Daredevil 7, Elektra 5

Daredevil 7
Waid (w) and J. Rodriguez (p and c) and A. Lopez (i) and Caramagna (l)

Daredevil hitches a ride with SHIELD to Wakanda, which SHIELD isn't willing to fly over because they're not entirely stupid. DD drops down into the most technologically advanced nation on Earth and is quickly captured, which, of course, turns out to be part of his plan. Instead of hoping to fight his way through Queen Shuri and the rest of Wakanda, he aims to lawyer the nuns out of jail, which he does by revealing that he's brought the corrupt army general to Wakanda and made his disappearance known, which will certainly get people looking and checking into his background and likely lead them to Wakanda. Shuri's only option is to release the nuns and separate herself from the general before things start to look ugly for them, which she does. On the way home, Maggie explains to her son that she had severe postpartum depression and it caused her to attack her husband and, nearly, her infant son, which led her to leaving the house and the family and taking up with God to protect her loved ones. With Jack proven innocent and a relationship with Maggie rekindled, Daredevil gets to return home happy.

I'm fairly pleased that this didn't end up being a "I have daddy issues" sort of revelation. Instead, it's far more nuanced and a bit more interesting as we learn a good deal about the rarely seen Maggie and get to see Daredevil spend some meaningful time with his family, who were misunderstood and not abusive after all. This one, as opposed to, say, ORIGINAL SIN: HULK VS IRON MAN, paints someone as a villain then reveals them to be a hero...but I found it interesting as opposed to somewhat predictable and boring. Javier Rodriguez does pretty phenomenal work here. I'll certainly miss his contributions on the book, though I look forward to colorist extraordinaire Matt Wilson's take on Samnee's art starting next issue.

Total Score: 4/5


Elektra 5
W.H. Blackman (w) and Del Mundo (a) and Del Mundo w/D'Alfonso (c) and Cowles (l)

Cape Crow fights with Elektra and reveals that he was able to beat all of his previous attackers because he has extremely limited pre-cognition. It's maybe only half a second, but it's enough for him to use his instincts and win each fight. Elektra, armed with this knowledge, manages to clear her head and fight on pure instinct, defeating him in a close fight. With Cape Crow down and his helmet removed, she learns that he is, in fact, her dead father. But not really, that's just some psychic image put there by Kento, who has some amount of psychic power. She's super mad but agrees to continue to help them assuming Kento never does that again and that they still pay her. Bad news, though, Bloody Lips has arrived, still desperate to eat Elektra. Having a pretty tough day already, Elektra cuts herself and drips blood onto Bloody Lips' lips, giving him a full range of her memories and experiences, which breaks him and he stumbles off a cliff. So long, Bloody Lips! Anyway, Lady Bullseye is back and vows revenge on Elektra.

Lots of really great stuff here, including Elektra's bio-signature-based sai (nice try using them against her, Cape Crow), a great taste of her fighting prowess and strategies, the demise of Bloody Lips after a really impressive and very cool if mildly horrific double page spread detailing Elektra's memories, the promise of more assassin fights, and the promise of more Matchmaker, who, if I haven't said it enough, is the best. I really like this book and I think Blackman has plenty of ideas for this book and Del Mundo is an unbelievable artist who really brings this book alive. Just really fun stuff with lots of upside.

Total Score: 5/5

Original Sin 6, Original Sin 3.2 - Hulk vs. Iron Man

Original Sin 6
Aaron (w) and Deodato (a) and F. Martin (c) and Eliopoulos (l)

Nick still won't confess or deny the murder of the Watcher but he admits that he called all of them there (aside from Rocket, who turned up on Moon Knight's and Gamora's behalf) in the hopes that at least one of them would want to take up his mantle, that these are the people most able to do his job. Fury Prime, who also reveals that the Infinity Formula keeping him young is now gone and he's aging rapidly as a result, returns to his work and begins interrogating the Orb on how to make the eyes talk. The team he left behind fight the other Furys in the hope that they'd get to the other Fury just as the Avengers also arrive only to find Nick waiting for them in a battle suit.

Look, who killed the Watcher? I don't want to say that there wasn't interesting stuff in here because I think there still was but I've often chided events for lasting too long and I think this event is suffering from that in this very issue. Aaron does a solid job keeping the pace of this issue moving but you're not in an event to see the rest issues or to reset for a minute. You're in an event because something huge is happening. Nothing huge happened in this issue. It felt like a recap of the last one and a prep for the next one, which will be the penultimate issue. Not a lot more I can say about it. AND YET, this review took SO LONG TO WRITE. I'm a little out of it, you guys. Long day. ANYWAY, don't let that cloud your judgment of my Total Score.

Total Score: 2/5


Original Sin 3.2 - Hulk vs. Iron Man
Gillen and Waid (s) and Gillen (w) and L. Ross (a) and Guru eFX (c) and Caramagna (l)

Tony buys an unsuccessful motel nearby to where the original gamma bomb went off, trying to remember what happened there back when he and Banner once yelled at one another there, as Banner goes to Arno to work on a tweak for Extremis. Tony remembers back to a time with Thunderbolt Ross wherein he was officially paid to help Banner, back to the fight the two geniuses had, and back to his decision to knowingly sabotage the bomb. Meanwhile, Banner's tweak worked and he's off and running.

I liked this issue a good deal more than the first for a couple reasons: first and foremost, it's an actual addition to the story as opposed to just kicking things off with information solicits and interviews told us (again, not Waid nor Gillen's fault there, but still made for a more boring read). Second, though, I really do appreciate that Tony very clearly is the villain here. We all know that Tony was a war profiteer and an arms dealer and, you know, still rather Tony but drunker and less ethical. To then have Gillen make Tony completely at fault for what's happening, a pretty major "completely at fault," is pretty gutsy, particularly where this is still a well-liked "hero" character. Strong move. Still some slowness to the plot as we build to the climax (there was some good new information and information that colored the story a bit more, but by and large, it didn't give much new).

Total Score: 4/5

Daredevil 4, Elektra 3

Daredevil 4

Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and Rodriguez (c) and Caramagna (l)

Despite his seeming betrayal, Shroud tosses Matt his telescoping cane, allowing him to save himself, and covers the area in shadow, giving Murdock the upper hand in the battle against Owl's henchmen, who he easily bests. Owl and Shroud have disappeared by the time the shadows lift and Matt reconvenes with Kirsten to discuss the next move. She informs him that Owl has become a big name in Silicon Valley and that only one substantial company hasn't fallen prey to him and that they have a big technological reveal to be announced soon. Daredevil stakes the place out and sure enough finds Shroud giving Owl access. As Matt enters to stop the pair, he realizes that Shroud wants to die and he's trying to die by Owl's hand, maybe taking the villain down with him. Suicide by supervillain. Daredevil refuses to let it happen, saving Shroud though leaving Owl behind to overload on the new technology (seems to still be alive and more powerful than ever but WHATEVER DEEDS, gotta check on that new guy I guess). DD lectures Shroud on how much tragedy he's been through and promises to help him find Julia, leaving Shroud to disappear on his own, though not to kill himself at least.

Some of the tech stuff involved here is a little confusing at its inception (though we're undoubtedly going to see more of it so it's not necessarily a big problem here. Meanwhile, the depression and desperation of Shroud is certainly compelling, even if it's not necessarily new ground for Waid, who explored something similar (though based more around a terminal diagnosis and an insurance scam than depression) in his INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK run. That doesn't make it any less jarring here nor any less meaningful. Plus, the way Bruce Banner deals with the problem of one of his employees going through this is going to be significantly different from the way Daredevil deals with a fellow superhero going through it. Samnee's art and Rodriguez's colors continue to be outstanding and lift this book above so many others.

Total Score: 5/5

Elektra 3

W.H. Blackman (w) and Del Mundo (a) and Del Mundo w/D'Alfonso (c) and Cowles (l)

Bloody Lips is stronger than ever and, thanks to the memories of the other assassins of whom he's tasted and of Kento, son of Cape Crow, whose blood he tasted on Lady Bullseye's sword, he has some idea where to go. Elektra and Kento go there first, though, the underwater city of Shicheng, to try to find Cape Crow. He's been there recently but isn't there now, to the chagrin of everyone, but before they can set off to a new location, Bloody Lips attacks. Elektra subdues him enough to try to give Kento a chance to escape but it leaves her open to Bloody Lips' attack. As he strangles her underwater, she stabs him in the chin with her sai. The two of them are guided through the Tiger's Gate together, a passageway in the now-flooded city that leads to the land of the dead for anyone who has been murdered. Both assassins are forced to cope with some hard truths as Bloody Lips sees his family, who he thought had died before he ate them only to find out that they were dying but it was his action that actually killed them and as Elektra sees her own mother, who she thought assassins killed but claims she died in childbirth.

This series has really gone for it in terms of its boldness and its darkness and its characterization. Elektra has been a character living rather on the outskirts of the Marvel Universe for some time now, getting characterization only insofar as it relates to those around her. More often it's characterization for Daredevil or Wolverine or someone but here Blackman is making a concerted effort to show us more inside her head, showing us what makes her her. There is, of course, still a hardness there and still an almost unwillingness to let the audience in but we're starting to see, bit by bit, a little more each issue. The same is true for Bloody Lips, who is a little more of an open book at this pint and who just keeps getting creepier (he's apparently Australian! Had we covered that yet? He is, it seems). Very strong series, really cool ideas and a very compelling read. Del Mundo continues to bring the seemingly perfect style to the book.

Total Score: 5/5

Captain Marvel 4, Hulk 4

Captain Marvel 4
DeConnick (w) and D. Lopez (a) and Loughridge (c) and Caramagna (l)

With no easy solution in sight to the plight of the new Torfans, Captain Marvel tries to think up ways to transport everyone off the planet, as opposed to J-Son's offer of relocating the thousand strongest and leaving the others behind. While she bounces ideas off of Tic, Gil, a Sentimault named B-Bop, and chief engineer/defense minister Ja Kyee Lrurt (nicknamed Jackie), the Haffensye attack again. Captain Marvel and her new band set off after them to pillage them back, succeeding in at least one sector and hoping to salvage some more parts to make more ships.

Captain Marvel as a space pirate for righteousness? I'm not going to turn this idea down, you guys. My pre-game this week and my analysis last time out said that part of the fun of this new arc would be seeing Carol up against a problem she can't punch away. That problem and therefore that tension still remains in large part, particularly as she's got the shadowy dealings of J-Son to contend with, but this is, after all, still a superhero comic book and punching is rather the norm so DeConnick has found a way that allows Carol to punch and to problem solve. Still, for all the excitement of this book, if you're coming into this issue looking for some serious pirate action, there's not a lot to be had, with the book revolving mostly along dialogue and explanations and arguments. A times that slows things down but it's also a little necessary at this point as we get to know an entirely new cast of characters. Still solid stuff overall and certainly enough to get this series rolling.

Total Score: 4/5


Hulk 4
Waid (w) and Bagley (p) and Hennessy (i) and Keith (c) and Petit (l)

Maria Hill explains to the onsite Avengers what's happening with Banner and Hulk and they attempt to aid him in his fight against Abomination while Iron Man reconfigures a teleportation device Maria got off one of the crew sent to take her out. With some luck and plenty of skill, they manage to teleport Abomination pretty well away (Tony estimates Jupiter) and have time to deal with the situation. Stark takes Banner and brings him to Troy, where he and Arno plan to put a little extremis in him to help heal his brain. Meanwhile, Maria Hill is forced to tell Daredevil about Banner's condition, possibly compromising the information Banner had given to his lawyer in case he should ever wind up harmed at SHIELD's request.

There are plenty of plots swirling around (particularly interesting as I believe this is one of the books soon to go on a little break while ORIGINAL SIN mixes things up a bit, though I could be wrong) but sometimes it feels like they're not held together terribly well. The teleportation device feels like a deus ex machina, particularly when Tony is able to rejigger it to teleport on contact and they attach it to Cap's shield which Hulk is convinced to throw and still the shield doesn't teleport (as does, for that matter, the fact that it just so happened to be Sunspot and Captain Marvel, capable of absorbing Abomination's radioactivity, that Iron Man and Captain America brought with them on this mission). Still, as abruptly as the end of the fight came and as maybe conveniently as it came, there are plenty of good and interesting plot movements out there, ready to be expanded on. And guys, Hulk has an improved version of extremis? Who thought that was a good plan?

Total Score: 3/5

This week's picks

Plenty of books out there this week but the top three rather stand out to me. Guess I can't ask for easier than that? AND, spoilers, THEY'RE ALL FROM ONE REVIEW THIS WEEK.

Amazing Spider-Man 2

I'm particularly impressed in this issue how much Slott is setting up without it ever feeling like "geez, we get it." I got that feeling a few times nearing the end of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN (or perhaps it was the middle, when Spidey 2099 started popping up and Sup Spidey was kicked out of Horizon and so on) and I've seen Slott fall into that trap before. Instead, here, he's rearing to go with a lot of stories (you just know that Dan Slott has been the one most eagerly anticipating Peter's return) but he's, as of now, planning to roll them out only when it's really time to roll them out. With so much happening already in the plot, it's nice to see the book waiting until the time is right to add more stories in. On top of that, this issue was strong in its own right, fast and fun and this volume still has the new car smell so we should all be excited to show it off to all our friends before it starts to get worn in.

Daredevil 3

There are weeks when I try a little harder (or the books try a little harder, I suppose) to make my picks a little less standard, trying to shine a light on other books that have the ability to unseat one of my typical choices. NOT THIS WEEK, friends. I praised DAREDEVIL on its consistency this week and I don't just mean that it's consistently putting out a readable book, which would be a feat in its own right. No, this book is consistently one of the best books on the shelves and 2013 saw it winning its fair share of "best of" lists (or at least placing near the top). Mark Waid has been writing a really engaging Daredevil while telling a really interesting story and Chris Samnee has been doing stellar work all the way through. Even steps that should have felt a little predictable in this issue feel fresh and exciting and the writing and tone alone would make for a completely worthwhile top pick, but Chris Samnee and Javier Rodriguez's art just always shoot this book up to another level. Great work.

Elektra 2

Though we're only two issues in, I'm really enjoying this series. It's a little hard not to draw critical comparisons to BLACK WIDOW as we see two typically colder characters, both professionals and neither afraid to get their hands dirty, start to get their own unique narratives and enter into their own unique stories, but I'm not about to start complaining (about either book). Mike Del Mundo's art is gorgeous, the story is compelling, and the characters, from what we've seen about them so far, seem more than capable of carrying this series. Both Edmondson of BLACK WIDOW and Blackman of ELEKTRA are also doing the smart thing with the dialogue: neither of these protagonists are chatterboxes and neither writer is finding it necessary to turn them into such to advance the plot. They're both excellent at showing, not telling, and at building character through action and, of course, narrative (never hurts to have a direct line into the thoughts of a character, even though these books are still keeping those somewhat close to the vest). Really neat book so far.

Gillen leaving IRON MAN, Waid leaving HULK

Gillen from his fantastic blog post today
on how to pre-order a comic at your LCS

News has broken on a couple of fronts in the last few days as the August solicits have come out. Chief among it has been the odd disappearance of IRON MAN among those solicits (as well as THOR: GOD OF THUNDER - as yet, I've heard nothing on that one). Kieron Gillen (seen at left) confirmed today that he is indeed leaving the book after ORIGINAL SIN. According to Gillen, he's been offered a major opportunity at Marvel (very exciting) and he needed to make room somewhere. He realized that ORIGINAL SIN would be a pretty perfect spot to leave IRON MAN and pulled the trigger, making his total issue count (including the Annual) 31, the same count he left UNCANNY X-MEN and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY after. Guess we can't ask for more than that. Extremely sad to lose him on IRON MAN after a very impressive run but thrilled to hear about his new opportunity and to see that Marvel continues to recognize his strong work and reward it with greater opportunities. I've seen no news yet as to whether IRON MAN will restart or who will take it over.

In the same vein, veteran Marvel writer Mark Waid has announced that he is leaving HULK after ORIGINAL SIN (conveniently, he and Gillen will work together on the OS tie-in series ORIGINAL SIN: HULK VS IRON MAN) and that writer Gerry Duggan (already writing NOVA and co-writing DEADPOOL with Brian Posehn) will be taking over on that book. As seen below, Waid assures his fans that there's no bad blood, that Duggan will be great, and that he simply wanted to get further ahead on his other projects, which is a lot to say in fewer than 140 characters.

.@GerryDuggan will do a spectacular job on HULK. Zero bad blood--I just want to get further ahead on Daredevil and http://t.co/vOHwbZDFMi!
— Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) May 21, 2014

Also worth noting, though it's not Marvel related so I'm hiding it here, at the bottom of this post, that Si Spurrier has announced that he's doing a book with Alan Moore and I think that's pretty neat.

Amazing Spider-Man 2, Daredevil 3, Elektra 2

Amazing Spider-Man 2
Slott (w) and Ramos (p) and Olazaba (i) and Delgado (c) and Eliopoulos (l)

Peter Parker's got a lot on his plate as he reveals his secret to Anna Maria and reveals that she's been dating Doc Ock all this time (she takes it remarkably in stride). He clears some things up with the Avengers when he goes in for some tests and he confirms that Flash is Venom (he never knew before and he's not so thrilled to learn now). He squares off with Electro in New York City and immediately begins to feel some of the burden left on him by Doc Ock. Electro is forced to flee (spared with a little luck from his indebted onlooker Black Cat) but it turns Peter to thinking about how Parker Industries can best serve the public: from now on, they'll shelve their cybernetic work (which he doesn't understand ANYWAY) and focus on depowering and imprisoning super villains in the wake of Electro's destruction of New York's last prison.

Story
It's hard not to be impressed with how much Dan Slott is getting through in these first couple issues. He's got a lot of ground to cover to explain to Peter what's happened and to show us how much those changes will play a role in this new series but he stays ambitious and shows us some of the new and coming storylines that we should be looking at (including Black Cat's, the coming storyline that's been hinted at in interviews and previews featuring new character the Silk with a similar origin to Peter and who, according to this issue, knows Peter's identity, etc.). Still, the story of this one, focusing on Peter's mess of a life and Electro's broken powers particularly, is certainly compelling enough and more than enough to kick this volume off. 5/5

Character
Despite all of the story that Slott has to keep moving, we get nice little character bits from everyone. Peter's back into his old ways, quipping and having fun and enjoying his new lease on life even as he tries to deal with the numerous things in his way. Anna Maria comes off pretty well here as she keeps it pretty well together upon all of these big revelations and even stands by to support Peter and to keep his life intact (she helps explain some cybernetics stuff to him and helps him with Ock's new webbing formula). There are lots of small appearances from other characters that seem to fit their personas pretty well but our big focuses are Spidey, Anna Maria, and Electro, who also has a lot on his plate right now and who is fracturing pretty badly. 5/5

Writing
Pretty strong writing here as Slott gets his story and character bits across while also making sure to keep the tone upbeat, making it feel like a real Amazing Spider-Man story instead of a Superior Spider-Man story. He's helped by the fact that the tones of the two books couldn't be more different but he still does his part to facilitate the switch by never erring towards dark in this early issue. That's not to say that Spider-Man books can't get dark or that this one won't, but it's smart to steer clear of it as we emerge from SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN to allow readers to get their bearings and see what a difference it's been. 5/5

Art
Humberto Ramos is great and continues to be great. His action is some of the most fun action out there, very fluid and kinetic, just as his character moments are driven strongly by their emotion, sometimes a little overblown but never so much that it's distracting. 5/5

Miscellaneous
Another solid issue. This is one of those books that feels like it's never done crafting, that there are stories lined up for years at any one time. I think it's probably the burden of being one of the most popular comic characters in the world and one who has a world so tightly wound that threats and enemies and friends are popping up all over at all times.

Total Score: 5/5

Daredevil 3
Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and J. Rodriguez (c) and Caramagna (l)

The Owl is getting reports that the Shroud is making a play for his empire just as the Shroud has lured Daredevil to his own hideout where he's keeping top Owl lieutenants tied up. Daredevil fights the Shroud briefly only to discover that Shroud's plan is to capture Daredevil to build his own reputation so that he can get enough credibility to meet with Owl where he can take down the villain himself. Daredevil admits it's a decent skeleton of a plan but he doesn't like the details of it. Instead, they formulate their own plan to distract Owl with Matt Murdock appearing by himself at Owl's hideout, drawing all eyes to him, while Shroud gets the drop on the boss. The plan works to perfection until, with Shroud's knife pressed to Owl's throat, Owl reveals that he can find Shroud's one-time love Julia Carpenter and Shroud sells Murdock out to Owl for the information.

Story
It wasn't too hard to see the "Shroud's not really evil" twist coming but it still plays well here as that wasn't the real betrayal planned here. In fact, it kind of draws the reader's attention of the idea of the Shroud turning on Daredevil just in time for the Shroud to turn on Daredevil. Between Matt's proactive attack on the Owl and the full re-emergence of Foggy Nelson (who gets cabin fever in the safehouse he's supposed to keep to), the story certainly works. 5/5

Character
Strong Daredevil showing here, plenty of fun and exciting movements for Matt and a pretty spiffy blind-man team-up to boot. Matt's personality is kind of always out in force in this (and the preceding) series as he doesn't suffer fools and he maybe has a little too much confidence in his own plans. Good character pieces from Kirsten and Foggy too as they argue over Foggy's appearance out in the world and Foggy has to swallow the bitterness of being made to appear dead while he recovers thanks to Matt's proclamation to the world. 5/5

Writing
This series seems like it will always have strong writing. The pacing and the tone are always on and never seem to miss a beat. That consistency and that smoothness are rare even in the best of books and it's cemented DAREDEVIL's place on many pull lists. Also a nice little SAGA reference for indie comic fans out there. 5/5

Miscellaneous
Did I tell you guys that I went on a huge reading binge of indie books? I'm totally caught up on a ton of books (EAST OF WEST, SAGA, NOWHERE MEN, AMERICAN VAMPIRES, THE WAKE, pretty much anything that's come up in Eisner nominees) and mostly caught up on FABLES. Look, this probably isn't the time.

Total Score: 5/5


Elektra 2
W.H. Blackman (w) and Del Mundo (a) and Del Mundo w/ D'Alfonso (c) and Cowles (l)

Elektra has made it to Monster Island and realizes quickly she's not alone there. Also on the trail of Cape Crow are fellow assassins Scalphunter and Lady Bullseye. While Scalphunter is brought down by one of the monsters on said island, Elektra bullseyes Lady Bullseye (is it cool if I make that a verb?) and leaves her for dead while she pursues their target. She discovers that the person luring them away from Cape Crow's hideout and wearing Cape Crow's armor is Cape Crow's son Kento Roe. He admits that he hired Matchmaker and, specifically, Elektra to find Cape Crow and bring him in alive because CC is his father and Kento believes that he's not the assassin he's charged with being (any more). While Elektra considers still taking the case, even though Kento doesn't have nearly the money he promised, Bloody Lips finds the wounded Lady Bullseye and tastes the blood on her blade, making him determined to find her and taste some more (he's a pretty weird dude, you guys).

Story
The assassin chase is typically a pretty compelling story by itself and while the reveal that Kento's son is involved may be a little cliche, the story does seem to be working pretty well here. It's also affected by the interesting Bloody Lips, who eats the flesh and blood of his victims and takes on some extent of their powers (he now seems to have increased strength and the ability to see in the dark, on top of his natural abilities, and he can use anything as a weapon in the way Bullseye could after attacking Bullseye). He's definitely worth watching at this point. 5/5

Character
There's more narrative and dialogue running through the issue this time and we get a little more of a window into the cold and reserved Elektra. We also get some of the other characters, like Lady Bullseye and Matchmaker, on top of seeing a good deal more of Bloody Lips, who is sufficiently creepy as well as powerful to keep things interesting. 5/5

Writing
The tone of the book, which is matched perfectly by the art, is driving this series so far. It's sufficiently creepy (which is, I'm sure, why we kicked this whole thing off on a place called Monster Island) and detached to make the story interesting and to give the characters a chance to shine. As such, the tone of the book feels like it's guiding the series to a perfect place. 5/5

Art
Del Mundo's art continues to be astounding and, though there are a couple of double page spreads that I'm not sure are totally necessary here, the layout of the pages are pretty strong. When Elektra does bullseye Lady Bullseye (she gets to sai her right through the gut), it's kind of a gorgeous panel as is the follow-up, which shows Elektra watching as Lady Bullseye falls. I love Del Mundo's style and it's on full display here. 5/5

Miscellaneous
I'm really enjoying this series as a whole and I'm interested in some of the decisions that have been made, such as the vibrantly pink lettering for anything Matchmaker says. Also it kind of feels like they're aiming this book directly at me, with Del Mundo's art and the compellingly dark but also kind of ludicrous story and the fact that Matchmaker wears one of those pilot caps that are 100% the best. So much of this is great and I think so much of this is maybe only great for me?

Total Score: 5/5

Silver Surfer 2, Hulk 2

Silver Surfer 2
Slott (w) and M. Allred (a) and L. Allred (c) and Cowles (l)

Silver Surfer briefly gets his first up-close glimpse of Dawn Greenwood as she's pulled into the Impericon's holding cells. He agrees to fight on her behalf and goes forth to battle the Never Queen. If he should flee or somehow abandon the fight, Zed and the others will kill Dawn. As Surfer approaches, he's almost immediately nearly torn apart by the information the Never Queen has at her disposal: the information of every possible timeline all at once forced into Surfer's head. The battle changes, though, as Dawn enacts an escape plan with her fellow prisoners and they manage to make their way to the main power source of the Impericon, which turns out to be the Never Queen's heart. As Dawn makes a new wish on the Never Queen's heart (to explore everything), it distracts the Never Queen and she stops her attack on Surfer. She explains what's happened and Surfer realizes he's been duped and that the Never Queen is the victim here. He vows to help her and begins his return to the Impericon, where he quickly runs into Dawn. She vows to help rescue him.

Story
Lots happening here as we learn a little more about Dawn and the kind of person she is and as we see a little more of the improbable situation in which she's found herself as well as learning a bit more about the Never Queen. The only real problem with the story so far is that Zed and the other inhabitants of the Impericon that we've met are all sort of goofy, either explicitly or just in their actions, which makes it difficult to really take their threat seriously. Obviously the pose a threat but we only really know it because we've been told it's so. I like, in a way, that they're not your standard dark and dreary villains but when you see villains like this, it can be easy to see why most villains end up dark and dreary or sociopathic or something because these villains just don't seem competent enough to have pulled off a threat this huge. 3/5

Character
The biggest character developments we're seeing right now are from the new Dawn Greenwood. We see a bit of new characterization out of Silver Surfer but Slott is more concerned with establishing who Dawn is, particularly necessary because she begins to really drive the plot here. Slott's doing a pretty good job already to show Dawn as something more than just your stereotypical strong female lead sort of character (it still would have been a welcome relief even to see that). She's more specific than that. She's capable of getting herself out of the prison and doesn't need to wait for Surfer to turn up or anything but we know that she's capable of it because she's the sort of person who fixes problems. She practically runs the B&B back home and overcomes any sort of obstacles that crop up here, as we saw in the first issue, and she's quick on her feet and takes charge instantly here in the second issue. It's important to start to establish that sort of thing now so that she doesn't just suddenly become a strong character when the plot needs it. 5/5

Writing
As I said in the story section, it's not bad writing, per se, but it is a little incongruent to have this giant threat posed by these ridiculous people. Of course, we've only seen a couple of them so it's entirely possible that the people pulling the strings of the likes of Zed are more competent than he is and that would negate some of these issues, but right now it hurts the book a little to have Silver Surfer falling to a few kind of stupid villains. 3/5

Art
Michael Allred's art is ever Michael Allred's art. It doesn't look like almost anything else out there and you can almost immediately tell if it's for you or not. He's a very strong artist and the book has a very specific look to it and a very specific feel for that look. I think that Allred may be, along with wife Laura, the only one who can slot someone's very colorful outfit and the very imaginative Impericon into a comic and make it all work. 5/5

Miscellaneous
I'm still a little hung up on the tone of this book but that kind of thing usually takes a few issues to develop anyway.

Total score: 4/5


Hulk 2
Waid (w) and Bagley (p) and Hennessy (i) and Keith (c) and Petit (l)

Maria Hill has come to check up on Banner. He's been placed in a small town with a couple of members of that community in the hopes that keeping him off the grid will keep him (and everyone else) safe. The mystery surrounding his shooting is still out there but Bruce himself is removed from the decision-making as he's effectively turned into Lennie from Of Mice and Men. Hiding him from whoever is after him hasn't stopped them from searching though and the shady organization after Hulk has another trick in its arsenal as they send Abomination, who has been rebuilt by those same people and who is drawn to Hulk by that rebuild. Maria gets Bruce to Hulk out just in time but the fight crashes through the small town like nothing and assassins from the organization appear to try to take Hill out.

Story
There are still a lot of mysteries surrounding the story of this issue and this new series and it's making it a little difficult to get wrapped up into the plot. Obviously the mystery is the plot but it's still a little bit meaning that we're not seeing the forest through the trees. There's a bigger story here but the emphasis on the mystery and all of these new characters aren't quite compelling enough to overcome the confusion of what's happening. I'm reminded a little of the final arc of DARK AVENGERS, where the Dark Avengers were transported to another timeline or dimension or something where everything had gone completely backwards and the superheroes were divided into bitter factions. We had no idea what was happening, thrust into this brand new universe, but the mystery of it was made more interesting by the fact that the story was readable without having to wonder about that. We'd like to know, sure, but the story stood without knowing. This one feels like it's not quite hitting that point and the overall issues are worse off for it. Of course, that could all turn around as things start to come to light but it likely won't change the way these issues look. 3/5

Character
It's perhaps a bit hard to judge what are character developments are here as we see more of Bruce but he really does read like Lennie (that's about the best comparison I can make) and so we're not likely to see much character evolution until such time as Waid has established that. Hopefully that means next issue we start to see more but who could really know? Hill has a tiny bit of character as she attempts to keep Bruce safe and shows genuine regret that she'll have to resort to bullying to get him to Hulk and save himself but there's ultimately not that much that needs to be looked at here. 3/5

Writing
Most of what I'd have to say about writing in this issue has been said in the story section. I think that the issue overall suffers from a sort of lack of focus where the mystery has already become a little convoluted and it's mystery for a mystery's sake and so everything feels less important than it should feel. SPEAKING OF LACK OF FOCUS, that last sentence. ANYWAY, I guess this issue was kind of like that sentence. 2/5

Art
Bagley's Hulk continues to be the strongest part of the issue. His other characters are pretty good but the Hulk really does come off huge and impressive, as does his Abomination. Jason Keith's colors are also top quality here and the fight scene, which is intentionally big and brutal, feels like a huge fight between two monsters while a small town suffers. 5/5

Miscellaneous
Guys, I taught Of Mice and Men, alright? This is like reverse that, where he gets shot at the beginning.

Total score: 3/5

This week's picks

Slower week of releases this week and some pretty clear picks jump to mind. Then why are we wasting time when we could just be getting to it?

Daredevil 2

Things stay interesting in issue two of Matt Murdock's new stay in San Francisco. Waid, Samnee, and Rodriguez introduce him to some new friends and new foes and to people maybe somewhere in between. It's a lot of fun without ever forgetting its plot or its goals. On top of it, as has been true with this book from day one, even back in the Paolo Rivera days because of course even in the Paolo Rivera days, the book is gorgeous and conveys everything it needs to artistically while remaining one of the top books out there for interior art (and cover art, hence why Samnee was nominated this year for best cover artist at this year's Eisner's after a win for best penciller/inker last year). The spirit of this book persists and the tone that Waid and his various art teams worked so hard to establish still permeates through the series even after all of the tense events at the end of the last volume and the move to San Francisco to kick this one off. Really great overall comic book and I can't recommend it enough, you guys.

Elektra 1

Really great first issue for this new series, one that writer W. Haden Blackman will have to work hard to make relevant in a day and age where so many books are coming out and a seemingly B-list character will have to really stun to stand out. So far, so good. As I talked about in my review this week, Elektra is a tricky character to write over a long term but Blackman very clearly has plans for her and very clearly know what he wants to do with the character. On top of it, Mike Del Mundo, phenomenal, Eisner nominated cover artist for my beloved X-MEN LEGACY, is already crushing it on the art for this series. There's a lot happening in this first issue and a story that looks interesting, though it looks like it may have the ability to trump any sort of character developments. We'll have to hold out on any of those judgments and just really focus on how neat this first issue was.

Iron Patriot 2
This one gets the nod over AVENGERS UNDERCOVER, THUNDERBOLTS, and UNCANNY AVENGERS because it was a very good book but also because it surprised me with how good it was. There are certainly still nits to be picked here but it's a series I didn't expect much out of; I've had some troubles with writer Ales Kot in the recent past and I don't know how much I trust an Iron Patriot series to really shine but if Kot and artist Garry Brown can keep the book going like this then I think there's a real opportunity for an impressive series. It's another in a long list (one that also includes ELEKTRA) of recent risky series for Marvel to take a chance on and hopefully another one that will pay off. I love how many risks Marvel is taking but I do worry a little bit about flooding the market with books and how expensive those books have become (Robert Kirkman was in the news recently talking about Marvel's business plan of exclusively 3.99 titles) and what that will mean for books with smaller general followings. Still, hopefully the cream rises to the top and the books that deserve to be kept are kept when the numbers start getting crunched.

Hulk 1, Wolverine 4

Hulk 1
Waid (w) and Bagley (p) and Hennessy (i) and Keith (c) and Petit (l)

Bruce Banner has been shot by a mysterious marksman who had been hired to land a perfect shot in the back of Banner's head so it would shut his brain down before Hulk could come out. With Banner down, he's been delivered to the secret organization that hired the marksman in the first place. They've also recruited the world's foremost brain surgeon, a contemporary of Banner's, to remove the bullet from his brain and save the man. The doctor manages to do it but refuses to implant the device the organization wants him to implant, which would allow them to trigger a Hulk-out. When he refuses, he considers killing Banner to spare him from this but doesn't have to worry about the moral implications long since his anesthesiologist, a woman who was, as a child, was saved by the Hulk, revives him in time for Hulk to appear and get out of the area. With Banner out in the world somewhere, Coulson and Maria Hill set out to find him. They eventually do, only to find that Banner is badly brain damaged and, according to his doctor, will never be smart again.

Story
Waid's previous INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK run found the genius Banner using the weapon Hulk as a means to work in a lab and deliver amazing scientific advancements while creating a legacy for himself. Now the roles are drastically changed as Hulk rescues Banner from probable death but not before Banner's brain is severely damaged. No one can argue that this changes things pretty radically. We still have plenty left to understand about the new situation but we're off to an interesting start. 5/5

Character
It's a little hard to get a big read on "character" in an issue where the main character is only conscious and present for a couple of pages. There's still some interesting character work insofar as the brain surgeon goes and insofar as that brain surgeon knows Banner and how he views Banner. It's a sort of third hand look at Banner where we see the surgeon's opinion of Banner from back when they were in school together and from newspaper articles he's read since. Not a ton to be gained with a character like Hulk, who has been around for so long. This is just kind of an interesting way to re-establish our character and his place in the world at the start of a new series. 4/5

Writing
We're still a little too much in the story for a lot to have been explained so far but the writing works pretty well for what it needs to do here. It catches the reader and draws him or her in while still not giving too much information to put the reader off. As I said, it rehashes a little bit about Banner that we don't necessarily need if we're longtime Hulk readers but it at least presents it differently to keep things a little new while still welcoming new readers onboard without much problem. 5/5

Art
Bagley's art works here as he draws lots of characters who will likely never appear again. It gets the point across; there are plenty of people around. Interested to see how the series continues as his Hulk looks pretty great. 5/5

Miscellaneous
It's a bold new direction for the book and one that I think we'll have to wait a little longer on to really make a judgement about it. I liked Waid's last direction and the focus it put on Banner so I'm wary of this new approach but I'm willing to follow Waid as he continues.

Total score: 4/5


Wolverine 4
Cornell (w) and Stegman w/ Baldeon (p) and Morales, Stegman, and Hanna (i) and Curiel (c) and Petit (l)

Before Wolverine set off to join Offer's gang, he cut his ties with the X-Men, angry that they're all over him while he tries to figure himself out, and even goes to Kitty Pryde with Scott's team (the location of which he apparently knows) so he can threaten her for some weird reason. He then meets up with SHIELD Agent Monkton to discuss going undercover in Offer's group. Monkton will go in, as an LMD, to allow Wolverine to kill him in front of Offer to establish his loyalty, hence why Wolverine killed the reporter in the first issue. Now he's firmly established himself as an ally to Offer, who is trying to get into Sabretooth's good books.

Story
Wolverine is a spy for Maria Hill but there is always the worry that he'll grow to like his new teammates (as Monkton warns him) enough to not want to harm them if the time should come. Still, it's a better story than "Wolverine has joined up with a crime boss because he's having a midlife crisis." 4/5

Character
I've found some of the character decisions strange so far but I'd written it off as some sort of unknown plot point to that point. I was right and now I do like what's happening a bit more, though I cannot get past the threatening Kitty business. I just don't follow it. Maybe he's trying to burn his bridges to make his alibi more believable but I'm just not sure who would have checked? This way, he just comes off like a crazy old man. In a way, these sort of freak outs make more sense because you put them in context of a wounded man who has been severely shaken but it almost doesn't go big enough to give that. Instead, he almost comes off as petty and strange. 3/5

Writing
There is still a little over-explanation here, even as the series needs over-explanation to say what's going on. That's not the sort of over-explanation I'm talking about. There's over-explanation in people explaining Wolverine's current behavior. I don't need to hear five different people talking about why Wolverine is so defensive right now. Still, happy to see now that the story is going somewhere rather than just trying to be gritty and different. 4/5

Art
I like Stegman's work a good deal and I like the way he draws action particularly, an important aspect for a Wolverine title. I was a little put off at how ugly Wolverine tended to be in this book but then thought about it more and actually almost preferred it. Wolverine was never meant to be a poster boy sort of good looking guy. Bob Hoskins was nearly cast to play him in a movie, you guys. Like everyone, his look changes frequently, but it has certainly erred more towards good-looking and gruff or animalistic in recent days. Making him kind of ugly doesn't hurt this book. I still, though, hate the new design of Sabretooth and don't understand why every would-be crime boss has to be a GIANT. 4/5

Miscellaneous
Still a little bit slower than I'd like this book to be moving but I am happy that it's moving in some sort of direction. It's hard to get past the somewhat slower tone of the book still but knowing that it's not trying too hard to reinvent the wheel certainly helps things.

Total score: 3/5

Iron Fist: The Living Weapon 1, Daredevil 1.50

Iron Fist: The Living Weapon 1
K. Andrews

Danny Rand meets with a journalism student as she interviews him about his past and his powers. The night devolves quickly as she becomes attracted to him and, while the drinks flow, eventually goes home with him. The whole time, Danny is distant, thinking about his father's determination to get his family and business partner to K'un Lun. Of course, this event drove Danny's life as his parents would both die that day and Danny would barely escape death to make it to the mystical city, where he would become the immortal Iron Fist and choose to leave K'un Lun, forsaking his immortality to avenge his murdered family. As he mulls over his past (before, after, and probably during his, erm, relations with the girl Brenda), he realizes that someone is coming for him. He dives out the window of his penthouse apartment which overlooks the ruined Rand building and meets a flock of ninjas descending from a helicopter. He defeats them handily (that's very nearly a pun about his iron fist, you guys) and returns to the girl only to find that there's an undead but very powerful ninja waiting for him there. His iron fist blinks out at the wrong time but he's more than just his power and he still defeats the ninja. With the last combatant dispatched, a different girl appears, arrows in her back, and whispers that he needs to return to K'un Lun.

Stellar first issue by Kaare Andrews. There's a ton happening here and it's ever so slightly twisting the story of Iron Fist. Iron Fist is rather my go-to for "which superhero has the darkest origin?" That question comes up more than you'd think (mostly I pose it so I can answer "Iron Fist." I never said I didn't play to win). As a child, Danny Rand was walked through a harsh, winter, mountainous climate because his dad was driven to show them all K'un Lun. His dad's business partner, Harold Meachum, watched as Wendell Rand fell off the cliff to his death and offered help to Danny's mother if she would marry him. She refuses and she and Danny are left to their own devices, which here means "promptly attacked and chased by wolves." She falls behind to let Danny gain some distance and tells Danny to just keep going. As the wolves get to her, Danny finds the entrance to K'un Lun. PRETTY DARK, YOU GUYS. This twists the origin very slightly but not in any way that is unbelievable. Instead, Andrews casts Wendell Rand as someone who had long since gone mad, desperate to return to K'un Lun. It's not a stretch in any way, just a slightly different way to look at it. There's an amount of apathy to Danny as this series opens and a fear that he'll go the way of his father. There are so many emotions here and so much depth already to this Danny Rand, not even getting into the story that's happening and the phenomenal art Andrews brings to the book. Really great first issue. Everyone should check this one out.

Daredevil 1.50
The King in Red: Waid (w) and J. Rodriguez and A. Lopez (a) and J. Rodriguez (c)
The Last Will and Testament of Stana Morgan: Bendis (w) and Maleev (a) and Hollingsworth (c)
The Last Will and Testament of Mike Murdock: Kesel (w and a) and Palmer (a) and Allison (c)

Daredevil's 50th anniversary is celebrated with a double length issue telling three tales from Matt Murdock's past and future. The first is a story from Mark Waid and Javier Rodriguez that finds Matt on his fiftieth birthday. He's more or less retired from the superhero game though his senses have all increased with age. He still lives in San Francisco with his son Jack and near a slimmed down and healthy Foggy. He's had a career in politics and, though it seems he and Jack's mother are separated, gained the love of the city in the process. His fiftieth birthday brings horror to the city, though, as Jubula Pride, deranged daughter of the Owl, blinds the majority of the city with the help of cyber optic eye treatment (like Google Glass but with eye drops) in Matt's honor. He tracks her down and fights her, though he's slowed by her toxins and by his age. He eventually finds the source of the blinding, a machine just bursting with radioactivity, and he destroys it, subjecting himself to the radioactivity and fully blinding him, taking away his radar senses. Sad as it is, he's reunited with his son (who had gone blind in the epidemic) and the two are left to lead a more normal life. It's a pretty neat story with plenty of seeds for stories that may or may not be coming. Javier Rodriguez's art continues to stand out whenever it's called upon and makes the book feel like it's just continued right on up through the next decade of comics. Considering how good this DAREDEVIL book and team are, that's not a bad way to feel.

Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev return to the world of DAREDEVIL as Bendis tells a story in the form of the world's longest letter (probably) from Stana Morgan, purported love interest of Daredevil, to her unborn child and to her husband (they would even go so far as to be MARRIED, you guys). She left the letter because she had a suspicion, thanks to her one-time best friend, that she would die as a result of Daredevil's work, somewhere in the crossfire. I'll be honest, I have no idea the point of this story. It's really, really long-winded and it's about a character it's almost impossible to care about, even if this is presented in a first person letter to make it more sympathetic. It's hard to see her as anything but a woman who fell in love with Daredevil under the weirdest circumstances and quit her job and dedicated herself entirely to him within about five minutes. Then apparently she dies at the hands of Bullseye because that's the only thing Bullseye cares about: killing Daredevil's girlfriends/wives. It's an incredibly lengthy story for five pages and I don't think it really adds much. Add this to my long list of Bendis bias, I suppose.

Story three is a tale from Daredevil's past. As present day Matt and Foggy pack up the law offices of Nelson and Murdock, Reed Richards sends along an old video that was left with him during the days of Mike Murdock, the twin that Matt Murdock invented to convince Foggy and Karen Page that he wasn't Daredevil. Present day Foggy and Matt talk about how unbelievable and crazy the whole situation was and how stupid they were for believing it and for perpetrating it respectively. The video is a sweet little thing where "Mike" dons his Daredevil suit and, followed around by some of Reed's flying cameras, performs stunts and narrates his little video, dedicating bits and pieces to the three (yes, including himself) to whom the video was dedicated. There's not a ton to this little story but it's sweet and it's certainly fun enough with just a pang of regret as Mike says that he's sure they'll be the top law firm in the city by the time they see the video where, in fact, they're packing up their law firm having just been disbarred. Fun little issue overall and definitely worth a look for Daredevil fans. There's a preview of ELEKTRA at the end as well as a nice little letter page that highlights fans who sent in letters about their experience with Daredevil (including a nice shout-out to manwithoutfear.com's Kuljit Mithra) as well as creators who have worked on the series. Always nice to see and looking forward to more DAREDEVIL as the years go on.

Hawkeye 18, Indestructible Hulk 20

Hawkeye 18
Fraction (w) and Wu (a) and Hollingsworth (c)

Kate's mysterious friend from the cat food aisle is on his way out of LA, despite Kate's objections. Before he goes, he gives her his demon cat, which she immediately wants to return. Hoping against hope that he hasn't left yet, she and her neighbors Marcus and Finch go to the address on the cat's carrier to return it, finding an unexpected mansion of a home. Inside, they find Kate's friend, Harold H. Harold (the H. also stands for Harold) bleeding on the couch, muttering that he's going to die in LA. They take care of him and hear his story, which explains just a whole bunch about him. He was a crime writer out in LA to search all the weird crime beats and to uncover crazy stories. When he sold one of his stories to Hollywood, he got wrapped into all new intrigue and inadvertently ended up on the radar of Count Nefaria and his daughter Madam Masque. He accidentally discovered that they've been involved in murder and re-creation, Frankensteining people together from their Hollywood features. With the secret revealed to Harold, he's never been able to leave LA. Every time he tries, he gets run off the road or beat up or something. This time was no exception. Kate buys a ticket in his name out of the city and accompanies him to LAX in the hopes that she will see him on the plane personally, or at least gets a sense of the people after him. While trying to watch over him, none other than Flynt Ward the weed lord (from way back in HAWKEYE 14) turns up and escorts him out with his jackbooted thugs. Kate, Marcus, and Finch try to follow but eventually lose sight of him. Kate, who had learned that her police "contact" had actually been friends with Harold from Harold's crime writer experience, goes to see Officer Caudle about Harold's story and his subsequent disappearance. She tells him everything she knows and he tells her to disentangle herself from it before she winds up hurt. Madam Masque sends a threatening note along to Kate as well as a serious message when Harold winds up dead, arrowed to the Hollywood sign, and Kate's trailer ends up ablaze (Lucky and the cat are okay).

Another phenomenal issue of HAWKEYE and it's hard not to point out here just how impressive this series continues to be. Beyond all the things we already know about how great this series is, one of the things that I haven't talked about too much is just how different the Clint and Kate issues are. Not just that they are in different places with different casts and different artists, it's a wholly different writing style. Kate, of course, is more loquacious and more outgoing than Clint but even beyond that; there's a greater focus on the story and the backstory. There's just so much happening and Fraction so clearly understands his characters and is able to shift almost effortlessly between them, developing completely different voices for each one and building stories that suit each character and that very clearly change depending on which character is leading the book. Wonderful and well-done. The decision to swap between Aja and Wu for the art, while almost startling at first considering how great David Aja is and how great he's been for this book, has been nothing but the most amazing decision as Annie Wu absolutely kills it each and every time out.

Indestructible Hulk 20
Waid (w) and J. Bennett and R. Jose w/ Hanna (a) and Staples (c)

As the kidnapped Jessup is told about the operation that his kidnapper, Ted Goodrich, is running, the rest of Banner's team is forced to work with Hulk to try to get him back. Jessup immediately understands that Goodrich's setup, based on the work of underground experimental scientists who failed badly, is incredibly dangerous and tries to plot a way to stop it. Meanwhile, Hulk's team manages to breach Goodrich's hideaway while Jessup sacrifices himself to his new Inhuman so that he and Hulk can attack the biggest concern, a massive and unstable power source. Eventually Jessup drains all of Hulk's strength, powering himself up incredibly, and takes the brunt of the explosion. It reverts him back down to his human self and Banner commands they stay in Goodrich's lab (Goodrich and his assistant died trying to rip open a cocoon they had stolen) to help Jessup instead of returning to SHIELD only to draw the ire of Maria Hill. Banner returns and explains what happened to Hill but tells her that the team was lost and that he had no idea what happened at the end. She doesn't believe him and is sick of dealing with him. He returns to his lab and is promptly shot in the back of the head.

Geez, pretty abrupt ending to that one, huh? Anyway, the story of Jessup and Banner's lab team as a whole comes to an end here as Banner releases them into the wild. Banner also has made some revelations here, realizing that maybe his "Hulk destroys, Banner builds" mantra isn't as applicable as he thought it was; throughout the series, for all the good Banner has tried to do, he's done just as much destroying as Hulk thanks to his ego and his desperation. It's a real "Who Shot Mr. Burns" ending to this one as we're likely to rejoin this story at the start of its new "season," a rebooted Hulk series coming with the rest of the ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! relaunches. This one continues to baffle me a bit as Hulk seemed to start in the midst of the ALL-NEW relaunches, or certainly close enough and, while the change seems pretty obvious, it doesn't sound like it's a change the size of, say, Daredevil moving to San Francisco or Captain Marvel moving to space. We'll just have to see. Still, if this is the wrap-up to this series, it's certainly been a worthwhile one. There have been ups and downs but a pretty good core throughout, one that shined the spotlight on Banner and only used Hulk in a more limited capacity. Interesting idea and Mark Waid certainly did a solid job getting his point across.

Daredevil 1, Ms. Marvel 2

Daredevil 1
Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and J. Rodriguez (c)

Matt Murdock has officially set up shop out west and he's already taken on his first client. The deputy mayor's daughter has been kidnapped with a ransom note left demanding that she arrange amnesty for a criminal in exchange for the daughter's release. Using the note and a rag doll left behind, Matt determines the likely location of the little girl and manages to take her back from her kidnappers. As he travels the unfamiliar San Francisco terrain with the help of Kirsten McDuffie via earpiece and Google Maps, he realizes there's more to this kidnapping case than meets the eye. The armed men following him by glider (more goblin glider than hang glider) seem to be driving him away from their base rather than trying to catch him and Daredevil comes to realize that the ticking he thought to be a watch the little girl had is actually coming from inside the girl. Determining that the bomb planted inside the girl isn't a time bomb but likely a radio-detonated bomb, he rushes her into an elevator in a hospital to block the radio signal. With the girl out of harm's way, he stops his pursuers and sets things right. Three days later, the deputy mayor stops by to tell him that the girl's okay and to thank him and Kirsten in their brand new law office. However, it's not all perfect here; when asked about his former law partner, Matt says "his name was Foggy Nelson," to the bemusement of someone secretly watching.

We've had enough scares with Foggy Nelson of late that I'm not going to get all nervous about this one, as it seems to me like Matt is simply spreading rumors to protect Foggy, unable to defend himself if anyone were to come calling now that they know Matt's identity. With that out of the way, it's a great first entry, fun and fresh with the same sort of revitalized air that Waid brought to the last volume of DAREDEVIL and that readers responded to so favorably. San Francisco is an interesting new place for him as it poses questions of learning the landscape and recognizing the scents as well as a completely different structure to the buildings he's leaping on. The differences in Matt's role now that his secret is out are front and center here as the deputy mayor comes right to him for assistance and he's able to show off a little bit, telling people what hints he's picking up from his sense of smell and touch, not just having to bottle it up and investigate it himself later. Obviously the secret has come with some strings too as the deputy mayor had to step in when a landlord attempted to deny Matt office space and with the whole Foggy business. It's a really good start for this new volume and one that has a very clear shift in direction. It's nice to have a book out there that can shift from an old direction that was pretty great into a new direction that will be pretty great.

Ms. Marvel 2
G.W. Wilson (w) and Alphona (a) and Herring (c)

Kamala is a bit freaked out to find that she looks like Ms. Marvel and can't seem to understand how it happened. She's therefore happy but still a bit freaked out when she quickly changes back to regular Kamala. These changes keep happening as she rushes deeper into the mist that has settled on the city. She stumbles on Josh and Zoe leaving the party and shrinks down to hide herself, still unsure how it's happening. However, when a drunk Josh accidentally lets Zoe slip into the bay beside the docks, Kamala grows in size, now as Ms. Marvel again, and reaches a giant-sized hand and arm into the water to fish Zoe out. With Zoe saved, she rushes off again, heading home to try to figure it out. She sneaks back into the house (somewhat unsuccessfully) and is immediately set upon by her brother and her parents, who knew she snuck out and who are very disappointed in her. She decides not to tell them what's been happening, at least until she can sort things out for herself.

It's weird to think, given the way the Marvel Universe was born and grew, that this form of storytelling feels little weird in the modern Marvel age. Typically speaking, the way things happen now is that an established character will get a solo series based on their popularity or on a particularly good pitch for that character. New characters are introduced, then, in team books or even in the solo series of a different character and they're established there before potentially branching out to their own book. Even NOVA, a recent series that is a rather new character getting a new solo series, spins out from the Nova history and mythos of the Nova Corps, although it's clearly a different character and even a different part of the mythos. Here, Kamala is a brand new character with seemingly brand new powers so it requires reading a somewhat different way. It's like when you start reading comics and you're not quite sure who everyone is; you have to hope that the creative team has done enough to explain these people to you. As such, we're still in that explaining phase with Kamala as her powers start to blossom and as things start to get a little weird. That said, it's not a bad issue and it has its clear defining moments for the character, particularly as she chooses to reveal herself, unsure of her new powers as she is, to Zoe and Josh because there's some heroing that needs doing. Looking forward to seeing a little more from this series as we start to get the origin out of the way.

This week's picks

There are weeks where I know I'm going to have a tough time working out what books to choose for the top three and know not to make any calls until I've checked them all out and given some time to process. There are also weeks where two books lock in to the top three from the moment I read them and I have to carefully think about the other books to figure out which one is third. This week is the latter.

Daredevil 35

I was wondering how, with only two issues left, DAREDEVIL was going to really shake things up before its relaunch. My fear, especially with the ending of last issue, was that they would kill Foggy. I don't really believe they would but it seemed like we were awfully close to the end and Foggy took a turn for the worse and I just didn't know, okay? This is much better and far less...cheap, I suppose. A character's life is always important, especially one as fundamental to our title as Foggy, but that often means that they could be used to raise the stakes for our hero. Instead, we get Daredevil choosing to turn his whole life upside down to make a play that his enemies won't expect. It's so Daredevil that I can't believe no one's done it before. It feels, now that it's all said and done, so perfect for the man without fear to refuse to be part of the game that the Sons of the Serpent would play with him. It's also nice that Waid's (first) run didn't conclude without seeing Elektra and similarly nice that she was so influential in his decision. Just a really well-told story.

Thunderbolts 20

This book was the one that still, even as I write these words, is trying to fight off other titles to stay on this list. SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN was my stand-in pretty much all week for this because of the surprise of the reveal and I can't help wondering if it wouldn't have made the cut if it hadn't been spoiled early in the week. However, there were also some really choppy lines in there that broke flow and maybe a little too much exposition from every angle to keep it up there. In fact, INHUMANITY - SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN might have beat it out if THUNDERBOLTS hadn't, thanks to stellar Chris Gage writing and unbelievable Stephanie Hans art. But THUNDERBOLTS, as it has so often of recent, takes control as it again stands out with its dialogue and characterization. It feels like every line in this book is there for a purpose, that every line advances plot or characterizes someone. Charles Soule is writing a really good book and Marvel has done a solid job finding him artists that match the tone, as Carlos Barberi shows off some skill on this one. Really fun, really engaging title. Check it out.

X-Men Legacy 22

As I said above, there were two books that, from the moment I read them, I knew they'd make the top three. Sometimes you just know. It's a mix of sheer greatness from the book and gut feeling and the level of competition out there for the rest of the week. There was never any doubt with X-MEN LEGACY but even if there had been it certainly still would have garnered serious consideration because, like with most weeks when it's released, LEGACY stuck in my head far longer than any of the other books out this week. I really enjoyed DAREDEVIL and if I think back on it I can recall exactly what happened and what I liked about it. I loved X-MEN LEGACY and I don't have to think back on it because it's pretty much at the front of my mind, days after I read and reviewed it last. This series has turned from one that I loved for its kind of slow burn into one that I love for its immediate impact AND the slow burn as I think about it later in the week. I'm very excited to see how this one wraps up and also a little devastated inside that the hole this book filled will reopen (though hopefully some of the new books launching from Marvel will ease that pain).

Hawkeye 14, Indestructible Hulk 16, FF 14

Hawkeye 14
Fraction (w) and Wu (a) and Hollingsworth (c)


Kate Bishop is officially moved into LA (as we already know from the Annual) and just about out of money. Realizing that she has skills that are maybe a little harder to market, she starts to try to put herself out there as a hero for hire and gets her first case as she uses her neighbor's printer to print her flyers out. Her neighbors, a gay couple, are getting married and the florist shop set to handle the wedding has been most burned down, burning almost all of the flowers. Kate goes to investigate and the florist points her to Flynt Ward and tells her that Ward burned everything but the orchids he had for the wedding, which Ward took himself and which Kate's neighbors were most insistent about, as one of them saw orchids specifically in a vision of the wedding. Kate tries to get the police involved and then stakes out Ward herself, who immediately recognizes what she's doing and keeps her out of his way. She decides to stalk him and take pictures of his drug dealing ways but is quickly found out and Ward chases her down in his car, knocking her off her bike before driving away. She snaps a few more pictures and goes back to the police, who inform her that marijuana is legal and so he's not really a dealer but that the hit and run will land him in prison, as will illegal possession of a firearm they found in the car. She recovers the last of the orchids and brings them to the wedding, accomplishing her first mission though also getting into a bit of an antagonistic relationship with her police contact. Ward, meanwhile, makes his first call from prison to none other than Madam Masque, enemy of our hero.

Very solid first Kate-in-LA issue (not counting the Annual which was ALSO extremely good) and it sets a nice tone for the book. Fraction clearly has a very strong voice for Kate, one that's maybe a little less grown-up than the Kate we typically see in books like YOUNG AVENGERS where she's kind of forced to be mature one by the immaturity of her teammates. Here, she's a little more free and a little more stream of consciousness than we've seen her. Though the voice might not totally match the voice we've seen somewhat established for her (I would say previous voices for Kate aren't particularly well-established in and of themselves) but they certainly stay consistent and I think you can absolutely see that voice in any iteration of Kate. Annie Wu hops on the book on art and it's phenomenal. Her Kate is outstanding and it's especially emotive. Hollingsworth's colors are great again and incredibly varied from the darker and somewhat grittier colors we've seen throughout HAWKEYE, giving way to lighter and more vibrant colors for Kate. Really fun intro to our Kate issues arc, very excited to see it. Perhaps the best explanation of the art comes from Matt Fraction's Twitter:

@AnnieW gonna get super-esoteric in the scripts just to see how you draw her: "she just remembered something but is about to sneeze" etc
— BUTT STUFF WEREWOLF (@mattfraction) October 31, 2013

Indestructible Hulk 16
Waid (w) and Asrar (a) and Staples (c)

Hulk is back to Hulking and Banner is back to Bannering after the cross-time adventures of the last arc and after the events of INFINITY. Banner is upset at having fallen behind on his promise of a new world-changing invention or discovery each Friday and plans to recoup some time with a couple of pet projects he's been working on, only to find each one invented or discovered just hours before he would have by the other big brains of the Marvel Universe. His frustration forces Hulk out and he hopes to get a mission from Hill but finds out, with the help of team-member Randall Jessup, that Hill doesn't want him on her newest big mission exploring an Aztec ruin for a potential new renewable energy found there. Frustrated more, Banner starts to Hulk but Jessup manages to talk him down and sneak him into the mission anyway. The two of them go down to Mexico and infiltrate the pyramid, where Banner starts to give way to Hulk again. Jessup earns his stripes again as he controls Hulk enough to get him clear from bringing the whole pyramid down and points him at the thing he needs to fight. Jessup also gives Hulk a successful plan of action, which does result in bringing the whole pyramid down but allows the SHIELD team to get out in time and Jessup to smuggle out the source of the renewable energy, which he shows to Banner. The issue ends with a foreshadowing line explaining that Banner knew he could trust Jessup to his death...seven days later.

Really nice issue of this book. I mentioned in my INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK review last week that Banner's team was the only consistent supporting cast created for its book that I really found myself missing over the course of an arc (thinking especially about Wolverine's dumb science cadre in WOLVERINE). Here Waid brings them back in a big way, even though it only really highlights Jessup. It reminded me a little bit of Dennis Hopeless' early run on AVENGERS ARENA, which made sure to give flashbacks of individuals on Murder World juxtaposed with what was happening with the character currently. The same thing happens here as we see a bit of Jessup's past with a tough upbringing that eventually led to him leaving his family behind a bit only to later find that his father had apparently murder-suicided his mother. It's given Jessup a need to stay with the ones he cares about and resolve to never let them down, which comes out strong with Banner in this issue. Though it's not a bad cliffhanger, I'll be a bit disappointed if Jessup does die next issue. I'd also like more issues like this one, which teams Banner up with members of his think-tank to better get to know them as individuals, which was AVENGERS ARENA's true biggest strength and which paid such dividends as the series went on. Still, very good issue, nice solid core to it and it's setting us up to care about a character who will no doubt be in some danger next time out.

FF 14
Fraction and Lee Allred (s) and Lee Allred (w) and M. Allred (a) and Laura Allred (c)

The FF are regrouping after Doom's interference with Alex Power and their subsequent trip through the portal to the moon and Uatu's base. As they regroup, they plan their next attack, hoping to gain more allies in their fight against Doom, Immortus, and Annihilus. They manage to swipe a slew of bots to go up against Doom's army of Doombots, leaving the replacement F4, along with old John Storm and young Ahura and Alex to go after Doom himself. Scott also appeals to Uatu to do more than watch and it seems to get through on some level, but we'll likely have to see about that later. Scott also admits to Darla that he was forced to kill in prison and that he's worried that side of him, the killer who rather enjoyed the act (though it was clear self-defense), will come out against Doom. There's hijinx and tomfoolery and what-have-you as the team prepares to leave the kids on the moon while they strike. Meanwhile, Doom realizes Lang is about to strike but has more on his mind. As we saw in the last FANTASTIC FOUR, he has figured out that the Negative Zone is connected to every universe and he wishes to control that himself, knocking Annihilus out of his plans and eventually causing it to knock Immortus out of his plans, again as we saw in FANTASTIC FOUR.

Plenty happening as the book heads towards it battle royale finale. Some interesting stuff and some nice character moments for a couple of our heroes but overall the book drags a bit in places that I don't think it needs to drag. This series has long wanted to have a different feel to it, one accomplished by charm and wit and fun as much as it is accomplished by Michael Allred's fresh art and Laura Allred's vibrant colors. I think it still has that but it's running into problems here as it wants to have it both ways, trading off fun and carefree with serious and sometimes dark. It's a very tricky line to balance on and I think Lee Allred is having a little more trouble walking it than Fraction, who has had plenty of experience in a lot of his books, had. I think it's because of that that the book turns extra wordy and starts to feel really off-track at certain points as Allred tries to sprinkle enough of everything in and ends up putting in a little too much of each. The funny thing was that I read maybe a little over half the book before needing to attend to other duties, saving the rest for later. When I came back to it and skimmed the first half to remember my place then continued reading the second half, I found it a better read. It felt a little less wordy in the second half and a lot of the fluff and the mixed tone was in the first half, it turned out. Not an awful book, just not one that I'd have as many recommendations for.