written by Margaret Stohl
penciled by Carlos Pacheco
inked by Rafael Fonteriz
colored by Marcio Menyz and Federico Blee
flashback sequences illustrated by Marguerite Sauvage
Following the release of the Captain Marvel trailer a couple of months ago, I was unable to get a copy of The Life of Captain Marvel #4, and so, irritatingly, I missed a significant chunk of the story, which may or may not have affected how I appreciated this final issue of what has been billed to be Carol Danvers' definitive, if retrofitted, origin story.
Issue #3 ended with the bombshell that Carol's mother Marie Danvers, previously believed to be an ordinary earth woman, was a Kree warrior, and issue #5 begins with a flashback to the time Carol worked with the late Mar-Vell, her predecessor in the mantle of Captain Marvel, and then segues to a drawn-out fight between Carol and her newly-revealed warrior mother on the one hand, and the Kree warrior known only as the Kleaner on the other, with the fate of Joe Danvers Jr., Carol's brother, and the whole town, basically hanging in the balance. Mayhem ensues, and as the fight ends, Carol's life is forever changed for the new knowledge she has gained.
As retconned origins go, this wasn't bad, though really, it pales next to some of the best examples of this somewhat dubious form of storytelling, with my favorite still being how they retconned Bucky from being a Robin knock-off to one of the most interesting characters in the Marvel printed universe. I regret having missed issue #4 of this series as it contains the meat and potatoes, the secret origin of Marie Danvers, aka Kree Captain Mari-Ell, but this issue should be judged on its own merits, and if I'm honest, it's a somewhat disappointing ending to a series that showed genuine promise at one point. Sure, it's got a fair share of action, but not only does it end on a sour note, it ends on a distinctly anti-climactic note with Carol going into "Binary" mode and never even getting the opportunity to really cut loose on her enemy.
As has often been the case with this miniseries, the saving grace is the art, with Carlos Pacheco and his collaborators Rafael Fonteriz, Marcio Menyz and Federico Blee as well as Marguerite Sauvage delivering when Stohl's script doesn't.
Based on what I've read about the last issue, I really missed out, but really, overall, this series has had more downs than ups, and that's kind of sad considering that this miniseries is most likely the means by which a lot of new readers are going to get acquainted with Carol Danvers. Maybe they could have gotten G. Willow Wilson, whose done a bang-up job scripting Ms. Marvel for the last five years, to do the writing instead.
6.5/10
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
And Finally, The Plot is Revealed: A Review of Captain America #6 (SPOILERS)
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
Following the revelation of the identity and motivations of the previously mysterious Alexandra Lukin last issue, Ta Nehisi Coates unveils her sinister plans for Captain America, which involve a lot more than just generic murder and mayhem. Her husband may be back from the dead, courtesy of some black magic, but what she has in store for Cap and his friends involves a lot more than just magic tricks or the usual punch-ups, and with the last few pages of the issue, it becomes clear just how serious her plans are as a major character is found murdered, and a certain star-spangled Avenger is the main suspect.
As I said in my review of the last issue, it was fairly clear that Coates was not going to neatly wrap up his story arc as we were just getting to know his main antagonist but rather was setting up his next big, status quo shattering arc, and he makes his play here. This isn't a bad thing, but Coates suddenly goes heavy on the exposition, as Alexandra meets up with her mentor, who turns out to be no less than a fictionalized version of the infamous Grigori Rasputin and seeks his help in carrying out her plan to destroy America. Coates goes a bit heavy-handed on the allegory, but given how he sets up with one shocking death the trajectory of the next story arc, I can almost forgive him this indulgence. Almost.
What works against Coates here is the fact that readers have only just been through a storyline which has left Cap's reputation in tatters, and in fact Cap is still reeling from the HYDRA takeover of America that he himself, or a shadow of him, spearheaded. The onus is now on Coates to show how his plan to ruin Cap's life is going to be even more hard-hitting than Nick Spencer's, WITHOUT feeling redundant.
Unfortunately, Coates will no longer be joined by his ace collaborators Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, who, per Marvel's solicitations, are ending their tenure on this title with this issue, which is a shame because they've really been consistently good all throughout. Even in this issue, which is basically a bunch of talking heads, they've managed to produce topnotch art. It's just too bad Coates couldn't have his run with them end on a more action-packed note, especially considering the somewhat anticlimactic showdown of last issue, but I get what Coates is going for, even though I don't necessarily agree with it.
It should be interesting to see where the story goes from here, and I hope that Coates can sustain what has, for the most part, been a fairly decent standard of storytelling over these last four issues.
6.5/10
penciled by Leinil Francis Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
Following the revelation of the identity and motivations of the previously mysterious Alexandra Lukin last issue, Ta Nehisi Coates unveils her sinister plans for Captain America, which involve a lot more than just generic murder and mayhem. Her husband may be back from the dead, courtesy of some black magic, but what she has in store for Cap and his friends involves a lot more than just magic tricks or the usual punch-ups, and with the last few pages of the issue, it becomes clear just how serious her plans are as a major character is found murdered, and a certain star-spangled Avenger is the main suspect.
As I said in my review of the last issue, it was fairly clear that Coates was not going to neatly wrap up his story arc as we were just getting to know his main antagonist but rather was setting up his next big, status quo shattering arc, and he makes his play here. This isn't a bad thing, but Coates suddenly goes heavy on the exposition, as Alexandra meets up with her mentor, who turns out to be no less than a fictionalized version of the infamous Grigori Rasputin and seeks his help in carrying out her plan to destroy America. Coates goes a bit heavy-handed on the allegory, but given how he sets up with one shocking death the trajectory of the next story arc, I can almost forgive him this indulgence. Almost.
What works against Coates here is the fact that readers have only just been through a storyline which has left Cap's reputation in tatters, and in fact Cap is still reeling from the HYDRA takeover of America that he himself, or a shadow of him, spearheaded. The onus is now on Coates to show how his plan to ruin Cap's life is going to be even more hard-hitting than Nick Spencer's, WITHOUT feeling redundant.
Unfortunately, Coates will no longer be joined by his ace collaborators Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Gho, who, per Marvel's solicitations, are ending their tenure on this title with this issue, which is a shame because they've really been consistently good all throughout. Even in this issue, which is basically a bunch of talking heads, they've managed to produce topnotch art. It's just too bad Coates couldn't have his run with them end on a more action-packed note, especially considering the somewhat anticlimactic showdown of last issue, but I get what Coates is going for, even though I don't necessarily agree with it.
It should be interesting to see where the story goes from here, and I hope that Coates can sustain what has, for the most part, been a fairly decent standard of storytelling over these last four issues.
6.5/10
Monday, December 3, 2018
So This is How Daredevil Dies: A Review of Daredevil #612
written by Charles Soule
drawn by Phil Noto
This is the issue that's been hyped considerably for the last several months. Daredevil kicks his war against the Kingpin, the mayor of New York, into high gear, and into the court, where Matt is king.
At the end of the day, though, the entire story arc is called "the Death of Daredevil" and in that respect, this issue delivers, though I dare not go into how.
Suffice it to say, though, that ordinarily, I would utterly despise the story device that Soule employs in this issue and yet, for some reason, thanks to the wild ride that he and Phil Noto have taken me on for the last several issues, it proves surprisingly easy to forgive him his self-indulgence. One of the reasons it goes down surprisingly easily is the fact that looking back, there were several clues in the storytelling that suggested that this was what was going on; sort of like how a moviegoer looks back at scenes from The Sixth Sense, and realizes that the twist in the end was hinted at several times throughout the movie.
Yeah, Soule's stunt feels a little cheap (and no, I still won't spoil what happens) but in honesty, I kind of found it fun, and that a different conclusion would have been a bit too, well, obvious. As much as I enjoyed Mark Waid's run, the manner in which he concluded it felt a little too neat for me, just as Bendis' run ended on a note that was way too dark for me to really appreciate. Soule, in ending his three-year run, leans a little more towards Bendis than he does towards Waid, but there's such a sense of mischief in what he does that, even though there's a part of me that's sincerely annoyed, another part of me genuinely had fun with this little twist. And Noto's picturesque art really makes everything easier to look at.
I'll end this review before I spoil things, but suffice it to say that, while this could have ended better, I was honestly expecting something a lot worse based on the marketing of this issue, and so I actually managed to enjoy myself, all things considered.
7.5/10
drawn by Phil Noto
This is the issue that's been hyped considerably for the last several months. Daredevil kicks his war against the Kingpin, the mayor of New York, into high gear, and into the court, where Matt is king.
At the end of the day, though, the entire story arc is called "the Death of Daredevil" and in that respect, this issue delivers, though I dare not go into how.
Suffice it to say, though, that ordinarily, I would utterly despise the story device that Soule employs in this issue and yet, for some reason, thanks to the wild ride that he and Phil Noto have taken me on for the last several issues, it proves surprisingly easy to forgive him his self-indulgence. One of the reasons it goes down surprisingly easily is the fact that looking back, there were several clues in the storytelling that suggested that this was what was going on; sort of like how a moviegoer looks back at scenes from The Sixth Sense, and realizes that the twist in the end was hinted at several times throughout the movie.
Yeah, Soule's stunt feels a little cheap (and no, I still won't spoil what happens) but in honesty, I kind of found it fun, and that a different conclusion would have been a bit too, well, obvious. As much as I enjoyed Mark Waid's run, the manner in which he concluded it felt a little too neat for me, just as Bendis' run ended on a note that was way too dark for me to really appreciate. Soule, in ending his three-year run, leans a little more towards Bendis than he does towards Waid, but there's such a sense of mischief in what he does that, even though there's a part of me that's sincerely annoyed, another part of me genuinely had fun with this little twist. And Noto's picturesque art really makes everything easier to look at.
I'll end this review before I spoil things, but suffice it to say that, while this could have ended better, I was honestly expecting something a lot worse based on the marketing of this issue, and so I actually managed to enjoy myself, all things considered.
7.5/10
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Capsule Review: The Amazing Spider-Man #9 and #10
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Humberto Ramos (with Michele Bandini)
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado (with Erick Arciniega)
After shrouding his "Thieves' Guild" in a whole lot of mystery in issue #8, Nick Spencer makes an obligatory, multi-page exposition dump in issue #9, without explaining just how the guild managed to literally teleport the gear of all the major heroes and keep it hidden from them, and then wraps things up in issue #10 with a solution which, I suppose, is intended to be funny but which comes across as just a little bit lazy. It's really kind of a pity that these last three issues were as lackadaisical as they were because I really enjoyed the two Boomerang-centric issues that preceded them. Spencer hasn't exactly squandered the goodwill he's earned with me with his first story arc and even his two-issue mini-arc, but this is definitely the weakest story he's turned in so far in the six months since he's taken over this book.
Issues #9 and #10, however, do have one saving grace, and it's the surprisingly moving subplot featuring Mary Jane, who is now very much Peter's squeeze again, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis, and a support group whom Jarvis has organized for the significant others of superheroes. It's a simple but brilliant concept, and plays out quite well. Michele Bandini illustrates this story and does a pretty good job of it, though to be fair Ramos recovers from a wobbly first issue of the story (issue #8) and delivers decent art in both issues #9 and #10. Of the stories being told here, though, I easily gravitated more towards MJ's.
Finally, as the issue ends, one of the running story threads resumes on the very last panel, and I gotta say, even though Spencer may have stumbled a bit with this arc, he's still got me hooked for what comes next.
7/10 (both issues)
'
penciled by Humberto Ramos (with Michele Bandini)
inked by Victor Olazaba
colored by Edgar Delgado (with Erick Arciniega)
After shrouding his "Thieves' Guild" in a whole lot of mystery in issue #8, Nick Spencer makes an obligatory, multi-page exposition dump in issue #9, without explaining just how the guild managed to literally teleport the gear of all the major heroes and keep it hidden from them, and then wraps things up in issue #10 with a solution which, I suppose, is intended to be funny but which comes across as just a little bit lazy. It's really kind of a pity that these last three issues were as lackadaisical as they were because I really enjoyed the two Boomerang-centric issues that preceded them. Spencer hasn't exactly squandered the goodwill he's earned with me with his first story arc and even his two-issue mini-arc, but this is definitely the weakest story he's turned in so far in the six months since he's taken over this book.
Issues #9 and #10, however, do have one saving grace, and it's the surprisingly moving subplot featuring Mary Jane, who is now very much Peter's squeeze again, Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis, and a support group whom Jarvis has organized for the significant others of superheroes. It's a simple but brilliant concept, and plays out quite well. Michele Bandini illustrates this story and does a pretty good job of it, though to be fair Ramos recovers from a wobbly first issue of the story (issue #8) and delivers decent art in both issues #9 and #10. Of the stories being told here, though, I easily gravitated more towards MJ's.
Finally, as the issue ends, one of the running story threads resumes on the very last panel, and I gotta say, even though Spencer may have stumbled a bit with this arc, he's still got me hooked for what comes next.
7/10 (both issues)
'
Friday, November 30, 2018
This Review is Two Weeks Late...But Still Worth Writing! (A Review of The Avengers #10/#700)
written by Jason Aaron
drawn by David Marquez, Ed McGuinness, Frazer Irving, Adam Kubert and Andrea Sorrentino
colored by Justin Ponsor, Erick Arciniega, Frazer Irving, Matthew Wilson, Giada Marchisio
With few exceptions, I usually enjoy anniversary issues. They may cost extra, but usually the additional content is worth the premium. Sometimes I'm not at all happy with them thanks to lots of filler, but other times, Marvel really hits it out of the park as they did a few months back with The Amazing Spider-Man #800. This issue, Avengers #700, is not quite in that league, but it is a genuinely satisfying read just the same.
Following Namor's declaration of war on the surface world and his skirmish with his former teammates in issue #9, he continues his warpath on surface dwellers occupying the ocean when he and his team of mostly ex-supervillains attacks Hydropolis, a community of scientists living in an artificial underwater community. The Avengers, again, come to the rescue, but this time, another team alerted to Namor's attacks has come to take him down as well: the team of former Soviet operatives known as the Winter Guard, who were sent by Russia after Namor's crew attacked a Russian submarine in the Black Sea. The whole gang is there: Red Guardian, Crimson Dynamo, Ursa Major, Perun, Darkstar, Chernobog, Vostok and a mysterious new product of the Red Room, Red Widow. Will this strange team-up of sorts work against the threat of Namor and his crew, or will things turn out even worse for the Avengers? Meanwhile, Thunderbolt Ross, now wary of the Avengers since they've decided to station themselves outside of the United States and put Black Panther, the sovereign ruler of Wakanda, in charge of the team, takes decisive action to fill in the void they've left.
This is a pretty impressively-sized issue, with about forty-eight pages of story, but for me this would have gone for naught if the main story was not its strongest. Fortunately, Jason Aaron, David Marquez and Ed McGuinness really deliver the goods here, especially McGuinness, who delivers the strongest single issue he's worked on since he came onto this book. It helps that his colorist is Justin Ponsor, whose palette is a lot more pleasing to the eye than the previous colorist David Curiel. This was real steak-and-potatoes storytelling, with crackling dialogue, gorgeous art, some hard-hitting, if sometimes predictable story beats, and a conclusion that has me hankering for me.
The three shorter stories that follow, only two of which are really substantial, are not quite as entertaining as the main tale, but they don't need to be, and they tie in nicely to the ongoing narrative. The short story featuring Ghost Rider and Odin is entertaining and beautifully illustrated by Frazer Irving, while the story that looks up Loki for the first time since the defeat of the Dark Sentinels several issues back is fun if only for showing us what happened to him, even as it teases an all-new story to be told another time, and possibly in another book. And then, there's the two page tease for an all-new member of the Avengers.
Yes, this issue's been out for a couple of weeks now and really doesn't need the hype, but I've been wanting to share much I enjoyed it ever since I read it and so here I go.
8.5/10
drawn by David Marquez, Ed McGuinness, Frazer Irving, Adam Kubert and Andrea Sorrentino
colored by Justin Ponsor, Erick Arciniega, Frazer Irving, Matthew Wilson, Giada Marchisio
With few exceptions, I usually enjoy anniversary issues. They may cost extra, but usually the additional content is worth the premium. Sometimes I'm not at all happy with them thanks to lots of filler, but other times, Marvel really hits it out of the park as they did a few months back with The Amazing Spider-Man #800. This issue, Avengers #700, is not quite in that league, but it is a genuinely satisfying read just the same.
Following Namor's declaration of war on the surface world and his skirmish with his former teammates in issue #9, he continues his warpath on surface dwellers occupying the ocean when he and his team of mostly ex-supervillains attacks Hydropolis, a community of scientists living in an artificial underwater community. The Avengers, again, come to the rescue, but this time, another team alerted to Namor's attacks has come to take him down as well: the team of former Soviet operatives known as the Winter Guard, who were sent by Russia after Namor's crew attacked a Russian submarine in the Black Sea. The whole gang is there: Red Guardian, Crimson Dynamo, Ursa Major, Perun, Darkstar, Chernobog, Vostok and a mysterious new product of the Red Room, Red Widow. Will this strange team-up of sorts work against the threat of Namor and his crew, or will things turn out even worse for the Avengers? Meanwhile, Thunderbolt Ross, now wary of the Avengers since they've decided to station themselves outside of the United States and put Black Panther, the sovereign ruler of Wakanda, in charge of the team, takes decisive action to fill in the void they've left.
This is a pretty impressively-sized issue, with about forty-eight pages of story, but for me this would have gone for naught if the main story was not its strongest. Fortunately, Jason Aaron, David Marquez and Ed McGuinness really deliver the goods here, especially McGuinness, who delivers the strongest single issue he's worked on since he came onto this book. It helps that his colorist is Justin Ponsor, whose palette is a lot more pleasing to the eye than the previous colorist David Curiel. This was real steak-and-potatoes storytelling, with crackling dialogue, gorgeous art, some hard-hitting, if sometimes predictable story beats, and a conclusion that has me hankering for me.
The three shorter stories that follow, only two of which are really substantial, are not quite as entertaining as the main tale, but they don't need to be, and they tie in nicely to the ongoing narrative. The short story featuring Ghost Rider and Odin is entertaining and beautifully illustrated by Frazer Irving, while the story that looks up Loki for the first time since the defeat of the Dark Sentinels several issues back is fun if only for showing us what happened to him, even as it teases an all-new story to be told another time, and possibly in another book. And then, there's the two page tease for an all-new member of the Avengers.
Yes, this issue's been out for a couple of weeks now and really doesn't need the hype, but I've been wanting to share much I enjoyed it ever since I read it and so here I go.
8.5/10
Saturday, November 24, 2018
The Enemy is Revealed...but not Quite the Plot: A (Late) Review of Captain America #5
written by Ta Nehisi Coates
penciled by Leinil Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
After the solicitations and the cover for this issue promised a climactic showdown between Captain America and Selene, this issue sort of delivers on the promise as Cap predictably defeats Taskmaster and comes face-to-face with Selene, who is about to consume Sharon Carter. Fireworks ensue.
I'll be honest; I was expecting a bit more from the promised Cap/Selene showdown, judging from the grim cover and the fact that it's the penultimate issue of the story, so I've got to be honest, as semi-climaxes go, this one kind of failed to live up to the hype. Heck, even Cap's fight with Taskmaster lasted longer than this did, and Taskmaster never even made the cover.
Another thing that disappoints is that, rather than set-up a satisfying conclusion to what's been a fairly engaging arc, it seems, based on the future solicitations at least, that Coates is setting up one of those finales that really messes up the status quo for the hero and lays out a whole new arc (or several) in which he strives to claw his way back to some semblance of normalcy, sort of how Bendis outed Daredevil waaay back in 2001 and spent the next three years having Matt deal with the fallout. Coates' goes easy on his political subtext, limiting his Russia-is-running-America comments to just a few lines of dialogue, and makes it a point to make a bigger splash with his old-school villain reveal at the end of the issue. It's not a bad issue, and certainly doesn't descend into the meandering exposition that Coates' early Black Panther run did, but after two much stronger issues it definitely disappoints.
One thing about the issue that does not disappoint, however, is the art, as Yu, Alanguilan and Gho hit it out of the park yet again, making me wonder what they could have done with a more drawn-out battle between Cap and a powerhouse like Selene. Unfortunately, from future Marvel solicitations it doesn't look like they'll be sticking around for much longer, either, which is a real shame. Anyway, I'm glad to have had them for as long as I have.
7/10
penciled by Leinil Yu
inked by Gerry Alanguilan
colored by Sunny Gho
After the solicitations and the cover for this issue promised a climactic showdown between Captain America and Selene, this issue sort of delivers on the promise as Cap predictably defeats Taskmaster and comes face-to-face with Selene, who is about to consume Sharon Carter. Fireworks ensue.
I'll be honest; I was expecting a bit more from the promised Cap/Selene showdown, judging from the grim cover and the fact that it's the penultimate issue of the story, so I've got to be honest, as semi-climaxes go, this one kind of failed to live up to the hype. Heck, even Cap's fight with Taskmaster lasted longer than this did, and Taskmaster never even made the cover.
Another thing that disappoints is that, rather than set-up a satisfying conclusion to what's been a fairly engaging arc, it seems, based on the future solicitations at least, that Coates is setting up one of those finales that really messes up the status quo for the hero and lays out a whole new arc (or several) in which he strives to claw his way back to some semblance of normalcy, sort of how Bendis outed Daredevil waaay back in 2001 and spent the next three years having Matt deal with the fallout. Coates' goes easy on his political subtext, limiting his Russia-is-running-America comments to just a few lines of dialogue, and makes it a point to make a bigger splash with his old-school villain reveal at the end of the issue. It's not a bad issue, and certainly doesn't descend into the meandering exposition that Coates' early Black Panther run did, but after two much stronger issues it definitely disappoints.
One thing about the issue that does not disappoint, however, is the art, as Yu, Alanguilan and Gho hit it out of the park yet again, making me wonder what they could have done with a more drawn-out battle between Cap and a powerhouse like Selene. Unfortunately, from future Marvel solicitations it doesn't look like they'll be sticking around for much longer, either, which is a real shame. Anyway, I'm glad to have had them for as long as I have.
7/10
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Capsule Review: Daredevil #611
written by Charles Soule
illustrated by Phil Noto
After Matt Murdock's plan to find out the truth behind Wilson Fisk's election as Mayor by kidnapping James Wesley, Fisk's right hand man, goes horribly wrong, thing proceed to get absolutely batshit crazy for the man without fear as he finds himself confronting a whole slew of assassins, ranging from upgraded versions of previously laughable villains like Stilt-Man to more serious threats like Typhoid Mary, Electro, Ikari, and the deadliest of them all, Bullseye. Having just been hit by a truck a few issues back hasn't done Matt any favors, either, but fortunately, he's about to get a helping hand from whom he least expects it.
It's fairly obvious that Marvel isn't going to kill Matt Murdock, with any lasting effect, and quite possibly not even in the literal sense, but the thing about a lot of these "death of..." stories these days is that it's interesting to see how it plays out, and so it is with this story. It was fun seeing Matt take on so many of his nemeses at the same time, even though it was played a bit for laughs, and played out a bit too quickly. As epic last stands go, the Matt-versus-his-rogues-gallery would have made a pretty splashy battle but clearly Soule has something else in mind as Matt gets past this particular obstacle with relative ease.
Interestingly, though, Wilson Fisk has been quiet for the last several issues; Matt assumes, probably correctly, that it was Fisk who sicced on him all the villains dogpiling him, but what if it wasn't?
In any event, Soule and his new regular artist Phil Noto throw a last-minute curveball as they end the penultimate chapter of Soule's run, and however this saga may eventually end, I feel somewhat assured that things are only going to get more interesting from here.
8/10
illustrated by Phil Noto
After Matt Murdock's plan to find out the truth behind Wilson Fisk's election as Mayor by kidnapping James Wesley, Fisk's right hand man, goes horribly wrong, thing proceed to get absolutely batshit crazy for the man without fear as he finds himself confronting a whole slew of assassins, ranging from upgraded versions of previously laughable villains like Stilt-Man to more serious threats like Typhoid Mary, Electro, Ikari, and the deadliest of them all, Bullseye. Having just been hit by a truck a few issues back hasn't done Matt any favors, either, but fortunately, he's about to get a helping hand from whom he least expects it.
It's fairly obvious that Marvel isn't going to kill Matt Murdock, with any lasting effect, and quite possibly not even in the literal sense, but the thing about a lot of these "death of..." stories these days is that it's interesting to see how it plays out, and so it is with this story. It was fun seeing Matt take on so many of his nemeses at the same time, even though it was played a bit for laughs, and played out a bit too quickly. As epic last stands go, the Matt-versus-his-rogues-gallery would have made a pretty splashy battle but clearly Soule has something else in mind as Matt gets past this particular obstacle with relative ease.
Interestingly, though, Wilson Fisk has been quiet for the last several issues; Matt assumes, probably correctly, that it was Fisk who sicced on him all the villains dogpiling him, but what if it wasn't?
In any event, Soule and his new regular artist Phil Noto throw a last-minute curveball as they end the penultimate chapter of Soule's run, and however this saga may eventually end, I feel somewhat assured that things are only going to get more interesting from here.
8/10
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