hard time keeping track, considering there are three of them (one of which even has Deadpool, for some reason). I hope Marvel at least lets the team have a decent run before it inevitably reboots the title, as they have been wont to do for the last several years.
8/10
drawn by Adam Kubert (issues #1 to #3) and Mahmud Asrar (issues #4 to #6, back-up story in issue #1)
colored by Sonia Oback (issues #1 to #3) and Dave McCaig (issues #4 to #6, back-up story in issue #1)
Recent events have fragmented the Avengers. Tony Stark is broke, Steve Rogers' age has caught up with him, and the various other members have gone their own separate ways. However, circumstances conspire (as they often do), and soon Tony, Sam Wilson, once known as the Falcon, now known as Captain America, and the Vision, find themselves banding together with a handful of new recruits, the new Spider-Man (Miles Morales), the new Nova (Sam Alexander), the new Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), and the new Thor (Jane Foster) and forming an altogether new Avengers team, to face an extremely formidable threat: Kang the Conqueror. Worse still, he's conscripted a number of people to help him, like the murderous Warbringer, the mercenary Cyclone, the time-hopping Equinox and a shocking surprise recruit, which, all told, may prove too much for the newly-formed team.
I had wanted to review this arc issue by issue, especially after reading the much-hyped issue #4 (featuring the kiss between the new Thor and the new Cap) but couldn't get around to it, but I still think the arc as a whole is worth reviewing, especially for those on the fence about collecting this title.
The good news is that Mark Waid is in top form here, writing a pretty organic story as to why the various heroes involved should get together. It plays out better than the way Brian Bendis set up the "New Avengers" back in 2005, especially in terms of how he shoehorned Wolverine into the lineup, a fact which Waid pokes fun at in this series. The inaugural story arc is divided into two three-issue mini arcs and the whole thing is a very engaging read. Each of the four "new" Avengers gets ample "hero time" over the six issues, and it was nice to see Waid playing to each character's strengths. In particular, I really liked how Miles Morales used his brain to beat one of the bad guys in issue #6.
The even better news is that the artist lineup is superb. The nigh-legendary Adam Kubert lends his talents to the first three issues, but for me the real find is relative newcomer Mahmud Asrar, yet another recruit from the independent comics scene, whose work evokes Stuart Immonen and, in some instances, Adam Hughes. It's hard to find artists that have a handle both on action and character moments, but Asrar has them down pat. This new generation of artists like him, David Marquez and Sara Pichelli truly are taking comics to new visual heights.
As a flagship Avengers title, this one isn't bad at all. I have a hard time keeping track, considering there are three of them (one of which even has Deadpool, for some reason). I hope Marvel at least lets the team have a decent run before it inevitably reboots the title, as they have been wont to do for the last several years.
8/10
Reset Button: A Commentary on the Daredevil's New Status Quo as Contained in Daredevil #1, #2, #3 and #4
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
I have been a fan of Daredevil for over twenty years, and the creative run of writer Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, that ran for over four years, remains one of my very favorites. I initially had intended to drop the title after their run ended late last year, but when the new creative team of Charles Soule and Ron Garney started getting favorable reviews I decided to give at least the first full story arc a shot.
As I had predicted, the new creative run marks a return to a more "noir" storytelling approach, and the color palette Matt Milla uses here is so muted that the comic, save for parts of Daredevil's costume, is actually in black and white.
Matt Murdock has left California for New York, and through a method that has been left unexplained to the reader for now, he has managed to get everyone in the Marvel Universe, save for one person, to forget his secret identity. He's been reinstated to the New York bar, but rather than work his traditional role as a defense attorney, he's taken on a different challenge; he now works at the district attorney's office, where he faces a considerable challenge in attempting to prosecute a mysterious religious leader named Tenfingers. Now that he's a prosecutor Matt fights Tenfingers on two fronts; in the courts and as Daredevil, but from the look of things he may have met his match, especially since Tenfingers has learned a thing or two from the group he used to hang out with, namely the Hand. Fortunately, Daredevil has a bit of help in the form of an apprentice/sidekick, the undocumented immigrant Sam, who moonlights as the crimefighter Blindside to protect Chinatown from the likes of Tenfingers.
I'm actually glad Soule and Garney made a clean break from the past status quo, and that the reason it came undone was apparently something to do with the recently-concluded Secret Wars event. I'm especially glad that it's with regret that Matt realizes what he gave up, as a firm nod to what came before, even as the new team heads in their own direction.
That said, even though this run sets out to do something entirely different, it still doesn't quite grab me the way the last series did.
For one thing, the stories feel a little "slow-burn" for me, like a throwback to Bendis' decompression days. One of the strengths of Waid's storytelling was his ability to craft issues that for the most part, could serve as "done-in-ones" and parts of a larger tapestry. A sterling example of this would be the issues leading into Daredevil's most recent showdown with Bullseye, in which several of the five-issue arc worked on their own and as part of the larger narrative. Soule clearly attempts that here, but most of the issues fall flat, largely because the action scenes seem to just meld into one another. Much has been said about Soule's being an attorney, but thus far, Matt has yet to have any courtroom exploits so it's hard to judge whether or not this will be an actual asset to the storytelling.
Speaking of people supposedly bringing their real-life skills to their storytelling, artist Ron Garney, whose style is actually well-suited to this minimalist, noir-inspired storytelling, is a rather noticeable step down from Samnee, not only as a draftsman but as a storyteller and even as a fight choreographer, which is kind of ironic considering he's supposedly a jiu jitsu practitioner and even instructor. His fight sequences are mostly limited to splash panels and the usual cheat of having Daredevil's foot or fist in someone's face. I guess it really doesn't follow that a martial arts expert would necessarily be the best person to draw a fight scene. I think it's worth pointing out, though, that this specific presentation of the art somewhat flatters his artwork, which would not look anywhere near as good in a more colorful book like, say, All-New Avengers.
Sure, call me biased, but as much as one should judge this story and this team on their own merits, I will inevitably use their predecessors as my yardstick, especially since the book to which they have moved, Black Widow, has just launched an awesome first issue (which I will review shortly).
It's a little early to judge if this run will go down as one of the all-time greats, but the team is off to a decent, if not particularly outstanding, start.
7.5/10
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla
I have been a fan of Daredevil for over twenty years, and the creative run of writer Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, that ran for over four years, remains one of my very favorites. I initially had intended to drop the title after their run ended late last year, but when the new creative team of Charles Soule and Ron Garney started getting favorable reviews I decided to give at least the first full story arc a shot.
As I had predicted, the new creative run marks a return to a more "noir" storytelling approach, and the color palette Matt Milla uses here is so muted that the comic, save for parts of Daredevil's costume, is actually in black and white.
Matt Murdock has left California for New York, and through a method that has been left unexplained to the reader for now, he has managed to get everyone in the Marvel Universe, save for one person, to forget his secret identity. He's been reinstated to the New York bar, but rather than work his traditional role as a defense attorney, he's taken on a different challenge; he now works at the district attorney's office, where he faces a considerable challenge in attempting to prosecute a mysterious religious leader named Tenfingers. Now that he's a prosecutor Matt fights Tenfingers on two fronts; in the courts and as Daredevil, but from the look of things he may have met his match, especially since Tenfingers has learned a thing or two from the group he used to hang out with, namely the Hand. Fortunately, Daredevil has a bit of help in the form of an apprentice/sidekick, the undocumented immigrant Sam, who moonlights as the crimefighter Blindside to protect Chinatown from the likes of Tenfingers.
I'm actually glad Soule and Garney made a clean break from the past status quo, and that the reason it came undone was apparently something to do with the recently-concluded Secret Wars event. I'm especially glad that it's with regret that Matt realizes what he gave up, as a firm nod to what came before, even as the new team heads in their own direction.
That said, even though this run sets out to do something entirely different, it still doesn't quite grab me the way the last series did.
For one thing, the stories feel a little "slow-burn" for me, like a throwback to Bendis' decompression days. One of the strengths of Waid's storytelling was his ability to craft issues that for the most part, could serve as "done-in-ones" and parts of a larger tapestry. A sterling example of this would be the issues leading into Daredevil's most recent showdown with Bullseye, in which several of the five-issue arc worked on their own and as part of the larger narrative. Soule clearly attempts that here, but most of the issues fall flat, largely because the action scenes seem to just meld into one another. Much has been said about Soule's being an attorney, but thus far, Matt has yet to have any courtroom exploits so it's hard to judge whether or not this will be an actual asset to the storytelling.
Speaking of people supposedly bringing their real-life skills to their storytelling, artist Ron Garney, whose style is actually well-suited to this minimalist, noir-inspired storytelling, is a rather noticeable step down from Samnee, not only as a draftsman but as a storyteller and even as a fight choreographer, which is kind of ironic considering he's supposedly a jiu jitsu practitioner and even instructor. His fight sequences are mostly limited to splash panels and the usual cheat of having Daredevil's foot or fist in someone's face. I guess it really doesn't follow that a martial arts expert would necessarily be the best person to draw a fight scene. I think it's worth pointing out, though, that this specific presentation of the art somewhat flatters his artwork, which would not look anywhere near as good in a more colorful book like, say, All-New Avengers.
Sure, call me biased, but as much as one should judge this story and this team on their own merits, I will inevitably use their predecessors as my yardstick, especially since the book to which they have moved, Black Widow, has just launched an awesome first issue (which I will review shortly).
It's a little early to judge if this run will go down as one of the all-time greats, but the team is off to a decent, if not particularly outstanding, start.
7.5/10
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