Donomark Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Daredevil #288-#290, #297-#300 #288-#290 is a story about Matt having gained amnesia and becoming a boxer going by the name Jack Battlin'. Meanwhile Bullseye runs around dressed as DD and ruining his reputation. This is the goofiest story I've read of DD since Mike Murdock. The climax in #290 has Matt dress as Bullseye and battle the reall Bullseye who's still posing as Daredevil. At one point the two act like the other to each other, and it becomes very confusing. The best way I can describe it is the comic book version of "Rabbit Season/Duck Season". The four issues leading up to #300, "Last Rites", were okay. D.G. Chichester has a terrific handle on Matt's powers. Often writers will forget his super sensitive touch, and he plays with that often in the writing, which is cool. This story is basically Matt's revenge against the Kingpin for the events of Born Again, and it's a long time coming. #297 is pretty good, but the rest are slightly duller because there is a ton of technical and legal jargon concerning making sure Fisk goes to jail and Matt and Foggy getting his law license back. It wasn't always interesting to read, and there's a ton of it. The ending in #300 had to have influenced the season finale to the Netflix series. I've also read the second volume to the current Waid run, chronicling his adventure in Wakanda and his fights against the Purple Man and his children. The Wakanda story was good, resulting from Original Sin. I honestly think Waid missed a trick and should have had Matt realize that Foggy and Natasha wrote the letter to him and Heather Glenn that broke up their engagement back from the Miller run. That led to her suicide, and neither ever knew they were being played. That would've honestly been a way more interesting story. The story as it stands of why Matt's mother left their family is good, but I can't help missing the potential of the other scenario I imagined. The Purple Man story on the other hand was AWESOME. That was a great, really creepy story that was very imaginative and really pushed the Purple Man as a sick fuck (like he needed more pushing at this point) and further establishes Matt's current stint in San Francisco. Waid is great when he acknowledges the really bad moments in Matt's life, not shying away from them but working to move beyond them, and you see that in spades here. He's continuing to crush this title, his run is in my top 3 DD runs along with Miller and Bendis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davedevil Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 The scenes dealing with Matt's battle with depression are some of the most affecting pages I've ever read in comics. The bit at the end with him coming home alone and just falling into bed never fails to break my heart. I dunno how this is handled in the trade but the single issue did this so well, with it going to the letters page, but then coming back to the story and there's Matt reaching out to Kirsten, who was always around. Guh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donomark Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Yeah my friend asked me how the trade handles it as well. The first scene ends with the DD appearing as he's in bed. The very next page is the phone call with Kristen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davedevil Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Since I think it's in that trade, what did you think of the 50th anniversary issue, Don? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donomark Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I liked it! Liked the story where Matt is 50, it read very fittingly as an end for him. Loved the Mike Murdock story, thought the Bendis story was hilariously self-aware to DD's love life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 Archie v Predator #1: *slow clap*. Fuck. Yes. It is exactly what it advertises itself as going in. It is glorious. Sabrina and Hellboy, the backup, is even better. ALL HAIL ALEX DECAMPI.The Ring of the Niebelung: aka P Craig Russel doing a master class in adaptation. Posted several panels on Twitter/Instagram. Get it.The Adventures of Luther Arkwright: Great artwork. Bit too pretentious for me, but has some great moments. Including several the Matrix lifted wholesale.Frankenstein's Womb: Warren Ellis ashcan on legacy, creativity, and transformation. Also alchemy. Go read it if you can find it.Smoke/Ashes: Smoke is Alex deCampi's first work, and it shows. Neat dystopian British spy comic, but a bit rote, good art. Ashes is her seven years later, doing an absolutely brilliant follow up to it. Different artists on each issue, amazing panels, and a bizzare but amazing overarching story. You do need the one to know the other. It's collected together. Get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc20willsave Posted April 21, 2015 Report Share Posted April 21, 2015 I've said it once, I will say it again: how did Archie Comics become relevant again and why am I cool with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Daredevil: Man Without Fear: I'm seeing where the Netflix show took a good deal of its backbone from. I like it, am kind of amazed that it only took Miller 40 pages to bring whores into it. Also can see the backbone of his Dark Knight run.Daredevil: Born Again: okay. I can see where this is a defining story for Daredevil. HOWEVER. Really not impressed with their treatment of Karen. And with the Christian symbolism hammer, not hard to see where it was gonna go. Not for me.Daredevil and Elektra: Love and War: Miller and Sinekiewicz. No idea what was going on for half of this at times but by fucking god it was real pretty. Sinekiewicz/Marvel does the Manchurian candidate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donomark Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 ^I can totally see how the treatment of Karen is problematic at best. I do think Miller writes her character well, but it's one of his stock female characters. I don't really like Man Without Fear. Compared to everything else in Miller's 2 DD runs, it feels especially self-indulgent, and is more akin to his Sin City mode of writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koete Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I like Man Without Fear, but it's certainly the weakest of his three runs. What sticks out to me most is his further fleshing out of Jack Murdock and his revision of Matt and Elektra's relationship, which makes more sense than his original conception a decade earlier (when he was, y'know, learning how to make comics). I also find his focus on Matt's susceptibility to losing control really interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 Convergence Week1: -Superman #1 -The Atom #1 -Convergence #1 -Batgirl #1 -Batman and Robin #1 -Harley Quinn #1 -Justice League #1 -Nightwing/Oracle #1 -Speed Force #1 -The Question #1 -The Titans #1 ^Holy fuck. I never would have thought ina million years that EVERY SINGLE ONE would be HORRIBLE. Holy shit... Darth Vader #4: Getting really good. Howard the Duck #2: Completely unmemorable. Imperium #3: Crazy and fun. Masks 2 #1: Better first issue than the previous series? Maybe. I like Black Terror. Not sure if I'll keep reading this though. Old Dog: a graphic novel with a very Ben Templesmith vibe. Bleak and depressing. Re-Animator #1: Man...I'm amazed the art in this book was considered worthy of publishing. Yikes. Not a good start. Comics: 358 Graphic Novels: 20 Trade Paperbacks: 53 Omnibus: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 The Trip: a graphic novel about a bunch of teens on a road trip who trip on drugs and it goes real bad. Not great, but fun. Definitely a failed movie pitch. Rebels #1: Brian Wood telling tales form the time of the American Revolutionary War. Like his Northlanders, this will jump to different characters and sides in different arcs. GREAT first issue. Savior #1: McFarlane and Holguin write a story about a new messiah. Not a new idea, but the Clayton Crain artwork is astounding. Southern Cross #2: Yeah, I'm done. Star Trek/Planet of the Apes #5: So. Stupid. Sundowners #8: I think I like this because it's like if Bob Burden created Mystery Men while on a bender. It's so wild. Comics: 363 Graphic Novels: 21 Trade Paperbacks: 53 Omnibus: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Southern Bastards vol 1: Got this as a part of the Image Humble Bundle. Read it the night before it got nominated for the Eisner. I can see why it was. Fuuuuucking Christ. I think Vol 2 is out now, gonna see if I can find it this weekend at C2E2. I Kill Giants: One of the few comics that has actually caused me to outright sob out loud while reading it. Very, very well done. They'd better not fuck up the movie. Arkham Asylum: Dave Mack does amazing work on this. Grant Morrison is Grant Morrison. One of the more interesting Bat Stories I've ever read. Definitely benefits from the annotated script in the back. Jihad: Igor Baranko does Humanoids. Surreal, but not quite Jorodowsky surreal. Definitely an experience. Kabuki vol 1: Does neat stuff with the art. The sexualization gets a bit old after a while, as does the sexual violence of the first few chapters. But real neat stuff. Demo: Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan do twelve teenagers with powers vignettes. There's some real great stuff in here. Felon 1-4: Rucka's first comic, cancelled after four issues because Top Cow in the 90s. There's the bones of a real interesting premise here, but it doesn't get to go anywhere, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 Tales of the Batman-Len Wein: 600+ pages of Batman stories written by the man. Loved it for the most part. Was reminded how much I don't necessarily enjoy Irv Novick's character work, but his storytelling is amazing. The ending of the Untold Tales of Batman miniseries (which I haven't read since I was a kid) is stupid as all hell. Still, some really amazing stuff in this. The Neal Adams-drawn werewolf issue is amazing. Dead Body Road vol 1: an insanely good crime comic. Great. Doc Savage Special: a fifty page oneshot like the Shadow one but way better. It focuses on Pat, Doc's young niece and contains one of the finest examples of storytelling in an action scene I've ever read. The Avenger Special: Justic Inc. is hired to protect Billie Holiday during her first televised performance. Could have been way better. Last Mortal: a tpb of the miniseries from a few years back. Misguided.. Interesting premise. Comics: 365 Graphic Novels: 21 Trade Paperbacks: 55 Omnibus: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted April 26, 2015 Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 Crossed Badlands #1-20: Holy shit. Every arc gets better. Starts with Ennis, then Delano, then Gage and then Hine with Lapham sprinkled throughout. The Ennis arc is almost EXACTLY like the original Crossed series, but other than that this is great. Better than Walking Dead so far if we're talking ongoing horror books. Comics: 385 Graphic Novels: 21 Trade Paperbacks: 55 Omnibus: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted April 26, 2015 Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 Dead Sonja: She-Zombie with a Sword - Hey a parody comic. It is not good. I am shocked. Shocked. Dancer - Felt like Red, but less fun. And a really quick read. Looked nice. Sister Armageddon - I was surprised by this. Not anything special, but I expected more cheesecake. Instead the nun is just played as a badass with a huge gun. I appreciate that. Suburban Glamour - Out of everything I'm posting this time, I liked this the most. But, I for the life of me could not remember it. So I have no idea. Tabatha - A low budget horror film that couldn't get made. No real suspense here so that makes sense. Comics: 127 Digital First Comics: 44 Graphic Novels: 11 Trades: 73 (416)(4) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted April 27, 2015 Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 Crossed Badlands #21-25, Annual-The annual is basically a movie-length story of true horror. This non Ennis stuff is grande. Really solid horror comics. Comics: 391 Graphic Novels: 21 Trade Paperbacks: 55 Omnibus: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 CRossed Badlans #26-49: Jeeeeeeeezzzzz. This is some nihilistic, dark-ass, mean-spirited, gory shit. I now have a pitch for a story. Comics: 434 Graphic Novels: 21 Trade Paperbacks: 55 Omnibus: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 The Divine: erotic GN from italian artist Morale Stramaglia. Actually pretty good. Yeah, it's basically porn, but the storytelling is great and the story is hilariously 70s porn. Archie vs. Predator #1: This is an Archie comic where two corpses hang eviscerated from trees, dripping blood on the Archie kids below and NO ONE NOTICES! Yet, it's a beautiful thing. I would be more shocked and impressed if I didn't just read 50 straight issues of retard rape comics. Behemoth #1: I like it. Teen girl begins turning into a monster and is kidnapped and brought to a government facility where monsters are used as weapons. Comics: 436 Graphic Novels: 22 Trade Paperbacks: 55 Omnibus: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Alias vols 2-4: Managed to find these for $30 at C2E2. Switches between some real great stuff with Jessica, her clients and cases, and how she interacts with the current heroes, and some real offputting Bendis bullshit ("ugh I hate female versions of male heroes"). Vol 4 is the one that I'm interested to see whether or not they'll get to on the Netflix show, and if they do... shit, man, I'm kind of terrified. Lucifer: Evensong: Collects the last five or so issues of the series, and the one shot Nirvana. Art's as great as always, especially on the Nirvana oneshot. I liked the way the main story wrapped up, the oneshot... left something to be desired, but eh. Silver Surfer 1-6: Mike Allred kills the art on this. Dan Slott gives us a fun little episodic story that doesn't require too much investment. Might collect the trades on this, or keep up with it when I get MU. Secret Avengers 1-9: A sentient bomb spouts Nietzsche and Borges as it attempts to self detonate. It is put off the idea by Spiderwoman offering caramel gelato. Perfect combination of ridiculous and meta, and really well drawn to top it. Probably getting this in trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molly Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Mike Allred has never drawn anything that was less than perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 Captain America 444-454, 1-3, 8, 15-22: the Waid run. Can best be summed up by the 90s and oh god this is happening so much. World war 3, technoreich, Cap getting exiled, a brief affair with s stealth ninja Cap, lots of Sharon Carter... Yeah. Kind of cracky, but a real fun ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted May 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 It's been a long while since I read Waid's Cap run, but, at the time, it was considered one of the best. Might be time to revisit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted May 2, 2015 Report Share Posted May 2, 2015 It's been a long while since I read Waid's Cap run, but, at the time, it was considered one of the best. Might be time to revisit it. Waid's run on Cap was terrific, especially at the time, but it was also the product of very 90s artwork and very 90s editing. It hasn't aged as well as most of his other work. However, Man Out of Time is still incredible. One of my all time favorite Cap stories, up there with the Stern-Byrne run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venneh Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I'm pretty sure that chunk didn't include Man out of Time. This chunk was also pretty fragmented due to MU randomly not having issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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