#[ we love waid and samnee steve ]
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Hi! Hope you are well. I wanted to ask about Cap comics mainly Steve Rogers. My son wants to read Cap comics but we don’t know where to start. He doesn’t want to read Spencer’s run. Any suggestions?
My starter rec for pretty much everyone is the miniseries Captain America: Man Out of Time. It’s a modern version of Steve’s origin story that shows him being found by the Avengers and getting used to the present. So that way you’ll get an idea of who Steve is and where he came from while still reading modern comics. (I mean, I like the original comics too. But they can be very problematic at times and they’re kind of an acquired taste.)
Other than that, it depends what you like, really. Mark Waid, who wrote Man Out of Time, also had two (two-ish? three?) runs on Captain America, and honestly the way he writes Cap is my favorite and basically the way I see Steve; he gives Steve an earnestness that could be corny but isn’t, and I feel like he does a really good job conveying what’s so inspiring about Steve. Like, you see why people want to follow this guy. Waid’s first Cap run was in the mid-late 90s, at the tail end of volume 1, #444-454, and you can read it currently in print in the Epic Collection called Man Without A Country. He continued to write Cap for the first 23 issues of volume 3; I own it in omnibus (which includes the vol 1 issues and an additional miniseries called Sentinel of Liberty) but the individual arcs are (or at least were) available in trade as To Serve And Protect, American Nightmare, Red Glare, and Land of the Free.
If you enjoy Waid’s writing but like him better with more modern art, he had a very short recent run (technically vol 1 as this was when everything renumbered very briefly). It’s the run right after Spencer’s but I promise you can read it without reading (or liking) Secret Empire. It’s collected in two trades, Home of the Brave and Promised Land, though I’d only recommend the first one because Promised Land... doesn’t really have Steve in it. The first one (which is the Waid/Samnee run) does have Cap #700, which is probably my most favorite recent Cap issue that I’ve read in... I dunno, years? It’s good. So, yeah, definitely check out Home of the Brave.
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ current Cap run (vol 9) is also a very solid and interesting read, with a lot of big and heavy themes, but it has some pacing issues and if you’re specifically looking to avoid any hints of Secret Empire you probably want to avoid it because it’s very much about what people think of Steve (and what Steve thinks of himself) in the wake of Secret Empire. It is, however, probably my second favorite current comic I’m reading, so there’s that. (The first is Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.)
Coates’ run is pretty clearly influenced by Ed Brubaker’s Cap run (vol 5), which I know a lot of people rate as their favorite Cap run, but Brubaker’s Steve is a little too grim and joyless for me. Also, uh, Steve dies in #25 and after that it’s all BuckyCap, so if you’re looking for a run where Steve is Captain America it mostly isn’t this one. But a lot of people really love it!
There are also a lot of classic Cap stories and runs that are worth reading! I think if I had to recommend just one arc to start with I’d probably pick the Stern/Byrne run from the early 80s (#247-255), collected in an old trade called War & Remembrance, currently in an Epic Collection called Dawn’s Early Light. This is from the era when Steve has just moved to Brooklyn Heights and is starting to be a commercial artist (although not a comic book artist; that’s slightly later). It features the first appearance of Bernie Rosenthal! It has one of my favorite Batroc the Leaper stories. And it has #250, where people want Steve to run for president and Steve’s response is... well, it’s very Captain America.
I hope that gives you somewhere to start!
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Are there any instances where superhero’s would give Daredevil something to look at and he has to wing it/ tell the truth that he’s blind?
Yes, there are! This happens all the time, and not just with other superheroes. My favorite example is a major moment in DD history: when Ben Urich uses this exact strategy to get Daredevil to reveal his secret identity.
[ID: Excerpt from McKenzie’s Daredevil run. Daredevil is wearing head bandages and a hospital gown (over his costume). Ben Urich sits next to him, a lit cigarette in his mouth, and holds up a photograph.]
Ben: “It’s the story of a lonely little boy blinded by a freak accident. And it’s the story of how he overcame his handicap to become a successful lawyer and a Man Without Fear. It’s your story, Matthew Murdock, and I can prove it!”
Matt: “Now just a minute, Ben! You can’t seriously believe I’m–”
Ben: “Well, if you’re not Matt Murdock and if you’re not blind, just describe this photograph to me and I’ll leave. I’ll forget the whole thing.”
Matt: “Photo–? Ben, I… I really don’t feel like playing games. I’m not Matt Murdock, I’m certainly not blind– and I don’t see why I have to prove anything to you. It’s none of your business… who I am. It’s… it’s… it’s true…”
Daredevil vol. 1 #164 by Roger McKenzie, Frank Miller, and Glynis Wein
I love this interaction– the facial expressions, Matt’s flustered struggle to come up with an excuse, its significance as the start of a beautiful friendship, the fact that Ben barged into Matt’s hospital room (while smoking!) to get this interview– and it’s a testament to how vulnerable Matt is to this sort of situation. Years later, after Matt has faked his death and reappeared as a “new” Daredevil during Chichester’s run, Ben uses this same ruse to check if his friend is actually still alive. Sadly, what could have been a moving/hilarious recreation of this iconic scene is ruined by some silly sensory writing.
[ID: Ben confronts Daredevil, who is dressed in the black and red armored costume from the end of Volume 1, on a darkened rooftop. Ben hands Daredevil his wallet, which contains a photo of himself and his wife Doris.] ��
Ben: “Tell me about this picture.”
Caption: “Ben Urich has played this bluff before, to prove Matt Murdock and Daredevil were one and the same. Make a blind man describe a photograph. It worked then. Murdock can’t afford to let it work again.”
Matt: “Sure… okay. Bring it over here in the light were I can see it…”
Caption: “Light and dark areas absorb degrees of heat from the lamp above. Enough difference to paint a crude picture for hypersensitive fingertips. Some deductive guesswork on the photos a man might carry in his wallet. All adding up to enough for a stab in the dark.”
Matt: “That’s you… and she’s your wife?”
Daredevil vol. 1 #339 by Alan Smithee, Alexander Jubran, and Christie Scheele
Sigh…
In any case, as I mentioned, Matt (as Daredevil) is frequently confronted with these types of situations, thanks to people’s assumptions that he can see. The degree of success he has in maintaining that illusion of sightedness varies. Below are a few of my other favorite moments.
This is another major one, and another rare instance in which Matt decides he has no choice but to reveal that he’s blind. During his early adventures in San Francisco, he develops a brief alliance/friendship/romanic tension with the cosmic hero Moon Dragon. When she gets seriously injured, Matt is the only person around to operate the machine that will save her life. Unfortunately…
Matt: “Moon Dragon… there’s no way I could grasp this–”
Moon Dragon: “Please… just… do exactly as… I say… Begin… with the… yel… yellow… dial… turn to… Dare… devil… what is… wrong? Begin…”
Matt: “I– I can’t!! Moon Dragon… I–I’m blind!”
Daredevil vol. 1 #106 by Steve Gerber, Don Heck, and George Roussos
Being a cosmic entity, Moon Dragon deals with this inconvenience by casually restoring Matt’s vision. He asks for it to be removed again shortly afterward because he finds it annoying.
I pointed out Matt’s hand-wave-y deciphering of Ben’s photo (and Matt also mentions feeling colors in the Moon Dragon scene), and while that sort of thing has mostly been abandoned, unfortunately it informed many of these types of moments in early Daredevil stories. Rather than acknowledging the limits of Matt’s perception, the writers would simply skew and amplify his other senses to explain the problem away, as in this moment in Roy Thomas’s run:
[ID: Daredevil is leaning on Foggy Nelson’s desk. Foggy hands him a newspaper, and Daredevil (with his gloves on!) runs his fingers over the front page.]
Matt: “Tell me– who were the joy boys?”
Foggy: “This paper will explain things…! Read it and weep!”
Matt: “Let me pore over this for a minute! (–’Specially since I’ve got to do my speed-reading casually– with my fingers doing the walking!)”
Daredevil vol. 1 #68 by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, and Artie Simek
And this even more extreme example from the same run:
[ID: Daredevil (still with his gloves on!) is running his fingers over a framed photograph, while a tearful Karen Page watches.]
Karen: “How could you have known that we needed you… when even I didn’t know it… until a few moments ago?”
Matt: “I’ll… explain all that later, Karen! Right now, let me study your father’s picture! (And I do mean study… not see! But she’s too upset to notice that I’m using my fingertips to learn her father’s appearance!)”
Daredevil vol. 1 #56 by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, and Artie Simek
Matt reading newsprint is fine; there’s a ton of precedent for it, it makes a certain degree of sense, and it’s been a part of his power-set for a long time. Matt reading newsprint with his gloves on without Foggy noticing anything weird is much harder for me to believe. And don’t get me started on his perceiving a framed photograph by touch with his gloves on.
Fortunately, more recent writers have moved away from these types of shortcuts, and are willing to acknowledge that Matt’s other senses can’t fully compensate for his lack of vision. The usual outcome is that Matt manages to improvise an excuse/alternative approach that allows him to maintain his secret, or he’s lucky enough to have someone else inadvertently help.
[ID: A bystander shows Daredevil an image of a man (labeled as John Powers) on his tablet screen. Daredevil’s radar sense perceives the screen as a blank rectangle.]
Bystander: “Except this guy! He’s not one of us!”
Matt (caption): “What?”
Bystander: “I’m not on the list, but he is! See? Who is he? Do you recognize him?”
Matt (caption): “Ummm…”
Judge: “John Powers. Does anybody here know that name?”
Daredevil vol. 3 #31 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Javier Rodriguez
[ID: Daredevil is standing by as a man feeds a key card into an old-fashioned computer. The address “13 Wall St.” appears on a small screen.]
Matt: “Can you determine what building this key is for?”
IT guy: “Certainly! That data is coded into the key with magnetic particles which our computer can decipher– and there’s the address as you can plainly see!”
Matt: “Uh– yes. Are you sure there is such an address?”
IT guy: “Thirteen Wall St.? Of course!”
Matt: “Thanks! (I wonder what that technician would think if he knew Daredevil was blind and couldn’t ‘plainly see’ anything!?”)
Daredevil vol. 1 #144 by Jim Shooter, Lee Elias, and George Roussos
[ID: Matt (in civvies as his alter ego Jack Batlin) is “watching” a muted TV with his friend Stithy. The TV appears as a vague box shape in Matt’s radar. On the screen are the symbols of the U.S. government, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers.]
Stithy: “Maybe I start makin’ ‘em for Uncle Sam though, huh? Plenty o’ need in the Big Apple now!”
Matt: “What do you mean?”
Stithy: “See for yourself…”
Matt: “I… uh… turn it up, will you?”
Stithy: “Picture there doesn’t say it all? Lazy S.O.B.!”
Daredevil vol. 1 #329 by D.G. Chichester, Scott McDaniel, and Joe Andreani
[ID: Daredevil is inside a building. On a table in front of him is a bomb, with several wires exposed. He is communicating with Steve Rogers (Captain America) via communication devices.]
Steve (off-panel): “We’re all right. I can talk you through defusing it. You’re looking for two wires. Green and yellow.”
Matt (caption): “Damn. He doesn’t know you’re blind.”
[ID: Daredevil dives out the window, comes back in with one of the guys who set the bomb, and slams him down on the table.]
Matt: “Turn it off.”
Daredevil vol. 5 #4 by Charles Soule, Ron Garney, and Matt Milla
And finally, my other personal favorite category, in which Matt deals with this problem by just… leaving:
[ID: Daredevil is standing on a city street, talking with two cops.]
Cop: “Nobody recalls anything… except running to escape… from something.”
Matt: “Then, Lieutenant, we’ve got a first class menace on our hands.”
Cops: “Can you give us a description, DD? Hair color? Eyes? Distinguishing marks? We’ll put out an A.P.B. on him right away.”
Matt: “I’m, uh, still a little shaken, I think… Let me get some rest, okay…? Collect my wits. I’ll be in touch.”
[ID: He runs and swings away.]
Daredevil vol. 1 #101 by Steve Gerber, Rich Buckler, and George Roussos
[ID: Daredevil is standing in the middle of a diner. Two bystanders are sitting at a table next to him, reading a newspaper article that reveals his secret identity.]
Bystander: “Hey, Daredevil… Hey, uh, Daredevil… what color’s my shirt?”
[ID: There’s a moment of awkward silence, then a loud boom from outside. Daredevil runs out of the diner.]
Bystander: “He didn’t answer…”
Daredevil vol. 2 #35 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Matt Hollingsworth
While Matt has worked hard over the years to maintain his secret identity and hide his blindness as Daredevil (with… varying success), it’s definitely a relief to him when the people around him are in on the secret and he can be honest about his limitations.
[ID: Daredevil and a cop are on a rooftop at night. The cop shows Daredevil a smartphone screen.]
Matt: “Someone want to describe to me what’s on that phone?”
Daredevil vol. 4 #8 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Matt Wilson
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Top books I read in 2019 in no particular order
❤️ = favorites, everything else = books I enjoyed or found fun.
Hey wow, I didn’t notice this until now, but all but one of these are by women and gay men and two are by POC. I’m saying this not for woke points as this wasn’t a conscious decision—although I really do want to make a deliberate choice of reading more books by and about people from marginalized communities—but because if you’re looking for books by or about women, POC, or queer people, maybe this list will be of interest to you.
Know My Name - Chanel Miller ❤️
A MUST-READ. The book I need EVERYONE to read. Devastating, terrifying, and so beautiful. Grueling to get through, but it's worth it. Chanel's prose is so exacting and lyrical at the same time, and despite the darkness, there’s so much shining examples of love, compassionate, and bravery in this.
I knew going in that what happened to her (for those of you who don’t know, she’s the woman in the Stanford rape trial) was horrible and that it’s difficult for victims to come forward because they have to relive their trauma. I still wasn’t prepared for how excruciating it is, and this is the first time I ever knew what it would feel like (or at least get an account so detailed that I felt like I was in Chanel’s body and mind reading it). I cried. I don’t know how I read most of this at work because I was on the verge of crying so many times while reading it. And yet, like I said, it’s not all bad. I was able to see how strong and compassionate Chanel is and just how enormously talented she is as a writer. I’m beyond excited to see what the future holds for her as a writer, artist, and human being.
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators - Ronan Farrow
Fascinating account on how NBC, Weinstein, etc. tried to stop Ronan from doing his excellent and essential reporting and Weinstein's victims from coming forward. There are, I kid you not, spies involved, and the level of stalking and intimidation is terrifying. It’s unfathomable, what these women went through, and makes you understand why exactly so many of them kept quiet, other than the usual reasons why many victims do. Also, Ronan isn't shy about being critical about his shortcomings and is a nerd sometimes haha. Fun, irrelevant fact: I talked with Ronan this year and almost choked when I did (he was very nice though!).
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Very cute! My sister said it was better than the movie which I didn't watch but is the reason I wanted to read this. I haven’t read a nice YA novel in a while so this made me happy. It’s an easy, fast read (and it’s a gay romance for those of you looking for queer content!), but you’re very invested in the characters and their feelings. I also want to punch you-know-who so badly, and I’m so relieved that that person wasn’t forgiven.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong ❤️
Most beautiful book I read this year. As raw and tender and sometimes bloody as ripped, torn knuckles. Ocean's talent is as vast as the ocean (unfortunately, I'm not as talented a writer as he is so please have this cheesy declaration of admiration). What. a. debut. So many lines have stayed with me, and I'm still sad over the relationships in this novel. Sorry to talk about white boys, but jfc let me cry over Travis, okay? Okay. The ruminations of race, gender, sexuality, grief, violence, trauma, etc. GOD. I had to put down the book and breathe deeply sometimes.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke ❤️
You can kill a person with this book; it's that big. I thought it wouldn't be my thing because it's so "old English" in both the prose and setting as this takes place in 1800s England, but it was a LOT of fun. Plus magic! Characters with major flaws! A rivalry that spans years!
Vicious - V.E. Schwab ❤️
Fave book of 2019, tied with Know My Name. THE most fun book I read. Superpowers? Fresh take on the superhero genre, if you can even call this a superhero book? Morally gray antiheroes and great, compelling villain? Best friends turned archenemies? Incredibly cinematic writing style? BINCH...YOU KNOW I WAS HOOKED FROM THE FIRST PAGE.
Captain America: Home of the Brave - Mark Waid & Chris Samnee We needed more to address the disgusting Hydra Cap fiasco that preceded this run. It wasn't enough. The story didn't go anywhere either and was uneven and weak...BUT this made the list because:
1. Waid knows how to write Steve, and I LOVE Samnee's art. His Cap art is always *chef's kiss*
2. I'm weak for road trip stories
3. Bro, when Waid captures the essence of Steve Rogers, he GETS it. i got emotional over some pages, and some of the lines will stay with me forever. That line about hope not being a plan but needing it in order to have one? That ending? Both are quintessential Steve Rogers. Thank you, Mark Waid, for bringing back our boy.
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So I went and read Man out of Time and I think it helped a bit. Thanks a lot, mate. Do you have any more recommendation for good Captain America comics so that I can have some form of coping mechanism? Pretty please, because MCU Steve is my heart and I'm heart broken right now.
*hugs @some1onao3* I’m glad you liked Man Out of Time. And yes, of course I have more recs!
So the following are just feel good Cap comics. They’re not necessarily the most allegorical or poignant Cap arcs ever told, but they feature heartwarming, wonderful Steve in full bloom of his Steveness.
Captain America #695-700 by Mark Waid
Mark Waid has the best Steve-voice. He’s really one of a kind. And this little series is very sweet. And Steve actually gets thrown in the future in this one, instead of the past (for a change). Also, it’s Chris Samnee art, which is awesome.
Captain America volume 3, #4-7 by Mark Waid
The media and public are going Cap crazy. Being a celebrity makes Steve super uncomfortable. Clint Barton enjoys the hell out of “Cap-mania”. Steve and Thor go out on a date (not kidding even a little bit). A skrull kidnaps Steve and takes his persona. Once free Steve, eloquently, tells the public that they probably shouldn’t idolize superheroes, or anyone, the way they do because skrulls, evil clones, LMDs, and brainwashing are things that exist in the Marvel universe.
Captain America volume 3, #9-15 by Mark Waid
Steve finds a family of squatters living in his apartment (he’d been away on a mission) who were down on their luck. He adopts them and helps them get back on their feet. Other things happen, too.
Captain America #247-255 by Roger Stern
Roger Stern has my second favorite Steve-voice. In these gems you’ll find Bernie Rosenthal trying to talk Steve into going to a play about sex that is performed in the nude, and Steve being like, how about we see Oklahoma instead, and a country that wants Steve to run for president, without telling him that he’s running for president when nominating him (you can imagine how that goes over, lol).
Captain America #310-311 by Mark Gruenwald
Steve Rogers decides to get into comics as an artist. He assigned by Marvel to the Captain America comic. He has thoughts (re:criticism) for Marvel’s portrayal of Cap. His editor asks him to his face ‘what does an artist know about combat’? Steve looks at the camera likes he’s in The Office.
Captain America #312 by Mark Gruenwald
Steve gets an army back-pay check for all the years he was trapped in the ice. He starts the Captain America hotline, where people can call in and reach a superhero if they have an emergency.
Captain America #402-407 by Mark Gruenwald
Steve gets turned into a werewolf because why not?
Steve Rogers: Super Soldier by Ed Brubaker
I love this little series because it does a great job of explaining what we all already know, that it’s not the serum that makes Steve Rogers great, it’s who he is as a person.
Captain America vol. 6, issue #19 by Ed Brubaker
A good examination on Steve’s motivations and compassion. He visits a dying William Burnside in his hospital bed, and reminiscences.
And recently, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3 by Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed writes a fantastic Steve Rogers. Anyway, in this one, Miles, Steve and Rhino team up to find missing kids, and the relationship between Miles and Steve is adorable.
All of the above are cute Cap stories, but if you are ever in the mood for some truly poignant and deep (and a little bit grim-dark) Cap, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ current Cap run is great and he has a really good and deep understanding of Steve’s character as well.
Happy reading and I hope this helps!
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Best comics of 2018?
A handful of disqualifications up front: since they’re just beginning, I’m not counting Electric Warriors, Martian Manhunter, The Green Lantern (though Evil Star explaining his name in #2 might be my favorite moment in comics this year), Ironheart, DIE, Shazam!, Killmonger, The Batman Who Laughs, or Miles Morales: Spider-Man, all of which almost certainly would have ended up somewhere in here with some more time. Additionally, I switched to a new online pull list system in March, so I don’t have a list of what I got before then - if I’m forgetting about something great that came out early this year, there’s a good chance that would be why.
Honorary Mentions: While there were plenty of comics I was happy to keep up with, a number stood out as exemplary examples of straight-take relatively traditional capeshit: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and companies’ Justice League, Steve Orlando’s Justice League of America (which would probably go among the best of the best if the art was a bit more consistent or the lineup more to my personal tastes), Brian Bendis and Nick Derington’s Batman work in the Walmart 100-Page Giants, Donny Cates’ Thanos and Doctor Strange work (the latter might not have quite made it, but that last issue with Irving and Zdarsky was gangbusters), Steve Orlando’s brief Wonder Woman run with Laura Braga, ACO, and Raul Allen, Tim Seeley’s Green Lanterns, Nnedi Okorafor and Leonardo Romero’s Shuri, Robert Vendetti and Bryan Hitch’s Hawkman, Saladin Ahmed, Javier Rodriguez, Rod Reis, Dario Brizuela, and Joe Quinones’s Exiles, Captain America by both the Mark Waid/Chris Samnee team and the current Ta-Nehisi Coates/Lenil Francis Yu lineup, Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti’s Tony Stark: Iron Man when it’s committed solely to being a superhero comic and not Dan Slott trying to be Contemporary, Brian Bendis, Patrick Gleason, Yanick Paquette, and Ryan Sook’s Action Comics, and Kelly Thompson and Stefano Caselli’s West Coast Avengers.
On the slightly different side of things, Steve Orlando and Giovanni Timpano showed how you do an intercompany crossover right with The Shadow/Batman, Max Bemis’s Moon Knight while not living up to all it could have been - and likely to age poorly - had moments of truly bizarre grace, Saga was Saga even if I’ve lost the plot, Ahmed and Christian Ward’s Black Bolt concluded as well as we all might have hoped, Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt’s The Wild Storm continued to build up steam in its own fascinating style, Doomsday Clock remains utterly captivating in spite of itself, and Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle’s The Wrong Earth is making the most of a deceptively tough premise. On the one-off end, Chip Zdarsky and Declan Shalvey’s Marvel Two-In-One Annual is an essentially perfect off-kilter Doom/Richards story, Action Comics #1000 had no chance of living up to all it needed to be but was largely a great set of Superman stories regardless, and while the remainder of the miniseries has thus far been fine, Tim Seeley and Carlos Villa’s first issue of Shatterstar was a strange, special delight.
My Favorite Comics of 2018
Rock Candy Mountain: Technically Jackson - the rail-rider who can beat Any One Man in a fistfight - reached the end of his journey for hobo heaven this year, and flat-out, every Kyle Starks comic is a perfect one. This is a book where the first issue has a dude beating ass with a beautiful savagery that leaves an awestruck onlooker declaring “He’s got punch diarrhea and their faces are the toilet bowl”, and by the end it built up to one of the most moving climaxes of the year. It’s a comic about fallen men finding redemption in friendship and in dreams, and also there’s a cage fighter who calls himself Hundred Cats because it would be really hard to fight a hundred cats.
Dark Knights: Metal: This is the final, perfected form of traditional Event Comic Bullshit. Everything good about Snyder, Capullo, Glapion, and Plascencia’s Batman post-Court Of Owls is retooled and reenergized to fit the scale of a Crisis event, everything that I would have considered to be a weakness regarding their partnership either burned away or placed in a context where it becomes a strength. This is the Morrison approach to the DCU rightfully ascendant and presented in a form even more fit for mass consumption, and manages to live up to being the first classic-style, large-scale DC event comic in almost a decade - Marvel may blow its own load every six months until it’s simply got nothing to offer anymore, but DC waited until they really and truly had something, and that something was bloodsoaked magic.
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (by Chip Zdarsky and assorted artists): I actually wavered a bit on whether this belonged in the best of the best as a whole; most of the issues this year were definitely very good (regarding Zdarsky’s run specifically, I haven’t checked out the Spider-Geddon tie-in stuff), but more on the honorary mention end of the scale. Ultimately however, the Amazing Fantasy arc and #310 are Spider-Man comics I’m going to be coming back to for years to come - the latter is going to end up in every ‘Best Spider-Man Stories Ever’ softcover from now until the end of time - and they tipped the scales.
Batman: Very much in the same boat as Spidey above; a lot of this year didn’t do it for me in the same way as this run has in the past, but The Best Man is the best thing anyone’s done with Joker since Morrison, the ‘wedding issue’ itself worked really well for me, Cold Days made a premise that’s often stymied creators work as well as people have always wanted it to, and the Dick team-up issue was a perfect little summation of a relationship, nevermind how much this year succeeded in getting me hyped up for things to come.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: This is one of those comics where it’s so consistently good in such a specific, quiet way that people stop talking about it, but for real, this has never not in the top five or six things Marvel is publishing at any given time for as long as it’s been around. Erica Henderson leaving right before hitting the Kraven story that had been building literally since its first issue 3 years earlier could have been disastrous, but North and new artist Derek Charm manage to hit their own rhythm and continue delivering one of the funniest, cleverest, most sincere superbooks on the stands every month.
Mister Miracle: Yeah, it really was that good.
The Immortal Hulk: So is this, and if I have to name a single best comic of the year, this has probably gotta be it. Al Ewing’s been Marvel’s best creator for a long, long time, and putting him and Joe Bennett (who holy moley, I don’t think anyone would have guessed had this in him) on a tentpole character Ewing’s got genuine reverence for worked out even better than a fanboy like me might have expected. It’s sublime horror, it’s perfect Marvel comics continuity bullshit, and if the superhero is at heart a morality fable, this is very much a soul-searing apex of the genre as it speaks of how we can all go wrong.
Eternity Girl: …or maybe this is the best? It’s probably gotta be this, Hulk, or Miracle. Mister Miracle’s where the comparison really becomes clear, as they’re both books way out on the fringes of the DCU dealing with a character grappling with depression amidst the mundanity of their cyclical existence. However, as perfectly constructed and rawly human as Mister Miracle is, this hits a lot more of my own buttons and expresses its own brand of more surreal emotional authenticity, and rather than the expected and beautiful next step of a pair of already-acclaimed creators with an established partnership, this was a shock coming out party for Visaggio and Liew, who do things stylistically just as odd to see in a DC Comic as anything King and Gerads came up with. It seemed to sail under the radar for readers but also seems to be racking up awards, and I hope this’ll attain the reputation it deserves in years to come.
Ice Cream Man: Likely the respectable fourth place to the three above, while I can’t quite sing its praises in quite the same way when it’s playing so hard-to-get that I can’t quite put a pin in what it’s ultimately about, oh my GOD this is as good as gut-punch horror gets. Not simply grody shock-value stuff, but pit-of-your-stomach-everything-in-the-world-hates-you-and-you-were-wrong-to-ever-believe-in-love shit that’ll rattle your bones and fuck you up good. Not usually a horror guy myself, but this is an essentially perfect comic.
The Man Of Steel: Screw all y’all, this kicked ass and after how hard the Rebirth books blew it - Jon and the new status quo were both excellent, Tomasi had good bits here and there alongside some quality fill-in teams, but those books were still aaaaaaaaaaassssss - this is exactly the fresh start Superman’s needed for years. Granted the Fabok interstitials had some wonky pacing, but this was on-point and insightful for Superman as a character, exciting as hell, and has thus far led to nothing but more good comics as far as I’m concerned.
Milk Wars: Did the various tie-ins live up to the bookends? Nah, though the Shade/Wonder Woman story was pretty good. But those bookends? Friends, those books were AAA+ sup-per-he-ro-bull-SHIT, and while I was initially let down because it seemed as though it would have Superman in a major role and then didn’t, this is even more of an apotheosis of the Morrison approach to the genre than Metal. ACO is ACO, Eaglesham slaughtered it, and Orlando and Way should be as joined at the hip as cowriters as Abbnett and Lanning used to be. This is a gold standard for strange, edgy, colorful, wondrous, fucked-up superhero comics, and there should be a million more like it every day.
Justice League (by Christopher Priest and assorted artists, primarily Pete Woods): On the exact opposite end of the scale, while I don’t think I can say I enjoyed this book as much as the current Snyder-helmed gonzo cosmic adventures, I absolutely feel this was the better of the two. More importantly, this run is the successful version of what just about every other Justice League comic of the past 15 years has been trying and failing to be as the post-Authority, post-Ultimates, post-Civil War take on the concept. It’s as smart and atmospheric and bold as a book like Justice League ever CAN be, building its exploration of the conceptual stress points of the team around one and two-part adventures and clever character dynamics, illustrating an interesting new take on how to handle the main team book with the power players: taking their ability to handle physical threats as a relative given, a structural conceit acting as a delivery mechanism for the politics and people in play. It hardly breaks new ground in terms of redefining the superhero concept, but it’s as far as they’ve gone with the marquis characters without ending in disaster, and it’s an approach I’d love to see more often applied to this scale.
Superman: Walmart 100 Page Giant (by Tom King and Andy Kubert): Of all the places for King to do a regular Superman comic, huh? Still, we’d already seen what he’d done in that Batman two-parter and Action #1000, so I’m more than willing to take what we can get (even if most are going to have to wait for this to come out in trade). There have been four installments so far: the first is the sort of stage-setting that’s common to this type of long-form arc but with a distinctly different atmosphere than how this is typically done with the character, evoking a sort of Miller-tinged Golden Age flavor connecting Superman back down to Earth before throwing him into the stars. The third is a great Fuck Yeah Superman Doin’ Superman Shit throwdown that gives Kubert a chance to shine. The fourth and most recent is haunting, inspired, moving, and tight as a drum. And the second begins as the worst-case scenario of Tom King doing a Superman comic, and ends as likely my favorite Superman story of the last 5 years. If it continues in its current direction, Superman: Up In The Sky is almost certainly going to be a perennial people are going to rank among the best Superman stories of all time for decades to come, and everything I’d want out of this team tackling my favorite character.
Detective Comics (by James Tynion IV and assorted artists): I’m honestly surprised at myself for putting this here, but I just have to hand it to this run - which had to go quite a ways to win me over, between its opening gambit with Batwoman’s status quo and centering the whole thing around my least-favorite Robin (even if it won me over to him over time) - as basically being the platonic form of Dang Good Superhero Comics. Not boundary-pushing, not the sort of thing you’ll remember in 20 years, but just really fun, exciting, good-looking, slick, character-driven adventures building on themselves into the logical culmination of 21st century popular Batman stories. This is Batman 101, but in a good way, and I honestly think that on reflection it’s gonna hold together better as a Batman run than its immediate predecessor in Snyder/Capullo.
You Are Deadpool: This is the smartest, funniest, most inventive big two comic of the year and even if you’re so tired of Deadpool that your skull bones are threatening to suddenly contract and spear your brain in an attempt at saving your weary soul from the prospect of seeing any more of him, you should get this.
Superman (by Brian Bendis and Ivan Reis): I noted Action Comics among the honorable mentions, as while it’s a dang good comic that I enjoy a great deal - and Ryan Sook may well have established himself as my ideal modern Superman artist - it’s very much the best possible version of *exactly* what you’d expect from Brian Bendis doing Superman. This, on the other hand, feels like Bendis stretching himself to do something truly different in a way he hasn’t in years, and the results are stunning. I won’t pretend Rogol Zaar has amounted to much of anything as of yet, but Bendis has acclimated to the realm of Cosmic Superman Punch-Ups in a way no one could have reasonably seen coming; he’s managed to sidestep his usual issues by anchoring each issue in a crazy setpiece and a single perfect Superman character moment, and Reis is doing work here than can unquestionably stand alongside his Sinestro Corps War heyday. Whether it’s #1 having Superman fight an astro-goilla in the middle of a questioning on his responsibilities to humanity, #4 going full Shonen in the best possible way with probably my favorite fight scene of the year, or #6′s storybook mythmaking building to the best, cruelest needle in the balloon possible, or the consistent delightful fucking with Adam Strange, every issue here has something I didn’t know I badly wanted to see, and damn if that isn’t exactly what I want in my Superman stuff.
Assorted one-offs: Along with the major arcs and runs, we’ve got stuff like the Thanos Annual and DC Nuclear Winter Special, as good as anthologies of this kind get. T-shirt Superman got one last ride under Morrison in the Sideways Annual, fighting his way out from under the wreckage of a weird DiDio book to get exactly the sendoff he deserved. The Injustice 2 Annual, of all things, was a perfect piece of bittersweet character work. Invincible #144 satisfyingly closed out The Best Superhero Comic In The Universe by essentially also doing Invincible #145-500 or so, putting this often tumultuous title to bed with the dignity it had earned. And finally, Slott and Marcos Martin’s The Amazing Spider-Man #801 was a perfect minor mediation not even on the title character so much as the basic moral appeal of the genre as a whole.
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Endgame Spoilers
Why I’m happy with how Vormir went down...
So I really love Black Widow, I think she is a great character and I personally recommend the Waid/Samnee run to anyone interested in her character. That being said I am not someone who dislikes character death. It doesn’t hit me as hard as a lot of people and I think its a good device. I’ve seen a lot of DISCOURSE about Vormir and Widow dying but when I left the theater.. I honestly don’t think it could have gone any other way.
So here’s the thing. Accepting the premise that a team will be sent to collect the Soul Stone it HAS to be the case where someone on the team is going to the others’ most loved. This is necessary for the sacrifice and for someone to collect the stone.
So our roster for the time heist is:
Steve, Tony, Bruce, Scott, Thor, Nat, Clint, Rocket, Nebula, Rhodey
So we know that Nat and Clint most important people alive is each other, which tracks for me.
Tony and Scott are unable to have someone on the mission sacrificed since their daughters would obviously need to be the sacrifice.
Steve and Thor are in an odd position as they’ve lost pretty much everyone. I would argue at this point that Nat is probably Steve’s closest friend and Thor... fuck its probably Korg which is depressing.
Bruce and Rhodey also don’t have anyone super obvious. Bruce would probably be either Thor or Nat. Rhodey only ever gets to really interact with Tony so lets assume that(since we aren’t gonna read into him and carol glancing at each other)
Then we have rocket and nebula. The really easy answer would be each other since they are the leftovers from the guardians but fuck, Nebula had a better arc with Tony in the opening of Endgame and I don’t think she’s even interacted with Rocket. Rocket... I would almost wanna say Thor because they had some good moments in Infinity War but they dont seem to have stayed in each other’s lives of the past 5 years. So honestly... Rocket is probably his most loved person.
But even assuming that Rocket and Nebula have been out for the past 5 years and grown close it would be terribly contrived to like create this bond last minute to use.
So this scene goes one of two ways.
A. Their person isn’t each other and someone kills themselves for the soul stone with their being only one option.
B. Their person is each other and neither wants the other to die.
B... is a lot more interesting to me. From what I can see is the only real option for option B is Nat and Clint. Also these two dumbasses beating the shit out of each other to save them is so very on brand.
So between Nat and Clint who lives/who dies?
Here is my horrible initial author thought: Who is affected most by this death? Because if I am going to kill a character off I want it to matter to both my characters and my audience. This is why Coulson’s death is so much affecting than say.. Pietro’s.
So my knee jerk reaction is Nat, she has touched the most other characters and matters the most while also being a fan favorite. Which.... fuck I realize I am veering close to the argument of “Fridge this character because it will cause the most MAIN PAIN” and I hate that its killing the only female avenger at this moment. Nebula is there but is captured and we never see her reaction or even... these two characters interacting so Nat’s death on them is moot. This death only affects the boys which I do HATE, but unfortunately we are working with what we have and wishing that things were different in this exercise.
If Clint dies... it affects Nat. And only Nat. Sure others are fond of Clint and know him? Even a majority of audience members don’t seem to give a shit about Clint so if we kill him... it affects nothing.
Nat dying is a tragedy. Clint dying is a plot point.
#endgame#vormir#black widow#hawkeye#okay if people disagree and wanna chime in with their own reads#awesome#but like could you try and do it without personally attacking me?#i'm so tired
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Episode 320
Comic Reviews:
Are You Afraid of Darkseid? by Elliott Kalan, Mike Norton, Allen Passalaqua, Kenny Porter, Max Dunbar, Luis Guerrero, Calvin Kasulke, Rob Guillory, Dave Wielgosz, Pablo Collar, Wil Quintana, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Jesus Hervas, Eva De La Cruz, Ed Brisson, Christopher Mitten, ToWe Hny Avina, Terry Blas, Garry Brown, Marissa Louise, Jeremy Haun, Tony Akins, Moritat
Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 100-age Super Spectacular by Michael Conrad, Becky Cloonan, Jim Cheung, Marcelo Maiolo, Jordie Bellaire, Paulina Ganucheau, Kendall Goode, Amy Reeder, Marissa Louise, Mark Waid, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Tom King, Doc Shaner, Vita Ayala, Isaac Goodhart, Jeremy Lawson, Steve Orlando, Laura Braga, Romulo Fajardo Jr, Stephanie Phillips, Marcio Takara, G. Willow Wilson, Meghan Hetrick
Arkham City: Order of the World 1 by Dan Watters, Dani, Dave Stewart
DC Horror Presents: Soul Plumber 1 by Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, PJ Holden, John McCrea, Mike Spicer
Amazing Spider-Man 75 by Zeb Wells, Patrick Gleason, Marcio Menyz, Kelly Thompson, Travel Foreman, Jim Campbell, Ivan Fiorelli, Edgar Delgado
Eternals Celestia by Kieron Gillen, Kei Zama, Matthew Wilson
Ghost Rider Kushala Infinity Comic 1 by Taboo, Guillermo Sanna, Jordie Bellaire
We Have Demons 1 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Dave McCaig
Righteous Thirst For Vengeance 1 by Rick Remender, Andre Lima Araujo, Chris O'Halloran
Cruel Biology by Christopher Sebela, Brian Churilla
Jennifer Blood 1 by Fred Van Lente, Vincenzo Federici
Chicken Devil 1 by Brian Buccellato, Hayden Sherman, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Out 1 by Rob Williams, Will Conrad, Marco Lesko
Dirtbag Rapture 1 by Christopher Sebela, Kendall Goode, Gab Contreras
Party & Prey GN by Steve Orlando, Steve Foxe, Alex Sanchez, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Squad GN by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Lisa Sterle
Primordial GN by Bruce Zick
Stars, Hide Your Fires GN by Kel McDonald, Jose Pimienta
Minnie Mouse: Big Dreams GN by Brooke Vitale, Artful Doodlers
Additional Reviews: Star Wars Terrifying Tales, Bodyguard, Snowman, Basketful of Heads, Unfinished Corner, Muppets Haunted Mansion
Longbox of Horror: Spider-Man Disassembled by Paul Jenkins, Humberto Ramos, Paco Medina, Michael Ryan
News: ND Stevenson transition and substack, Bunn brings back Dragonring through Kickstarter, Flanagan does House of Usher, Letitia Wright nonsense, Bat Family Webtoon gets YouTube live action adaptation, Agatha Harkness TV show, Pinhead cast for Hulu series, Bat/Cat special delayed, Astro City/Autumnlands/Arrowsmith and new series from Kurt Busiek at Image, Cillian Murphy stars in next Nolan movie as Oppenheimer, Saga returns in January, Kiernan Shipka bringing Sabrina to Riverdale, Who returns on Halloween, more Tom Taylor nonsense, Jon Kent, Disney gets a new Chief Creative Officer, Devil's Reign Tie-Ins, NYCC thoughts, Gamergate show
Halloween Question
Trailers: Game of Thrones prequel, Peacemaker, Hypnotic, Resident Evil, Robin Robin
Comics Countdown:
Nice House On The Lake 5 by James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno
The Me You Love In The Dark 3 by Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Jean-Francois Beaulieu
We Have Demons 1 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Dave McCaig
Bountiful Garden 2 by Ivy Noelle Weir, Kelly Williams, Giorgio Spalleta
Star Trek: Year Five 25 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Jody Houser, Brandon Easton, Jim McCann, Paul Cornell, Angel Hernandez, Silvia Califano, Stephen Thompson
Arkham City: Order of the World 1 by Dan Watters, Dani, Dave Stewart
Dark Ages 2 by Tom Taylor, Iban Coello, Brian Reber
Fire Power 16 by Robert Kirkman, Chris Samnee, Matthew Wilson
Savage Avengers 25 by Gerry Duggan, Patrick Zircher, Javier Tartaglia
Crush and Lobo 5 by Mariko Tamaki, Amancay Nahuelpan, Tamra Bonvillain
Check out this episode!
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For the week of 9 April 2018
Quick Bits:
Animosity: Evolution #5 gets to the heart of the criminal enterprise undermining Wintermute’s authority, operating the black market, and what they’ve been trying to accomplish. This arc has definitely been interesting so far, showing that the animal organizations aren’t really all too different from their human counterparts.
| Published by AfterShock
Avengers #688 raises the stakes higher as we speed towards the conclusion of “No Surrender”. While the Challenger flips the table on the game, this issue takes its perspective from Quicksilver, setting up the next stage for his forthcoming Quicksilver: No Surrender limited series.
| Published by Marvel
Barbarella #5 tosses in some more weird science as Barbarella and Vix go prospecting for RUST.
| Published by Dynamite
Bloodshot Salvation #8 begins to marry up the timelines, such that the present is becoming the “soon” timeline that began in the first issue, as Bloodshot travels through the Deadside and we find out how he got tossed into the future. It’s interesting to see how Jeff Lemire’s non-linear threads have been playing out through the story.
| Published by Valiant
Brothers Dracul #1 reunites the team of Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak, having recently completed the Unholy Grail series, here for an interesting take on the Vlad Tepes story and the Dracula myth. Bunn takes a different approach to the myth, rooting it in much of the recorded history of Vald, his family, and Wallachia under Ottoman rule and it results in a much more grounded story. At least for the first issue. The art from Colak, with colours by Maria Santaolalla, is also great.
| Published by AfterShock
Captain America #700 is Chris Samnee’s last issue on the series, and the last of his work at Marvel for the time being, and he sure does go out with a bang. Samnee and Mark Waid stitch up a conclusion to the Cap in the future arc, although there are some interesting ramifications of the story to unpack, including presenting an idea of the futility of hope. That’s probably bleaker than the creative team necessarily intended it to be read as.
| Published by Marvel
Champions #19 begins the next chapter in the team’s chronicles, with Jim Zub and Sean Izaakse taking over as the new creative team. The art from Izaakse and colourist Marcio Menyz is wonderful throughout, including some great character designs. It’s also interesting to see how Zub has the team approaching new recruits like Ironheart as they try to figure out how the new pieces fit.
| Published by Marvel
Cold War #3 dives into the past of two survivors this time, giving us a look into the history and personalities of LQ and Johnny. Even as the latter fights for relevance and control in the present, seemingly unable to accept the leadership of Vinh or her attempts to protect everyone remaining. Then Christopher Sebela drops another bomb on us as to the state of this future.
| Published by AfterShock
Crude #1 is an interesting beginning, setting up a bit of a mystery involving the death of the son of a former Russian agent, as he gets dragged back into a seedy, harsh existence to hunt down his son’s murderers. Steve Orlando begins this first issue mostly as set-up, flashing back through both Piotr and, his son, Kiril’s lives before getting us to the main plot and arrival at the setting, and source for the title.
| Published by Image / Skybound
The Dead Hand #1 is an impressive debut, capturing perfectly the intrigue and action of a Cold War thriller, matched with the bleakness of more modern interpretations of Russia and a twist that you’ll never see coming. Kyle Higgins’ Image outings tend to be wonderful reads, like COWL and Hadrian’s Wall, and this series seems no different so far. It’s also great to see Stephen Mooney providing the line art here, his style is perfectly suited to spy and thriller stories, especially as coloured here by Jordie Bellaire.
| Published by Image
Deadly Class #33 continues to tear everything down, blow everything up, or beat it into a bloody pulp. Nothing seems to be safe. Rick Remender and Wes Craig seem intent on putting everyone through the wringer, and Craig (with colours from Jordan Boyd) is reminding everyone why he’s one of the best artists working in comics today.
| Published by Image / Giant Generator
Doctor Strange #388 is another integral part of the Damnation event, diving into Strange’s possession and what’s going on with the other fallen heroes current plaguing Vegas at Mephisto’s behest. The story from Donny Cates is good, weird, and has Niko Henrichon at the very top of his game.
| Published by Marvel
Domino #1 is damn great. In some ways, it feels like old home week, as Gail Simone brings back some of the characters and stylistic quirks from her time writing Deadpool and Agent X, complete with the humour, action, and absurdity, but at the same time, this feels fresh. It’s not as over the top as the other two outings and it makes for what feels to me like a better story. It also makes the humour pop a bit more as it feels natural. Also, the art from David Baldeón and Jesus Aburtov is gorgeous. Baldeón surprised me with how great his art has become on Spirits of Vengeance and here he’s bringing it to an even higher level. This first issue is fun and comes very recommended.
| Published by Marvel
Dry County #2 sets up the mystery. After being embroiled in Janet’s life as a kind of sad sack saviour in the first issue, Lou gets his hopes dashed by her kidnapping this issue. If it follows traditional Miami Noir themes, I have my suspicions about it, but here Rich Tommaso plays it straight and uses it to start Lou down the path to find out what happened to her.
| Published by Image
Exiles #1 begins a gathering the team arc, as Blink is drafted back into the multiverse-saving business by the reappearance of the Tallus and the Unseen’s premonitions of the white fire of nothingness caused by the Time Eater. Saladin Ahmed does a great job of playing with Exiles history and Marvel ephemera in constructing this first issue, but the real star is the artwork. Javier Rodríguez is one of Marvel’s underrated talents who really should be heralded as a superstar. Here, he, Álvaro López, and Jordie Bellaire make this issue one of the most visually interesting on the stands, with great page layouts, interesting panel transitions, phenomenal use of page for storytelling effect, and unique character designs. This is a great start and I’m dying to see more.
| Published by Marvel
Gideon Falls #2 continues a slow burn through the story, focusing on both Norton and Father Fred’s experiences with the black barn, and the world beyond them not believing their respective stories. It’s a common horror and mystery thread, but it’s still interesting how Jeff Lemire is framing the narrative and building the characters through the dialogue. Also, the art from Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart continues to be amazing.
| Published by Image
Ninja-K #6 plays with a number of the messes that have yet to be cleaned up across the Valiant universe. It’s interesting to see Christos Gage play with the toys, with visceral art from Juan José Ryp and Jordie Bellaire.
| Published by Valiant
No. 1 With a Bullet #6 is a brilliant end to what has been an excellent series. Jacob Semahn, Jorge Coello, and Jen Hickman have a story here that is relevant in today’s society obsessed with social media, and delves deep into what can happen when that obsession turns deadly and debilitating. There’s one last twist this issue and the art, especially as it simulates the current state of Nash’s eyesight, is amazing. I highly recommend this series.
| Published by Image
Oblivion Song #2 fleshes out a bit more what happened from Earth’s perspective on the day that parts of Philadelphia fell into Oblivion. It’s interesting to see it unfold, especially in relation to the two recent survivors who came back. It’s slow going, and there are oblique character moments, but it’s enthralling.
| Published by Image
The October Faction: Supernatural Dreams #2 sees the summoned demon wandering around, causing havoc, raising hell. Oh, and Geoff and Vivian get their butts handed to them.
| Published by IDW
Prism Stalker #2, like the first issue, is very, very strange. On the one hand, it’s presented and illustrated by Sloane Leong as this surrealist weird comic that almost defies classification. Kind of like some of the silent indie comics out there that are more experienced than “read”. On the other hand, the story Leong presents is fairly mundane, one of coming of age in what appears to be an oppressive alien society. I’m not really sure what to make of it still, but it has my attention.
| Published by Image
ROM & The Micronauts #4 gets the full band back together in our world as the final battle against Baron Karza and the Dire Wraiths looms on the horizon. Christos Gage waxes philosophical on physical and emotional change, and how love will find a way in strange cases, but what’s really pushing us towards the final battle is the promise of raising the Lovecraftian monstrosity at the heart of the Earth.
| Published by IDW
Sleepless #5 works further on the intrigue going on, revealing that some of the plots may not have been put into motion by who we may have be led to believe previously.
| Published by Image
Sword of Ages #3 has the crap hit the fan. Some of the political machinations come to a head and it’s all pretty glorious. Gabriel Rodríguez is telling an incredible story here, adapting Arthurian legend in a very unique way.
| Published by IDW
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #81 is a densely packed narrative, picking up on the threads from the recently concluded Triceratons arc, the running undercurrent of Splinter’s ideas for the Foot Clan, while also spilling out the return of the Rat King after TMNT Universe #19. There’s a lot going on, but I’d argue that Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz make it accessible and interesting. Aiding in that effort is phenomenal art from Dave Wachter and Ronda Pattison.
| Published by IDW
Thanos #18 concludes “Thanos Wins” and with it this chapter of the Mad Titan’s adventures (apart from a forthcoming annual in a couple of weeks). This issue is big and epic and has a very interesting ending. Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, and Antonio Fabela have outdone themselves.
| Published by Marvel
Vs. #3 gets a look at the ruling class in this world, trying to figure out why Flynn’s ratings remain high despite him continuing to suffer losses. It’s a little dry, but it does set up some further conflict between Flynn and Devi, and continues to draw some beautiful art from Esad Ribić.
| Published by Image
X-Men Blue #25 gives us a main story with Magneto’s confrontation of Miss Sinister and her allies, while Polaris and the other remaining X-Men lick their wounds in Madripoor. There’s also a back-up that serves as a bridge between the “Poison X” and Venomized stories for the original five and Venom, with some really nice art by Mike Perkins and Andy Troy.
| Published by Marvel
X-Men Red #3 gives some more oblique hints at what’s really going on, as anti-mutant hysteria begins reaching critical mass and attacks, protests, and riots begin to spill over. Tom Taylor is aptly using parallels to current events across America and the world here and it makes it a bit scarier.
| Published by Marvel
Other Highlights: Algeria is Beautiful Like America, The Archies #6, Astonisher #6, The Beauty #21, Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #17, The Despicable Deadpool #298, DuckTales #8, Eternal Empire #8, Falcon #7, Ghost Money #9, James Bond: Casino Royale, Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini #4, Old Man Logan #38, Planets of the Apes: Ursus #4, Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1, Rick Veitch’s The One #3, Rose #10, Shock, Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #31, Star Wars: Darth Vader #14, Star Wars: Thrawn #3, Tomb Raider: Survivor’s Crusade #4, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #31, Venomized #2
Recommended Collections: Aliens/Predator/Prometheus: Fire & Stone, Cable - Volume 2: Newer Mutants, Clover Honey, Coyotes - Volume 1, Deadpool vs. Old Man Logan, DuckTales: Mysteries and Mallards, Family Trade - Volume 1, Jean Grey - Volume 2: Final Fight, Lazarus X+66, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man - Volume 2: Most Wanted, Rock Candy Mountain - Volume 2, Spider-Man/Deadpool - Volume 5: Arms Race, TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo - Expanded Edition, Transformers: Till All Are One - Volume 3, The Unbelievable Gwenpool - Volume 5: Lost in the Plot, Underwhere
d. emerson eddy tried to make a souffle a few days ago. It fell.
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off the rack #1208
Monday, April 16, 2018
Today is going to be challenging here in Ottawa. Freezing rain overnight has left thick ice on everything. It's going to take a lot of muscle and time to scrape off any cars parked outside overnight. Penny has been going at hers for half and hour and she still hasn't left for work. I would normally go out and help her but I caught a bad cold and I feel like poop. I probably got the bug on the flight home from Cuba last Tuesday. My immune system let me down this trip.
Our week at the Brisas Guardalavaca resort in Cuba was near perfect. Beautiful sun every day. I took one of the resort bikes out for a ride on one of the only cloudy mornings, got rained on a little but made it back to the resort unscathed. I donned mask, snorkel and fins every afternoon but one to swim out to look for tropical fish on what remained of the reefs after last year's hurricanes. I'm happy to be home but I wish winter would finally leave the area. Just going to stay in today and try to get better.
Domino #1 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Killer Instinct part 1. It's my lucky day. The merc with the facial tattoo is back on the racks and she's being take care of by a writer and artist team that I like a lot. This story starts off with Neena Thurman's birthday but may end in her death day. If I didn't like this whole issue and the many guest stars so much, that last page guarantees that I will be reading the next issue.
Immortal Men #1 - Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin & James Tynion IV (storytellers) Jim Lee & Ryan Benjamin (pencils) Scott Williams & Richard Friend (inks) Jeremiah Skipper & Alex Sinclair (colours) Carlos M. Mangual (letters). The End of Forever part 1. I used to get excited when I saw Jim Lee's name attached to a new project because his art was so fantastic. At least to me it was. His X-Men and Batman stuff made me go "wow". Now I look at his art and feel meh about it. This latest New Age of Heroes book introduces a team of immortals that are brand new to me. None of them made a positive impression. I didn't finish reading the Dark Nights Metal stories and this team ties in to that series so that's probably why I couldn't get into this debut. These Immortal Men will be short-lived.
Xerxes #1 - Frank Miller (story & art) Alex Sinclair (colours). I really liked 300 when it hit the racks 20 years ago. This new 5-issue mini promises to be just as good. This time the Greeks and the Persians go at each others' throats in 490 BC. I have an interest in ancient history so I'm going to follow this story to see what happens.
Exiles #1 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Rodriguez (pencils & colours page 4) Javier Rodriguez (pencils) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Here we go again with Blink leading a team of heroes to save the multiverse. This first issue introduces two team members and the big bad guy that they'll be facing. I liked this debut. It reminded me of the Unstoppable Wasp book with young Nadia. I really enjoyed Javier's art in Spider-Woman so I'm giving this new book a chance.
Batman #44 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin & Joelle Jones (art) June Chung & Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I loved the silent scenes where Selina picks out her wedding dress. Those pages are interspersed with flashbacks showing different times in Batman and Catwoman's tumultuous relationship. The lead up to the wedding has been amazing. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about the blessed event however. The "'til death do us part" part may be a nasty surprise that the creative team are going to spring on us. I really hope not.
Oblivion Song #2 - Robert Kirkman (writer) Lorenzo De Felici (art) Annalisa Leoni (colours) Russ Wooton (letters). Still liking this adventures in monster land series.
Runaways #8 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Triona Tree Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Julie Power/Lightspeed is all grown up. I remember reading Louise Simonson and June Brigman's book when it first hit the racks in 1984 and loving the Power Pack kids. I never would have thought that Julie would mature into the woman she is now and would be dating Karolina. Julie's visit to her girlfriend's is interrupted by a surprise villain who wants Victor's head. I was surprised because I thought he was a good guy now.
Superman #44 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Jaime Mendoza & Doug Mahnke (inks) Wil Quintana (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Bizarroverse part 3. Thank Darkseid this story is over. This climax had more Bizarro characters so the confusion I felt while reading this issue was increased exponentially. Even the sound effects were Bizarro. I hope we get back to normal next issue.
American Gods: My Ainsel #2 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art) Rick Parker (letters). Find out why this arc is called My Ainsel.
Spider-Man #239 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Sinister Six deliver their stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier to the buyer. A special guest star team helps Miles to stop the handover. Somebody is going to die I bet.
Detective Comics #978 - James Tynion IV (writer) Javier Fernandez (art) John Kalisz (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). The villain tips his hand this issue. I just noticed that all the ad pages were in the back of this book so that reading the story was a lot smoother. I wish every comic book was printed that way.
Avengers #687 - Mark Waid, Al Ewing & Jim Zub (writers) Paco Medina (pencils) Juan Vlasco (inks) Jesus Aburtov & Frederico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). No Surrender part 13. The Avengers find out what they're involved in as Voyager confesses to her duplicitousness just in time for the bad guy to ratchet up his threat to destroy the planet. The scene between Jarvis and Bruce Banner bodes well for the return of the Hulk.
Avengers #688 - Mark Waid, Al Ewing & Jim Zub (writers) Kim Jacinto & Stefano Caselli (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). No Surrender part 14. The Avengers need every hero they can assemble to defeat the Challenger after he crowns himself the Grandmaster Prime. It's going to take a lot of sacrifice to save the doomed planet. Who will not survive is the question.
Old Man Hawkeye #3 - Ethan Sacks (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Clint is hunting Thunderbolts and Bullseye is hunting Clint. We all know that Clint doesn't die in this story because he still has to go on a road trip with Old Man Logan. I'm curious to see how he survives Bullseye.
New Mutants #2 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Adam Gorham (art) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The team gets sent to the Arctic to deal with a giant problem. Meanwhile a new New Mutant makes a surprise appearance on the last page. Maybe Doug Ramsey will show up too.
Amazing Spider-Man #798 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Go Down Swinging part 2. I love the design of the new Red Goblin. The sacrifice that Peter has to make to keep himself and everyone he loves safe is huge. Now we'll see if he can come up with a way to beat the Red Goblin without his web shooters.
Marvel 2 in One #5 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Ben and Johnny find themselves in a universe where GalacDoom has eaten everything except Earth. Now he's going to eat it too. Then what? There's nothing left to eat. Not very bright, GalacDoom. Seeing the Silver Surfer and Emma Frost doing the Smallville thing was cool though.
All-New Wolverine #33 - Tom Taylor (writer) Ramon Rosanas (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Old Woman Laura part 1. We jump into the future where Laura is queen of Madripoor after the good guys win Doom World War. Wait until you see who the POTUS is. Laura has only months to live due to a genetic glitch and one of the items on her bucket list is to kill Victor Von Doom. Someone shows up in the last panel and April 25, when the next issue hits the racks, can't come soon enough for me.
Astonishing X-Men #10 - Charles Soule (writer) Aco (pencils) David Lorenzo (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). A Man Called X part 4. As much as I liked Aco's art in the Nick Fury mini, I didn't think it suited that spy versus spy story. It's perfect for this reality warping story though. The team tries to save the villagers of Fetters Hill in the Scottish Highlands from the villain Proteus before he can spread his madness even further. I'm interested to see how they do that.
X-Men Red #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Ive Svorcina (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Hate Machine part 3. I don't remember much about the villain Cassandra Nova but it's clear she's one very nasty person in the first three pages. I'm not usually a fan of super hero teams but Tom Taylor writes the All-New Wolverine and Gabby and Laura are on this team so this book stays on my "must read" list.
Star Wars: Darth Vader #14 - Charles Soule (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Daniele Orlandini (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Burning Seas part 3. Vader is sent to the oceanic planet of Mon Cala to hunt down some surviving Jedi that slipped through the Empire's clutches when Order 66 was executed. The defiant Mon Calamari are thwarting his efforts. Mmm…calamari is yummy.
Captain America #700 - Mark Waid (writer) Chris Samnee (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). So disappointed that a time paradox was used to beat the bad guy. All that matters to Cap fans is that Steve is back in the "present" and the series continues.
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Mark Waid and Chris Samnee to take over CAPTAIN AMERICA post SECRET EMPIRE
It appears as if Marvel will be taking Cap back to basics this November as it's been revealed that the Eisner Award-winning team of writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee are coming together to take over the series from issue #695. It's also been made official by Waid himself that it's going to be Steve Rogers who is suited up as Captain America.
"Steve is kind of tired of being the couch-surfer of the Marvel Universe, he’s never really had a place to call his own other than Avengers Mansion," Waid explains, promising an epic road trip. "This is him getting back in touch with Captain America, learning how people perceive Captain America in light of Secret Empire." He went on to add we're getting the "Steve Rogers that we know and love."
Based on their work in Daredevil, this creative team is going to be just what Captain America needs in the wake of Secret Empire. It's good to see Cap back in the classic costume with his original shield! (x)
#Steve Rogers#Captain America#news#Not strictly Bucky-related but if Cap is back then SteveBucky relationship should be back to normal too#I hope at least#Once Bucky rises from the dead or status quo#This is SUCH GOOD NEWS i'm crying
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Uh, sorry to bother you, I'm a stony fans, actually I know more about movies. And I want to read the comics now, but my friends told me Steve and Tony…they are rarely seen together in anad, they said that stony is not real in anad. I'm afraid about it, would you tell me how about stony in anad? I love them so much. Thank you and I'm so appreciate it.
I am excited that you want to read the comics! But I think there might have been a misunderstanding somewhere, though, because current comics (the ones you will get if you go to a comic store right now) are not the same thing as ANAD.
ANAD (All-New All-Different) was a branding that Marvel had on their books in 2015, after the conclusion of Secret Wars. In ANAD, Steve and Tony didn’t really interact much. Tony was running the main Avengers team and Steve – who at the time was still old, having been deserumed in the previous run – was running the Unity Squad (in the book Uncanny Avengers), so they weren’t on the same team, and they didn’t meet much. I think there was one panel of them hanging out together in a Gwenpool holiday special. Partway through ANAD, in the Standoff event, Steve got the serum back, but as it turned out, he was made secretly Hydra.
So in that sense your friends are right; they weren’t seen together much in ANAD. But ANAD only lasted until 2016 and there have been two more years of comics since then!
Shortly after that, Marvel switched its branding to Marvel Now (2.0), and then they decided to hold Civil War II, because I guess Civil War wasn’t fun enough the first time. At the end of it Carol punched Tony into a coma. Steve was evil all the way through that, and all the way through the end of the Secret Empire event, which was where Steve decided to be a fascist dictator, because Marvel somehow thought THAT was a good idea and that people were going to be thrilled to read about Captain America the fascist dictator. (People were not, in fact, thrilled.)
(Having said that, if you are not entirely opposed to reading Hydra Steve there are a few good Steve/Tony moments. One is in the Captain America tie-in to Civil War II, in which Steve (who is evil, remember?) is heavily gaslighting Tony and they talk about all the times they fought. One is an issue of Secret Empire in which Steve ends up meeting with and fighting the Avengers, including an AI version of Tony, but their conversation seems to be written as if Tony were human (I feel like all of Secret Empire looks like it was written for human Tony), and furthermore AI Tony apparently remembers the events of The Confession, which is a pretty big deal for fandom. And then there’s The Oath, which is more-or-less a villain AU remix of The Confession, where Hydra Steve spends the whole issue telling Tony’s comatose body his evil plans. This includes the fact that he has all of Real Steve’s memories, and he tells Tony, about Real Steve, “He loved you. He loved you, and he admired you. Even when you fought.”)
(So, I mean, yes, the surrounding context is absolutely terrible and I’m not denying that, but we got an on-page canonical statement of love from Steve that nobody even felt the need to no-homo. SO THERE’S THAT.)
Marvel Now went on for about a year, and then Marvel went onto Marvel Legacy; Steve was now not evil, but Tony was still comatose, so the Iron Man book wasn’t about him and they weren’t on the same team, on account of the coma. Having said that, Waid and Samnee’s Cap run is very, very good and you should read it. It’s short. Just read it.
The branding Marvel has just started is called A Fresh Start. If you read comics right now, this is what you will get. It is too new to really say how it’s going to turn out – neither Coates’ Cap run (general fandom attitude: excitement) nor Slott’s IM run (general fandom attitude: bitterness and/or dismay) have started yet – but Aaron’s Avengers run has started and this is the first time that Steve and Tony have been on the same team since Hickman’s run ended in 2015. There have been only two issues so far – so it’s hard to say if it’s going to be good – but Steve and Tony have actually interacted with each other! They are friends! They are running a team together! This is the first time they have been alive and not evil and on-panel together in YEARS. I think this is a positive sign.
tl;dr: If you want current comics with Steve and Tony interacting with each other, now is actually the best time in years to start reading comics! Because here they are! Being friends again!
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Blindness, Guilt, Suicide, and Other Cheerful Topics from the Current Daredevil Run
It’s been too long since we posted about the current Daredevil series-- mostly because it’s difficult to write about a story while you’re in the middle of it (and also because we’ve been very busy. Excuses, excuses...). But we wanted to reflect a bit on the “Seventh Day” arc (#15 and 16), and on the subject of suicide.
The current run is a giant exploration of identity. Having reinvented himself/had a reinvention thrust upon him, Matt has to figure out who he wants to be, what he wants to represent, and how he wants to approach this new life. He has done this many times before, with varying degrees of success. (At least this reinvention didn’t involve demonic possession or giant metal shoulder pads). But as hard as he tries, we see again and again that this new start is not working out as well as he would have liked. He is initially unable to handle his work at the D.A.’s office-- to the point where it’s amazing he still has a job. His loss of a connection with his friends and loved ones leaves him feeling isolated and without distractions. He is not in control of the side effects of his identity restoration, which draws Elektra into a traumatic experience for which he blames himself. And his attempt at being a mentor to an aspiring young superhero results in tragedy. All of Matt’s identity shifts have involved periods of adjustment, but even by his standards, this is a mess.
Sam’s blinding at the hands of Muse is, in many ways, the final straw. It is the worst possible indication of all of Matt’s recent failures to handle his life, and represents yet another case of someone getting hurt because of him. His main reason for revamping his life was to prevent bringing pain down on those close to him, and now he sees that it was all for nothing. This leaves him feeling helpless and aimless. In the past we’ve bemoaned this run’s failure to integrate the massive amount of character development Matt underwent in the previous two volumes, but we do actually get a nice moment of self-awareness here. Matt is able to reflect on the reality that he does, in fact, need other people to help him handle his despair-- a big lesson he learned in Waid’s run. The only problem is that he’s isolated himself, for secret identity purposes, and now no longer has that necessary support system.
Matt: “Matt... you know better. Don’t... don’t just pack this away. Give it some air. Foggy? No. He’s made his feelings on Daredevil-related business pretty clear. He’s done with it. Kirsten? No. She doesn’t deserve this in her life. That was the whole idea. You can’t. Natasha. Luke. Danny. Steve. No. I’d have to explain. Tell them... more than I want them to know.”
Daredevil vol. 5 #16 by Charles Soule, Goran Sudzuka, and Matt Milla
His decision to place a hit on himself to attract Bullseye’s attention is rooted in a complicated series of emotional reactions to the situation. Matt lies to himself (and thus, to us) about his main motivations for intentionally bringing one of his most dangerous enemies back into his life. The excuse he makes is that he needs to get ahold of the blend of chemicals Bullseye used to create Ikari in Volume 3-- the same blend that gave Matt his powers. With this, he can help Sam to cope with his blindness by irradiating him and giving him hypersenses.
Matt: “Sam wanted to follow my example, wanted to do what I do. I let him. I knew it was a mistake, and I let him do it anyway. He’s brilliant. He invented his own invisibility suit out of salvaged scraps, for God’s sake. He could do anything. I should have pushed Blindspot away, shoved him towards any other life at all. And now his eyes are gone [...] All of this was about trying to help him. Bullseye once created a sort of serum that can duplicate my powers. If I can get it... well. I can’t give Same his eyes back-- but I can give him my enhanced senses.”
Daredevil vol. 5 #16 by Charles Soule, Goran Sudzuka, and Matt Milla
This is a loaded plan-- even if it’s not his actual intention (which is debatable). Matt has a complicated relationship with blindness-- both his own and other people’s. While he fully acknowledges and accepts his status as a blind person, he is also acutely aware of the distinction between his hypersenses-augmented existence and that of non-powered blind people. We see this in his desperate, almost cruel attempts to train Tyrone-- a young boy who was blinded by swimming in a polluted lake-- in Ann Nocenti’s run.
Tyrone: “Matt? Why do you hate me?! Why are you so mad at me?! I don’t understand this power you talk of, I can’t tell where your fist is, but I can feel your anger! I feel that! I feel your anger so big it’s crashing through the darkness!”
Matt: “I’m sorry! Tyrone... I’m sorry. I want so bad to teach you what I know! But my way is too harsh, too brutal! But we can’t stop! If you don’t learn-- the alternative is the dull stupid empty dead world of helpless darkness!”
Daredevil vol. 1 #254 by Ann Nocenti, John Romita, Jr., and Christie Scheele
The implication is that he has grown so used to his hypersenses, and the idea of losing them is so frightening to him, that he has internalized the idea that they are a necessary improvement-- something that non-powered blind people are sadly lacking. There’s also an element of personal identification and guilt tied to both Tyrone’s situation and Sam’s. He sees his young self in them, sees the life his hypersenses have allowed him to lead, feels a responsibility to help them in their time of need, just like Stick helped him-- and fails to realize that they don’t need to follow his path, and don’t need hypersenses to live full, happy lives. The fact that he is able to semi-convince himself that he’s summoning Bullseye in order to access the serum suggests that it contains some truth, and as we see at the end of issue 16, he does actually get his hands on a vial of it. On some level, Matt feels he can make up for what happened to Sam by putting him through an extremely painful procedure that he doesn’t necessarily need. And that, from a character perspective, is fascinating.
Of course, the other explanation-- the real reason Matt realizes he wanted to summon Bullseye-- is to attempt suicide.
This is not the first time suicide has come up Daredevil comics, and considering the nature of Matt’s life, it probably won’t be the last. And despite his comments to the Shroud in Volume 4, he has considered it before.
Matt: “I am quite the expert on self-destructive despair. I know exactly what it’s like to have nothing. To have taken from me all the light there is. I can spend the rest of the night going, for your benefit, through the impossibly long list of tragedies I have faced. All the loves I have lost. All the hopeless moments. I have been where you are, but in all my most desperate times... I have never considered suicide by super villain.”
Daredevil vol. 4 #4 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Javier Rodriguez
Arguably the most memorable instance is from vol. 1 #225. In the aftermath of Heather Glenn’s suicide (for which Matt is more than a little bit to blame), with the law office in shambles and his friendship with Foggy falling apart, Matt is confronted by the Vulture-- used by writer Denny O’Neil to represent death. Matt chases the Vulture away from an attempt to rob Heather’s grave, and then battles him again on the roof of the now-bankrupt law office. In the midst of their fight, Matt finds it difficult to summon the will to protect himself. He nearly lets the Vulture kill him, before realizing what he’s doing. The thought that he might actually, on some level, want to die shocks him into fighting back.
Matt: “A while ago, you said I secretly wanted to die. You were wrong. Cowards want to die. I’m no coward. I’m proving it-- to you and to myself-- by beating you... You-- and everything you represent... the death and decay that eat away at a man until he surrenders... the horror that pulls you down into the pit! Well, I’m not the surrendering kind, mister! Got that? I never give up!”
Daredevil vol. 1 #225 by Denny O’Neil, David Mazzucchelli, and Ken Feduniewicz
This issue is closely tied to the specific context of the moment-- that of Heather’s decision to take her own life, and the specter of despair this tragedy casts on her loved ones. But it’s also part of a long tradition of Matt battling his way back from the brink of hopelessness and surrender. It’s the dark application the “Man Without Fear” epithet-- that he not only laughs in the face of physical danger, but has the strength to confront and overcome psychological torment as well. We see a similar situation in Soule’s run, in which Matt refuses to face his own motivations until death is literally on its way.
Matt: “It’s time to be honest. I sought out a man who has brought nothing but ruin to my life. [...] I didn’t do that to find some damn serum. I just want it to end. Bullseye can give me that. I knew this all along.”
Daredevil vol. 5 #16 by Charles Soule, Goran Sudzuka, and Matt Milla
And in the end, he makes the logical decision-- the one that he, as Daredevil, has to make. He decides to keep fighting. In many ways, this is a rehashing of key elements of his character that have been examined and re-examined for decades and decades. But these themes are always worth bringing back, since they're so central to who Matt is-- particularly now, as he is rebuilding and reinventing his life.
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Captain America #695 Review
Captain America #695 not only lived up to my expectations, it exceeded them, and wow that was a tall order.
I have spent a fair amount of time since July, when the new Waid and Samnee run was announced, worrying if I should dial back my excitement. Because a lot of times when you build something up in your head that makes it all the easier for that thing to disappoint you. Before we found out Nick Spencer was the way he was™, I was excited for his run, and, well, we know how that turned out.
But I’ve loved how Waid has wrote Steve in the past and I loved Samnee’s art, and the hydra!Cap storyline was so bad that I honestly felt there was no where to go but up, so I allowed myself to hope that we were in for a real treat.
The hope paid off. I’m so thrilled right now I’m giddy with it.
Mark Waid knows how to write Steve Rogers and Chris Samnee’s art is gorgeous.
We start out ten years ago, when Steve Rogers, newly woken from the ice, saved the town of Burlington, Nebraska from the terrorist organization Rampart.
And now, ten years later, Steve returns, wary and depressed because of the events of Secret Empire. And what he finds there surprises him. He’s not expecting kindness, I mean despite the fact that the entire country saw real!Steve take out hydra!Cap via live feed and despite the fact that Sam Wilson had announced what had happened with the cosmic cube via satellite, this is the country where a fair amount of people believe that the moon landing was filmed in a Hollywood studio, so long story short Steve enters the town as Steve Rogers, not as Captain America.
And what he stumbles into is a festival celebrating Captain America. But before I get into that, Chris Samnee’s art is so fantastic. I love his Steve. Look at him, can’t you just squish him...
Anyway, as I said, Captain America festival, where people are going on a podium talking about how they still believe in Steve (which had to be good for his soul, my word).
That’s not to say this town doesn’t have it’s own conspiracy theories. Waid and Samnee invented a new term, “icer”. This is someone who actually believes that Steve was frozen on the ice and not a new Captain America appointed by the government just when the Avengers needed him most. ;)
Anyway, this festival is going down and I love the people of this town. They’re awesome...
Then Rampart attacks, again, because every party has a pooper, and Steve is forced to reveal himself. He saves the town, again, because that’s what he does.
But when the town calls him a hero he deflects and points out all the heroes in the crowd who moved to protect and assist those hurt when Rampart attacked.
(...he admits he gets flustered and self-conscious at attention. Oh my Steve. It’s you, you’re really back. I’ve missed you so much buddy!)
He also meets a grown up Donna, whom he had inspired, and solutes her.
This is Captain America. Defender of little guy. Someone who inspires others to do the same. Waid and Samnee get it.
This issue is 100/10, would recommend. Cap fans, you’re going to love it.
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steve rogers ❤️
♥♥♥♥ MY SON.
character: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS
ship with: Anyone who knows me has probably seen the depths of Steve/Loki as my OTP (not based in canon, but full of so much potential!!). That said, I also really love and care about Steve/Peggy. I headcanon Steve as bi, partly because it’s so important for me not to invalidate that relationship.
brotp: MCU Steve & Natasha is an extremely important friendship to me. They come from such different places but care about and support each other so much. I know a big deal was made about Steve and Tony in Civil War, and yeah, their friendship in the comics is long and complex, but in the MCU, Natasha being on the opposite side was so much more heartbreaking to me? Because we see that friendship in action with all its subtleties so much more. I mean, Natasha showing up to comfort Steve at the funeral -- aaaaaaah!
Also Steve & Sam. Sam is the best bro. Everyone talks about how Steve would do anything for Bucky, but look at what Sam is willing to do for Steve, even barely knowing him? And he’s one of the first people that Steve meets that instantly treats him as a person -- as Steve Rogers -- rather than as Captain America. Sam’s sensibility, humor, compassion, emotional intelligence, loyalty, and willingness to throw down for a good cause are just... god, I love Sam Wilson, and Steve is so fucking lucky to have him as a friend. From comics to the screen, Cap & Falcon are a really important and iconic duo.
general opinions: STEVE IS MY SAD PATRIOTIC DORITO SON AND I WILL FUCKING FIGHT ANYONE OVER HIM. I honestly have way too many Steve opinions to post in one place. Possibly to even be contained in this whole fucking blog. Also I can’t wait for Mark Waid and Chris Samnee to take over writing Cap in the comics and fix the trash fire there.
blog rate: 7/10 (I actually ran an in-character Steve tumblr for a while. >> ) - Lots of photos of Brooklyn, sketches, observations on society, motorcycle maintenance... it’s an odd, very personal accumulation of interests that’s more focused around what Steve is into at any moment than a specific message engineered for broad public consumption, though he plays with the idea of a more politically-fueled blog as time goes on.
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Ah, gotcha. But "Tony won’t get why bc it doesn’t make any sense and they will be two idiots pining together" - This is AI Tony right? Cos the Real Tony is still comatose? Is he aware of what AI Tony is seeing and doing? So, the next comic (SE Omega) would still be AI Tony with the freshly returned Real Steve? In Samnee & Waid's run too? What's happening to Inv. IM Vol 3? Getting converted to Generations Iron man & Iron Heart? What happens to coma Tony 😢? I'm so sorry for the questions!
Yup, it’s AI Tony, but AI Tony is the uploaded consciousness of the Real Tony, so it doesn’t matter for Steve/Tony interactions! He’s real as far as emotions go, which is my fave part :D
We don’t know if comatose Tony is aware of anything at all. (I do hope he’d remember the “he loved you” though :P )
And yeah, it’s gonna be AI Tony in all the titles until Tony is woken up--except the real Tony is going to disappear, apparently. I don’t know if that means he’ll wake up and vanish, or that his comatose body will vanish. The solicits for the new Iron Man series say “The Search For Tony Stark”. I’m very excited!
Iron Man Generations will feature Riri with Sorcerer Tony, and I CAN’T EXPRESS HOW EXCITED I’M FOR THAT PART OH MY GOD.
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