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

Elektra 4, Ms. Marvel 6

Elektra 4
W.H. Blackman (w) and Del Mundo (a) and Del Mundo w/D'Alfonso (c) and Cowles (l)

Elektra sees a vision of her mother through the veil, lecturing her about how she became a killer and giving her a glimpse of what her life would have been with the support of her mother throughout, while Bloody Lips sees his wife again, insisting he kill himself for the pain that he's caused. Elektra's mother invokes the innocents she's murdered and Elektra says that she's never killed someone who could be called innocent, showing no remorse even in the face of a disappointed mother and eventually realizing that it's not truly her mother as she asks Elektra what her father would think about her choices. She fights her way out of the area though she catches a glimpse of Bloody Lips in her mind, forcing him to reveal his name. She grabs Kento and the two emerge out of the water for Matchmaker to retrieve them. Kento knows that they have to go north to find his father and they escape in Matchmaker's plane, but Bloody Lips is hot on their trail, using Scalphunter's ship to trail them. Elektra dives out of Matchmaker's ship and manages to take down Bloody Lips' but she's forced down too, wearing wings to glide safely but still lost in the Arctic, where she comes upon a gun-toting Cape Crow.

With my new habitat of doing a leftovers post wherein I quickly summarize and give impressions of the books I didn't do bigger reviews for, I end up in a place where I can sort of cherry-pick the books for which I want to write a longer review (aside from the ones I deem "important" or "have AVENGERS in the title"). ELEKTRA and MS. MARVEL jumped out at me this week (though props to NOVA, MAGNETO, and THUNDERBOLTS for putting in the effort) as ones I really wanted to shine a light on. I've really enjoyed this book so far and this issue is no exception. The beginning gives a great look at Elektra's mentality (as well as Bloody Lips', which is, you know, pretty much the darkest thing you could imagine), which buckles for a moment in the face of her mother but never really falters, never backs down or asks forgiveness. Instead, she seems, if anything, more resolute about what she does. Really great stuff. And Matchmaker, you guys, she's the best. Real Amelia Earhart, fearless flier up there. Still excellent art from Del Mundo and still a great little series.

Total Score: 5/5


Ms. Marvel 6
G.W. Wilson (w) and Wyatt (a) and Herring (c) and Caramagna (l)

The Inventor has been sending bots out into the city to both annoy and try to find Ms. Marvel, who has done a good job so far of staying undetected or breaking said bots. Her father sets up a meeting with Sheikh Abdullah for her, which she doesn't wish to attend but ends up going, particularly as she's not in the best of books with her parents at current. She ends up getting really good advice from him and they both leave the meeting happy. Reinvigorated and looking for, under the advice of the Sheikh, someone from whom she might learn more about helping people, she dives into a giant suspicious pothole-turned-path-to-the-sewer, where she discovers Thomas Edison, the Inventor's clone of the real Edison combined with his own pet parakeet. Edison is conducting experiments to learn whether he can change an animal's nature, in this case teaching an alligator not to kill. Ms. Marvel prepares to fight him but is startled to find Wolverine entering the fight before she can get a punch off. Thrilled, Kamala relates to him how excited she is and how she couldn't have found a better team-up, to his dismay. Still, the two get along pretty well, helping each other out and trying to track the escaped Inventor or Edison in the tunnels. Unfortunately, they fall right into a trap and Kamala, with Wolverine rather injured, will have to fight her way out of it.

Another really strong issue as Ms. Marvel finally gets her first taste of the greater Marvel Universe through every teenage girl's dad Wolverine. He came to the sewers looking for a runaway from the Jean Grey School and now the two of them are pals. The writing between the pair is very fun and extraordinarily strong, particularly the way Wilson characterizes the well-known Wolverine on top of her own created Kamala. The book reads pretty quickly, though it does get a little confusing as Edison enters the scene, and the conversation between Kamala and Sheikh Abdullah is very strong but the draw here really is the chemistry between Kamala and Wolverine, which is equal parts adorable and fun on both ends.

Total Score: 5/5

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

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.

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

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.