Daredevil #27 – Review

By: Mark Waid (story), Chris Samnee (art), Javier Rodriguez (colors)

The Story: Bullseye learns to hear no evil, speak no evil, and see no evil.

The Review: You know, until Daredevil joined the New Avengers just a few years ago, I hadn’t realized how much of an untethered lone wolf he was in the Marvel Universe.  Pretty much every other superhero on the planet has been part of the X-Men or the Avengers one way or another, yet Daredevil remained a man unto himself.  That doesn’t mean, of course, that he never made super-buddies before, and those friendships have only grown stronger with his Avenger status.

It makes perfect sense to me that if you have other friends with superpowers, you’d rely on them for help during a personal crisis, even if your pride as a vigilante has to take a backseat.  While you certainly wouldn’t want Daredevil to use his pals as a crutch all the time, under these circumstances—by which I mean he’s one beat-up man trying to protect all his loved ones against a gang of formidable enemies—asking his most trusted “agents” to keep an eye on home while he takes cares of unfinished business is just smart.

Thus in the end, despite the best-laid plans and meticulous attention to detail, despite having no choice but to focus on his endgoal, Bullseye remains “a hitman, not a mastermind.”  Even trapped in his own incapable body, our villain thinks only in terms of targets, centering upon one object.  While people like Foggy, Milla, and Kirsten naturally fall within range of Bullseye’s sight, he fails to see beyond his usual scope and this, more than anything, leads to his downfall.

That doesn’t mean that Daredevil didn’t have something to do with his archnemesis’ downfall, however.  His opponents continue to challenge him to the very end, and in his weary state, he has no physical advantages left.  That leaves him with only two weapons: his ability to improvise and his always-get-back-up attitude.  These are not cheap tricks Waid has written for our fearless hero; all the pieces have already been set in place for Daredevil to put to use, from his telescopic club to the drums of radioactive substance in Bullseye’s warehouse.

It’s really no one’s fault that our villains don’t see their problems coming, other than their own, of course.  Terrible as Bullseye’s ultimate fate in this issue is, you can’t say it’s undeserved.  Now a broken man, deprived of his movement and most his senses, he believes that he’s already hit rock bottom and thus has nothing left to lose.  What happens to him at the end of the issue proves him wrong in the cruelest way, stripping him of everything, leaving him a “living brain in a flesh-and-bone coffin.”

It’s not a perfect issue, however.  Bullseye’s labored explanation of how he formed his master-plot against Daredevil is largely redundant, as we’ve known much of it for a while.  It’s one of those climactic monologues villains are always so fond of having right before they slide down the path to defeat, and between that and his arrogant tunnel-vision, he winds up losing much of the credibility he’s built up during this arc.

Samnee faithfully drives up the suspense that Waid encourages, preventing you from seeing Daredevil’s own tricks before they’re sprung, giving them maximum impact.  I do have to say, however, that Samnee gives himself a good start by fudging things a little bit.  On the opening page, when one of Matt’s employees enters his office, you see a silhouette of someone (suggesting one of Bullseye’s henchmen) who later turns out to be Iron Fist.  But this silhouette had a sai in his hands, which disappears once Iron Fist is revealed.  I see this as a bit of a cheat, but a minor flaw against Samnee’s otherwise strong work.

Conclusion: A very strong conclusion to a gripping arc and an even more gripping storyline, though overall, it doesn’t quite capitalize on all the potential drama it could have.

Grade: B+

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – I love how those two therapists at Milla’s asylum are giving Matt crap for being trouble to his wife.  As if they didn’t look at Black Widow wheeling Milla around and didn’t immediately sense trouble.

Hawkeye #8 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (story), David Aja & Annie Wu (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors)

The Story: Clint finds an unlucky Penny.

The Review: On a team populated with mutants, super-soldiers, technological geniuses, and literal gods, a mortal archer (albeit a masterful one with plenty of other skills besides) may be the only character you can truly relate to.  What’s really great about Hawkeye, which Fraction makes more and more apparent with every issue, is that he’s not just an entirely human hero; he’s a hero who’s entirely human as well.

Although every superhero writer would like to claim that they make their characters as true-to-life as possible, only a few succeed in making these costumed crime-fighters resemble actual people.  Fraction does it by writing the most natural dialogue possible.  And by this I don’t mean he renders strings of witty repartee as popularized by sitcoms, Aaron Sorkin, and all CW/WB shows in an attempt to mimic the rhythm of real-life conversation.  What Fraction does is just as noticeable, but done with greater thought to how real people speak.

Winter Soldier #6 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark (penciler), Stefano Gaudiano & Brian Thies (inkers), Bettie Breitweiser (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer)

The Story: So….where the heck is that third sleeper agent?!

The Review:  Between Michael Lark’s dark, moody artwork and Ed Brubaker’s tight narration, I was really struck by how much this issue felt like an issue of Brubaker’s Criminal.  Naturally, that’s a very good thing.  It makes for beaten down characters lost in existential crisis and a general whirlwind of desperation and things constantly going from bad to worse.  In other words, Criminal is noir and so this comic is superhero noir.

Much of this issue is spent establishing new villain, and third sleeper agent, Leo Novokov.  Once again, Winter Soldier succeeds where Brubaker’s Captain America has faltered as of late, as in one issue, we have a very well-established, compelling villain with an interesting backstory and a clear trajectory from sympathetic figure to cold-blooded killer.  Brubaker manages this through a sequence of street-level flashbacks narrated by Leo, a sort of Jason Bourne meets Criminal mash-up.  It’s fantastic watching Leo slowly struggling to figure out who he is, only to have events kick in to dictate to him the answer.  The end result is a character, and a plot, loaded with pathos and ice in the veins.

Fear Itself #3 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Stuart Immonen (penciller), Wade von Grawbadger (inker), Laura Martin & Larry Molinar (colorists), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story: A major Marvel hero dies at the hands of Skadi/Sin, the final member of the Worthy is chosen, and Thor tries to escape prison and rush to Midgard’s aid.

The Review:  I’ve really been enjoying Fear Itself thus far, but I’ve been pretty honest in saying that the sub-text and tone of the story was often more interesting than the hammer-laden story itself.  I’ve really loved that inclusion of desperation and anxiety that has made the book feel relevant, current, and a surprisingly smart read.

So yeah, cue my disappointment when Fraction basically forgets about that sub-text altogether this month, instead focusing on the Worthy stomping about with their hammers and a crapload of action scenes.  It’s not a bad comic in itself, but certainly a letdown given what we’ve been getting, as the book immediately becomes less nuanced and a whole lot simpler.  It’s dangerously close to going from being a book that’s a reflection of the times, to being “just another” superhero comic event.

There’s a lot of fighting, yes, but things also seem to move slowly.  Thor’s inevitable escape from Asgard seems a little more long-winded than it needed to be, for example.  In other cases, pre-event hype hurts the book: the identity of the last member of the Worthy, crowned this month, has been known for quite some time now.  I mean, even the book’s cover more or less gives it away.

On the other hand, there are definitely things to like about the issue.  The ending, for example, is very well plotted and sequenced and delivers the “shit just got real” effect that was clearly intended, particularly given the deceased characters’ identity and his/her last words.  Things definitely feel a lot more dangerous and the superhero community, and the world itself, continues to look vulnerable and truly in danger, not an easy feat in superhero comics.   While some might have predicted it, the death is nonetheless one that’ll hit home for a lot of readers, as it should.

The end result is one that shows much of what the last page of last month’s issue told.  That is, it emphasizes the powerlessness of the Marvel Universe’s heroes in the face of this threat.  From the Hulk running rampant and tossing Betty around, to the major Marvel characters who die and transform to join the Worthy, to a pitiful last stand late in the issue, the point is driven home.

Secret Avengers #10 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato & Will Conrad (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Steve Rogers and his Secret Avengers rush to save Shiang-Chi and halt Zheng Zu’s plans for resurrection.

The Review:  Secret Avengers #10 is one of those difficult issues to review in that while it does nothing wrong, it also doesn’t do anything terribly right.

There’s nothing really emotionally powerful, compelling, or witty about this issue.  Frankly, there’s also not a lot here that you’ve not seen before.  It’s ultimately just a giant action scene resolving exactly as you most likely thought it would.  In this sense, it may even be accused of being phoned in a bit.

But once you lower your expectations and realize that you’re getting your average superhero comic, there is stuff to like here.  For starters, the art by Mike Deodato and Will Conrad is very, very strong and truly one of Deodato’s better outings.  The action is superb, feeling incredibly fast and fluid.  Movements are smooth and dynamic and the fights are acrobatic, all-encompassing, and quite a lot of fun.

Valkyrie fans will also get a real kick out of this issue, as she goes one on one with John Steele.  The resulting fight is a real “hell yeah” where Valkyrie is concerned and shows her for the badass that she really is.  She’s a character that doesn’t often get the love she deserves, so this was pretty awesome.  It also showed some interesting development in Steve Rogers’ place as team leader; unlike last time in his dealings with Steele, Rogers delegates a fight that he has a personal stake in, letting Valkyrie take Steele instead, what with her being more capable of handling the super-soldier than Rogers himself.  It’s a point that’s dwelt on a bit by Brubaker towards issue’s end, and it shows a maturity to Rogers’ character that is probably the smartest part of the issue.

Secret Avengers #8 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato (art), and Rain Beredo (colors)

The Story: The Secret Avengers try to defend Hong Kong against Shang-Chi’s father and his rampaging hordes while Max Fury and John Steele set up an ambush.

What’s Good: While it’s  not quite as awesome as the past few issues, rest assured that Secret Avengers remains a very good title in this, its second arc.  Essentially, some of the pulpy kung-fu goodness gets toned down a bit this month, but that only makes it an issue that’s clearly an easy one for Brubaker to write; it feels quite a bit like his Captain America in tone, at times.

Part of the reason for this is the Shadow Council.  Since the comic returned to Earth, Brubaker has done a fantastic job with these guys.  They’re a pulpy secret society, but this month they also come across as the kind of covert commando operation that Brubaker writes so well.  It makes them fun to read and ominous, yet highly capable bad guys.  Steele and Max Fury also make for compelling and very dangerous adversaries.  Their presence and their actions make this month’s issue into something of a spy book, and I quite enjoyed it.  This makes for a book that’s fast, but also one involving scheming, planning, ambushes, and diversions.

The real star this month though is Mike Deodato, who puts out excellent work this month as Brubaker allows him to go wild.  The action scenes are nothing short of incredible and the layouts and splashes are expertly done.  Everything is fluid and dynamic, and really, really cool.  Put in Deodato’s always polished look, and you’ve got a very nice looking comic.

Secret Avengers #7 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato (art), and Rain Beredo (colors)

The Story: Steve Rogers and friends fight to protect Shang Chi while the Prince of Orphans and Valkyrie journey to Fu Manchu’s tomb.

What’s Good: With Secret Avengers #7, Ed Brubaker proves that Secret Avengers’ massive upshot in quality as of #5 is here to stay.  As I said with last month’s issue, this is what we were expecting from an Ed Brubaker covert ops Avengers book, not bland trips to Mars.  This sudden turn is nothing short of brilliant, particularly in that it brings together everything that Brubaker does so well.

First off, you’ve got your pulp, specifically the kung fu breed that’ll really wet the appetites of fans of Brubaker’s Iron Fist run.  From the bad guy (Fu Manchu) to the sheer amount of awesome kung fu fighting, parts of this issue feel like kooky fun from a bygone era, updated in 2010, and that’s exactly the sort of thing that we’ve been getting for years from quality Brubaker comics, particularly Iron Fist and Incognito.  All told, the martial arts base of this arc continues to be absolutely wonderful.

But it’s not just that; Brubaker also lives up to the conspiratorial, shadowy, covert ops part of the equation, something that was also somewhat lacking in the first arc.  This feels like a Steve Rogers spy book at times, with great mysterious enemies that can only just barely be fathomed.   The Shadow Council is as foreboding as ever, and seeing Thorndrake secretly worshipping some Cthulian statue was delicious.  Better still is the emphasis on Rogers’ keeping the teams activities a secret, something that hasn’t really been broached since the first issue.

I’ve complained last month about the continued lack of team dynamic.  Brubaker, on the one hand, is slowly making it clear that this isn’t a conventional Avengers team; really, it’s closer to “Steve Rogers and friends.”  Regardless, we still get subtle character moments this month of the sort we’ve been lacking for some time.  Ant-Man’s youthful eagerness and consequent sloppiness and Rogers’ tactful encouragement of him were high points, while the Prince of Orphans’ team-up with Valkyrie led to a really neat dynamic that was also all kinds of badass.

All told, this was just the sort of issue that, thematically, brought everything together.  Much like the team-up of Fu Manchu and the Shadow Countil, this issue was a wonderful balancing and mixing of retro pulpiness and shadowy conspiracies that led to the comic I’ve always hoped Secret Avengers would be.

Secret Avengers #6 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: Steve Rogers and co. look to halt the resurrection of Shang-Chi’s father.

What’s Good: I’m happy to report that the sudden upsurge in quality with last month’s issue continues in a big way this month, with this new story-arc really playing to Ed Brubaker’s strengths.  Finally, Secret Avengers truly feels like a Brubaker comic.  Were the series to have started out like this, I never would have felt disappointed by it.

Secret Avengers #6, and this whole arc by the looks of it, is Ed Brubaker through and through, doing what he does best.  There’s that wacky pulp element that’s present in all of his work; the ninjas, kung fu, and major presence of Shang-Chi and his father, Fu Manchu, make sure of this.  This is that wonderful sort of retro comic goodness that Brubaker does so well.

Moreover, Secret Avengers finally lives up to its mission statement.  The book actually is starting to feel like a real black-ops superhero team, something which all the Mars stuff didn’t allow for.  There’s a wonderful sequence where Steve narrates by outlining a plan, while said plan plays out on the page.  Better still, this plan features breaking into a museum exhibit in a skyscraper, including the mandatory elevator shaft rappelling scene.  It’s incredibly slick and feels like a superhero heist film.

Then there’s the involvement of the Shadow Council, the masked bad guy, the sudden ambushes, the scheming bad guys, and the digging for mysterious artifacts.  All of it leads to an excellent cloak and dagger feel.  The comic ends up being a blend of modern superhero, 70s pulp, and Indiana Jones styled adventure.  There’s just so much to like here.  It’s a beautiful mix of enjoyable elements, all of which Brubaker excels at.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Mike Deodato continues to truck out excellent work.  Things are dark, as they should be, and the bad guys are foreboding but pulpy.

Captain America #608 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Butch Guice (pencils), Rick Magyar & Mark Pennington (inks), Dean White, Elizabeth Dismang, & Frank Martin (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Cap and Black Widow battle the Beetle as they struggle to discover the identity of their mysterious foe.

What’s Good: Thus far, I’ve very much liked Brubaker’s use of Baron Zemo, understated though it may be.  Never has this been more the case than this month, where Zemo is truly a palpable presence despite only being actually being visible for one page.  Rather than being shown as a direct participant, Zemo instead feels like an all-encompassing shadow, surrounding Cap’s world, the plot, and the general events of this month.  People talk about him in hushed tones and threats while his long reach is demonstrated.  In this sense, he feels all the more powerful and menacing as a villain; he’s the unseen enemy, and as a result, he feels much larger and much more powerful.  Through creating this atmosphere, Brubaker has managed to make Bucky’s predicament much more real and comprehensible to the reader.

Invincible Iron Man #22 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Salvador Larroca (art), Frank D’Armata (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Ghost makes his move and the gang brings in some outside help.

What’s Good: Stark Disassembled continues not to disappoint.

For the second month in a row, the scenes in Tony’s mind have improved.  Tony’s new surroundings make him seem a little more pitiful and hence, it’s easier to empathize with him.  We’ve gone from the admittedly same desert and that cycle of repetition to a claustrophobic, indoor, nighttime environment.  The darkness and smaller surroundings add a greater sense of desperation and intimacy.  The changes with respect to those weird robot enemies only enhances this shift in tone; instead of giant, “War of the Worlds” styled walkers, they’re now human sized, going from house to house and hunting in packs.  This new robo-Gestapo makes Stark’s situation feel tighter and more personal.

Meanwhile, in the real world, the comic succeeds on the continuing strength of the bonds between its supporting characters.  Tied together in desperation and danger, they truly feel like a group of friends, and so it’s hard not to root for Pepper, Maria, and company.  Meanwhile, Pepper feels much more realistic and true to character this month, with Fraction’s having abandoned her bizarre jealousy/irritation/whatever over Tony.  She’s back to her good old loving, stressed self.

As an added bonus, Fraction also has this funny little ongoing joke where sooner, now attached to Tony’s party, keeps relating her new circumstances to the soap operas she normally devours on television.  Seeing her gasping expressions in backgrounds of panels during significant developments, or her seeing an odd resemblance between Dr. Lisk and the hero of her favourite show is a lot of fun in a “truth/fiction” sort of way.

Meanwhile, Larroca puts out really enjoyable work this month.  The contrast between the clear real-world scenes and the murkier “mental” scenes is well-done.  Meanwhile, Larroca’s new manhunting robots and his take on Ghost are truly outstanding.  The robots are legitimately creepy, a good mix of old, campy and slick, modern sci-fi, while Larroca’s Ghost may be the best Ghost I’ve ever seen.  Then there are the illustrations of Dr. Strange’s powers, which are simply breathtaking.

Captain America: Reborn #5 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Bryan Hitch & Butch Guice (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: It’s Cap vs. Buckycap as Steve finds himself trapped in the Red Skull’s mind.

What’s Good: It feels as though Brubaker has gone old school this month with his dialogue, with plenty of cheesecake to go around.  While some may find this unbearable, I found that it added good, clean fun to a comic that has been pretty dark thus far.  Red Skull in particular is nothing short of an old fashioned, cackling villain, letting loose twice with trademark villainous laughter.  At one point, he even goes through the classic bad guy routine of telling one of the heroes his entire plan, in detail.  It’s wonderful stuff, and it’s clear that it’s intentional on Brubaker’s part, as he writes the book very much in the spirit of the Captain America comics of yesteryear with his signature dash of pulp-awareness.  There are some lines that are just so kooky, it’s hard not to smile.

Invincible Iron Man #19 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Salvador Larroca (art), Frank D’Armata (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: World’s Most Wanted comes to an end as Hill, Pepper, and Black Widow try to escape HAMMER and Stark tries to survive the Iron Patriot.

What’s Good: The best thing I can say about this book is that it feels like the giant finale of a 12-part arc.  As far as scope, scale, action, and closure, there’s nothing underwhelming.  This issue truly does feel like a high-budget, high-stakes blockbuster summer movie.  Everything reads and looks very cinematic.

The fight between Osborn and Stark feels highly personal despite the  two metal suits scrapping.  Stark’s last words are fantastic, the definition of bittersweet.  It’s tragic, but impossible not to smile at in a way only Tony Stark could make you smile.  Similarly, the image of the Iron Patriot after the battle with Stark is truly one of the most memorable panels you’ll find in any Marvel comic this year.

Norman Osborn, as the cover suggests, is the real centerpiece of this issue and Fraction writes what is perhaps the definitive Dark Reign Norman.  Arrogant and professional with that cackling villain always seeping through, Norman continually straddles the line between asshole and lunatic.  With all his evil and menace, he eats up every page he appears on and he was an absolute joy to read.

As far as Larroca’s art goes, that cinematic flare wouldn’t be possible without him.  All of those memorable images stand alongside continually impressive displays of destruction, technology, and flight.  Rescue in particularly is rendered gorgeously.  If there were such a thing as a high-def comic, this would be it.

Finally, I should mention that the cliffhanger ending is made of pure, hair-raising awesome.  If gut reactions are anything to go by, Marvel’s going to have a good 2010.

What’s Not So Good: Larroca’s art epitomizes both his strengths and weaknesses.  While his depictions of machines and the Iron Men look absolutely stunning, his faces often leave something to be desired, particularly when it comes to our three female stars, whose facial structures and features seem to change throughout the issue.  In particular, Larroca seems to really struggle to separate Widow and Pepper and the result is some truly bizarre work on Ms. Potts.

Also, while the resolution of Stark and Osborn’s battle made sense and felt good, I can’t help but see it as being nearly identical to how Fraction resolved the recent Utopia crossover.  The unfortunate thing is that it was actually done here far better than it was in Utopia, but Utopia came out first.  That being said, this doesn’t change the fact that Rescue/JARVIS felt a little bit too convenient as a plot device.

Similarly, Maria Hill’s final escape tactic was also bit easy and familiar.  She essentially gets out by doing what Nick Fury has been doing since the beginning of Dark Reign.  The result, which should feel like impactful characterization, borders on being a little contrived.  It’s also not entirely believable that HAMMER soldiers would have her back, given how they treated her when she was fired at the beginning of World’s Most Wanted.

Conclusion: Overall, it’s satisfying. That said, it’s the Michael Bay movie of comic books: epic, explosive, pretty, with some awesome moments, but not without narrative corner-cutting.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans

Thunderbolts #135 – Review

by Andy Diggle (writer), Miguel Sepulveda (art), Frank Martin (colors), and Albert Deschesne (letters)

The Story: Black Widow and Songbird make a run for it.

What’s Good: Diggle writes an interesting script for this issue, one that’s self-referential in many ways.  Whenever a character says a line that sounds ridiculous, cliche, or out of character, another character immediately picks up on it. It’s actually fairly clever.  They pick up on the failings in each other’s dialogue or the more ridiculous aspects of certain characters. There’s an especially funny line regarding the cliche nature of Nick Fury’s voice that isn’t to be missed.

This is overall a fairly solid issue, and one of the reasons for that is perhaps the first time since the beginning of his run, Diggle actually makes his team feel not only competent, but nuanced and outright intimidating. All too often, Diggle’s Tbolts have felt woefully ineffective. It was great to hear them finally speak of with fear. By placing them in the role of pursuers as opposed to main characters actually does wonders for the team and has given them a shot of legitimacy. Too bad this comes at the end of Diggle’s run.

Character-wise, I’m glad that Mr. X was finally was put to good use in this issue, and unlike most martial arts monsters, he actually is as invincible as he should be. Mr. X is a scary, scary dude and his action scene was fantastic, lightning quick stuff that looked and read great. Norman was also oddly competent this month. Dark Reign has often made him seem a bit bumbling, but this month, he puts out the brainpower that one would expect out of someone running the show, in a twist on a twist that’s really rather cool.

On art, Sepulveda brings his awesome shading techniques that make the book look unlike any other, giving it a neat “painted” feel.

What’s Not So Good: But that’s all I can say that’s good about the art this month, which is quite inconsistent. Close-ups of faces often look completely strange, even muddy and distorted. Nick Fury in particular looks horrible, and it’s clear that Sepulveda can’t draw beaten and battered faces. He also struggles with people shouting.

Unfortunately, many of  the other panels aren’t much better. When the shot is zoomed out a bit, a lot of detail seems to be lost, to the point of looking flat-out weird. Inexplicably, Sepulveda’s action scenes look great and don’t suffer from any problems. It’s only in zoomed out panels without action that it all becomes a bit blank and blurry.

Frank Martin’s colors certainly don’t do Sepulveda’s art any favours. It’s clear that Sepulveda’s art looks best with dark colors, but with much of the book taking place outdoors, Martin makes the book look damned bright; and it just feels very off, inappropriate even. Worse still, I feel that the strong bright colors ended up battling Sepulveda’s equally strong shading, resulting in a very weird looking comic book.

Despite the cool action scenes, there’s some sloppy work here, and the overbearing colors don’t work with Sepulveda’s drawings.

Conclusion: A fairly decent issue held back by off-putting artwork.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans