Masterful Distraction: A Review of Daredevil #28

written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla

Just when it seems that Matt, having been lured his former protege/sidekick Blindspot lured to China to sacrifice to "The Beast" which is apparently the god of the ninja clan The Hand, appears to be stuck up a creek without a paddle, Blindspot finally decides to grow a conscience and help him out. The real drama, however, awaits when Matt finally gets home; something deeply shocking has happened.

The real purpose of this arc, which wraps up quite nicely, becomes evident on the very last page of this issue, and it's a doozy. It's distinctly clever how Soule, following Matt's landmark Supreme Court victory, managed to take him off the proverbial chessboard while a seismic status quo shift took place. I dare not say more, lest I spoil the issue's big reveal (though Marvel's marketing department has done a pretty good job of that all on their own).

I still think Soule gave Sam Chung, aka Blindspot, short shrift in terms of this brief arc, but at least we got a glimpse of his origin, and Sam gets a nice little monologue at the end of the story. I'm glad this wasn't his swan song; Matt will definitely need him around in the months to come, what with this crazy new situation.

Garney and Milla turn in good work here, and I'm honestly a little sorry that they won't be around for the next big arc, though I suppose that, having relaunched this book in 2015, they'll be here for the landmark 600th issue.

7.5/10

The Downward Spiral Continues: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #790

written by Dan Slott (plot) and Christos Gage (script)
illustrated by Stuart Immonen (pencils) and Wade Von Grawbadger (inks)
colored by Marte Gracia

Dan Slott, this time joined by his longtime collaborator Christos Gage, continues his first post-Parker Industries story line by having Peter Parker apologize to and settle accounts with his former employees at the company he founded...and then destroyed. Still, there are a lot of reparations to be made, and even with the help of Pete's best friend Harry Lyman (formerly Osborn) Peter is going to have a really, really hard time compensating the people who invested time, effort and money in his company. Harry has a radical solution that could help defray costs: sell the Baxter Building, the one-time home of the Fantastic Four. This does not go down well with Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, who has a few choice words for Peter. Also, another of Peter's disgruntled employees, Clayton Cole, having resumed his costumed identity as Clash, is intent on taking his own tech back from Parker Industries before it, too, is sold off. Unfortunately for Peter, Cole's henchmen have other ideas.

Interestingly, though, it seems as though not all may be lost for Peter, as an unexpected but familiar figure from his past comes calling.

This is the third done-in-one comic book in a row that Slott has delivered, and even though this issue and its immediate predecessor serve a larger storyline, each one is a full, enjoyable read on its own. This storytelling style hearkens back to the comic books I read as a kid, specifically David Michelinie's and Todd McFarlane's run, which consisted largely of single-issue stories, with only occasional multiple-issue arcs. I am glad to see this kind of writing in Spider-Man books, as it feels like a welcome return to Spidey's roots. I liked how the writing here showed Peter as downtrodden and utterly despondent without having him completely regress to the Sad Sack he used to be. I also liked how Slott wrote the Torch; his reaction is entirely understandable and expected. I also had some appreciation for how Slott handled Clayton Cole; even after everything that's happened he still hasn't crossed the threshold into full-blown supervillain territory, at least not yet.

On the art side, team Spidey knock yet another issue out of the park as Immonen, Von Grawbadger and Gracia continue to fire on all cylinders. This team, anchored by Immonen, is really the best thing to happen to this book in quite a long time and I'm definitely keeping this book on my monthly pull list for as long as they're on it. I am really excited for the landmark 800th issue now!

8.5/10

SELECTED TITLES FROM JAIME ARROYO’S COMIC BOOK COLLECTION AS OF OCTOBER 16, 2017

ARIA/ANGELA #1 and 2 by Holguin and Anacleto PHP400.00
ASTONISHING X-MEN #26-27 by Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi – PHP400.00
AVENGERS #25 by Kurt Busiek and George Perez – PHP200.00
AVENGERS #500 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch PHP400.00
AVENGERS FINALE by Brian Michael Bendis and Various PHP300.00
BATMAN #613-614, 618 by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee - PHP900.00
BATMAN#1 by Grant Morrison and David Finch – PHP240.00
BLACK WIDOW #2-6 by Jeff Nathanson and Phil Noto – PHP1,000.00
BLACK PANTHER #1, 2 by Reginald Hudlin, John Romita, Jr. – PHP600.00 (Issue #2 features the first appearance of Shuri)
CAPTAIN AMERICA (2001) #21-26 by Robert Morales and Chris Bachalo – PHP1,200.00
CAPTAIN AMERICA (2011) #1 to #5 by Ed Brubaker and Steve McNiven – PHP1,000.00
CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #1 to #6 by Ed Brubaker and Bryan Hitch – PHP1,200.00
CAPTAIN AMERICA: TRUTH #1 and #6 by Robert Morales and Kyle Baker – PHP300.00
CAPTAIN AMERICA: FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN by Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice – PHP200.00
CRIMINAL #1 to 5 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips – PHP1,000.00
DAREDEVIL (1998) #3-4, 6-8 by Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada PHP -1,000.00
DAREDEVIL: THE TARGET #1 by Kevin Smith and Glenn Fabry – PHP100.00
FALLEN SON (CAPTAIN AMERICA) by Jeph Loeb and David Finch – PHP180.00
GEN13 #6-7 by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi – PHP300.00
GEN13/GENERATIONX and GENERATION X/GEN13 by Brandon Choi, Arthur Adams (Gen13/GenX), James Robinson and Salvador Larroca (GenX/Gen13)– PHP500.00
HULK: GRAY #1, 6 by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale – PHP400.00
HULK #1-6 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness – PHP1,200.00
HULK #7-9 by Jeph Loeb, Frank Cho and Arthur Adams – PHP600.00
INCREDIBLE HULK #36 by Bruce Jones and John Romita Jr. – PHP200.00
INHUMAN #1 to #3 by Charles Soule and Joe Madureira – PHP600.00
IRON MAN: EXTREMIS #1 (Double): Warren Ellis and Adi Granov – PHP400.00
IRON MAN: INEVITABLE #1 to 6 by Joe Casey and Frazer Irving – PHP1100.00
JUSTICE LEAGUE (2011) #1 to 6, 9 to 12 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee – PHP2000.00
MARC SPECTOR: MOON KNIGHT #29 and 30 by Terry Kavanagh and Stephen Platt PHP300.00
MARVEL MANGAVERSE: SPIDER-MAN #1 by Kaare Andrews – PHP150.00
MARVEL KNIGHTS: PUNISHER #1, 3 by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon – PHP360.00
MARVEL KNIGHTS: WOLVERINE AND PUNISHER #1 to 4 by Christopher Golden, Mike Sniegoski and Pat Lee PHP600.00
MARVELS: EYE OF THE CAMERA #1 to #6 by Kurt Busiek, Roger Stern and Jay Anacleto PHP1100.00
NEW AVENGERS #1-6 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch PHP2,000.00
NEW AVENGERS #7-10 by Bendis and McNiven – PHP1200.00
NEW AVENGERS #11-13 by Bendis and Finch – PHP900.00
NEW AVENGERS #14-15 by Bendis and Frank Cho – PHP500.00
NEW AVENGERS #21, 22, 24 and 25 (Civil War tie-in) by Bendis and Howard Chaykin, Lienil Yu (signed), Pasqual Ferry and Jim Cheung – PHP1,500.00
NEW AVENGERS #31 by Bendis and Leinil Yu (signed by Yu) – PHP500.00
PROPHET by Stephen Platt – PHP50.00
PUNISHER/BATMAN by Chuck Dixon and John Romita, Jr. – PHP200.00
PUNISHER: A MAN NAMED FRANK by Dixon and John Buscema – PHP300.00
SAVAGE DRAGON by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi –PHP100.00
SENTRY #1, 8 by Paul Jenkins and John Romita, Jr. PHP360.00
SHADOWHAWK #0 by Rob Liefeld –PHP50.00
SPIDER-MAN/BLACK CAT #1 to #6 by Kevin Smith and Terry Dodson – PHP1100.00
ULTIMATE GALACTUS SERIES (includes ULTIMATE SECRET #1 to #4 by Warren Ellis, Steve McNiven and Tom Raney and ULTIMATE EXTINCTION #1 to #6 by Warren Ellis and Brandon Peterson) – PHP1,800.00
ULTIMATE WAR #1 to #4 by Mark Millar and Chris Bachalo – PHP600.00
ULTIMATE X-MEN #36-37 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch – PHP400.00
ULTIMATES Vol. II #1 to 13 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch (plus Annual #1 by Mark Millar and Steve Dillon, total 14 issues) – PHP3,000.00
THE WALKING DEAD #100 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Aldard PHP300.00
WILDCATS #1, 3, 4, 8, 9 by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi PHP500.00

The Return of the Parker Luck: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #789

written by Dan Slott
drawn by Stuart Immonen (p) Wade Von Grawbadger (i)
colored by Marte Gracia

As Marvel's most renowned superhero comic book returns to its original numbering, Dan Slott marks the occasion with a return to the kind of storytelling that made Spider-Man one of the most relatable and endearing superheroes around.

While Peter Parker's decision to flush his entire company down the toilet during the events of Secret Empire was motivated by the honest belief that he was acting for the greater good, he now comes face-to-face with the fallout of that decision: thousands of his employees out of work, investors' money down the drain, and a great many people who now hate his guts. He tries confronting Joe Robertson at the Daily Bugle about a scathing editorial Robertson wrote about him, only to realize that every unflattering word is true. He can't bring himself to meet up with his friends, even as they try to reach out to him, because he is deeply ashamed of how badly he's messed things up. He spends the issue at Mockingbird's place, and it is through her that he finally finds something that he desperately needs: purpose.

It's gratifying to see Slott finally draw to a close what felt like a distinctly unnatural status quo for Peter Parker with the emphatic return of the infamous "Parker luck," with a nice "done in one" first issue, no less. Slott's clearly got a lot planned for this new/old direction in which he's taking the character, but rather than end the issue on a blatant cliffhanger he goes for something a little more subtle, setting the stage for what's coming up but at the same time giving this particular issue a reasonably satisfying conclusion.

I wrote in a previous review that I was quite happy with the whole high-school teacher status quo that J. Michael Straczynski had established for Peter Parker, which basically endured throughout his run and ended with the events of "One More Day." It seems to me that, after experimenting with a variety of situations for Peter which have included returning him to his old haunt, the Daily Bugle, giving him a dream job at Horizon Labs during the "Big Time" story line, and finally, having him run his own company, Dan Slott is looking at establishing a status quo a bit similar to what Straczynski set up for Peter in that, while it isn't exactly glamorous like his CEO position was, it at least feels like the sort of thing that a person with Peter's considerable intellect would do. Of course, I'm not sure what that is yet, but Slott drops some hints during Peter's brief visit to the Bugle.

After taking an issue off, the stellar art team of Immonen, Von Grawbadger and Gracia are back to hit this one right out of the park. Even though Slott's now hitting his stride, this art team still remains the highlight of the book for me, and this issue maintains the standard of quality they've established since they took over several months ago. It's somewhat amusing that Peter looks even more gangly and disheveled than usual as Immonen and crew play up the "Parker luck" look.

Slott and his team have gotten this new direction off into a fine start; here's hoping the keep the momentum going.


8.5/10

Another New Character Takes a Turn for the Worse: A Review of Daredevil #27

written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla

As Matt Murdock discovers that his old protege, Blindspot has turned to questionable means to restore his eyesight, which was taken from him several issues ago by the Inhuman serial killer muse, we readers get a glimpse at the character's "secret origin."

The Soule/Garney team delivers a story that, finally explores the character they introduced to this series when they relaunched it in 2015. It's a little disappointing to me that Sam only has a three-issue story arc devoted to his back story considering that when Garney rotates back onto the book it's usually for a four or five-issue story arc, and perhaps even more disappointing that Sam seems to have made a somewhat poor life choice. I will grant that there's probably a twist somewhere lurking in the next issue, and I certainly hope so because otherwise I'm not a fan of the direction in which they're taking this character.

When Chris Samnee and Mark Waid took on Black Widow last year, they introduced a new character called the Weeping Lion, who had a fairly interesting back story in that he had actually witnessed Black Widow murder a loved one. There was potential for the character, but it was squandered when the creators killed him off just before they ended their run. It was a shame, but no great loss.

Soule's Blindspot deserves better than this, though. There are precious few non-white-male characters in superhero stories, and even fewer Asians, so it would really be nice for Sam to stick around. While I remain optimistic that Soule has better plans for this character than to discard him summarily, I honestly wish he'd given his origin story at least one extra issue to breathe a bit. Sure, Sam may have started off life as a sidekick, but with his skills and tech he could yet become so much more.

Garney's art tapers off a bit; his work last issue was stronger than what we see here, though not much. I am hoping for a nice, bombastic throwdown next issue between Matt and his newfound enemies.

Anyway, there's but one issue left in this story arc before Soule launches into his somewhat-hyped Kingpin storyline, which will see DD's longtime nemesis ascending back into power, and while I'm fairly certain this isn't the last we'll see of Blindspot, I hope they at least end this story well.




7/10

Welcome Back: A Review of Runaways #1 and #2

written by Rainbow Rowell
drawn by Kris Anka
colored by Matt Wilson

What people who read this blog may not know is that I am actually a big fan of one of Marvel Comics' more recently created titles, Brian K. Vaughn's Runaways, which unlike such titles as Spider-Man or Hulk, which have over 50 years of publishing history behind them, only came into existence this millennium, specifically, in 2003. Unlike those other titles, and despite a lot of love from its publisher, Runaways has had a troubled publishing history, having been canceled and relaunched several times, with the last attempt at a regular series ending something like nine years ago. I missed out on the original run but have been hunting down collected editions ever since, and I have gathered most of them by now. Because the comics are as old as they are I have never reviewed them.

But now, with Marvel about to launch a television series starring these very characters, they are taking one more shot at giving these characters the glory they deserve, and while I'm not quite as blown away as I would have wanted to be by a brand-spanking-new Runaways series, I'm just glad these guys are seeing the light of day again rather than staying in character limbo.

Essentially the story in issue #1 starts with Nico Minoru by herself, looking back briefly on her time together with her fellow Runaways, and on her brief stint with the ever shorter-lived "A-Force." Both teams are basically defunct, and Nico is pining for them both. Suddenly, fellow former Runaway Chase Stein barges in, having traveled forward from the past, where he went to rescue his dead girlfriend Gert Yorkes who died waaay back when. Through Nico's haphazard spell casting, the impossible happens.

In issue #2, fans of the series who haven't really been following what's going on since it ended get brought up to speed on what has happened to the various characters since they went their separate ways. It's not exactly pleasant.

I suppose it's inevitable, given how long the characters have been away from this title, that anyone bringing the team back together would have to catch up on years of backstory. Rowell faces an unenviable task of getting new fans into this book and bringing old fans who may have walked away from comics altogether after the last Runaways story ended back into the fold. Exposition is a necessary evil, and it's to Rowell's credit that she gets a big chunk of it out of the way for the first two issues. I hope there's less of it to come in future issues.

More disappointing for me, though was the normally reliable Kris Anka, whose work on the first issue looked pretty good and up to his usual standards, but whose work on the second issue gave the impression of having been rushed. I got into this guy's work on the strength of his covers, and I have to say he's not quite as strong when working on interiors. I found myself missing the steady pen of Adrian Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, who, I understand it, alternate over on Ms. Marvel nowadays.

For all its disappointments, this is a reasonably good effort to revive this series and I will be watching its progress with hope in my heart.

7/10 issue #1
6.5/10 issue #2

Coming to a Head: A Review of The Astonishing X-Men #4

written by Charles Soule
drawn by Carlos Pacheco (p) Rafael Fonteriz (i)
colored by Rain Beredo

Marvel's vaguely experimental approach to "blockbuster" storytelling continues as its purported flagship X-Men book sports its fourth high-profile artist in as many issues, this one being Spanish superstar Carlos Pacheco.

This issue takes a peek at what's been happening to the characters Mystique, Fantomex, Rogue and Gambit since they went their separate ways in the astral plane back in issue #2. Meanwhile, Old Man Logan, possessed by the Shadow King, is about to wreak havoc on London, forcing the usually benign Angel's hand as he unleashes his deadly alter ego, Archangel.

Last issue was somewhat more interesting in that it gave readers the slightest glimpse at Professor X's game plan, and this one is a little less so. To be honest, I wasn't crazy about how this issue was paced; Soule devoted a number of pages to Mystique reliving past glories, and Gambit trying to rekindle an old romance with Rogue, while the really urgent concern, Shadow King by-way-of Old Man Logan, got the most fleeting exposure, and Warren's decision to engage Logan, which will undoubtedly trigger the release of Archangel, is poised as a sort of cliffhanger. In short, in contrast to the last issue, which felt a little weightier in narrative despite its cliffhanger ending, this one feels a bit more like Soule spinning his wheels to justify a six-issue, rather than five-issue story arc. There are quite a few talking heads for an issue that's supposed to be conveying urgency.

Pacheco draws pretty pictures, but he's not quite on the level of Ed McGuinness, much less Jim Cheung, who kicked off the series with a bang. We won't even have time to get used to him as next issue yet another artist will take on the reins, and another still after that.

I gotta say, I am not a fan of this format.

6/10