Review: KILLMONGER #1

KILLMONGER No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Bryan Hill
ART: Juan Ferreyra
COLORS: Juan Ferreyra
LETTERS: VC's Joe Sabino
EDITOR: Wil Moss
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida
COVER: Juan Ferreyra
VARIANT COVERS: Jason Pearson; Larry Stroman and Mark Morales with Jason Keith
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (February 2019)

Black Panther created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Killmonger created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler

Parental Advisory

“By Any Means” Part One of Five

Erik Killmonger is a Marvel Comics supervillian and an enemy of Marvel's Black Panther.  Born N'Jadaka, the son of N'Jobu, Killmonger was created by writer Don McGregor and artist Rich Buckler and first appeared in Jungle Action (Vol. 2) #6 (cover dated:  September 1973).  Killmonger, with an altered origin story, appeared in Marvel Studios film, Black Panther (2018), and was portrayed by actor Michael B. Jordan.

Killmonger is the star of his first comic book series, a five-issue miniseries also entitled Killmonger.  It is written by Bryan Hill; drawn and colored by Juan Ferreyra; and lettered by Joe Sabino.  The series will explore how and why Killmonger dedicated his life to revenge.

Killmonger #1 begins with an overview of the epic battle between Erik Killmonger and Black Panther/T'Challa (presumably the one depicted in the Black Panther film).  The series then moves to the past, on the day that N'Jadaka leaves the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and spurns all the many incredible job offers he has received.  Instead, N'Jadaka heads to New York City to kill Ulysses Klaue a.k.a. “Klaw.”  However, his plans go awry, and he meets the NYC crime boss who may change the course of his life... if Killmonger lets that happen!

I am somewhat intrigued by this Killmonger miniseries.  I like Bryan Hill's story, and Juan Ferreyra's illustrations have a painterly quality that plays up Hill's story with its atmosphere of tragedy and tragic destiny.  However, I must say that I feel as if Killmonger is the Black Panther-related title that I don't have to have.

Killmonger is nice, but I am not passionate about it the way I was about Black Panther spin-off titles like Black Panther: World of Wakanda and Black Panther and the Crew.  I can and will recommend Killmonger to Black Panther completists, even if I don't immediately claw my way back to it.

6 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 and syndication rights and fees.

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 3, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

NOV170908    ASTONISHING X-MEN #7 LEG    $3.99
NOV170991    BLACK BOLT #9 LEG    $3.99
OCT171002    BLACK PANTHER ADVENTURES DIGEST TP    $9.99
OCT170998    BLACK PANTHER BY HUDLIN TP VOL 02 COMPLETE COLLECTION    $39.99
NOV170938    CAPTAIN AMERICA #697 LEG WW    $3.99
OCT171001    COLOR YOUR OWN BLACK PANTHER TP    $9.99
JUL171192    DEADPOOL & CO OMNIBUS HC    $125.00
JUL171190    DEADPOOL WORLDS GREATEST HC VOL 03    $34.99
OCT170816    GUARDIANS OF GALAXY LH #150 LEG    $4.99
NOV170979    HAWKEYE #14 LEG    $3.99
NOV171008    ICEMAN #9 LEG    $3.99
OCT171015    INHUMANS BEWARE THE INHUMANS TP    $34.99
NOV170969    IRON FIST #76 LEG    $3.99
JUL171193    MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE GUIDEBOOK ALL CONNECTED HC    $24.99
NOV170889    PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) HUGO CONNECT    $3.99
NOV170891    PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) LEE JEAN GRE    $3.99
NOV170888    PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) LEG    $3.99
NOV170915    RISE OF BLACK PANTHER #1 (OF 6) LEG    $3.99
NOV170920    RISE OF BLACK PANTHER #1 (OF 6) MOVIE VAR LEG    $3.99
NOV170932    ROGUE & GAMBIT #1 (OF 5) LEG    $3.99
JUL171191    SPIDER-GWEN HC VOL 02    $34.99
NOV170960    SPIDER-MAN #236 LEG    $3.99
OCT171005    SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL TP VOL 04 SERIOUS BUSINESS    $15.99
NOV171027    STAR WARS #41    $3.99
NOV170996    X-MEN GOLD #19 LEG    $3.99
NOV171016    X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #2 (OF 2)    $5.99
NOV171017    X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #2 (OF 2) PISKOR CHARACTER VAR    $5.99

Review: DAREDEVIL #1

DAREDEVIL No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Charles Soule
ART: Ron Garney
COLORS: Matt Milla
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Ron Garney with Matt Milla
VARIANT COVERS: Joe Quesada; John Tyler Christopher; Tim Sale with Dave Stewart; Larry Stroman and Tom Palmer with Rachelle Rosenberg; Alex Maleev (Hip Hop variant); Patrick “Rick” Lance photographed by Judy Stevens (Cosplay variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2016)

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).  Jack Kirby contributed to Daredevil's creation, but to what extent is unknown.  In Daredevil #7, artist Wally Wood created the red uniform by which the character is known into modern times.  Daredevil is Matt Murdock, a vision-impaired attorney who was blinded as a child after being exposed to a radioactive substance.

Frank Miller had an influential run on the Daredevil comic book series, first as an artist and later as the writer and artist.  He made the character popular and also important in the Marvel Universe.  As part of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel,” the Daredevil comic book series is relaunched, and it seems (at least to me) to recall Frank Miller and even the work of those influenced by Miller.  Daredevil is written by Charles Soule; drawn by Ron Garney; colored by Matt Milla; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Daredevil #1 opens on the Manhattan Bridge in New York City, where Daredevil is rescuing Billy Li.  He is a witness in a case that Assistant District Attorney Matt Murdock of the New York County District Attorney's Office has put before a grand jury.  The target of that grand jury, the mysterious criminal Tenfingers, wants Li dead and has decided that maybe Murdock should also be killed.  Plus, Daredevil's apprentice, Blindspot, continues to learn.

The story by Charles Soule isn't bad, but it isn't anything special, at least not yet.  It simply takes the classic Daredevil paradigm that connects Matt Murdock's case to a bad guy that Daredevil is pursuing.  I guess this is how it should be, and if done right, can be entertaining.

What I do like is the drawing by Ron Garney and the coloring by Matt Milla.  This combination recalls the black and white, original art of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson and also the pencils, inks, and colors of Klaus Janson – all done by this creative duo during their glorious run on Daredevil.  Garney and Milla's work here also reminds me of Jim Lee's art on the first two issues of Deathblow (a 1990s Wildstorm title), which was – let's face it – a rip off of Frank Miller's art on Sin City.

Garney and Milla's jimmied negative space and faux toning simply looks right for Daredevil.  Like I said earlier, this isn't great, but it makes me want to keep reading for a bit.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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