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5 (11) 4 (36) 3 (32) 2 (16) 1 (218) 1.8 starsAverage score of 175 user reviews
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Daredevil 28 0
Karen's feeling bummed about Matt at the beginning of this issue. Whilst she looks forlornly out of the window of Nelson & Murdock, annoying Mike Murdock sits cross legged on her desk behind, juggling. Mike tells Karen that Matt's away giving a lecture at some university so he won't be around. I'm kind of hoping that Stan has a big bus waiting for Mike for him to step out in front of... No, wait. He's Matt, right? Sheesh. I'm like Foggy and Karen now, getting confused about who Matt is...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Secret Invasion 8 0
Spoilers, probably.Bendis. Boy, can he be frustrating sometimes huh? I'm sure he's used this ploy before where he's set things up big style at the end of issue seven, only to downplay events almost immediately in the succeeding issues by adding in disembodied dialogue throughout this issue from two characters talking after everything's ended. The effect of this is to deaden the atmosphere somewhat. I agree with the other two reviewers that the Wasp's death oddly really doesn't work - it's al...
2 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 25 0
Well, I gotta say. There are underwhelming villains and then there are villains whose first glance of them is in a suit with a handkerchief around the bottom half of their face and with coil springs on the soles of their shoes. Yes, folks, meet the Leap Frog, possibly brought into duty because Slightly Bored Man was unavailable. Okay, I'm being a little unkind. But, hey, as with the Owl's mechanical bird a few issues back, Stan, obviously embarrassed, has Matt on page two asking "How corny c...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 23 0
The threats issued against Foggy and Karen at the end of the last issue are very quickly dismissed, cited by the Masked Marauder merely as a ruse in which to attract DD's attention so that he can levitate him into his plexi-glass prisons back at his base. It strikes me that the Levitation Ray that the Marauder uses is very similar to the teleportation device used in Star Trek. Now, I'm not sure exactly when the original series of Star Trek first came out but it must have been very close - with...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 22 0
One month on from the last story and Daredevil's still trying to land the Owl's implausible mechanical bird. Judge Lewis, who DD had rescued from the Owl's aerie, remarks that he is impressed that the hero has been using his own body as rudder to help guide them to safety. Why more pilots don't try the same trick, I'll never know.Karen, forever mooching after the disappeared Matt, is still being hassled by Foggy for dinner and gives in. "I might as well," she thinks. "I haven't heard from Ma...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Deadpool 1 0
As much as I hate disagreeing with my good buddy, inferiorego, I must confess that I was really quite disappointed in this issue. I'm not a big Cable fan and I hadn't read any of the early Deadpool series, but from what I had heard, I liked the idea of the unhinged, possibly schizophrenic hitman, with the inner dialogues and hallucinogenic visions. I quite liked his tussle with Wolvie in Wolverine Origins. But there, as here, my worst fears were confirmed regarding writer Daniel Way. Now it'...
1 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 21 0
A very dramatic opening sequence here as Daredevil hangs over a seemingly bottomless pit in a bottomless cage! That old Aerie sure has a lot of space for fiendish traps, huh? Unfortunately it's also very old, as Matt had spotted last issue, when little pieces of stone crumbled down on his from the ceiling. Now what could this be leading to? The Owl's Aerie, it transpires, has only been built on top of an active volcano! Perhaps the Owl got the land particularly cheap considering the potenti...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 20 0
Debuting this issue, according to the credits, is 'Gentleman' Gene Colan! Now Colan is the Daredevil artist that I initially grew up with and it's something of a surprise to see his very distinctive style seems at first to be deliberately toned down to fit in with what has gone before. It's much more like the style of John Romita or Wally Wood. But then we encounter some stunning panels that are reminiscent of classic Colan. A scene, shot from foot high, of DD landing on his window ledge is ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 19 0
Back in the 60s, Stan Lee could be very playful in the comic books he was writing, making little witty asides, giving nicknames to writers and artists, talking about the MMMS. In this issue, he hands out a rosette on the first page of the story assuring the reader that, not only has the book been passed by Comics Code Authority, but also meets the "Good Marvelkeeping Seal of Approval" (with 'nuff said added below). I'm not sure if this rosette was ever handed out again or what it was about thi...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 18 0
First appearance of the troubled Melvin Potter, aka the Gladiator this issue. There is some sense of the troubled soul he will become. After coming across as thuggish and arrogant when dealing with Foggy in his costume shop (Foggy's there to get a Daredevil costume, to help him impress Karen), he lets rip on his shop dummies, accusing all superheroes of being 'braggarts'. Ah, that's a word I miss from the past.The best thing about Foggy getting his DD costume is the potential image of the, as...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 17 0
Poor Foggy - not only does he endure the indignity of being held out of a window by Spider-man at the beginning of this issue - the webcrawler's doubting that he is in fact Daredevil due to the fact that Nelson is 'flabbier' than he would imagine the man without fear to be. Whilst Foggy clearly carries a substantial belly later in the run, he's portrayed as positively svelte in the early issues by comparison. With this mention of flab, though, Foggy is suddenly displayed as packing a few extra...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Uncanny X-Men 500 0
So a milestone for the X-Men both in terms of issues reached and in new location. But is it any good? Sadly, I'm not sure it is. The whole being accepted in San Fransisco by the more liberal society thing is very well done but I have to agree with Pania about the fight with Magneto. It's just bizarre, though, like Pania, I do think it's a deliberate homage to the Magneto confrontations of the 60s. There's some pretty nice art from Land and Dodson but I have to say that I'm hugely disappoint...
1 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 15 0
A great comic book trait back in the day was the pseudo Biblical titles that many of the stories had such as "And One Shall Die!" One would expect titles like these to pre-empt truly great, significant pieces of storytelling about dramatic, terrifying villains. As such, it's rather strange to see the Biblical treatment being given to one third of the Enforcers. Actually, I quite like the Enforcers and they were certainly more prolific in the early to mid 60s than they are today (though, hurra...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 14 0
Phew! Part three of a very peculiar saga, which opens with the butler Feepers seemingly the kingpin of crime in the shires of England. Daredevil and Kazar were supposedly knocked out by a grenade at the end of the last issue but this episode tells us that it's DD's superb reflexes and radar that have enabled him to remain conscious (which seems an extraordinary use of power that will please The Other Murdock Papers' blogger, Christine).The Plunderer meanwhile is back on top this issue, disposi...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Secret Invasion 7 1
The penultimate episode is also the least satisfying for me in the series so far. Why so? Well, basically it's just one big fight, albeit one that was somewhat expected (on the basis of how episode 6 finished) and reminds us all that this is, well, a war, after all. Here's my problem, though. I like nuance, detail and that's often hard to convey in a big battle. I suppose it's irresistable in books like this where there's a huge team up of characters to have these huge fights but it's like ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 13 0
Location, location, location. Having moved from New York to Antartica last month, this issue Daredevil and co are quickly transported from the Savage Land to England, DD still part of the Plunderer's crew, though discovered to be blind. One peculiarity, typical of comics at this time, occurs early on - Plunder appears to have no interest in unmasking the seemingly defenseless Daredevil, which, one must feel, that he would at least be curious about. Plunder is actually a Lord and, as we learn,...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 12 0
Matt Murdock may be good at knocking villains over like skittles but, almost straight away, we find him totally hopeless at guessing a lady's true feelings. On the second page of the story he pines once again after Karen Page - "Yet the emotion I mistook for love was merely pity... pity for a man without sight." Pass the tissues, folks. Matt is on his Foreign Legion kick here - he has to get as far away from his love as possible... to forget!After a run of good issues, sorry to report that th...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 11 1
In this issue we are promised the unmasking of the Organiser! I'm betting it's the mild mannered accountant with the unhealthy spreadsheet fixation... Funny to see the Organiser described on the first page of the story as the Kingpin of Crime, some time before, I think, Wilson Fisk turning up in Spider-man. But unless Wilson's been on the Atkins, this ain't him. (Apologies to American readers, incidentally, for my totally anal obsession in writing 'Organiser', the correct, ahem, British spel...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Spider-man Reign 1 0
How does one sum up a typical Spider-man story? Some personal mess ups for Pete, including potential tragedies for his nearest and dearest, followed by a big fight with a bad guy, before returning to Pete's often downbeat personal life. Despite the fact that things rarely go terribly well for Spidey, there's usually a lightness of touch about his book, making it accessible to all ages.But someone obviously hadn't told that to Kaare Andrews. This is dark. I mean, really dark. You thought the...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The Last Defenders 6 0
This has been quite an odd mini-series. I had heard good things about Joe Casey and, encouraged by them, put this book on my pull list. Well, he certainly has a distinctive take on things but, frankly, whilst he is a fairly original writer, my head kinda hurt just trying to understand what exactly was going on in this series. On the plus side, Casey is not that interested in the battles that the Defenders face - he's more into the team dynamics and the bitching and griping going on behind the...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
X-Men Secret Invasion 1 1
I don't always hold high hopes for tie ins to big events but I'm glad to report that this is a pretty good start to this particular mini-series. And with Mike Carey on board as writer, I really shouldn't have worried. Engagingly, Carey pretty much writes this from the Skrulls' perspective and emphasises their religious motivations to the invasion. It's fun seeing the Skrulls turning up on the West Coast, smugly thinking that there are no superhumans around, only to discover that Scott and co ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Captain Britain 4 0
Well, this book should be right up there giving the characters and writer involved but, for the moment, it hasn't really kicked into gear. The four issue Guns of Avalon arc certainly had its strong points - the whole evocation of magic Albion (Alan Moore would presumably be pleased), the introduction of Faiza Hussain, a genuinely engaging and intelligent character. However, my main gripe is that this reminds me of the sort of story that a writer would have put into a book's debut issue back in...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 10 0
As was common at the time, in this issue Stan Lee has handed over the main scripting duties to his artist (Lee did the same with Steve Ditko on Spider-man), so Wally Wood moves on to scripting whilst Bob Powell is also retained to help with 'layouts'. I'm not quite sure what the difference between layouts and pencilling is - I guess layouts are more 'rough' - Wood is credited as 'art' for this issue.The bad guy in this issue is someone called 'The Organiser'. Villians in the 60s certainly had ...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 9 1
"Show me a superhero without a first aid kit and I'll show you a nut," so says Matt Murdock having been shot in the arm early on in this issue. Is this the first instance of DD being shot? I think so and it's typical of what the hero is to become that it's some powerless low life hijacker, rather than some big supervillian, who gets him.After last issue's emotional outburst from Karen, it's something of a surprise that the penny hasn't dropped yet with Matt. Listening to her heartbeat thumpin...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
1985 2 0
After a cracking debut issue, I wasn't sure the high standard would be maintained when this issue opened up with a big Hulk/Juggernaut fight in its first few pages. Hey, I'm not knocking big Hulk fights but Ed McGuinness is doing a mighty fine job of those over in Hulk. I'm in 1985 for its mix of nostalgia and emotional truth, as Toby continues to be pulled between his dysfunctional father and possibly overbearing mother. As with issue one, this is where the book really sparks to life. The t...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
2000AD Prog 1 0
Back in February 1977, one of my schoolfriends told me that they were going to buy a new comic that had just come out that they'd seen advertised on TV. I can't recall being all that interested but when he told me that there was a free red plastic cheapo spinning toy on the front of it, suddenly I was pulling into the pockets of my coat looking for the requisite cash to buy it. I was six years old at the time and didn't usually have money to burn. But, bizarrely, on this occasion, I found exa...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful. -
Thunderbolts 121 0
This story arc has had something of a slow burn to it. Four telepaths have been captured but are actually trying to manipulate events in Thunderbolts Mountain with the aim of discrediting the organisation that they see as oppressive. And, you know what, they're right. And yet they're the bad guys here and the Thunderbolts are the good guys. No. Wait. The Thunderbolts are the bad guys and the 'caged angels' are the good... Wow, this is confusing. In this mire of amorality, Ellis, unsupris...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Runaways 30 0
As Holly Cross notes, it's been a long wait to get to the end of this six issue run, but it's certainly been worth the wait. I have to hand it to Joss Whedon, who has not only brought to life the Runaways in this arc but has filled it with an astonishing array of characters from the beginning of the twentieth century (the Wonders), most of whom we will probably never see again. In all this, Michael Ryan's artwork has shone through. His capturing of 1907 was outstanding, really terrific, both ...
0 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Astonishing X-men 25 0
Warren Ellis on the X-Men. Well, in terms of salivating, this is my Pavlov's dogs moment. This is a pretty good issue without being spectacular (or astonishing, for that matter). It's kind of a holding issue with Ellis organising his characters around the chessboard, being as this is a new run on one of Marvel's premiere titles. So as well as Cyke, Emma, Wolvie and the Beast, the engaging Armour is back and so too, hot from Wakanda, is Storm. And it's in the enterprising dialogue between th...
4 out of 4 found this review helpful. -
Immortal Iron Fist 14 0
Gosh, this was a disappointment. "The Seven Capital Cities of Heaven" has been a brilliant storyline involving a mystical competition, the rights of female warriors and Danny uncovering important truths about Orson Randall. Whilst all this is going on, a very evil man called Xao is trying to invade K'un Lun, holding Jeryn's mother, Luke, Misty and Colleen hostage and being very ruthless. So what's gone wrong? Well, it all ends with a big, fat fight. And I guess if you like that, then that's...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Immortal Iron Fist 16 0
The end of a mini-era. Fraction, Brubaker and Aja have done a stunning job resurrecting Danny Rand from Z-list status to an intriguing character, though one still not right at the centre of the Marvel universe. They have succeeded because, rather than concentrate on Iron Fist taking on baddies in New York ad nausem, they have created a fantastic mythology for the character (as Matthias has written about so well in his review).In this issue, Danny reflects on his life with those he is closest t...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Omega the Unknown 10 0
This retelling of the Omega the Unknown story by award winning writer Jonathan Lethem and artist Farel Dalrymple has for the most part been extremely satisfying. Alas, I have to report that the last issue was something of a letdown, only just passing muster. Why so? Well, principly because Lethem has taken the 'Nuff Said approach of producing an issue with next to no text in it (there's just one very brief piece of dialogue between two ancilliary characters). In a series which has thrived on...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
New Avengers 42 0
Fine issue this, particularly due to some wonderful art from the magnificent Jimmy Cheung. This issue focuses on Skrully Spider-woman and her machiavellian plotting. Bendis draws the reader's attention to some key moments from back issues of New Avengers, pointing out what was really going on. And this is where Cheung comes into his own. Using the original artwork of David Finch and Frank Cho, Cheung presents alternative takes on scenes we've seen before. I really liked this angle on storyt...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Mighty Avengers 16 0
I have to say that the Elektra take down was definitely a story I was waiting to read. However, I have to say that I was on balance quite disappointed in this issue. It's not a complete disaster, by any means, but it's underwhelming. There are nice moments when the real Elektra battles Skrull versions of herself, Daredevil and Wolverine (very appropriate picks for the character) and the cover is a nice homage to a famous Frank Miller DD. Once again, though, I didn't really feel that Pham's a...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Mighty Avengers 15 0
Unlike the issues that precede and succeed this, MA 15 has a really rewarding, well written background story involving Hank Pym. And a large part of the success is down to the visual storytelling of John Romita Jnr, an artist that I'm not always that keen on, but who is outstanding in this issue. On the first pages, we have a couple of panels with dialogue free art whilst Hank and the young blonde student hanging on his every word exchange knowing glances. A couple of pages later, there's ano...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Mighty Avengers 14 0
Unlike the Mask, I'm quite a big fan of the Sentry and am always keen to read about his trying to maintain a superhero existence whilst dealing with his serious mental health issues. Early on we learn from the Void that he is schizophrenic and agoraphobic. Those are big issues to come to terms with, particularly when you are as powerful as Bob Reynolds. A key moment occurs in this issue when Skrull Jarvis reveals to his comrades that Iron Man keeps his close not because of his powers but beca...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Hellcat 1 0
Hellcat's been around a while but I can't imagine she's at the top of most readers' lists of characters who deserve their own book. However, this is a very pleasant surprise. Kathryn Immonen does a terrific job in presenting a rounded, somewhat kooky character that will appeal to fans of Dan Slott's She Hulk (though without the uber anal obscure comic book references). Part of the Initiiative, Patsy fancies joining the team based in Miami, Stark though sees an opening for a lone operator in A...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
The Amazing Spider-Man 531 0
Having already read Civil War, it's interesting to read this after the fact. This is the final episode of a three part story line that follows Pete and Iron Man presenting information to a Senate hearing regarding the Superhero Registration Act. Unlike what you might expect, at this stage, Stark is against the Act and is trying, alongside Peter, to convince the Senate not to go ahead with the legislation. I know what you're thinking. Hmmm. Senate Hearings. Great comic book potential. Okay...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful. -
Daredevil 7 0
What a peculiar set up for this issue, with perhaps the first time Daredevil facing a foe (if we dare to call Namor that) who punches well above his weight. The early scenes with the Sub-Mariner are, possibly unintentionally, hilarious. After travelling around the bottom of the ocean being pulled along by a couple of turtles (or maybe he was taking them out for a walk), Namor visits New York determined to strike a deal with the humans about access for his sea dwelling race. Namor, who has of ...
1 out of 1 found this review helpful. -
Avengers: The Initiative 13 0
I must admit, this didn't look good on paper. Firstly this was the first issue without a writing byline from comic book genius Dan Slott, who has handed the reins over to Chris Gage, a writer who I haven't been overly sold on to date. Secondly, the underrated Stefano Casselli isn't on this issue either, art being handled by the Luna Bros-esque Steve Uy. Thirdly and most importantly, this issue introduces a totally new set of characters, all our favourites (Cloud Nine, Komodo, Hardball) having...
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
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