Daredevil #500 — (Lead story/40 pgs.) — Writer: Ed Brubaker; Artists: Michael Lark and Stafano Gaudiano with Klaus Janson, Chris Samnee and Paul Azaceta; (Dark Reign: The List preview/8 pgs.) — Writer: Andy Diggle; Art: Billy Tan; (3rd story/14 pgs.) — Writer: Ann Nocenti; Art: David Aja
…plus a pin-up gallery, one of those all-500-covers-in-a-row deals, and a reprint of the Frank Miller-written-and-pencilled Daredevil #191 (the “Play Russian Roulette with Bullseye in a Hospital” story). Another of the stuffed-full anniversary issues Marvel’s been putting out lately, and a good one — the main story finishes the current storyline, shakes up the status quo, and sets the stage for the next arc, all with the smooth charaterization and action that’s defined this Brubaker/Lark/Gaudiano run from the beginning. The Dark Reign mini-series preview doesn’t do much, but the Nocenti story, while new, is a nice callback to her earlier (and often underappreciated) run on DD, and on the whole this is worth the $4.99 Marvel’s asking for it.
Amazing Spider-Man #603 — Writer: Fred Van Lente; Pencils: Robert Atkins; Inks: Victor Olazaba
The middle part of the current trilogy, so it’s very much a “bad guy does what he wants,” issue, ending with a turn to set up the eventual confrontation next issue. This is very reminiscent of Kraven’s Last Hunt — maybe too much so, in the way it takes an otherwise-ineffectual villain (this time the Chameleon) and makes him more deadly; there’s even the “burying” of Parker, and the taking-on of his identity. OK, even though the art is competent but not much more (this title suffers when it’s not using the Romita, Jr./Janson team, although of course they can’t do every issue); before the Spidey-title merger, this would have been in one of the lesser books, and received almost no attention or sales at all, so it’s a good example of why Marvel’s all-one-umbrella move made economic sense..
Jack of Fables #37 — Writers: Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Pencils: Russ Braun; Inks: Jose Marzan, Jr.
With Willingham/Sturges back, and the big crossover finished, we now return to regular business: the focus is mostly on Jack Frost, the son (although regular-Jack and Gary get a few pages, and it turns out the events of the last few issues may have affected them more than they thought, mostly for the worse — although Gary has an interesting, if fleeting, metatextual theory about their origins…), and his youth, desire to find a place in the world and naive nobility give the story an interesting buzz, and propel it along entertainingly. Cool Bolland cover, too.
Wednesday Comics #7 (of 12) — Writer/Artists: Too numerous to mention…
Entering the second half of the run, and, while the creative teams continue to make this a fascinating experiment, it’s still looking increasingly like it’ll be, in too many cases, a failed one. The Batman team is one of the few that seems to have a handle on how to work around the time and space problems in a one-week, one-page format; Baker’s Hawkman continues to look great but has a story strung together with coincidence and duct tape, while Superman is disjointed, Green Lantern is too basic, Demon/Catwoman is too fannish, and Wonder Woman is, despite its potential, getting harder to understand instead of easier. Metamorpho, Strange Adventures and, surprisingly, Supergirl (Amanda Connor!) are carrying the creative load right now.
Stuff I read and liked enough to buy, but don’t have much to say about, so read previous reviews in the archives if you’re interested:
X-Men: Legacy #227 — Writer: Mike Carey; Pencils: Dustin Weaver; Inks: Ed Tadeo
Doktor Sleepless #13 — Writer: Warren Ellis; Art: Ivan Roderiguez
Phil Mateer
