Thunderbolts #168 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (writer), Matthew Southworth (artist), Frank Martin, Jr. (colorist)

The Story: As it turns out, this particular man does have a name.

The Review: I spread a lot of DC love around here, and I think it’s time Marvel gets some of that as well.  Now, DC has given a lot of big talk about promoting diversity and highlighting minority characters, but at the end of the day, the most prominent non-white hero in its roster is probably John Stewart, honorary Green Lantern, whose popularity is mostly cultish.

Meanwhile, Marvel has several minority characters who’ve actually reached iconic status, like the highly beloved and respected Storm and, as of late, Luke Cage.  It’s really quite amazing how since his entry into the New Avengers some years ago, he’s made a meteoric rise to becoming one of the most prolific heroes adventuring in the Marvel Universe today.  Even so, for a long time, he still tended to be the “black” voice of the teams he works with, rather than a fully-formed personality of his own.

This issue shows how much he’s grown since his early proto-Mr. T. days.  As he grapples with Mr. Fear’s unexpected attack, we essentially get to see Parker break down Cage’s tough guy exterior, the one he relies on to command the respect of his peers and the loyalty (or, at least, obedience) of the Thunderbolts.  Once all that bravado and rough talk (“One day I’m going to bust in and hear: ‘Luke Cage?  Please don’t beat me like a cheap drum!  I surrender!’…  No time soon, I hope) disappears, we get a very different, vulnerable, and tortured sort of Cage.

At some point in every superhero’s life, they encounter a plotline where they must confront their deepest fears, either actually or via delusion, as Cage does here.  Either way, the experience is actually more valuable to us than anybody else, as we get to see the things that haunt and worry our heroes, and thus what makes up the backbone of their characters.  For Cage, we see not only his determination to escape the stigma of being a criminal, but his hope that others will do the same, as part of his hallucination involves the Thunderbolts giving into their worse selves.

Parker cleverly ties in this gnawing concern with the sequence where Songbird and Mach V confront the bureaucrats who commission the team.  In a neat twist, these suited-and-tied individuals are several times more pragmatic and ends-means oriented than the people they employ, coming off colder and more ruthless than the supposed criminals at work.  They make no apologies, however, and make it obvious they only care about the function of the team.

Daredevil #105 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark, Paul Azaceta & Stefano Gaudiano (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors)

Like Brian Bendis’ run on Daredevil, Ed Brubaker really knows how to hurt and torture our hero. Old Hornhead’s confrontation with Mr. Fear has been building up for months now and with this issue we’re finally given the conclusion. At first, I thought we were going to have The Hood square off with Mr. Fear, but that face-off was quickly diffused.

What we do get is a somewhat drawn out slugfest between hero and villain. It’s safe to say that Fear doesn’t have a chance against Daredevil, and Brubaker enforces that fact by showing Fear taking a licking. My qualm is because it’s just a beating, it’s not very exciting. It doesn’t help that the art also doesn’t contain any sort of kinetic energy, either. Don’t get me wrong, the art is very strong from a storytelling standpoint, but when it came to the big fight, it felt somewhat lacking.

As we come to learn, Fear doesn’t care if Daredevil kills or pummels him – he doesn’t even care if he’s sent to jail. Why? Because he’s already beaten him. He’s shattered his life and hurt the one he loves. We, the reader, pretty much know this, but the fact that it’s reinforced here is somewhat anti-climatic.

The epilogue, thankfully is much stronger than the climax. But it’s completely twisted and depressing. I think no matter the circumstances here, there was no way to end this confrontation in a satisfactory manner; Brubaker might have written himself into a corner. He got himself out, but like the fight between Daredevil and Mr. Fear, it wasn’t pretty. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes

Daredevil #104 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (Writer), Michael Lark (Pencils)

I have a problem with Daredevil. In fact, I’ve had a problem with Daredevil for maybe a year now. They read too fast! Believe me, it’s not for the lack of dialogue or narration – there’s plenty of it, but the way Brubaker writes this title, the story always moves at a blistering pace. There’s not necessarily a lot of action, it just flows so well that in just a moment’s notice the story’s over and you’ve got to wait another 30 days for the next issue. It’s frustrating, but in a good way.

Daredevil #104 continues this trend with Daredevil still on Mr. Fear’s trail, while Milla goes off the deep end once more. It feels somewhat of a retread but there’s a method to Brubaker’s madness. And then The Hood enters the picture. Brian K. Vaughan’s creation has been wrecking a lot of havoc in the Marvel Universe over the past year, and it seems that he’s now setting his sites on Hell’s Kitchen. Michael Lark’s art has been consistent throughout his run. I don’t know if he’s channeling Alex Maleev or not, but I sure don’t miss him much.

There’s one issue left in this story arc, and I’m curious to see how things will wrap up. It’s obvious that Mr. Fear’s time is up, but who’s going to take him out first? Old horned head or The Hood? Then there’s the ramifications of Milla’s violent acts. It’s gonna be one heck of a ride! (Grade: B)

– J.Montes