wktf's and Sam Wilson's Reviews 7/27/06

[wktf]

Wktf’s Reviews

I discovered something important this week. If you don’t buy any statues, trade paperbacks, deluxe hardcovers or anything like that, well, around $25 can still buy you a lot of comics! And what a great week for comics it is! Any time both Captain America and Daredevil come out on the same week you know life is alright at least for that moment! Daredevil wraps up one of the most phenomenal story arcs ever, Spider-Man dukes it out with one of his (and our) most important heroes in his own book, Captain America gets closer to the mystery of the Red Skull and faces a monstrous foe first seen in Stan and Jack’s Tales of Suspense days, Batman kicks off a new creative team and direction, New Avengers shifts the Civil War focus from Cap to Cage, The Spectre mini series comes to an end and, at the same time to a beginning, Ororo marries The Black Panther, Wolverine continues after Nitro and finds himself up against an unexpected fellow mutant and…well, I’ll just reiterate it’s a big week!

Daredevil #87
Marvel Comics
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Drawn by: Michael Lark

Ed Brubaker is a class act. Not only did he thank Bendis and Maleev for their outstanding five year run on this book at the beginning of this arc, he did so again this issue at it’s end. And with good reason. There are Bendis haters out there but I feel their animosity either reflects not having read his Daredevil run or simply choosing to ignore it. But any more words about either Bendis or Maleev in this review would be misplaced as well because this arc is all about Brubaker and Lark and they just continue to set the new gold standard. Daredevil continues to be the must-have comic book I would want if I could have only one comic book per month. Trapped on a desert island sort of thing.

If you’ve been under a rock somewhere, Matt Murdock has been incarcerated at Ryker’s Island, charged with breaking the law as Daredevil. But during last issue’s explosive prison riot Matt Murdock, while vying for his own freedom, saved Warden Cole’s life. And now that The Punisher has helped Matt escape, with The Kingpin and Bullseye still in Rykers, Cole has the chance to do the right thing. But in the mean time, Matt’s still got a mad-on for whoever killed his best friend, Foggy, and is convinced that whoever’s been masquerading as Daredevil in his absence somehow is tied to Foggy’s death. And he’s right, but not in the way he thinks.

Yes, it’s some serious Daredevil vs. Daredevil action as Matt goes after his doppelganger in a big way, and he’s surprised to find out that his opponent is a better martial artist than most any he’s faced. There’s been some hefty speculation out there on the internet as to who this faux Daredevil is, some of it pretty wild. I actually guessed right but those guys out there who are married will be able to relate that it isn’t always good to be right, even though it’s usually fun. And the biggest surprise of this comic is one that comes, gratefully, completely out of left field. And it’s not the identity of the false DD. And it’s not Brubaker’s revealing what his next big book will be in his essay at the end. It all way better than that. This is the book is my pick of the week and everyone should be reading it by now. No doubt about it!

Black Panther #18
Marvel Comics
Written by: Reginald Hudlin
Drawn by: Scott Eaton and Kaare Andrews

I haven’t reviewed this comic in a few months, not since T’Challa teamed up with Luke Cage, Blade, Brother Voodoo, Monica Rambeau (formerly Captain Marvel) and The Falcon (well, OK, almost but not really). So I figure another review is due. I’d lost track of The Black Panther somewhere between the 1970s George Perez Avengers days and when Reggie Hudlin picked the book up. He was always an important and respected character but, somehow, he always felt a little, unfairly, like a second class citizen beside the likes of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man. Not any more. This supremely confident, take no prisoners, yet compassionate leader gets the one thing now in spades that always should have been understood. Respect. And he deserves it.

And now he is fulfilling one of his duties as King of Wakanda by marrying Storm and taking her as his queen. There’s been quite a lot of build up to this issue, starting with the club fight that took place in issue #10 that introduced Luke Cage to his hero. But now it’s here and, frankly, amidst all the Civil War turmoil out there it’s a bit of a relief to have a book with the heading “Civil War Cease-Fire” across the top of the cover. There’s plenty of Civil War tension, though, as Ben tries to calm the waters between Reed and Sue and T’Challa tries to broker a temporary peace between Iron Man and Captain America. There’s humor such as when Spider-Man offends the Man-Ape. There’s mystery, even to T’Challa, with the presence of The Watcher who normally only appears when a major cosmic event is about to occur, and with a cryptic blessing of sorts from Dr. Doom. And there’s plenty of elegance, not only with Ororo’s fantastic entrance to her own wedding but with Kaare Andrews’ beautifully rendered panther god’s judgment of Storm as T’Challa’s bride. This issue is one of the best of the Marvel weddings to date. It’s only a shame that the Civil War elements will date it one day, years out when it’s captured in some Marvel’s anthologies.

Batman #655
DC Comics
Written by: Grant Morrison
Drawn by: Andy Kubert

A new creative team takes over this title now that “Face the Face” is over, and Andy Kubert brings us a Batman many of us haven’t seen since his work on Batman vs. Predator. Despite the fact that he’s returned from a year away, fully rested and refreshed, Bruce is getting a strong message both from Tim and from Alfred that he may now be due for a vacation. He can’t seem to shake the growling “Batman” voice even when he’s in his civilian garb and has just completed a super villain manhunt that’s bagged every baddie in Gotham with the exception of Two Face. This issue even opens with a brutal encounter with The Joker that keeps the reader confused up until The Joker’s “disposed of,” if you will. Poor Commissioner Gordon becomes a casualty of this encounter, and one that leads to a bizarre rendezvous with Batman afterwards in the hospital with Gordon looking, oddly, a little like Two Face. Sadly, Kubert seems to be aping Jim Lee’s Joker which really isn’t necessary since his own art is just so damn good. In fact, through much of this book, I almost thought I was seeing the work of his dad, Joe Kubert, and that’s a high compliment.

But, thanks to all of Bruce’s activity, Gotham’s quiet now. As Tim takes off for the mountains Bruce and Alfred take that needed vacation and go to London to attend an Action for Africa charity event where they run into a long-time Batman cast member, Kirk Langstrom, who’s desperately trying to save his wife from the clutches of a woman who covets his Man-Bat formula for her own reasons, reasons having to do with the conclusion of the “Son of the Demon” OGN, and reasons that soon should turn the Bat-verse on it’s head. Morrison’s story and scripting stays true to the post-Infinite Crisis Batman while nimbly moving our cast into their next serious conflict. But it’s Kubert’s art that’s the real hero here. This is some of the best Batman art I’ve seen in a very long time. And soon, with Adam Kubert taking over on Superman, Joe Kubert should be proud to have his two sons on the biggest icons in the comic book industry. If Andy’s work on Batman is any indication of his brother’s work (that and the sneak peak of Adam’s renderings on www.newsarama.com), DC’s two biggest titles should be see strong sales ahead. Be sure to pick this book up if you haven’t already.

Sam Wilson's Reviews

New Avengers issue #22
Marvel Comics
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Lenil Yu

Marvel’s “Civil War” event is in full swing, and they really meant what they said during the hype campaign, “choose a side”. Yeah. Cap chooses his at the end of the first issue of “Civil War”, and his break to safety was chronicled in the last issue of “New Avengers”. Iron Man is leading the pro-registration crew (the whole thing seems fishy, is he leading it, or is he behind it? Or is he being manipulated? Anyway, he’s become a major **** to say the least) with Reed Richards, Dr. Pym and Warbird at his side. Cap so far has the Falcon (duh), a few assorted ‘80’s cats (Cloak and Dagger, yay I guess) and Wolverine (WORD) so far. In “New Avengers” 22, Tony Stark comes knocking on Luke Cage’s door. Yeah. I’m a little nervous about it too…

Issue #22 of “New Avengers starts out with Tony Stark and Carol Danvers making a “good cop” attempt to get Jessica Jones and her husband Luke Cage to register and work for the government. At first I wondered, they have the kid now, they gotta think about her, is there a chance they’ll go for it? HELL NO. C’mon, if any of you have ever read “Alias”, “The Pulse”, or any of Power Man’s books (particularly the Jim Owsley run on “Power Man and Iron Fist”) you know damn well they are going to say damn the man. Jessica takes of to Canada, and Luke makes a stand, representing all he cares about; his ideals, beliefs, his neighborhood and his honor. Damn if he’s going to roll over and show his kid standing up for what you believe in is wrong. And yeah, SHEILD sends a goon squad knocking on Cage’s door, and the fight is ugly, but damn if the day doesn’t get saved. And damn if I didn’t cheer just a little at how this one ended. So DAMN THE MAN! I choose my side, have you? 


Birds of Prey issue # 96
DC Comics
Written by: Gail Simone
Drawn by: Paul Sequeira
Cover by: Jerry Ordway

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, the Birds of Prey are DC’s premier girl group. Headed by Oracle, aka Barbara Gordon aka the first Batgirl, the Birds fight justice on a global level. Oracle utilizes her “agents” to write wrongs on an international scale and guides them using her talents as DCU’s resident cyber-goddess. Right now the Birds roster consists of Black Canary, the Huntress, Zinda Blake (aka Lady Blackhawk) and Smoke (some mysterious chick with cool stealth powers). Formerly based out of Gotham, the Birds now claim Metropolis as their headquarters. Recently, Black Canary was on some kind of Martial Arts exchange program with Lady Shiva to become her top disciple, but didn’t like it so rebelled and adopted a small Asian girl in the process (for real). Barbara Gordon has regained some feeling back in her legs after an incident with Brainiac, and Zinda likes wearing miniskirts and using assault rifles. The girls are back, kicking ass and not taking any crap from anyone.

Issue 96 kicks off a new story revolving around Black Alice, the goth teenager who first appeared in “Birds of Prey” #76. Black Alice, aka Lori Zechlin was a young girl whose mother tragically overdosed on prescription medications; on the same night she took her own life Lori discovered she could absorb the magical powers of other magicians including Zatana, Dr. Fate and Black Atom. She had very little control of these powers, and used them to seek revenge on those who hurt her mother. The Bird’s were watching her, and intervened when she was about to use lethal force to take said drug dealers out. Huntress managed to talk her down and soon she was placed under Dr. Fate’s care. During “Infinite Crisis” she absorbed the Specter’s powers, and she also helped Oracle and Martian Manhunter deal with the global prison breaks caused by Lex Luthor. When we catch up to her in “Birds of Prey” #96 she is an awkward teenager in high school, hiding her powers from those who pick on her struggling to keep things held in. The Birds decide to pay her a visit, but not before Talia Al Ghoul, and Dr. Minerva catch up to her first, offering her a place in the Secret Society of Villains. All this, and Batgirl may be back?

I got the chance to chat with Gail Simone at SDCC last week, and she is the real deal. I complimented her on the way she brings a human quality to the Birds, and how non-comic readers like my wife enjoy the non-stereotypical way she writes her book. She was very appreciative and told me that’s what she’s trying to do, to “keep it real” and break down some gender walls that have long been in place in the male dominated world of comics. She was a very cool and talkative person, and it was definitely one of the better fan experiences I’ve had. Word Gail, you are good peeps. I would recommend Birds of Prey to anyone, and with this new story arc starting now would be the perfect time to jump on.

Wolverine issue #44
Marvel Comics
Written by: Marc Guggenheim
Drawn by: Humberto Ramos

Continuing with the “Civil War” reviews this week Wolverine is in the thick of things in issue #44, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Superhero registration and the single event that kicked off “Civil War” (or the straw that broke the camel’s back anyway, it’s clear at this point “Civil War” and the events leading up to it was a long running conspiracy in the Marvel U) was the death of over 600 women and children in Stamford, Connecticut. A villain named Nitro was clashing with the New Warriors, things went bad and bad stuff happened. With all the hoopla surrounding the actual registration, no one seems to care about Nitro or seeking any actual justice for what happened in Stamford. No one accept Wolverine, and in the last issue, despite protests from his fellow X-men and Tony Stark Wolverine sought out to do just that, exact some revenge on Nitro for the innocent people he killed. Yeah, payback is a *****.

So far, a suburban couple and a surfer dude are tracking Wolverine as he tracks Nuke, and in Washington some deep throat cat has been helping out Nuke. Wolvie catches up with Nuke in Big Sur, CA and they get it on, which leads us to issue #44. Wolvie figure out how to counter Nitro’s power, and proceeds to whip the crap out of him, forcing Nitro to hint he is a pawn and there are bigger players in this mess. Before Wolvie can get that info the soccer mom, her husband and the surfer jump in the fray, and lets just say they are not who they seem to be, but when they are revealed at the end of the issue, it’s pretty damn awesome.

This “Civil War” tie-in of Wolverine is more than just a crossover, it’s Wolvie getting back to his roots, kicking ass, taking names and looking out for the little guy (no pun intended). Humberto Ramos provides a fresh and interesting look for the book, I was skeptical at first but have enjoyed his work in the past and I think it works fine now. Guggenheim seems to have a real grasp on Wolverines character, and I would easily recommend this book to anyone. Word.

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For b_c's good/bad/ugly reviews, here's the link:

http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=32510

[wktf]

“Who Knows What Evil Lurks Within the Heart of Men?”

The Shadow, “master of men,” that’s who. That word, “master,” carries some serious weight to it for it means having complete control over others (thank you, Oxford English Dictionary). This would enable supreme confidence and skill over all whom The Shadow pursues. And, truly, this is part of The Shadow’s legend for he is an unstoppable force of nature, striking with vicious and lethal ferocity against those who would commit evil against the innocent. And The Shadow always knows evil, and he is always right.

Created in by Walter Gibson, The Shadow is one of popular fiction’s most enduring avengers, right up there with Zorro, The Lone Ranger, and The Batman. The Shadow probably is best known as a radio hero, thanks in large part to Orson Wells’ unearthly voice for the character, but actually it was his pulp novels that came first. They began appearing monthly on newsstands in April 1931 and most of them were written by Gibson. The Shadow Magazine brought the Shadow into the new media of comic books, and many of these issues were written by Gibson as well, but this series ended publication in 1949 and, five years later, the radio show was canceled, too. There was a lukewarm and short lived version of The Shadow published briefly by Radio Comics in 1964, but it was Denny O’Neil and Mike Kaluta who in 1973 brought The Shadow back to comics in full force.

Here we offer up three trade reviews, rather than our usual two, to present The Shadow’s modern comic book renaissance in chronological order.

Wktf’s Reviews

The Private Files of The Shadow HC
DC Comics
Written by: Dennis O’Neil
Drawn by: Michael Kaluta

This thoroughly enjoyable book, published in 1989, collects DC Comics’ 1973-4 “The Shadow” series, issues #1-4 and 6. Yes, this is The Shadow from the radio, magazine, movie and novel lore (did you know that there have been no less than 325 Shadow novels published?). The opening splash page perfectly sets the mood for the tone and action that will take place over the following 116 pages of comic book fun:

“He is feared by all who transgress the law, by all who plan evil…He comes from nowhere and melts back into nothingness as silently as his namesake…He acts in the name of justice, striking swiftly, stunningly, finally…With spitting automatics and a laugh that chills the marrow he leads a band of loyal agents against the nations wrongdoers…”

In his black cape, slouch hat and a scarf that covers half his face, The Shadow acts as the death penalty’s living manifestation to those who harbor evil against others. His methods are sure, his actions are swift and always lethal, and he is absolutely confident in his assessment of others and in the justice he metes out. And The Shadow never fails. In fact, I’m not certain The Shadow of this book is completely human. He seems to be a cross between a spirit, with a ghostly laugh that freezes his foes in their tracks, and a demigod. He appears from nowhere, seems to merge with the shadows themselves, changes locations and positions in a room in the space of a thought, eludes death with mocking certainty (even when he’s strapped into an electric chair!), and strikes with the speed and power of a demon whether with his twin .45 caliber pistols or his bludgeoning fists. He is a force of nature, whose trademark signature is his cold, hollow laughter. We are forced to accept that he is always right, at least about who is evil and who is not. We are not clued into his thoughts (though we see he requests to be left alone “to think”), motivations or background. But, as noted, whether against currency smugglers, murderers, mob gangs, or ninja extortionists, “The Shadow knows” and he never fails.

The setting of our tales is the New York City of the 1930s. The Shadow secretly is Lamont Cranston, a wealthy socialite who certainly seems human enough. The “band of loyal agents” referenced above are his very colorful supporting cast who include Shrevvy, a cab driver with a sense of humor, Burbank, a young man with some strange mechanical device on his left eye who runs his operation from a secret HQ, and Margot Land and Harry Vincent who assist The Shadow on each case and who often find themselves in considerable danger. But it is The Shadow who is both the brains and the muscle of his operation and who commands respect from his gang and absolute terror from everyone else. This book also includes a separate Shadow tale, written and drawn by Mike Kaluta especially for this book, where an older looking Shadow must go up against an army of oriental gangsters who brutally murdered a Japanese ambassador’s guards and family retainers at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel and made off with the ambassador’s infant son. The results are predictable but no less action packed and exciting.

O’Neil’s stories and scripts are fast paced, loaded with action and lots of fun. Kaluta, one of my favorite artists, has a dark and moody style that fits The Shadow and his mysterious but violent world just perfectly. Sadly, this book is no longer in print but does show up on eBay every now and then. Marvel Comics also commissioned these two outstanding creators for a Shadow Marvel Graphic Novel and that is the book we will look at next!

The Shadow: Hitler’s Astrologer HC OGN
Marvel Graphic Novel
Written by: Denny O’Neil and Michael Kaluta
Drawn by: Michael Kaluta

Published as a HC OGN in 1988, this gripping but out of print tale begins in Times Square, Easter Sunday, April 1941. From within the throngs of a holiday crowd, a beautiful blond young German woman named Gretchen Baur runs from a team of Nazi pursuers who seek to return her to their motherland for purposes only Hitler and his closest henchmen understand. Her race for her life takes her through Hell’s Kitchen to Lisbon and, ultimately, to Berlin to the very heart of the Nazi stronghold. But why is this one woman so important to the Fuehrer? And how does The Shadow, demigod avenger and master of men, figure in to her plight?

This volume not only was created by the same team who launched DC’s Shadow comic book 15 years earlier, the cast of characters is the very same. Here, again, we find Harry Vincent, Margo Lane, Shrevvy and Burbank in The Shadow’s employ. But in this volume The Shadow is playing on the national stage and, so, included here are some of the greatest true-life villains in modern history: Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazi SS, Josef Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda and Information, Rudolph Hess, Deputy Reichsfuhrer and oldest confidant of Adolf Hitler, and Adolf Hitler himself. Our primary villain though is Friedrich Wolff, the SS Colonel attached to the Auslands Organization and sadist extraordinaire. As if the other Nazis weren’t bad enough, O’Neil and Kaluta give us in Wolff a monster of a man who gleefully tortures and disfigures his victims with a surgeon’s scalpel. And Wolff has special interest in Hitler’s designs for the Soviet Union, a land with whom Germany held a non-aggression pact at the time of this story but which we know in hindsight stopped the Nazi war machine in the winter of 1941 only 30 miles from Moscow, eventually forcing the Nazis back to Berlin and helping to win the war.

This book is not only loaded with international intrigue but nail biting action. Auto chases, hot gunfire bursts, motorcycle escapes and a cataclysmic battle between a Nazi U-Boat and The Shadow’s famous “autogiro” over Coney Island. And, as the fate of the very world seems to hang both in the balance and under the mysterious sway of the mysterious Gretchen, The Shadow moves both his people and his enemies like pawns on a chessboard. But, as in DC’s series, The Shadow does not leave others to do his fighting for him and with blazing guns, powerful fists and even a sword fight at the end, The Shadow proves that he not only truly does know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, but that he is also the undisputed master of men. O’Neal and Kaluta have not missed a step in the 15 years since they left the character. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they’ve raised their game. Their Shadow is as brutal and ruthless as ever, and this time the creators have put him up against villains even more worthy of his terrible wrath than before. If only O’Neil and Kaluta concocted a plot to send unstoppable The Shadow after Hitler, himself. As with their prior DC work, this volume comes highly recommended.

Sam Wilson’s Review

The Shadow: Blood and Judgement
DC Comics
Written by: Howard Chaykin
Drawn by: Howard Chaykin

1986, the comic world was going crazy. “The Watchmen”, “Dark Knight”, comics weren’t just for kids anymore and controversy was afoot, and Howard Chaykin was in the middle of it with his update of “The Shadow” over at DC comics. There was no such thing as a “mature readers” imprint yet, and Chaykin’s “Shadow” definitely pushed the envelope. I mean, if you’ve read his recent work, no big surprise. This is the guy who gave us “American Century”, the “Vamps” books from DC/Vertigo, and the highly controversial and essentially pornographic “Black Kiss” series (which wasn’t so recent, but whatever). Anyway, “The Shadow” was never really a mellow guy. If you’ve read Joe’s previous reviews, he was a total badass. He killed bad guys like they were going out of style. Chaykin’s “Shadow” shows that brutality, maybe not in the noir fashion that Lamont Cranston is used too, but in an ‘80’s lets overdo it and spice it up with some random shots of women in lingerie…

Chaykin’s “Shadow” is an update of the character, and has its moments. For one thing, in the Shadow’s new entourage are the very, very un-PC and pretty much offensive yellow-skinned (yes, yellow) sons of the Shadow, Hsu-tei and Ching Yao Chang. Yeah, yellow skinned. I’m getting ahead of myself though. Chaykin’s Shadow features the original Shadow from the 30’s, just set in 1986. The book starts out with a bunch of the Shadow’s old operatives being brutally murdered, luring the Shadow out of hiding and back into the fray. Also in this “retelling” there have been changes to his origins. Yes, Lamont Cranston still got stuck in the Himalayas in the ancient city of Shambala, and learned Kung Fu and telepathy and all that, but I should say Chaykin’s Shambala was a technological utopia, a highly advanced city more technologically advanced than anywhere else on Earth. Think Wakanda (the Black Panther’s home country). Also, the Shadow isn’t really Lamont Cranston. Well he is, but I can’t really get too much into that without ruining the whole story. Anyway, it’s 1986 and the Shadow is lured out of hiding to find out who is killing his operatives, so he grabs his yellow-skinned sons (yeesh) and a flying car (yes, a flying car) and heads to New York to see what is up. Burbank, Margot and Harry are all still around, just old. Lamont still has the .45’s, but they are Ingram Mac-10’s instead of Colts. Yeah, and he still kicks ass and solves crimes, even though he has a less than progressive view towards women and the criminal justice system. Anyway, we got Nukes, a conspiracy, a new origin, random shots of women in lingerie and lots of violence. Word.

Chaykin is not for everyone, but again neither is the Shadow, and I will say, this tpb is not Chaykin’s most refined work, art or story wise. It takes a little bit to get it all straight but it does come together. Sadly, this tpb is long out of print and you are more likely to find the original issues (all four of them) before you are the trade, but it’s around. Most likely for pretty cheap (I got mine for $5 on ebay). So check it out. It’s not so bad…

[JDH]

I bought Wolverines 42 and 43 only yesterday, as I was caught up with the excitement of how surprisingly good all the CW tie-ins have been.* Both issues were superb - brilliant stuff. Probably the best Wolverine issues I have ever read. Loved the exchange with Cage. I will be picking up #44 as soon as I can.

*I een bought, and enjoyed, Civil War X-Men #1, at the second time of asking. Good stuff all round, and I figure it'll turn out to be important, though why the original X-Men see the need for black leather, I will never know. They should have worn their original costumes!

[Babytoxie]

Guys, great choices on the Shadow reviews. These are all excellent books. While Blood & Judgement offended a lot of Shadow purists, it's a great story.

[Tetragrammaton]

Great reviews guys.

I have to admit while I support the idea of superhuman registration, I do think that SHIELD and the pro-registry heroes are being very heavy handed. I can sympathize with Cage on principle, but once he actively starts fighting the SHIELD agents, I think he's gone too far.

Great scene.

[Kdawg59]

Great reviwes this week Joe and Hollywood...

I loved Daredevil's ending... Man this book does not get any better... The fight between the two daredevil's is just bad ass...

I also really enjoyed Batman but was a little more tad confused at how it began with the Joker and Batman and Gordan. They forced you to just say "HERE IS WHERE we are at... deal with it". Andy's art is gorgeous here and in truth better than I have ever seen it. This is a great sign. I have always preffered Adam's art more but this has me thinking for sure.

Let me just say... My favorite book of the week yet again had to be spider-man. The Pete that we got in Civil War 3 and his out of character actions are no where to be found in this issue and in his internal struggle in fighting his hero. Peter's every struggle is so well thought out and written in his own title. Tension continues to build with him and Tony and I LOVED the part where Spidey ponders all the info that comes into his new suit but begins to seriously suspect that Tony is somehow collecting data on Peter with the suit in the process... Tony is a ****....

Luke Cage making his decision... powerful and I have also long since chosen my side.. My favorite hero is on the wrong one too...

Go Cap kick all their registered asses.

[Aarrgghh!!]

Great reviews as always. I'm so far behind in my reading I've only read DD and Batman from this week. Enjoyed both a lot. Wktf, I still say Bendis's DD run for me was Ho-hum and forgettable, I did read up to issue 50, but I'm with you on the current run, it's been great. DD is one of only 3 Marvel books I get, Astonishing X-men and MK (which I'm about to quit) are the others.

[Sam Wilson]

thanks fellas, cool to see the whole cage thing affected you guys the way it affected me.

Word on Wolvie jdh, I agree obviously. What do you think of ramos's art?

[Kdawg59]

Originally Posted by Sam Wilson

thanks fellas, cool to see the whole cage thing affected you guys the way it affected me.

Word on Wolvie jdh, I agree obviously. What do you think of ramos's art?

well I think Ramos has a dynamic style... I like that it is clean but I'm not real big on cartoony for wolverine art. It's ONLY my preference but I have hate hate hated how they have written him for a few years now and the cartoony art now kind of reflects the writing. I think he's being written well in this book though as well as origins... I just want the wolverine back that used to be the MAN!

Sam do you remember that uncanny x-men annual where Captain Britain and Meggan guest starred and the issue begins with a drunken Wolvie sauntering home? Alan Davis drew it and he spends more than a few pages shaking off his alcohol once the trouble started? To me those were the days when they wrote wolvie the best... he wasn't a happy person, and yet his loyalty to his friends and his inner goodness left him as the last one standing and saving the whole damn bunch.

[wktf]

Dawg, I agree about Spider-Man. His battle with Cap and his internal struggle with the whole thing is a sign of changes to come for Pete and his relationship with Tony. That was a great scene when he decided he needed to better analyze his suit. Leaving Cap's shield where Cap could find it was a beautiful touch.