Review: DAREDEVIL #1

DAREDEVIL No. 1 (2019)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted in Patreon.]

STORY: Chip Zdarsky
ART: Marco Checchetto
COLORS: Sunny Gho
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
EDITOR: Devin Lewis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Julian Totino Tedesco
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Alex Maleev; Joe Quesada; Skottie Young; Gabriele Dell'Otto
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (April 2019)

Daredevil created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett with Jack Kirby and Wally Wood

“Know Fear” Part 1

Daredevil is a Marvel Comics superhero created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett.  The character first appeared in Daredevil #1 (cover dated: April 1964).  Daredevil is Matt Murdock, a vision-impaired attorney who was blinded as a child after being exposed to a radioactive substance.  That substance enhanced his senses to a supernatural level and gave him a 360-degree radar sense.

Marvel Comics is giving Daredevil the comic book something of a reboot.  Daredevil 2019 is written by Chip Zdarsky; drawn by Marco Checchetto; colored by Sunny Gho; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Daredevil #1 opens in the wake of the events depicted at the end of writer Charles Soule's run on Daredevil and in the subsequent five-issue miniseries, Man Without Fear.  After recovering from grievous injuries and intense physical therapy, Matt Murdock returns to Hell's Kitchen.  As the story begins, Matt has already acted once as Daredevil (although apparently not in costume).  However, there is a new sheriff in town.

Straight outta Chicago comes Detective Cole North.  He has been tasked by New York City Mayor Wilson Fisk, formerly known as The Kingpin – the crime lord of New York City, to take down costumed superheroes in NYC.  When he dons the Daredevil costume for the first time in a long time, Matt may end up doing Detective Cole's work for him.

Daredevil #1 (2019) is quite a good start for the new series.  First, there is Julian Totino Tedesco's beautiful cover art.  Inside, Marco Checchetto offers his most disciplined compositions to date, with an emphasis on storytelling that makes the most of atmosphere and mood and characters' emotions.  Previously, Checchetto was good at these things, but his drawings seemed to emphasize style.  Sunny Gho's colors are beautiful and emphasize reds and blues to create a sort of rose-tinted Film-Noir look.  The artists' depiction of Daredevil's radar sense is also quite nice.

Writer Chip Zdarsky's storytelling here reminds me, in some ways, of writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzuchelli's “Born Again” story arc in Daredevil (1964) #227-231.  It is also something of a spiritual heir to the last year of Frank Miller's original run on Daredevil as writer-artist/designer (with Klaus Janson as artist).  I don't know if Zdarsky's work on Daredevil will reach the great heights of Miller, but I like how Zdarsky emphasizes Matt's moral conflicts and his past, as well as emphasizing Wilson Fisk as being an existential threat to Matt Murdock-Daredevil.  Clayton Cowles lettering creates a nice rhythm for Zdarsky's script.

I was not looking forward to Daredevil (2019), but happenstance dropped a copy of Daredevil #1 (2019) in my lap.  I am glad I read it, and I am recommending it to Daredevil fans.

8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------

Review: MYSTIK U #1

MYSTIK U No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Alisa Kwitney
ART: Mike Norton
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
COVER: Julian Totino Tedesco
48pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (January 2018)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

Zatanna created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson

Zatanna Zatara is a DC Comics magic-based superhero.  The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in Hawkman #4 (cover dated:  November 1964).  Zatanna is the daughter of Giovanni “John” Zatara, and like him, Zatanna is both a stage magician and an actual magician, and she is one of the most powerful magicians on Earth.  Zatanna controls her magic by speaking the words of her incantations spelled backwards, incantations that can alter reality.

Zatanna is the star of the new four-issue miniseries, Mystik U, which DC Comics is publishing on a bimonthly schedule.  The series is written by Alisa Kwitney; drawn by Mike Norton; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Deron Bennett.  Mystik U follows a college age Zatanna who is enrolled in a college of magic and trying to learn which of her classmates is evil.

Mystik U #1 opens in a dark future, one which is ruled by an entity called the “Malevolence.”  A powerful magician believes that Zatanna can change this dark time, by being cast back in time.  Seven years earlier, a young Zatanna is a sheltered showbiz kid who suddenly experiences a shocking awakening of her powers.

That is why a friend, Dr. Rose Psychic, enrolls Zatana in Mystik University, a mysterious university that teaches its students how to master their unique brands of magic.  Zatanna finds herself drawn to four other students  There is Sebastian Faust, son of Felix Faust and a bitter rebel.  June Moone is a split personality also known as Enchantress.  Zatanna becomes close to the competitive premed student, Pia Morales (a new character).  Finally, there is the awkward prodigy, Sargon the Sorceror, who possesses a powerful gem and is much confused.  One of them is fated to betray the others and become a powerful force of evil, Malevolence.

I was cynical about Mystik U.  What little I read about it suggested that it was another lame attempt by DC Comics to get in on the Hogwarts-school-of-magic-band wagon that should have been theirs (Timothy Hunter, cough).  However, I was drawn to the striking cover art by Julian Totino Tedesco, so I picked up the first issue.

Boy, am I glad.  This is the kind of entertaining comic book that keeps me around DC Comics and Marvel even when I am ready to give up.  It is simply a joy to read, something fresh and not the usual superhero fight comic.  Writer Alisa Kwitney has fashioned a mysterious and intriguing school in Mystik University that has a dark-ish atmosphere, one that reminds me of Archie Comics' brilliant Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, in part because of Jordie Bellaire's sterling colors.  The characters are coming along, although they seem a bit unformed in this first issue.

Mike Norton offers art that is calm and a little stylish, but Norton emphasizes storytelling.  The setting, the characters, and the mood and atmosphere are all strong, and Norton creates for Mystik University, wonderfully varied interiors and exteriors.  He makes the school someplace the readers would like to visit (but maybe not to live), and Deron Bennett's lettering pops up like welcome signs to the story.  Norton makes the school feel like a real place of magic, and yes, crazy stuff happens there.

I heartily recommend Mystik U to readers of DC Comics' magic-based world and titles.  I eagerly await the next issue and incantation.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 20, 2018

MARVEL COMICS

APR180766    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #801    $3.99
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Review: KINGPIN #1

KINGPIN No. 1 (2017)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Matthew Rosenberg
ART: Ben Torres
COLORS: Jordan Boyd
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
COVER: Jeff Dekal
VARIANT COVERS: Marco Checchetto; Bill Sienkiewicz; Ben Torres; Julian Totino Tedesco; Skottie Young; John Tyler Christopher
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2017)

Rated “T+”

Kingpin created by Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr.

“Born Against”

The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk is a Marvel Comics villain.  He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #50 (cover date: July 1967).

The Kingpin is portrayed as one of the most (if not the most) feared and powerful crime lords in Marvel Comics and as the “kingpin” of crime in New York City.  During his run on Daredevil in the early 1980s, writer-artist Frank Miller depicted the Kingpin as a master schemer and cold-blooded murderer who stayed beyond the reach of the law.  Personally, I think Miller is the creator that defined Kingpin more than anyone else.

Kingpin is the new comic book series that chronicles the new adventures of Wilson Fisk.  It is written by Matthew Rosenberg; drawn by Ben Torres; colored by Jordan Boyd; and lettered by Travis Lanham.

Kingpin #1 (“Born Against”) introduces Sarah Dewey, a down on her luck writer, reporter, and journalist.  She has staked some of her remaining credibility on chronicling what she hopes will be the rise of a promising boxer, Orlando Perez.  She gets a break when a powerful man asks her to write his tell-all memoir – warts and all.  However, Sarah does not think she is the right person to write the story of Wilson Fisk... even if he won't take “No” for an answer.

It would be lazy of me to say that Kingpin #1 is “awful” or “terrible.”  Instead, I can simply say that it does not seem like the work of professional comic book creators, although, considering how and why comic book professionals often get assignments, I guess that isn't saying much either.  Still, this is such lazy, uninspired, unimaginative writing on the part of Matthew Rosenberg.  If he had a “Eureka!” moment before he wrote this, I am sad for him.

Now, the art is actually terrible.  Ben Torres does not have the compositional chops to draw for Marvel Comics, and yes, I know.  Marvel's standards for comic book artists have been and still are inconsistent at best.  Right now, Torres is certainly ready for semi-pro-zine work (if such a thing still exists).  I can see him drawing for small press, black and white publishers or self-published webcomics, but he ain't ready for prime time.  Oh, he is has potential, but he has not reached it.

Marvel's overall publishing program treats the North American comic book market like a flood plain in need of a flood.  With so many comic books to publish and likely budgetary constraints, the need for low-page-rate artists means artists like Ben Torres – amateurs who are technically not amateurs because a Diamond Distributors premiere publisher is willing to give them paying assignments.

Yeah... I'm not coming back to this, no.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------------

Review: HAWKEYE #1

HAWKEYE No. 1 (2017)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Kelly Thompson
ART: Leonardo Romero
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
COVER: Julian Totino Tedesco
VARIANT COVERS: Marco Rudy; Marguerite Sauvage; Mike McKone with Chris Sotomayor; Leonardo Romero; David Aja
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2017)

Rated “T+”

Hawkeye/Clint Barton is a Marvel Comics superhero.  The character was created by Stan Lee and artist Don Heck and first appeared as a villain in Tales of Suspense #57 (cover dated: September 1964).  He later became a superhero and joined the Avengers in The Avengers #16 (cover dated:  May 1965), becoming one of the most prominent members of the team.

The latest character to wear the Hawkeye moniker is Katherine “Kate” Bishop.  This female Hawkeye first appeared in Young Avengers #1 (cover dated:  April, 2005) and was created by writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung.  Kate headlines the new comic book, Hawkeye, that is part of Marvel Comics' new publishing initiative/event, NOW!  This new series is written by Kelly Thompson; drawn by Leonardo Romero; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Joe Sabino.

Hawkeye #1 finds Kate Bishop trying to set up a private investigation service in Venice Beach, California.  So far, however, “Hawkeye Investigations” is simply attracting people with a grudge against the original Hawkeye, Clint Barton.  Then, a college student named Mikka comes to Kate for help with an Internet bully...

I was reluctant to read this new Hawkeye comic book.  Honestly, I have never been that interested in the character.  However, I found myself really enjoying Hawkeye #1.  It is like a blend of writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja's Hawkeye comic book that was launched in 2012 and also DC Comics' Batgirl under the guidance of the creative team of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr (which began in 2014).

Artist Leonardo Romero's compositions and colorist Jordie Bellaire's hues recall David Aja's Hawkeye art and storytelling.  Kelly Thompson's script captures Batgirl's vibe and storytelling style, focusing on the adventures of a young woman who moves into a diverse neighborhood.  Here, the young woman, in this case, Kate, finds offbeat superheroing in Venice Beach.

In comic books featuring female superheroes, I like offbeat and urban.  I'm sure after a few more issues, I'll be seriously recommending this series, if the later issues are like this fresh first issue.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Review: STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE - Cassian & K-2SO Special #1

STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE – CASSIAN & K-2SO SPECIAL No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.  Please, visit the "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

WRITER: Duane Swierczynski
ART: Fernando Blanco
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Julian Totino Tedesco
VARIANT COVER: Pepe Larraz
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2017)

Rated “T”

Released this past December, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the eighth live-action Star Wars film.  It was also the first Star Wars film that did not directly focus on the main story line of the previous films (the struggle for the fate of the galaxy, pitting the Jedi and the New Republic against the Sith and the Galactic Empire or its antecedents and descendants – with the Skywalker family at the center).

Rogue One was a stand-alone film that is set immediately before the events depicted in the original Star Wars (1977) film.  In Rogue One, the Galactic Empire grows ever more powerful, but a determined rebellion against it continues to gain strength.  A small band of rebels embarks on a mission to obtain classified information about a rumored new Imperial weapon – the Death Star.

Marvel Comics is currently publishing a comic book adaptation of Rogue One, entitled Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation.  Marvel recently published a one-shot comic book set before the events depicted in Rogue One.  It is entitled Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special.  The story is written by Duane Swierczynski; drawn and colored by Fernando Blanco; lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special #1 focuses on two characters from the film.  The first is Cassian Andor, a Rebel Alliance Captain and Intelligence officer, who is the film's male lead.  Diego Luna played him in the film.  The second is K-2SO, an Imperial enforcer droid now owned by the rebellion.  Actor Alan Tudyk provided K-2SO's voice, and he performed the motion-capture acting for the character during the shooting of the film.  K-2SO was created in post-production via computer-generated imagery (CGI).

Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special #1 finds Cassian and two rebel spies, Kertas and Rismor, arriving on the backwater world of Wecacoe.  According to rebel sources, this planet is where the remains of a decommissioned Imperial Cruiser that has fallen into private hands is located.  Cassian's mission is to sneak inside the ship and uncover Imperial security protocols.  Standing in his way is an unexpectedly large content of Stormtroopers and a feisty droid.

Star Wars: Rogue One – Cassian & K-2SO Special #1 is basically a short story that tells how Cassian Andor came into possession of the Imperial droid, K-2SO, that we see with him in film , Rogue One.  The story's actual length is 30 pages, and it has a sleight plot.  The story is not really a heist tale so much as it is a stop-and-rob or dash-in-grab tale with Cassian doing the stealing, while Kertas and Rismor run interference.  Readers should not expect any character development or reveals, but the story, for what it is, is expertly executed by Swierczynski.

The art and graphical storytelling by artist Fernando Blanco is good, if not spectacular.  Blanco obviously comes across as a credible Star Wars comic book artist (which is not something everyone call pull off).  His layouts, coloring, and page design make up for slightly awkward figure drawing.  I think Blanco is an artist that will continue to improve, and I hope to see more Star Wars comic books drawn by him.

B+
7 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 25, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

JAN150852     ALL NEW GHOST RIDER #12     $3.99
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DEC140973     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EPIC COLLECTION TP ROUND ROBIN     $34.99
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I Reads You Review: S.H.I.E.L.D. #1

S.H.I.E.L.D #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Mark Waid
PENCILS: Carlos Pacheco
INKS: Mariano Taibo with Jason Pax
COLORS: Dono Almara
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Julian Totino Tedesco
VARIANT COVERS: Mahmud Asrar with Dono Almara; John Tyler Christopher; Mike Deodato with Edgar Delgado; David Marquez with Laura Martin; Steve McNiven with Marte Gracia; Sara Pichelli with Dono Almara; Valerio Schiti with Laura Martin; Ryan Stegman with Rom Fajardo; Skottie Young
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2015)

Rated “T+”

S.H.I.E.L.D created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

“Perfect Bullets”

S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, law-enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency that appears in Marvel Comics titles.  The agency often deals with paranormal and super-human threats.  This agency was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Strange Tales #135 (cover dated: August 1965).  The acronym, S.H.I.E.L.D., originally stood for “Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division,” but  changed in 1991 to “Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate.”

S.H.I.E.L.D. plays a prominent role in the films and television series (live-action and animated) that are part of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe.”  Currently, the S.H.I.E.L.D. acronym stands for “Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.”

S.H.I.E.L.D. is the star of an ABC television series, “Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”  On the last week of the 2014, Marvel Comics launched a new S.H.I.E.L.D. comic book series.  Mark Waid will write the series with the art provided by a rotating roster of popular comic book artists, beginning with the first issue's penciller, Carlos Pacheco.

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 (“Perfect Bullets”) introduces Phil Coulson, the star of the ABC series.  This is his first day on the job as S.H.I.E.L.D. Special Ops Supreme Commander, and waiting for him is a full-on invasion of Earth.  It seems that the hordes of the “Norse World” (Thor's stomping grounds) have arrived on Earth to unleash some destruction.

Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Black Knight, Blue Marvel, Hercules, Hyperion, Nova, Sunfire, Valkyrie, and The Vision have their hands full.  So it's up to Coulson to head to Sharzhad, a country beset by terrorists, and one of those terrorists may be the reason for the invasion.  Now, Coulson will need to align the “perfect bullets” to save the day.

I picked up a copy of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 because I knew a friend of mine would like to read it.  After reading it, he didn't seem impressed.  I'm not, either.

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 isn't a bad read.  It's just nothing special or even worthy of much notice.  I have said this in other reviews I've written:  when Mark Waid is good, he's really good, but when he is not, he is mediocre.  I won't call him mediocre on S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, but he is in the sub-par zone.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is up to the third issue, as of the last time I looked.  I might try another issue, especially as characters from the ABC series will appear in the comic book.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 18 2014

DARK HORSE COMICS

APR140024 1 FOR $1 STRAIN #1 $1.00
APR140054 AXE COP AMERICAN CHOPPERS #2 $3.99
FEB140025 BLOODHOUND TP VOL 02 CROWBAR MEDICINE $19.99
APR140014 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #120 $3.50
APR140038 BRAIN BOY MEN FROM GESTALT #2 $2.99
APR140020 BTVS SEASON 10 #4 MAIN CVR $3.50
FEB140086 CHRONICLES OF KING CONAN TP VOL 08 ROAD EMPIRE $19.99
FEB140079 CLOWN FATALE TP (MR) $17.99
FEB140078 CRIMINAL MACABRE EYES OF FRANKENSTEIN TP $17.99
APR140074 EYE OF NEWT #1 $3.99
JAN140221 LEGEND OF KORRA PATCH AIR $4.99
JAN140220 LEGEND OF KORRA PATCH EARTH $4.99
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Albert Avilla Reviews: Thunderbolts #1

Thunderbolts #1
Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Steve Dillon
Cover: Julian Totino Tedesco

“Enlisted” (Spoilers)

Red Hulk is putting together the new team of Thunderbolts; that’s right General Thunderbolt Ross is putting together a team called the Thunderbolts. What great mind came up with that idea?

The story begins with the General setting The Punisher up for the mob. While General Ross is pitching his project to the Punisher, we travel with the General on his recruiting trip. He talks to the prospective members at moments when they just happen to be splattering the blood of bad people. The other recruits are just as adept at splattering blood as the Punisher. We have Venom with weapons! The mime-killer, Deadpool, will add a little humor. To add the feminine touch to the blood splattering, Electra will be stabbing her way through the criminal world.

With this team, the biggest concern will be that they don’t drown themselves in the blood that they spill. Spill is too weak of a word to use, because there will be blood erupting out of their victims. Another concern is will Deadpool be able to find a straight man to play off of? Think about it: Deadpool with Punisher, Venom, Electra, and old stick-up-his-butt Ross.

Daniel Way does manage to tell a good story through all of the blood. Old Thunderbolt is both introspective and illuminating in his conversation with the Punisher. The most fascinating thing that he said was that the military studied the Punisher’s tactics and emulated them. The question is will the Punisher be able to adapt to a team situation.

When you talk about a signature style, Steve Dillon stands out. He does not try to imitate the popular style of the day. Dillon does his thing. His tough gritty style fits the team. Guru EFX’s coloring actually compliments Dillon’s efforts.

I rate Thunderbolts #1 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter.