Posts tagged Matt Murdock

The Amazing Spider-Man #677 (Mark Waid, Emma Rios)

The Good

For starters, I have to applaud Marvel in bringing Mark Waid over to write a few issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN while pulling double duty on DAREDEVIL. It’s fitting, because the latter teams up with Spidey in this issue for some hi-jinks.

But here’s the thing: Waid writes Spider-Man and Daredevil in having a kind of comraderie that I never thought them having before. In short, Spidey and Hornhead act like long-time bros in this issue, and it suits them immensely.

Hearing Daredevil saying that his swining routes have changed because of renovations to a building and a lack of “grip points” switched on a lightbulb in my head that made me think “Hey! They do travel using the same method. Why wouldn’t they talk about “traffic conditions” like any other commuter?

Spider-Man has a great personality in this issue, and it shows during certain exchanges with Black Cat; as a recently-dumped dude, his desperation shows, and the boiling over point where he tells Daredevil that he’s “Having a bad day, dammit!” really made me smile. We can tell this is one of the many bad days Peter has dealt with during his life, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better.

The Bad

The only thing I can say that I didn’t like about this issue is the art; I find that it was far too messy/gritty for the story it was telling, and at times Peter simply didn’t look like Peter. I know the brown-hair-and-lean build isn’t exactly unique, but there’s always been unique indicators that keep Pete, Pete.

In this issue there was some of those missing, which is a pity, considering the praiseworthy art that’s been present in DAREDEVIL and this title in the past.

The Verdict

Like I said above, this issue makes great use of characters, and has a witty use of technology to involve both Spider-Man and Daredevil’s powers. There’s a bit of misdirection with DD’s blindness that pays off in a big way, which left me grinning.

I think what’s most important to realize in this issue is that it harkens back to the old-school team-up, and it manages to refresh it nicely. No longer does Daredevil “just happen to be in the neighborhood”; Spider-Man finds him due to their past association, and characters from both stories intertwine. I loved seeing continuity between the two titles, and it only served to reinforce that these are some of Marvel’s best books right now.

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Hoo boy - end of the month already? November kind of flew by and after last week’s bonanza of good books, this week seems a bit slow.

A friend of mine who works at Toronto’s Silver Snail mentioned on her blog that November technically has five Wednesdays, which throws off the shipping of comics a bit. I’ve never considered that before, and it’s kind of interesting.

The off week doesn’t necessarily mean that the books this week aren’t good; check out my picks below!

Marvel Comics (Click names for links)

Thunderbolts #166 - Jeff Parker writes a lovely Thunderbolts story, but I feel like I’ve either missed the last issue of this book, or it hasn’t come out in quite a long time. I’ve been following this book since a little bit before Fear Itself, so it’ll be interesting to see it settle into its own book.

Wolverine #19 - I blogged about the sexy-ass cover to Wolverine #19 a couple weeks ago, and now I actually get to read the issue. Matt Fraction’s Fat Cobra showed up last issue, as well, so the comedy’s going to be laid on thick. It’s no coincidence that #18 was my pick of the week two weeks ago: this story reeks of awesomeness. Bring me my wenches of reading!

Daredevil #6 - Mark Waid’s run on Daredevil has me the most interested I’ve been about the character since he was impersonated by Iron Fist. The art, the story, the old-school vibe: it’s super-heroing without complications, and that’s needed sometimes.

Red Skull: Incarnate #5 (of 5) - Controversy aside, David Aja’s covers for this series are works of art. I love the old-school design, and the story within is gripping, detailed and almost surreal; after years of demonizing the Red Skull, it’s weird to think of his back-story. I’m not saying he evokes sympathy - no, he’s quite the bastard - but Greg Pak gives another side to the megalomaniac murderer.

Image Comics (Click names for links)

Skullkickers #12 - I have nothing but good things to say about Skullkickers, as it tugs at my D&D nostalgia heartstrings while bringing the comedy. I’m heartily enjoying the saga of Baldy and Shorty, and just picked up the second trade, which came out last week.

This week’s issue looks to be a series of short, contained “tavern stories” between major story arcs: give it a look if you want a taste of what the series has to offer.