Express Review – The Woman Without Fear

Here's a train I'd like to jump on, just to see where it goes. When I heard that Daredevil 25 was out again as a second printing I was intrigued. Daredevil has always been a fascinating character to me, both as a reader and collector. As a collector, second prints in the past were like crushed stale potato chips, first prints are typically where it's at and that usually holds true even now. Something strange has been happening in the already bizarre world of comics though, and my theory is that because second prints are now often released with new cover variants you just can't guarantee which print might fetch the higher price. If a book is hot nowadays it's probably worth picking up the 2nd print, if the cover is a decent variant.

Daredevil 25 2nd Printing (purchased)

Daredevil 25's creative team (Chip Zdarsky writing & Marco Checchetto drawing) overall did good work on the issue. The first half of the book had good pacing and had sufficient dialogue and visuals to support some forward story movement. The book broke down and fell flat when the 1st appearance of Elektra as Daredevil was shown. The suit design is excellent, but it had almost no lead up and she just appeared in the new costume, followed by a decontextualized action sequence that seemed forced by both the the writer and artist.

As a collector this one is going to be important as there is no doubt about the first appearance of Elektra as Daredevil. However, I think the faults in this book land with the writer, it felt called in and casual. If I catch wind of a potential key in this run I will pick it up, but the train I was excited to jump on turned out to be a slow bus. Adding some more panels and dialogue would have allowed for more context and connection to the reader. Oh and one more thing while we are talking about writing. I think if you are writing a book that does not allow swearing/cursing or whatever you want to call it just leave it out. Writing in symbols like #@$*! to replace swear words is not effective writing, you're supposed to be creative, find another sentence or word. When I read that kind garble in the dialogue it makes me check out of the story for a minute.

Bottom line: Collect this one, don't collect all of it. Unless you are a diehard Daredevil fan, in which case just keep on truckin.

Stay focused fellow humans!

Comments

Factors of Return

W hen I recently decided to drive out of my way to visit a comic shop, as the one close to my house stopped selling comics months ago, I was returned to a world both familiar and exciting. I am an artist and writer myself and both of those skills started as a direct result of digesting comics in my youth. I'll admit I was a bit out of the loop and a little hesitant to pick up some of the titles I used to read in the past. I haven't been living under a rock when it comes to recent social/cultural movements, and I do not share the view that every nuance of life has to be viewed through, or serve a political agenda. Nor do I think that every word or interaction is a quest for power, as post-modern theory would have us believe. I would never fault someone for writing from their heart and mind, no matter what their personal or political views are. However, taking a well-known and even beloved character (without knowing the nuanced historic layers built up by ...

Express Review – Future State: The Next Batman

For the sake of time, I'm only going to focus on the first story in the oversized 64 page - Future State: The Next Batman issue #1. As a reader, I needed more set up to care about the new Batman Tim Fox. The character is showing some real promise, but writer John Ridley just threw us into the story which felt more of a tell than a show. I will say there are good points. Ridley wrote some convincing moments with the Bane-litos gang recruiting new members and an interaction between ex-partner street cops. I will also give Ridley credit in that the page count he was working with was dismal. Shame on DC for not at least allowing the writer to develop the full 64 pages for the new Batman. The drawing was good for this first story. Nick Derington has some really decent pages in here, especially with the action shots. Denington makes consistent use of shadows, which is a must to maintain the look and fee l of Gotham City. Some panels also had a Judge Dredd tone (which is a good thing) mi...

Donny Cates not Wahlberg

Don't get me wrong, I respect Donny Wahlberg's work as well, I was actually alive when New Kids on the Block were a thing. Today is all about awesome writing in the form of Donny Cates, writer of current titles at Marvel like Thor, Venom, & the King in Black limited run. My introduction to Cates' work is very recent and so I will approach it from that perspective, which for some readers might be more beneficial if you're looking for a new writer to follow. Writing can really make it or break it for a comic-head. No matter how glorious the art might be, many people will drop an ongoing series from their subscription box like a hot rock if the story doesn't do it for them. Earlier this month I popped into a comic shop and asked what's new and hot, as I flipped through the back issue bin, trying to scroll and match with the Key Collector App – Cates' name was dropped and I got them to point out his issues. *Two of the Donny Cates issues I bought* I ended...

Comic Sandwich by CT Guy

Search This Blog