written by Chip Zdarsky
drawn by Marco Checchetto
colored by Sunny Gho
After having been rescued from the police by Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil now has to disabuse Frank of the notion that he has finally taken to killing criminals as well, and he has to do it while Frank has yet another captive criminal tied up and held at gunpoint. As has almost always happened in their past encounters, their ideological differences flare up and they come to blows yet again. Meanwhile, Detective North's fistfight with Daredevil in the last issue has not gone unnoticed; he gets grief from his immediate superiors, but has found in ally in Daredevil's longtime nemesis Wilson Fisk. Whether or not Matt can survive his latest bout with the Punisher, his problems are far from over.
A clash between Matt Murdock and Frank Castle is nothing new; they're basically fighting the same war but using methods that are basically as different as night and day, so it is basically incumbent on any writer who takes this on to give us something we haven't seen before, and to be honest, Zdarsky...doesn't. I mean, he articulates the difference between them well enough, and he reminds us readers of why Matt is a good guy and Frank basically isn't, but considering how frequently this has played out I sincerely wanted Zdarsky, who spent an entire issue on this, to give us something we haven't seen before, and with the exception of the shirt Matt wears at the end of the issue, he hasn't, and it's frustrating.
Checchetto's art basically holds steady; he's no better or worse than he was in the last issue, but I really, really have to say that I'm disappointed as I was genuinely expecting a bit of an uptick in form from either Zdarsky or him, especially considering how thoroughly I enjoyed Zdarsky's run on Marvel Two-In-One, how intriguing I found the premise of this story, and how I've enjoyed his occasional flashes of brilliance in terms of dialogue which, even here, is actually pretty strong. The thing is, as I've said, we readers have seen this many times before, and in a day and age in which comic books have the potential to captivate a whole new generation of readers weaned on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, middle-of-the-road stories like this feel more and more like a wasted opportunity.
6/10
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Some Good-Natured Ribbing of the Distinguished Competition: A Review of Avengers #18 (War of the Realms)
written by Jason Aaron
penciled by Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales
colored by Justin Ponsor
Apparently Earth's Mightiest Heroes are too busy conquering the cinemas this weekend and fighting Malekith's forces over in War of the Realms to put in an appearance in their own monthly title. In their stead, an oddly familiar group of heroes based in Washington, D.C. set out to fight the Frost Giants from Jotunheim, who have laid siege to America's Capital. They are Mark Milton, aka Hyperion, Kyle Richmond, aka Nighthawk, Princess Zarda, aka Warrior Woman, Joe Ledger, aka Doctor Spectrum and Jeff Walters, aka Blur. Together they are the Squadron Supreme of America, America's premier protectors ready to both kill and die for America, working under the watchful eye of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson.
After an engaging four-issue run with David Marquez, writer Jason Aaron re-teams with the artist with whom he launched this title, Ed McGuinness, and I gotta say I'm really quite happy to welcome Ed back, especially for this issue in which his protracted stint as a DC artist back in the noughties serves him well as he renders the Squadron Supreme, long acknowledged to be parodies/analogues of the Justice League, in action for the first time since Coulson "debuted" them a few issues ago. It's pretty much a done-in-one tie-in to War of the Realms, but it drops quite a few juicy tidbits as to what's to come as the issue showcases the Squadron Supreme's brutality in dealing with the Frost Giants, their strangely insular mindset, and their apparent state of mind. It's also particularly interesting to see who Coulson is having dinner with at the end of the issue. Given that this team has been around for some time, and that at least one version of Hyperion has even been one of the Avengers at one point, it'll be interesting to find out exactly what the deal is with this new team, and with Coulson for that matter, who seems to have gone from being a sympathetic character to a villainous one.
It's been a while since I've enjoyed a good one-shot that knows how to tease what's coming, and it seems clear to me that, after this War of the Realms brouhaha has run its course, the Avengers will have their hands full with the Squadron Supreme. Aaron did a good job with the vampire saga he teased a few issues back, delivering a solid, satisfying story while leaving the door open for much, much more, and while this issue seems a little too vague for its own good at some points, I still find myself looking forward to the eventual resolution of this ongoing Squadron Supreme storyline, and the unraveling of the many mysteries involved.
8.5/10
penciled by Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Morales
colored by Justin Ponsor
Apparently Earth's Mightiest Heroes are too busy conquering the cinemas this weekend and fighting Malekith's forces over in War of the Realms to put in an appearance in their own monthly title. In their stead, an oddly familiar group of heroes based in Washington, D.C. set out to fight the Frost Giants from Jotunheim, who have laid siege to America's Capital. They are Mark Milton, aka Hyperion, Kyle Richmond, aka Nighthawk, Princess Zarda, aka Warrior Woman, Joe Ledger, aka Doctor Spectrum and Jeff Walters, aka Blur. Together they are the Squadron Supreme of America, America's premier protectors ready to both kill and die for America, working under the watchful eye of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson.
After an engaging four-issue run with David Marquez, writer Jason Aaron re-teams with the artist with whom he launched this title, Ed McGuinness, and I gotta say I'm really quite happy to welcome Ed back, especially for this issue in which his protracted stint as a DC artist back in the noughties serves him well as he renders the Squadron Supreme, long acknowledged to be parodies/analogues of the Justice League, in action for the first time since Coulson "debuted" them a few issues ago. It's pretty much a done-in-one tie-in to War of the Realms, but it drops quite a few juicy tidbits as to what's to come as the issue showcases the Squadron Supreme's brutality in dealing with the Frost Giants, their strangely insular mindset, and their apparent state of mind. It's also particularly interesting to see who Coulson is having dinner with at the end of the issue. Given that this team has been around for some time, and that at least one version of Hyperion has even been one of the Avengers at one point, it'll be interesting to find out exactly what the deal is with this new team, and with Coulson for that matter, who seems to have gone from being a sympathetic character to a villainous one.
It's been a while since I've enjoyed a good one-shot that knows how to tease what's coming, and it seems clear to me that, after this War of the Realms brouhaha has run its course, the Avengers will have their hands full with the Squadron Supreme. Aaron did a good job with the vampire saga he teased a few issues back, delivering a solid, satisfying story while leaving the door open for much, much more, and while this issue seems a little too vague for its own good at some points, I still find myself looking forward to the eventual resolution of this ongoing Squadron Supreme storyline, and the unraveling of the many mysteries involved.
8.5/10
Sunday, April 21, 2019
The Return of Alex Wilder: A Review of Runaways (2017) Vol. 3: "That Was Yesterday"
written by Rainbow Rowell
drawn by Kris Anka
colored by Matthew Wilson
It's been a while since I've been able to review a collected edition of any Marvel title, but given that I was able to get Runaways (2017) volume three more or less on time, and given that I found myself especially riveted by this story, I felt compelled to give my two cents' worth, even though the book's been out for more than a week by now.
After a brush with death and some years away, Alex Wilder, the Runaways' former leader who once tried to sell them out to their evil parents' masters, the Gibborim, is back, and hot on his tail are the three children of the Gibborim, named, conveniently enough, Gib, Bo and Rim. The Runaways are none too thrilled about either Alex's return or the new guests he has brought with him, but they soon realize they may have to work with him just to stay alive. Also, it is Christmas, so perhaps it's time to let bygones be bygones...or is it?
More than just a gift for snappy dialogue, one thing that has really defined Rainbow Rowell's run on this book more than anything else is her fantastic grasp on what makes every single one of the Runaways tick. For one thing, she's gotten Nico Minoru's fear of being alone down pat, which ironically is one of the reasons why her decision to pair her off with Karolina is such a bad one, she's gotten Chase's sense of responsibility to the group, as the oldest, down to a "t," and most impressively, she's also written Gert Yorkes almost as well as her creator Brian K. Vaughan himself. It shouldn't have come as any surprise, then, that she would crank out an absolutely killer Alex Wilder, but I find myself blown away nonetheless.
Alex Wilder is, for me, the most compelling character that has ever been featured in Runaways, and the first eighteen issues of the book way back in 2003 are notable for being his tragic story of betrayal. Rowell clearly has a great affection for the character; she doesn't do him a disservice by trying to do something as prosaic as "redeem" him or give him a good-guy makeover, but she makes it pretty darned hard to fully hate him as she clearly depicts him as something none of the other Runaways really is: a capable leader. He's less a "bad guy" than he is a Machiavellian character, and while the line between the two may be too fine to distinguish one from the other at times, Rowell toes it expertly. Alex is never quite sympathetic (except maybe, just maybe, towards the end of the book), but a lot of the things he says make perfect sense, and as ridiculous as this sounds, even after the events of the story, a part of me wanted them all to make amends and for him to rejoin the group, even if it meant the rest of the Runaways could never fully trust him. At the very, very least, I hope Rowell keeps Alex around for a good, long time, especially since she's made an extremely compelling argument for it.
When I read Volume II of this new series, which featured Karolina's then-girlfriend Julie Power of the Power Pack (which I didn't bother to review since I got it quite late), I found it amusing when she pointed out how disorganized the group was. While the fact that the Runaways essentially aren't a "superhero team" in the traditional sense has always been one of the group's unique and sometimes endearing facets, in the world they inhabit, in which they purport to act like superheroes, it is a legitimate criticism. While it's a pity Rowell broke Karolina up with Julie (and the resulting rebound-relationship between Karolina and Nico has been somewhat cringe-inducing) I completely understand the story imperatives here, and a part of that is to establish how badly this team needs a leader. It is a hell of a conundrum that the person best qualified for the job is also possibly the worst one for the job.
I came on board this book because I was a fan of Kris Anka's work, and to my utter shock, in the last eighteen issues he's managed to get even better with each passing story arc. "That was Yesterday" marks his last work as the series artist, and henceforth he'll only be doing covers, but I consider myself fortunate to have been witness to an already amazing artist growing leaps and bounds in such as short period of time.
Runaways has never really been a book to set the sales charts on fire, so it's hard to say how long this iteration of the title will last, but in my opinion at least, these past three volumes or eighteen issues, which pay due reverence to the characters while taking them in new directions, will be remembered as among the title's finest, as will the rest of Rowell's run if she can maintain this standard of quality.
9/10
drawn by Kris Anka
colored by Matthew Wilson
It's been a while since I've been able to review a collected edition of any Marvel title, but given that I was able to get Runaways (2017) volume three more or less on time, and given that I found myself especially riveted by this story, I felt compelled to give my two cents' worth, even though the book's been out for more than a week by now.
After a brush with death and some years away, Alex Wilder, the Runaways' former leader who once tried to sell them out to their evil parents' masters, the Gibborim, is back, and hot on his tail are the three children of the Gibborim, named, conveniently enough, Gib, Bo and Rim. The Runaways are none too thrilled about either Alex's return or the new guests he has brought with him, but they soon realize they may have to work with him just to stay alive. Also, it is Christmas, so perhaps it's time to let bygones be bygones...or is it?
More than just a gift for snappy dialogue, one thing that has really defined Rainbow Rowell's run on this book more than anything else is her fantastic grasp on what makes every single one of the Runaways tick. For one thing, she's gotten Nico Minoru's fear of being alone down pat, which ironically is one of the reasons why her decision to pair her off with Karolina is such a bad one, she's gotten Chase's sense of responsibility to the group, as the oldest, down to a "t," and most impressively, she's also written Gert Yorkes almost as well as her creator Brian K. Vaughan himself. It shouldn't have come as any surprise, then, that she would crank out an absolutely killer Alex Wilder, but I find myself blown away nonetheless.
Alex Wilder is, for me, the most compelling character that has ever been featured in Runaways, and the first eighteen issues of the book way back in 2003 are notable for being his tragic story of betrayal. Rowell clearly has a great affection for the character; she doesn't do him a disservice by trying to do something as prosaic as "redeem" him or give him a good-guy makeover, but she makes it pretty darned hard to fully hate him as she clearly depicts him as something none of the other Runaways really is: a capable leader. He's less a "bad guy" than he is a Machiavellian character, and while the line between the two may be too fine to distinguish one from the other at times, Rowell toes it expertly. Alex is never quite sympathetic (except maybe, just maybe, towards the end of the book), but a lot of the things he says make perfect sense, and as ridiculous as this sounds, even after the events of the story, a part of me wanted them all to make amends and for him to rejoin the group, even if it meant the rest of the Runaways could never fully trust him. At the very, very least, I hope Rowell keeps Alex around for a good, long time, especially since she's made an extremely compelling argument for it.
When I read Volume II of this new series, which featured Karolina's then-girlfriend Julie Power of the Power Pack (which I didn't bother to review since I got it quite late), I found it amusing when she pointed out how disorganized the group was. While the fact that the Runaways essentially aren't a "superhero team" in the traditional sense has always been one of the group's unique and sometimes endearing facets, in the world they inhabit, in which they purport to act like superheroes, it is a legitimate criticism. While it's a pity Rowell broke Karolina up with Julie (and the resulting rebound-relationship between Karolina and Nico has been somewhat cringe-inducing) I completely understand the story imperatives here, and a part of that is to establish how badly this team needs a leader. It is a hell of a conundrum that the person best qualified for the job is also possibly the worst one for the job.
I came on board this book because I was a fan of Kris Anka's work, and to my utter shock, in the last eighteen issues he's managed to get even better with each passing story arc. "That was Yesterday" marks his last work as the series artist, and henceforth he'll only be doing covers, but I consider myself fortunate to have been witness to an already amazing artist growing leaps and bounds in such as short period of time.
Runaways has never really been a book to set the sales charts on fire, so it's hard to say how long this iteration of the title will last, but in my opinion at least, these past three volumes or eighteen issues, which pay due reverence to the characters while taking them in new directions, will be remembered as among the title's finest, as will the rest of Rowell's run if she can maintain this standard of quality.
9/10
Saturday, April 6, 2019
A Bloody Good Time: A Review of Avengers #14 to #17, "The War of the Vampires"
written by Jason Aaron
drawn by David Marquez
colored by Justin Ponsor and Erick Arciniega
In the run-up to Marvel's next big event, War of the Realms, incumbent Avengers writer Jason Aaron delivers a mini-event of sorts, a four-issue story arc pitting the Avengers against a group of vampires who murder vampires, and who apparently have their sights set on killing the biggest one of them all, Dracula himself. To win the day, the Avengers will need the help of a renowned vampire slayer, none other than Blade. But, will even the help of Blade be enough to help them against the Colonel and his powerful allies, who even have the power to commandeer even the mighty Ghost Rider? Also, when the fleeing Dracula seeks refuge in nearby Russia and comes begging to the Winter Guard, how will they respond? The answers may shock! One thing's for sure, though; the Avengers are in for a hell of a fight.
After feeling disappointed with Jason Aaron's inaugural story arc on this book, I felt he'd recovered pretty well with his next few issues, specifically the ones in which occasional Avenger Namor returned to his roots as an antagonistic character, and it was gratifying to see David Marquez take over the art duties. These issues still weren't quite as satisfying as they could have been on the whole, though, because the Namor storyline ended on what felt like a distinctly anti-climactic note, and the story itself only lasted three issues in all, even as it teased the story I'm about to review now.
This story marks the first arc since this run began to run four straight issues with only one artist, the ultra-talented Marquez. He and Aaron manage to deliver an engaging, if occasionally flawed story from start to finish.
I've never been much one for vampire-related stories, and this particular one doesn't really change that, but there was something satisfying about having the Avengers fight a more down-and-dirty set of foes than the gigantic Dark Celestials from the first six issues, and foes who were pretty formidable at that. If I had any objections I guess it was that the heroes never felt like they were in any status-quo-upsetting peril, and that the vampire-on-vampire violence was so rampant throughout the series that after awhile I felt a bit desensitized to it, taking a bit of the edge off the ultimate stakes (pardon the pun). Still, Aaron does managed to impress upon me an overall sense of the threat, not necessarily to the Avengers themselves, but in terms of the people who may be endangered should they fail to contain them. And I liked how Aaron, if only briefly, hints at the peril that awaits the team if Robbie Reyes, a.k.a. Ghost Rider, ever loses control, setting up possible future stories. The story leads to a fairly predictable conclusion; suffice it to say, the door remains wide open for more vampire stories.
The star of this particular story, though is definitely David Marquez, who gets to illustrate a full four issues for his arc as opposed to the two and a half that he drew for the Namor story.
With War of the Realms hitting stores, the events of this story seem pretty trivial in comparison, but it was still a worthwhile read overall.
8.5/10
drawn by David Marquez
colored by Justin Ponsor and Erick Arciniega
In the run-up to Marvel's next big event, War of the Realms, incumbent Avengers writer Jason Aaron delivers a mini-event of sorts, a four-issue story arc pitting the Avengers against a group of vampires who murder vampires, and who apparently have their sights set on killing the biggest one of them all, Dracula himself. To win the day, the Avengers will need the help of a renowned vampire slayer, none other than Blade. But, will even the help of Blade be enough to help them against the Colonel and his powerful allies, who even have the power to commandeer even the mighty Ghost Rider? Also, when the fleeing Dracula seeks refuge in nearby Russia and comes begging to the Winter Guard, how will they respond? The answers may shock! One thing's for sure, though; the Avengers are in for a hell of a fight.
After feeling disappointed with Jason Aaron's inaugural story arc on this book, I felt he'd recovered pretty well with his next few issues, specifically the ones in which occasional Avenger Namor returned to his roots as an antagonistic character, and it was gratifying to see David Marquez take over the art duties. These issues still weren't quite as satisfying as they could have been on the whole, though, because the Namor storyline ended on what felt like a distinctly anti-climactic note, and the story itself only lasted three issues in all, even as it teased the story I'm about to review now.
This story marks the first arc since this run began to run four straight issues with only one artist, the ultra-talented Marquez. He and Aaron manage to deliver an engaging, if occasionally flawed story from start to finish.
I've never been much one for vampire-related stories, and this particular one doesn't really change that, but there was something satisfying about having the Avengers fight a more down-and-dirty set of foes than the gigantic Dark Celestials from the first six issues, and foes who were pretty formidable at that. If I had any objections I guess it was that the heroes never felt like they were in any status-quo-upsetting peril, and that the vampire-on-vampire violence was so rampant throughout the series that after awhile I felt a bit desensitized to it, taking a bit of the edge off the ultimate stakes (pardon the pun). Still, Aaron does managed to impress upon me an overall sense of the threat, not necessarily to the Avengers themselves, but in terms of the people who may be endangered should they fail to contain them. And I liked how Aaron, if only briefly, hints at the peril that awaits the team if Robbie Reyes, a.k.a. Ghost Rider, ever loses control, setting up possible future stories. The story leads to a fairly predictable conclusion; suffice it to say, the door remains wide open for more vampire stories.
The star of this particular story, though is definitely David Marquez, who gets to illustrate a full four issues for his arc as opposed to the two and a half that he drew for the Namor story.
With War of the Realms hitting stores, the events of this story seem pretty trivial in comparison, but it was still a worthwhile read overall.
8.5/10
Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Daredevil #3
written by Chip Zdarsky
art by Marco Checchetto
colored by Sunny Gho
Last issue, Matt Murdock was trying to escape the police and ended up getting shot. This issue, cornered and wounded, he makes another bid to escape, but ends up having to try to fight for his freedom in the most literal way possible. Things do not go well for him, and for not the first time in his career, he needs a helping hand to get him through. Unfortunately, this particular hand is not one from which he might have expected, or even wanted assistance.
As strong as the last two issues may have been, with the dialogue from issue #2 in particular being rather outstanding, writer Chip Zdarsky kind of drops the ball here with a prolonged chase and fight scene and, if I may be perfectly honest, a fairly predictable cliffhanger. About the only thing about this issue that feels vaguely interesting, plot-wise, is how Zdarsky really doubles down on the fact that Kingpin had nothing to do with the death of the thug, whom Matt apparently inadvertently killed in issue #1. Zdarsky appears fully committed to his Matt-as-a-perpetrator-of-manslaughter with this issue, and that's pretty much the only thing that really keeps driving the plot forward and, for that matter the only thing that feels fresh, because having Matt get shot and then beaten to within an inch of his life is something that far too many writers and artists, including ones who very recently worked on this title, have already done for it to have any real emotional impact at this point. This issue feels a bit too much like extender, something to fatten the eventual hardcover or trade paperback, which is a shame since Zdarsky has demonstrated, time and time again, that he knows how to pack a lot of story into just twenty or twenty-one pages.
Checchetto, again, disappoints here, relative to what I know he's capable of, and in truth I often find myself looking back at his work during the Mark Waid days, especially since one of the characters he also drew in that run shows up here.
Charles Soule and his rotating crew of artists did a pretty decent job of putting Matt through the wringer, but what made their approach enjoyable was how they tried to put their own stamp on his various tribulations. This run, so far, has the one interesting hypothetical question, but little else going for it. I like Zdarsky's work and my affection for this character is definitely going to keep me onboard for more than just one story arc, but I really hope he and Chechetto (or other artists) have more in store than just this.
6/10
art by Marco Checchetto
colored by Sunny Gho
Last issue, Matt Murdock was trying to escape the police and ended up getting shot. This issue, cornered and wounded, he makes another bid to escape, but ends up having to try to fight for his freedom in the most literal way possible. Things do not go well for him, and for not the first time in his career, he needs a helping hand to get him through. Unfortunately, this particular hand is not one from which he might have expected, or even wanted assistance.
As strong as the last two issues may have been, with the dialogue from issue #2 in particular being rather outstanding, writer Chip Zdarsky kind of drops the ball here with a prolonged chase and fight scene and, if I may be perfectly honest, a fairly predictable cliffhanger. About the only thing about this issue that feels vaguely interesting, plot-wise, is how Zdarsky really doubles down on the fact that Kingpin had nothing to do with the death of the thug, whom Matt apparently inadvertently killed in issue #1. Zdarsky appears fully committed to his Matt-as-a-perpetrator-of-manslaughter with this issue, and that's pretty much the only thing that really keeps driving the plot forward and, for that matter the only thing that feels fresh, because having Matt get shot and then beaten to within an inch of his life is something that far too many writers and artists, including ones who very recently worked on this title, have already done for it to have any real emotional impact at this point. This issue feels a bit too much like extender, something to fatten the eventual hardcover or trade paperback, which is a shame since Zdarsky has demonstrated, time and time again, that he knows how to pack a lot of story into just twenty or twenty-one pages.
Checchetto, again, disappoints here, relative to what I know he's capable of, and in truth I often find myself looking back at his work during the Mark Waid days, especially since one of the characters he also drew in that run shows up here.
Charles Soule and his rotating crew of artists did a pretty decent job of putting Matt through the wringer, but what made their approach enjoyable was how they tried to put their own stamp on his various tribulations. This run, so far, has the one interesting hypothetical question, but little else going for it. I like Zdarsky's work and my affection for this character is definitely going to keep me onboard for more than just one story arc, but I really hope he and Chechetto (or other artists) have more in store than just this.
6/10
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