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

Amazing Spider-Man 4, Daredevil 6

Amazing Spider-Man 4
Slott (w) and Ramos (p) and Olazaba (i) and Delgado (c) and Eliopoulos (l)

Parker Industries is trying to work out ways to safely capture Electro, including an electric proof net (which is such a cartoon idea. In fact, it's so cartoon that it's something Team Rocket constantly uses),  but again Peter is quick to disappear when an Avengers call comes in, to the concern of Anna Maria and to the frustration of Sajani. She storms off and is taken by the onlooking Black Cat, who has stolen some of the plans for the Electro capture tech and needs someone to help her understand them. Meanwhile, Peter arrives at the ORIGINAL SIN storyline, thrilled to be hanging out with his Avengers pals again, as the truth bomb reveals to him that there was another person bitten by the spider that bit him. Ezekiel Sims, totem of the spider and convinced that Peter is too, found young Cindy Moon and had her locked away while she trained and explored her powers, claiming to do it to stop Morlun from finding and killing her. Peter races to go save his totem sister and lets her out of the room she's in, telling her Morlun is dead. As Cindy, codename Silk, excitedly joins Peter out in the world, he admits that Morlun has a way of coming back from the dead and she flips out on him, proving that her skills are maybe even a little more advanced than his. Indeed, though, Morlun does wake from some sort of slumber, awakened by "the spider-bride." And then Peter and Cindy make out. PRETTY AGGRESSIVELY, YOU GUYS.

We're four issues back with Peter and it remains very clear that Dan Slott loves writing the true Peter Parker. He should, too, he's pretty good at it. There's always a sense of fun and, dare I say, whimsy to the character under Slott's direction. The other thing Slott always manages to do really well with Peter, even if it doesn't always look like it's heading that way, is construct a story that feels rather like it's closing in on our hero at all times. There are always wheelings, dealing, stealings, healings, and feelings that Peter isn't privy to but that the audience sees from issue to issue and that tend to culminate all at once. That's happening pretty blatantly here and it's entirely possible, maybe even likely, that it will wind its way towards an excellent conclusion. However, it's also possible that it will remain as skeptical-eyebrow-raising and frustrating as it is now. There are still moments to enjoy in this issue but the Black Cat/Electro storyline makes very little sense to me (with Black Cat on some sort of crazed revenge fantasy and Electro just crazed, seemingly to correlate with the worst parts of the last Spider-Man movie) and it's clearly making its way into the spotlight. On top of that, I've never been a big supporter of the Spider Mythology sort of storyline that the series occasionally heads back to. I like Peter Parker and I think his longevity and his appeal, part of it anyway, comes from the fact that he's just an average guy who gained these powers and, after a brief hiccup of being a jerk, realizes he has a responsibility to use his powers to help, not for self-profit. The totem stuff makes it feel that he's not an everyman, he's a very specific man and he was chosen to be Spider-Man, not that he himself chose to be Spider-Man. I think it weakens his story and plays more to the idea of fate rather than choice, which rather feels like the opposite of Spider-Man's story. LOOK, what I'm trying to say is that it's kind of weird that the Spider would have these two make out.

Total Score: 2/5


Daredevil 6
Waid (w) and J. Rodriguez (p) and A. Lopez (i) and J. Rodriguez (c) and Caramagna (l)

Daredevil's been ORIGINAL SIN'd and he's learned, perhaps, that there was more than meets the eye to his father, or, in the very least, that he'd repressed some seriously bad memories of the man who has stood so tall over Matt's life. Memories rush back to him of a beaten and bruised mother with Battlin' Jack standing over her and he has to know the truth. He tries to track his mother, a nun, only to learn that she and two other nuns have been arrested and await extradition to Wakanda for trial after trespassing and graffiti-ing on private Wakandan property. Matt can't believe the story and moreover can't believe the extreme punishment for what amounts to a tiny infraction. He attempts to investigate but is shut down in every direction, eventually leading him to stay silent in a closet in the Wakandan embassy for hours in the hopes of hearing some hint of the proceedings. Eventually he does, learning that there's a coverup from the American military involved as well. He confronts the Wakandan and an army general only find himself stopped dead in his tracks by a waiting sonic. The Wakandan informs him that Wakanda has purchased the land onto which his mother trespassed, making it officially Wakandan soil and therefore any crimes committed are to be treated as crimes against Wakanda, dealt with however they want. With perhaps more than a hint of WATCHMEN, the Wakandan tells Matt that he's only giving out this information because there's nothing the hero can do about it as the nuns were sent on a plane an hour ago.

Let me say this first: I think the Wakandan storyline, while a bit farfetched because of my biases towards Wakandan and the idea that Black Panther wouldn't check his cellphone once in a while from someone who he's been so close to in the past as Daredevil, is a fairly interesting one. I think pitting Matt against such a powerful nation on behalf of his rarely-seen mother is an intriguing storyline. I think that the abusive father storyline, while not necessarily unexpected out of a down-and-out boxer, is perhaps a bit overdone in the Marvel Universe as a whole. Not to say it's not pertinent or meaningful for the character, particularly one like Matt who rather sees his father through rose-colored glasses (because ALL OF HIS GLASSES ARE ROSE-COLORED, though I suppose he doesn't really see through them so never mind, my bit is ruined). Still, I couldn't help saying "aww, nooo" when the reveal was made. Again, it's not necessarily unexpected and it's not exactly farfetched (it may not even be the first time this has been seen from Battlin' Jack, I'm not sure) but it did kind of make me go "aw, can't we just have one character without daddy issues?" I'm not saying this to minimize the horror and wrongness of abuse (particularly in the light of Ravens running back Ray Rice's minuscule two-game suspension for pretty clear and public spousal abuse and the terrible comments from the terrible people on the ESPN comment sections on any articles referring to it) but rather to shine it as something of an overused trope in fiction (important to remember they could just as easily have not made Jack hit Maggie as these aren't real people with real histories) which makes the actual act seem less flagrant by its overwhelmingly abundant usage. LOOK, maybe when I make a real statement of some sort, I shouldn't conflate it by adding two long parenthetical statements in the middle. LOOK, maybe we're all just learning that now?

Total Score: 3/5

Captain Marvel 5, Daredevil 5

Captain Marvel 5
DeConnick (w) and D. Lopez (a) and Loughridge (c) and Caramagna (l)

Captain Marvel realizes that the Haffensye aren't intercepting goods coming to Torfa, they're covertly mining the planet for natural resources, in this case vibranium. This also explains the recent sickness that's washed over the community, a reaction to the vibranium and easily treated now that they know with what they're dealing (like so much House). Carol and her team (sans Tic, who has been captured) explain everything to the people and Carol goes on to deduce that some of the once-friendly Sentimault, still living amongst them, are helping the Haffensye mine the vibranium and that said vibranium is to be delivered to J-Son to give the Spartax an impregnable army. The Haffensye and J-Son are quibbling over the vibranium themselves and Spartax is prepared to come to the planet and take it on their own, only to be met by a war-ready Captain Marvel.

With the mystery solved, Carol returns to form as she makes herself heard and refuses to leave a struggling people even as their leader tells her that she should not get involved. The final pages of the issue, giving the audience another emotional speech, not unlike the the first issue of the last volume (wherein Carol received advice and strength in a letter from her childhood hero), that has been something of a driving force for DeConnick's run. Following that is a pretty gorgeous double page spread that shows Captain Marvel hovering in space, staring down a fleet of Spartax ships. It's a powerful moment and one that sticks with the ongoing feeling of the book and the strength of Carol's character through this run. It's a solid way to end the issue.

Total Score: 5/5


Daredevil 5
Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and J. Rodriguez (c) and Caramagna (l)

We flash back a few months to Foggy's last minutes "alive" to Matt explaining to his friend that faking his death is the best way to proceed, that it's the only way to get him out of the spotlight and to ensure that his treatment isn't tampered with. As they run through the park together, Ant-Man in Foggy's blood to keep trying an experimental method to deal with some of the cancer, Foggy complains to Daredevil about how hard it will be to pick back up when they reveal he's not dead after all, that he's not a superhero and normal people don't just return from death. At that moment, "supervillain" Leapfrog emerges from a pond in new battle armor, picking up Foggy and scrambling away with him, proving Matt's fears about leaving him in the open. DD pursues and eventually catches up with Leapfrog, managing to snare him. Leapfrog tries to escape, hoping that Daredevil will focus on his friend rather than the villain, but DD catches him, believing Foggy can handle himself. However, everything changes when Matt realizes that Leapfrog was desperate to escape because his abandoned suit is actually a bomb. Matt makes a big show to yell to foggy that the suit is a bomb and he needs to get it out of the city, that he's the only one who can enter it in time and leap high above the civilians. Foggy doesn't hesitate, climbing in and preparing to sacrifice himself. As the suit explodes in midair, Ant-Man returns to the ground with Foggy. Everyone believes Foggy's dead after a very public and extremely heroic sacrifice.

It's a nice Foggy-centric issue here (always like those) and it answers a couple of questions hanging over the series and over Daredevil's decision to reveal himself to the world. It's, admittedly, maybe a little convenient as Leapfrog makes his perfectly timed appearance, seemingly not orchestrated by Daredevil, and there's no way to make the ending anything but predictable for the audience, who should remember Ant-Man is with Foggy and who, of course, knows that Foggy survives, but Waid and Samnee do a good job to keep the action and the fun up anyway, giving something of a laugh as Daredevil very obviously lets the entire street know what's happening as he yells to Foggy while still making it a poignant and feel-good story as Foggy, not realizing that he'll be saved, immediately makes the choice to save everyone else. Solid issue with more great Samnee art and Rodriguez colors.

Total Score: 5/5

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

Comics this week

A slew of books out this week, friends, but it comes with a bit of a warning on this end. I've been feeling terrible of late (springtime allergies are absolutely wrecking me) so there's a chance books this week have the SUPER QUICK REVIEWS on them like many did last week. JUST A HEADS-UP.

Amazing Spider-Man 2
Peter Parker has a lot of figuring out to do as he returns to his life and tries to discover exactly the shape in which Doc Ock has left it. As if it weren't a hard enough job, Doc Ock's girlfriend Anna Maria Marconi has discovered that Peter is Spider-Man. Will Spider-Man have to erase the entire world's memories to stop his secret getting out? I mean, hopefully not.

Daredevil 3
Daredevil continues his new life in San Francisco and it's quickly put him up against San Fran vigilante the Shroud. Is this going to be a real fight or just one of your standard superhero misunderstandings? Find out THIS VERY WEEK in DAREDEVIL 3.

Elektra 2
I was definitely a fan of the first issue of ELEKTRA, which came complete with plenty of really gorgeous double-page spreads. I thought they really helped to establish both Elektra's story and character while also showing off Mike Del Mundo's art. Of course, too many issues like that can verge into style>substance territory, so it might be for the best if this week eases off the gas on that and delves further into story/character. Of course, could be wrong and it could still be great.

Original Sin 2
I wasn't big into ORIGINAL SIN 1, which had a lot to do with the fact that we already rather knew the conceit of the book going in so the fact we had to read a first issue entirely about that conceit slowed things down a little too much. That's not necessarily a fault of the book (though I had other complaints on top of that one) but hopefully now that the story's more or less established we can get into more interesting territory.

Ultimate FF 2
I don't think I realized that I was looking forward to this book until last week when I kept mistaking ALL-NEW ULTIMATES on my list for ULTIMATE FF and then was disappointed when I realized which of the two was really out. This one makes the pre-game cut because apparently I thought the first issue was pretty good?

She-Hulk 4, Loki: Agent of Asgard 4

She-Hulk 4
Soule (w) and Pulido (a) and Vicente (c) and Cowles (l)

She-Hulk pays a visit to San Francisco to get some advice from fellow lawyer-superhero Matt Murdock about her recent case involving Kristoff Vernard, son of Dr. Doom. With his counsel, she flies to Latveria in the hopes of finishing her case. She manages to sneak into the country and launches a small attack on Castle Doom before a giant Doombot controlled by Doom himself stops her. She talks with him, telling him that it would serve Doom well to let Kristoff live a life since all he's doing now is teaching the future ruler of Latveria to bow and that letting him go out on his own, whether in Latveria or abroad, will let him become a stronger person. Doom consents reluctantly and Kristoff brings She-Hulk home, where she begins to look into the facts of her mysterious blue file.

Story
The conclusion of the Doom storyline works out nicely as Jen manages to get into Latveria and makes another compelling argument (her first came when she won her actual trial to grant Kristoff asylum) on behalf of her client. It paints a picture of a good lawyer at work and, as she and Matt discuss, the role of a lawyer who has the ability to do far more for a client than most. On top of it, we start to get a sense of what's in the blue file as she reveals to Hellcat and Angie Huang that she and several other in the superhero/villain community are being sued by someone in North Dakota for something she cannot recall. Interesting stuff ahead. 5/5

Character
There are plenty of strong character moments here from just about everyone who appears. She-Hulk gets plenty of her own moments in the way that she speaks and in the way she acts; her tone and her demeanor give us as much a sense of her character as her willingness to visit San Francisco for advice and her willingness to travel to Latveria for a client she doesn't even like. Kristoff and Doom get some decent characterization (a well-written Doom continues to be just an absolute pleasure to read), as do Hellcat and Angie Huang in their much smaller roles. 5/5

Writing
Soule's writing continues to be very strong, giving great dialogue and compelling story beats as the series continues. I've covered most of that in the above two sections but it feels more and more each issue like Soule is building his world in some really strong ways. Hopefully the book hangs on long enough to let us see it (I've no idea how sales on this or any other new book are doing but I fear that the cuts have to come somewhere). 5/5

Art
Pulido's art continues to impress, though I get the sense that his work continues to be very polarizing. Matt Murdock is characterized some by his dialogue in this one but even more by his inability to sit still as he and She-Hulk hang out on the Golden Gate Bridge. He's constantly doing handstands and jumping from wire to wire and all sorts of different things in the course of his regular conversation. It's pretty fun and it adds a lot to the book, which is about all you can ask from any artist on any book. Muntsa Vicente does a solid job too on the colors for this extremely specific art style. 5/5

Miscellaneous
Just another in a line of Soule books that's proven to be a lot of fun to read while also being an engaging superhero comic.

Total score: 5/5


Loki: Agent of Asgard 4
Ewing (w) and Garbett (a) and Woodard (c) and Cowles (l)

Loki needs to send Sigurd home to Asgardia on behalf of the All-Mothers but Sigurd has other plans. Sigurd wants to remain on Earth but also to change his religion to one of resurrection upon death, hoping to avoid the fate that's been promised to him when he dies (consumed by the ex-Disir Valkyries, as happened a few years ago in NEW MUTANTS). For his plan, he needs his sword Gram, which Loki happens to have. The two fight for it and it seems Sigurd was the winner, though the conclusion of the fight happens out of sight. Sigurd visits Tibet and finds dark sorcerer Kaluu, hoping that he can change his religion. Sigurd explains what happened between himself and Loki while Kaluu listens and, at the end, agrees to aid Sigurd. They both shed blood on the wheel of karma to agree to terms and to get the ball rolling only for Kaluu to transform into Mephisto and show Sigurd that the karma wheel was, in fact, a contract and that his soul now belongs to Hell. Unfortunately for Mephisto, Loki had been on the mountaintop all along, courtesy of a number of invisibility charms and spells, and swapped out the wheel/contract for a contract of his own that banishes Mephisto and sends Sigurd back to Asgardia. Though the All-Mothers are pleased with Loki, he's not so thrilled with them and enlists the help of Verity Willis, Lorelai, and Thor to try to open up the dungeons of Asgardia to release the gods who have been imprisoned there recently.

Story
Every issue of this book has ended so far (with the exception of issue one, but even that had this problem, I just thought the story was more interesting) with me going "geez, that was awfully convoluted." I do believe, to Ewing's credit, that "convoluted" is rather the book's intent. Loki's the god of mischief, not the god of straightforward cause and effect. Were there probably easier, more generic ways for Loki to send Sigurd back to Asgardia? Probably. Maybe fighting? Who knows, it's all moot at this point. I think Ewing's not wrong to want to take the roundabout way to get it done, since people picking up this book want to see Loki being mischievous and outsmarting people. Still, at some point, convoluted for convoluted's sake wears a little thin and the story has to be exciting and compelling enough to warrant it. It didn't feel like this one ever really hit that point. 3/5

Character
Though we get some character beats in dialogue, the strongest sense of character comes from the aforementioned Rube Goldberg-ness of Loki's plots. It's strong characterization in that sense but the dialogue doesn't always support it. One of the most impressive things that Kieron Gillen did in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (and no, it's not fair to keep comparing this series to that one but I'm going to keep doing it) was to make Loki continually outsmart his foes even when it looked like he wasn't doing it or wasn't doing it intentionally because every once in a while you'd get a dark or foreboding line from Kid Loki that showed that maybe his young and excitable exterior was maybe a little deeper than it seemed. I haven't seen a lot of that from this Loki so his dialogue feels incongruous with his plots. Suddenly he just appears and goes "AHA, I had it planned this way from the start!" which, while true, doesn't feel particularly rewarding. 3/5

Writing
I think I pretty much said all I wanted to say about the writing above. The only other thing I'd mention is that I still tend not to like the faintly gimmicky asides that feel more at place in a SCOTT PILGRIM than in a book whose tone hasn't really been firmly established yet (for example, there's a cutaway sequence outlining what Sigurd's wearing and another establishing what Verity is eating in longer detail - it's not necessarily a dumb idea as it's stuff that needs to be explained and an aside is perhaps more useful than clunky dialogue but it really breaks the tone and rather makes me roll my eyes, which is not the last time I'll discuss eye-rolling this time out). 3/5

Art
Lee Garbett's art is pretty strong throughout this one, switching back and forth between realism and fantasy pretty effortlessly. He keeps up with a lot of the tone changes pretty well and really manages to hold the book together when it starts to come undone. Woodard's colors don't hurt either. 5/5

Miscellaneous
Still rolling my eyes continuously at Verity Willis. I understand there's quite possibly a longer game going on with her, but it would have to be a pretty darn convincing and exciting reveal to make me not roll my eyes at her.

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.

Daredevil 2, Elektra 1

Daredevil 2
Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and J. Rodriguez (c) and Caramagna (l)

Matt Murdock's arrival in San Francisco, particularly an arrival that brought him out as Daredevil, has gained some attention from the wrong people, including San Francisco's own vigilante, the Shroud. Though the Shroud has often worked on the side of the law in his own way, he's certainly gone crazy on more than one occasion and seeing a new and well-liked superhero on his turf doesn't really thrill him. Just as Matt and Kirsten are meeting with deputy mayor Charlotte Hastert (from the first issue!) about the problems facing San Francisco, including the emergence of old Daredevil foe the Owl, Shroud turns up on the roof to threaten Daredevil off. When Daredevil overpowers him, Shroud offers to take DD to the newest crime boss in town, only to bring him directly to his own hideout where he has four men from the different crime families tied up and beaten.

Story
Matt's transition to San Francisco continues to be an interesting one and one fraught with its own perils and problems. Shroud dreams up a news report that conflates Daredevil's and his own origins in order to make it seem like he's jealous or annoyed by the amount of attention and respect Daredevil's already getting, which is all probably true but adds weight to the idea that Matt's facing an all-new sort of scrutiny when it comes to his superheroing (I'm surprised this book isn't called ALL-NEW DAREDEVIL). On top of that, we have seeds about the Owl and a new story with the Shroud that will prove interesting. 5/5

Character
All the characters come across excellently here as we get a good sense of Matt finding his bearings here (and really seemingly to enjoy himself in his new and more open life) and Kirsten's strength as she deals with Matt and Charlotte and everything else but, as we see through Samnee's extraordinary art, worries about the state of everything. The Shroud too gets instant characterization with the aforementioned dream sequence and with the way he interacts with Matt, who fights energetically with quips abound. Plenty to like here and plenty to do with these guys going forward. 5/5

Writing
Matt's new life is fun and exciting and the writing is matching that. There are a lot of light moments and moments that actually made me laugh out loud (GUYS, I'm not bragging but I don't laugh out loud TERRIBLY often, I tend to think things are funny and KEEP IT TO MYSELF, like a GENTLEMAN), though it's balanced nicely by more tense moments and a powerful story. This is never going to be a funny book in the same sort of way that something like SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN is; it's more akin to the humor of HAWKEYE but the humor isn't usually at the expense of our protagonist so it's not as dark as HAWKEYE can sometimes get. Still, it's carved out a great tone for itself and MAN, I THOUGHT THIS LITTLE SECTION WAS GOING TO BE SMALLER TODAY. 5/5

Art
Samnee's art and Rodriguez's colors continue to be absolutely amazing and to work so fluidly together that it remains one of the most easy-to-read books out on the market. Everything is so well-covered from emotion to action to tone to scenery to atmosphere. Just everything, you guys. I also particularly love a nice large panel where Daredevil and Shroud are leaping forward together in a dark blue and a vibrant red team-up. It's stunning, you guys. 5/5

Miscellaneous
What are you gonna do, not give this a 5/5?

Total score: 5/5


Elektra 1
Blackman (w) and Del Mundo (a) and Del Mundo w/D'Alfonso (c) and Cowles (l)

Elektra, tired of being defined by her past and by those who would seek to define her, returns to her roots as an assassin, visiting the Matchmaker, a woman who gives her and other assassins contracts when they want them. The Matchmaker has a special contract for Elektra, putting her on the trail of another assassin, a phantom-like hitman named Cape Crow who had turned from killing high-profile targets to killing other assassins to take their contracts. There's a big enough reward that many other assassins have gotten in on the game, apparently including a rather crazy one named Bloody Lips (who we get some rather crazy narrative from in this issue as well as he hunts down Bullseye to steal a piece of him, as per directions from a voice in his head called the Serpent), but Elektra has been tasked by the Matchmaker to bring Cape Crow in alive for an enormous bounty. Elektra takes the job, simply wanting to get out of New York, and is quickly transported to Monster Island, home of a safe house of Cape Crow's.

Story
Certainly a compelling enough story to kick things off here for Elektra's solo title as Elektra gets back to her roots as an assassin and instantly gets embroiled in something of an assassin-off (is that something that happens in the world of assassins? I sure hope so) which, as my parenthetical's just showcased, is a really engaging story. 5/5

Character
Elektra is, I would assume, a fairly easy character to write on a short term basis (she's cold and she's brutal; it means a lack of colorful language and an efficiency to her that makes her a worthy adversary and a hard-to-trust ally) but a very difficult character to write long term. Her book, then, sort of mirrors BLACK WIDOW in the "not too hard to write for a one-shot or with a team but hard to write as a driving vehicle." Still, Blackman does a phenomenal job here matching the character we know with a bit more personality, though clearly still held pretty tight to the chest, and a story that fits her well. Del Mundo does an equally great job characterizing her through the art with her movement and her expressions but we'll talk about that LATER guys. 5/5

Writing
The character and story all come together well in this first issue, one of the stronger first issues we've seen lately, and it's thanks in large part to the writing of this book, including the dark/grey tone of the book so far. I have a feeling I'll be comparing this one to BLACK WIDOW somewhat often but that's not a bad comparison to make. These two characters are more alike than they are different and their struggles in finding a rhythm in a solo title are also not so different. If this book keeps up like this, though, and if BLACK WIDOW keeps up like it's kicked off, it's hard to imagine that either of these books won't enjoy a long run. 5/5

Art
The art in this book is outstanding and it's hard to ignore that. There are times where art like this, free-flowing art with numerous double-page spreads and ink and color running from page to page, can feel like it's distinctly trying too hard. You can often see when an artist isn't particularly comfortable with that sort of style but knows how well it would match the book so they give it their all. Here, Del Mundo knocks it out of the park so that it doesn't look at all forced, it just looks spectacular. The style isn't that far from Phil Noto's (I'M SORRY, I really like BLACK WIDOW and I think these books are similar and, frankly, should be) and it's working out really well. 5/5

Miscellaneous
Really solid opening for ELEKTRA. Great cover too. Like I kind of danced around before, she's a great character to write for a one-shot but it's far harder to write her for an extended time and particularly for an extended time when she's the sole protagonist. I have high hopes for this series but we are just one issue in. We'll have to see how it plays out.

Total score: 5/5

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.

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.

Daredevil 35, Thor: God of Thunder 17

Daredevil 35
Waid (w) and Samnee (a) and J. Rodriguez (c)

Matt rushes to the hospital with the news that Foggy's cancer has taken a turn for the worst. He gets there to find a new doctor treating him with a highly illegal but potentially life-saving drug. The doctor claims that he's associated with people who would rather keep Foggy alive and moves aside to allow high-ranking Serpent Society members in. They reveal to Matt that they have done extensive research on him and have figured out his entire backstory, right up to the moment he became Daredevil, meaning they know definitively who he is and how his powers work. Between that and the repercussions of them letting his identity and his weaknesses out into the world (not to mention leaving him disbarred and unemployed and therefore unable to foot the cost of the health insurance Foggy so desperately needs), they feel they have him pretty under their thumb, enough so, anyway, that they are prepared to hire him to defend one of their sons, who is charged with arson and twelve counts of murder. The fire that caused the deaths was a Serpent job but, the men maintain, Donald was not involved. So Daredevil has to choose to take the case and protect an innocent yet not-innocent man or walk away and potentially lose everything. He calls up Elektra to try to make up his mind, hoping that she'll spar with him to get him thinking. Before they can start, though, they run into a pair from the Serpent Society (unrelated to the Sons of the Serpent but clearly hired by the Sons of the Serpent in this case) guarding the ashes of the building Daredevil's investigating. After a quick fight, Elektra imparts some solid wisdom on DD that helps clear his mind and helps him make an unexpected decision. When Matt and Kirsten go into the courtroom the next day, he pulls off a gutsy move on the Serpents as he turns over lead defender duties to Kirsten and she sends him to the stand as their first witness. When she asks Matt's name, he offers "Daredevil."

Huge, huge shakeup to the DAREDEVIL book as this run comes to a close and gives way to another Waid/Samnee run. At least there's no doubt that the new run will be significantly different to this one now, huh? It's a bold choice for Waid and I think it's absolutely the right one to make. Waid came into a book that, as I've detailed plenty of times (most recently in my Top Books of 2013 list), was kind of a mess. Not that it was bad, just that it left its protagonist an angry shell of his former self, exposed but refusing to seem exposed, and very much on his own both by choice and by his actions. Instead of continuing the cycle, Waid broke from recent tradition and made Daredevil fun again. Of course, Waid's artists, from Paolo Rivera to Chris Samnee to Javier Rodriguez, were perfect fits and deserve much of the credit here as their crisp pictures and very sharply defined characters and bright colors went a long way to cement DAREDEVIL as something very different from its Alex Maleev/Michael Lark predecessors (for the record, I very much like both artists and they fit very well for the book at their respective times). Even in this issue, Elektra remarks that Daredevil is very "jocular," a big difference from the last time they met (which would be, if I'm not forgetting anything, SHADOWLAND, the height of angry DD). It's very true and it's perfect and now, even in this giant debacle, we're seeing a smart Daredevil who refuses to be played and who is playing his own game and still manages to have a good couple of moments with Elektra. Really nice issue, very interested to see how this last issue will play out.

Thor: God of Thunder 17
Aaron (w) and Lupacchino and Garney (a) and Svorcina and Loughridge (c)

Thor was the traitor to the League of Realms after all, with a bug slipped into him by one of Malekith's spies at the pub they went to. Fortunately, Thor had the foresight to realize that the Realm of Leagues may be better served if they banded together and used some sorcery of his own (which he offhandedly says he learned from Loki at some point) when he apparently killed Ud the troll. Sir Honeyshot and Screwbeard found Ud wandering the forests with a note from Thor on his back that explained everything and they followed Thor to Midgard, saving him and Lady Waziria from Malekith just as things looked their worst. After a long fight with Malekith and his band of dark elves, the hiding elves of Svartalfheim call on Thor to stop just short of killing Malekith, as they've come to a decision about their future. They've made Malekith their king, which, of course, enrages Thor but the Congress of Worlds has no choice but to accept. The All-Mother demand that Malekith serve the remainder of his time first unless he finds a proxy to do it for him. Lady Waziria steps forth, explaining that this is the only way to stop further bloodshed for her people. Thor knows, of course, that it only means more problems for the rest of the realms but it makes sense for Svartalfheim. Sir Honeyshot encourages Thor, though, saying that his ability to bring the League together as he did is as impressive as anything Malekith could have done. Of course, it won't necessarily help things when Malekith teams with Jotunheim and Muspelheim to form his own league, as the epilogue of the story hints.

Bold move by Aaron as the book ends and one that leaves him no end of stories to tell. I still don't love this arc as a whole but I can respect and appreciate the ending of it. I still a little feel like it's impossible to separate the book from the fantasy trope (thanks Lord of the Rings) of the unlikely banding together of heroes from different fantasy archetypes. It's also, as if there weren't enough things to compare it to, drawn to the audience's attention that this League of Realms is not entirely unlike Thor and the Warriors Three, which did not make things better (despite my affection for that group). Still, I suppose it's worth putting aside my boredom with that aspect of this issue (though not with this arc) to make way for the plot twist that is Malekith being named king of the dark elves. One of my issues with Aaron over in books like WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN and the newer AMAZING X-MEN is that it often feels like the books talk down a little to the reader. Not necessarily the ideas or the characters, but the actual writing. I didn't think it was happening so much in the first two arcs of this series so I was pleased with that but this arc has gone for it a bit, with this issue particularly summarizing and name-dropping like a pro. Every character gets a name-check and, more obviously, a quick heritage-check which feels very forced and incredibly strange as it's the last issue of a five issue arc. Trust that the audience knows these people and where they come from and why it's so crazy they're together. If someone is picking up this issue as their very first THOR: GOD OF THUNDER issue, trust that they have the internet and can look it up or throw a better splash page on the book to briefly catch people up. Otherwise it makes the dialogue seem more than a little unnatural and slows the pace of the book. In the end, it's a nice little set-up that maybe took a little longer than I'd've liked getting ether. Should be some big things coming for Thor.

Cataclysm - Ultimates' Last Stand 2, Daredevil Dark Nights 7

Cataclysm - Ultimates' Last Stand 2
Bendis (w) and Bagley and Hennessy (a) and Keith (c)

CATACLYSM keeps on rolling as the Ultimates try to figure out what Galactus is and what it is he's doing there and, most importantly, how they're going to try to stop him. Iron Man has figured out that he seems to be made of cosmic energy and is using whatever power they have against them and taking it into himself to make him stronger. He's also figured out that the readings on it bear a striking resemblance to the reading on Peter Parker from the 616, taken when Peter came to the Ultimate Universe during last year's SPIDER-MEN event. Stark and Chang go down to the holding cells to ask Mysterio (also the Mysterio from 616) what Galactus is and he points them to Reed Richards. There is an active portal that can potentially bring them to the 616 but no one is quite sure what that portal will do. Stark insists on going in himself but everyone talks him down, knowing that they can't afford to lose him. Spider-Man steps forward and offers himself, saying that he's crossed through the portal before (SPIDER-MEN again) and knows it won't hurt him. The crazy Reed Richards also offers to go, which is met with much resistance but he makes a compelling argument about the best way to contact the 616's Reed. Meanwhile, the X-Men have noticed that Galactus is trouble.

Plenty still happening here though I can't help but notice Bendis' back-and-forth dialogue continues and people continue to quip in the absolute darkest of times. There's an element to the quipsters, like Spider-Man, that they quip when they're facing their worst moments because they have to in order to stay sane and I kind of buy that (really I think it was just because comics were so different when Spider-Man was created and Stan Lee wants nothing more than to quip non-stop) but there are times when I think it's fine to do that and there are times where I think it ruins the mood and the tension by throwing quips in. Spider-Man can quip at Rhino all day long while the two of them fight but put Human Torch up against Galactus as New Jersey burns away beneath them and I think something isn't really working. That's in addition to my problem of it making every character sound exactly the same. Maybe, with that out of the way, I can stop saying the word "quip." Plenty still happens here and there's enough plot-related dialogue that the story keeps moving relatively well and the event itself still hasn't lasted too long to overstay its welcome. Should be interesting going forward to see if it does hit that point.

Daredevil Dark Nights 7
Palmiotti (w) and Silas and Decastro (a) and Fabela (c)

Daredevil and Misty Knight fly their helicopter down to Cuba to find King and try to save Nestor, as the narration ham-fistedly relates in massive detail to start the story. Their helicopter gets shot out of the air but they manage to abandon and inflate a raft quickly enough to make it to the mainland. Matt naps the entire way to the disappointment of Misty who is all over him this arc (which seems out of character, far be it for me to imply that Jimmy Palmiotti is a bad writer). King has surveillance on them the whole way and, after a chase through the Cuban markets, his psychotic henchwoman Carmen Alvarez shoots a rocket launcher at the building Matt and Misty are trying to get off of. It collapses, burying Daredevil and allowing Alvarez to take Misty, who was King's target all along as Misty is...his ex-girlfriend! Dum dum duuuuuuuuuuum.

I'm not going to go out and say that this series has been comprised of some of the most thrilling tales about Daredevil we've ever seen but I will say that there have been definite highlights all around. The first arc had some really great Daredevil moments and some outstanding art from Lee Weeks. The second art felt a lot like a somewhat sillier version (though still pretty interesting and character-driven) of Waid and Samnee's incredible run. This arc, though, the final arc to leave this series with, is pretty awful. Bad writing (though there are somewhat fewer unnatural lack-of-contractions here), bad characterization, and an overall uninteresting story make even the somewhat interesting art seem weak and kind of exploitative. It's just a really ugly arc all around and it's unfortunate that this will be what we leave the series with, after an impressive (or, at its worst, somewhat slow) first two arcs. I do remember back to Lee Weeks' arc with really fond memories particularly after seeing this one. We just didn't know how good we had it.

Daredevil 33, Fantastic Four 14, Indestructible Hulk 15

Daredevil 33
Waid and Samnee (s) and Copland (a) and J. Rodriguez (c)

Daredevil, slipping away from reality as he suffers from a severe gunshot wound, dreams of himself and Foggy (or his representation of Foggy, having never seen him before) at the ocean, talking about things, when Foggy walks into the sea with Matt helpless to stop him, unable to move. He awakens to find himself surrounded by the gang of monsters from last issue, wrapping him up tight with the mummy's bandages to stop the bleeding while Satana and Jack attempt to use their magic to close the wound. They manage it, despite Matt's misgivings, and he's quickly back on his feet asking Jack about the Darkhold. Jack reluctantly tells Matt about the book, which is in his possession, and about missing pages from the book, which he believes are in the possession of a man in town named Lucien Sinclair, who seems tied to the Sons of the Serpent. They've attempted in the past to get the pages back but found themselves driven nearly mad by the hallucinatory sights and sounds on the way to Sinclair's home. Daredevil takes off for it instantly and finds himself in a similar predicament, though he need not see what they've seen. The gauntlet he has to run through is one made up almost entirely of the suffering of other races (particularly African-Americans) and the message that whites and the Serpents are the true rulers of the world. It nearly breaks Matt but he's able to push through and, as he reaches a doorway, he begins to worry that more horrors that he won't be able to cope with lie ahead. He realizes, though, that this isn't a torture mechanism; it's a test. True Sons of the Serpent would have no problem traversing the hallucinations, they'd revel in it. Enraged, he bursts through the door and sets the entire house ablaze, grabbing the pages he needs (and keeping them hidden from the monsters) and tossing Sinclair to the others waiting outside.

Guys, this was my summary after I cut things OUT. Anyway, it's a really powerful issue and one that covers a lot of ground. The Sons of the Serpent are an oft-seen hate group in the Marvel Universe and I think it's easy to kind of push them aside; we've all seen hate in real life and we've all seen prejudice and the KKK and things like that, so sometimes it's easy enough to wave these guys away as just another sect of that, a villain group that is 100% villains with no subtext to them and one that should be and typically is dispatched by our stalwart and righteous heroes. The true extent of their hatred rarely really comes across with the vitriol and power that it does here. Pretty tough one to get through and Daredevil's pain is real, even if it's mental anguish over physical, which makes his rage palpable when he finally breaks into Sinclair's. Good book and solid fill-in art from Jason Copland with ever-perfect colors from Javier Rodriguez.

Fantastic Four 14
Fraction and Kesel (s) and Kesel (w) and Ienco (a) and Mounts (c)

Old John Storm isn't exactly Old John Storm, as it turns out, he's Alternate-Universe John Storm. He tells the F4 that he's afraid that his F4 was partly responsible for the degenerative disease afflicting the F4 now and that they can definitely cure it, though it will require going to his universe, one ruled by Doom, Kang, and Annihilus. With no other options available, they travel to the other universe and find themselves greeted by a barrage of missiles and a distinct inability to properly control their powers. Sue manages to protect them with forcefields for as long as she can but it drains her immensely. Other John Storm goes out to distract Doom and his team, leaving Johnny behind because  activating his powers will leave him stuck in flame form. An electromagnetic barrage hits the ship and knocks out all the mechanics, leaving them hurtling towards Earth and defenseless to the missiles coming at them. Sue pulls out her last trick, a whistle given to her by Medusa that brings Lockjaw to them, who transports them to the ground before taking Val and Franklin back home to their own dimension. All is not well, though, as Johnny was still hit by shrapnel from the exploding ship and needs to activate his flame powers to burn the metal out. He's bleeding and the team needs to stitch up the wound to save him, using the last of Sue's powers to create a needle and some thread from the unstable molecules in their uniforms. She manages it then passes out herself as Reed and Ben realize that Johnny will die of dehydration within a day if they don't get him help. Meanwhile, Kang betrays Doom (who was, of course, planning to betray him) and takes a device meant to control the Negative Zone, making him the ruler of time and space.

Geez, another long summary. This iteration of the series is winding down and the action is stepping up as a result. Things are clearing up as we see the alternate dimension Johnny is from with a little more clarity and we get to see the two F4 teams meeting up at the end of the issue. Big things in store for the next couple of issues. There's not a ton of room, though, for characterization in these last couple issues, which comes as both a bit of a surprise and a bit of a let-down. These are big things that are happening and they're somewhat unprecedented in F4 history. I'd like to see exactly how they're weighing on the team. Granted, this whole series has done an awful lot of character work and now feels like the time to focus on story, but the voices are starting to blend together a little bit. There's another argument to be made that the F4 is the oldest and most consistent team in the Marvel Universe and that they don't really need a ton more by way of characterization. However, I'd say that the start of this volume saw a lot of big character moments that changed the way I viewed these characters in a couple ways. It's a little sad that they'll have to shift over to plot to end the series. Also, did Doom really not see Kang betraying him coming?

Indestructible Hulk 15
Waid (w) and Jacinto (a) and Staples and Loughridge (c)

Banner is separated from Hulk who has just received a double dose of gamma making him Hulk-squared, an even stronger and more uncontrollable force. Banner is excited for a moment, realizing that he's suddenly separated from Hulk, everything he'd wished for, but quickly understands that he might be the only thing capable of stopping this Hulk, as they're in the time before the Avengers, the Defenders, Thor, whoever else. He's the best chance at righting history, and he's given extra motivation when he learns that all of this meddling as erased Betty Ross from time. He attacks the Chronarchist, who reveals to him that this is all Zarrko's doing, and manages to push them back just far enough in time to link him with Hulk again and to reach through time to stop Zarrko. It's...it's confusing and extremely timey-wimey. Everything is set mostly right and Betty herself, in Red She-Hulk form, reaches through to pull him back out and bring him back to the present. Everything is right again but Banner can't help feeling like there's something very slightly different in his past but he can't zero in on what it is, though it certainly seems big enough for someone to be curious about it, as we see a file stolen at the end of the issue with the test results for Project Gamma.

There was a fair amount of cool stuff through this Agent of TIME arc and it was a story that I would say was mostly worth telling. It harkens back to the Stan Lee days of "everything changes, everything stays the same," where all of the crazy convoluted soft-science and timeline crossing is ultimately pretty ignorable because everything returns to the way it was again at the end. Obviously it's setting up a bigger game here with something in Banner's history changed enough to make an impact somewhere down the line but BOY if this wasn't the windiest road we could have taken to get there. Not a bad arc overall and not a bad story to wind it up, with a couple of nice character moments sprinkled throughout (Banner gets to unabashedly yell at General Ross, Banner attempts to leave the Hulk to someone else, Banner expresses his love for Betty, etc.), but it's hard to feel as if this wasn't just a little bit unnecessary. A story that ends more or less the same as it started with a big twist likely planned somewhere in the future but ultimately distracting us a bit from the goings-on prior to this; Banner's science team is just about the only non-powered superhero assist team I've found myself wondering about when they're not appearing (sorry Deadpool and Wolverine's teams).