Overall: We begin the penultimate issue of this mini-series with Elektra betraying a bunch of Hand ninjas in order to allow the heroes access to the Shadowland compound. Who are the heroes? Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Shang-Chi, Master Izo, Punisher and of course, Wolverine. Why Wolverine? Because it wouldn't be a Marvel x-over without the obligatory Wolverine appearance. As the heroes begin sneaking through the stronghold, Kingpin and Lady Bullseye decide to leave Kingpin's penthouse in order to get into position for their own endgame. The heroes discover Daredevil attempting to return Bullseye to life as a member of the Hand and halt the process, breaking into a full out battle between DD and his forces and the collection of heroes. Eventually the heroes manage to pin DD down, and Elektra tries to reason with him, but it is WAY too late for that as DD knocks all of the heroes away from him and announces that Matt Murdock was gone and that only the Beast remained.
Not bad. This comic was really good, even with the wholly unnecessary Wolverine appearance and DD transforming into the Beast. The whole Beast revelation has definitely taken a bit of enjoyment of this x-over away for me, as I would have preferred it if DD legitimately felt he was doing the right thing, ala Hal Jordan back in the 90's. Now instead of DD being a fallen hero who still saw himself in the right, this story has devolved into a basic, “Heroes must fight possessed hero with heavy hearts” story. So while this is still the best mini-series to come out of either of the Big Two this year(hell, it's still MILES better than Blackest Night/Brightest Day)I can't help but feel a bit let down by the way this series is coming to an end.
Score: 8 out of 10.
Hope you enjoyed your visit to Shadowland, Wolverine. Good-bye!
Hope you enjoyed your visit to Shadowland, Wolverine. Good-bye!
Haha, great review. I also wondered why Wolvie was there, then I remembered it was a Marvel comic and was surprised he hasn't shown up sooner by now. I also liked this issue and rated it pretty close to your rating as well.
ReplyDelete" then I remembered it was a Marvel comic and was surprised he hasn't shown up sooner by now." HA!!! It's funny 'cause it's true! You'd think Wolvie would have popped up way sooner than the forth issue!
ReplyDeleteExactly, If I recall in an earlier review you mentioned something about "Where's Wolverine?" In my review I also mentioned about the fact he looked like he was three feet tall.
ReplyDelete"If I recall in an earlier review you mentioned something about "Where's Wolverine?"" Wow, if I mentioned that I'm more perceptive than I thought, and if that is indeed true, you have one HELL of a memory my friend!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you know me X, master of remembering little stuff that no one would ever care to remember. Like the fact your mom likes Lawn Gnomes and you bought a TON of Hawkman books that I don't think you've read yet, lol.
ReplyDeleteStill haven't gotten to those Hawkman books yet actually... And with my distain for GEOFF's work, I don't see myself reading them anytime soon. When I finish off the Kyle Green Lantern books, I'll probably start up the Peter David Aquaman run from the 90's. Either that or something really weird like Simon Dark, or the rest of the Manhunter series I started like 9 months ago.
ReplyDeletePeter David did Young Justice right? I wonder how that Aquaman run is... and how far are you in the Kyle GL run?
ReplyDeleteYes sir, PAD did the whole YJ run. He's always been known for his ability to blend a good story with hilarious comedy, so I'm really curious to see how that works in an Aquaman series since I don't see Aquaman as a very comical character. I'll be reading Green Lantern #139 tonight, so I still have a ways to go before I'm done with that series. Just so ya know, Judd Winick just took over as series writer, in what I think was some of his earliest cb work.
ReplyDeleteAhhh I'm also curious to see how David does on that Aquaman run since he's a comical writer like you mentioned. I think I recall a Judd story, I think he wrote one where one of Kyle's friend's was gay and being beaten up or something. I got it from the library. How many issues are in that run?
ReplyDelete"Ahhh I'm also curious to see how David does on that Aquaman run since he's a comical writer like you mentioned." So am I, although PAD is def creative enough to pull back the comedy when need be. Like I've always said, the way he changed the Captain Marvel character from series 4 to series 5 was just amazing to me. You'd have sworn the two series were done by two completely different writers! That's how different they were.
ReplyDeleteSounds like something that could happen in this series, since Kyle just learned his assistant was gay. Let's see, Judd went from issue #129-164. I'd guess that he probably got the Batman gig soon after(if not immediately after)his run on GL.
I still need to pick up those Captain Marvel comics. We are talking about the Marvel Captain Marvel right?
ReplyDeleteInteresting, so if he did that and then Batman, when did he do his Outsiders run?
Yup, the Marvel Captain Marvel series... Man, that's a mouthful there. If you're ever serious about getting those series, let me know first, 'cause there are TONS of different Capt. Marvel series from Marvel, and I'd hate for you to get like series 5 where Marvel was a Skrull or some dumb junk like that...
ReplyDeleteAhh, I forgot about that. I'd have to guess that he must have went from GL to the Outsiders to Batman... He might have done the end of his Outsiders run and Batman around the same time. I think he also did the end of the GA series too(before it became GA/BC)... Ahh forget it. All I know is that he did those comics... I have NO idea WHEN he did each one though...
I'll probably bring it back up after I start at that job and have some more cash to spend, since I can barely afford my weeklies now.
ReplyDeleteI forgot ge wrote GA, cause he's the one that made Mia Speedy or made her HIV+ right? And did he do the issues where Todd was in GA?
That job is coming up pretty soon, no? When do you get started again?
ReplyDeleteHmm, I KNOW he was responsible for the Todd appearances, but I'm not sure if he made Speedy HIV+... It could have been Kevin Smith, although that sounds like something Judd would do considering his past. Maybe Kevin created her and Judd made her HIV+?
Orientation is November 5th and I start training the week after that.
ReplyDeleteI recall Kevin did one of those, and Judd did the other, like Kevin created her and may have made her positive but I think Judd made her Speedy, or he may have made her positive instead, i forget.
Cool, so you still have a a little over a week of freedom left! :P
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm the same way... I THINK Kevin HAD to have created her... You may be right about her becoming Speedy under Judd's watch though. And I'd be willing to bet money that Judd made her HIV+. That just seems like a Judd thing to do.
Yeah, I'm gonna play Smackdown and enjoy the hell out of it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the thing with Judd. Some people force their views down your throat but atleast Judd is always doing something to make people be more accepted whether it's gay people or HIV+ or whatever.
That's the way to go amigo!
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY JT!!! It's nice to have a friend who's as progressive thinking as you are! I don't see what the harm is in providing gay or HIV+ people with comic book characters they can relate to. Man, you should have seen the letters page in the GL series after Kyle's assistant came out to him! Some of the letters really made me shake my head at portions of this country... There were so many letters for that issue they actually ran for two straight issues. Some people were OK with it, while others were sure as hell not! One guy was like, "I don't want my son reading this pro-homosexual literature anymore. Trying to corrupt young children is deplorable and I'll never purchase your series again." I was like, "'Corrupt children'??? Wha-ZUH?!" Some of the letters were just laughable due to the utter ignorance from the writers. I mean, it's the 21st century folks!
"EXACTLY JT!!! It's nice to have a friend who's as progressive thinking as you are!" Thanks for that, literally one of the best compliments I've ever gotten.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's just sad. I mean, what's wrong with showing alternative lifestyles in comics? Hell that's the way the world is, I'd rather my son be accepting of people because he learned he should from a comic book than be a bigot or something because he never learned that you can't choose what you like or who you like. I bet those are the same people that were upset when Black characters and Asian characters started appearing as Superheroes in comics. Some people just need to learn how to be more accepting, because the world is changing whether they like it or not, and everyone deserves to be happy and feel safe and respected.
Damn JT, you should be a speech-writer or something, that was excellently put! Once again, I agree completely, JT. I'm sure the people who were bitching about seeing a gay character in a comic probably had perents who bitched about black/spanish/asian characters appearing back in the day. Times change, and life is too short to be full of hate against a group of people. But what can ya do? Some people are just close-minded jerks, end of story. Hopefully their kids will learn from the mistakes of their parents and grow up to be more accepting of others.
ReplyDeleteLol @ Speech-writer. Thanks again... I have a dream, where gay characters, and straight characters can save the world in comic books together!
ReplyDeleteExactly, I hate to use you as an example but you'd fit perfectly. From what you said your dad isn't the most tolerant, yet here we are having a conversation about accepting people of all races and sexual orientations, so if what happened with you happens to a world of people we'll have a wonderful society of cool, accepting people.
"I have a dream, where gay characters, and straight characters can save the world in comic books together!" HA!! Then read The Authority, because they have two characters who are based on Batman and Superman who were married and everything. That series is so funny 'cause the two characters are just so blatantly based and Supes and Bats too!
ReplyDeleteNah, in my case it at least worked out, definitely. And I made sure that my influence rubbed of on my siblings. But besides being racist agianst like EVERYTHING, my father was also an abusive, drunken lout, so it was easy for me to decide to be nothing like him. Some folks might be racist against others, but still good to their kids, which would unfortunately lead to the kids emulating their parents. With all that said though, I do think that in like 30 years or so there will be WAAAY more people who think like we do then who think like my father does.
I've heard of the authority but would you believe I have no idea what it's about?
ReplyDeleteGood point, I didn't think about it like that. But I do agree with you about a difference in 30 years time, hell just the fact we have a half black president should show people are more tolerant, now if they were more tolerant of gay and bisexual people, things would be pretty good.
My sister absolutely LOVES it. It's probably one of her favorite series. Me, I'm kind of impartial to it. None of the characters are particularly likable... I guess Midnighter would be my favorite, but yeah, they're not a very nice bunch of "heroes". Basically, The Authority are a bunch of VERY pro-active super-heroes who are practically for all intents and purposes the leaders of their world. I think there was even a time when they put the whole planet under marshall law. Think the Punisher mixed with the a-list Justice League and you've got the Authority.
ReplyDeleteExactly dude. If you mentioned 30 years ago that by 2008 there'd be a half black president people would have busted a gut laughing at you. I mean hell, that dimwit Sarah Palin might get the Republican nomination in 2012, meaning the election would be a black man vs a woman for the presidency. I've gotta say, I personally think Palin is an idiot, but in terms of progress, that possibility says a lot about how far this country has come. Yeah, there are still ways to go, but I'm damn happy that I'm alive now and not like 60 years ago...
That actually sounds pretty interesting. I think I have too many comics to keep up with now but If I ever have some extra cash I'll remember to check out The Authority.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more about everything, especially Palin being an idiot. But yeah, a (half) black guy vs. a Woman to run the United States of America is insane. No one would've imagined this even ten years ago if you ask me. I'm also glad I was born when I was instead of 60 years ago, I mean there's a lot of intolerance but there's also a lot of tolerance as well.
Dude, is it really possible to ever have TOO MANY comics?! :P
ReplyDeleteExactly. There is obviously still a lot of intolerant jerks out there, but if you compare 2010 America to 1950 America, the difference is staggering! You'd have to think that things will look even better come 2070.
Not if you're X-Man, and get college money. But for us people that aren't in school and haven't started work yet... yes, yes there is! :P
ReplyDeleteHell they'll probably be a half black, half Mexican, bisexual woman president by then. God bless America.
See, this is why we're such good friends, because I don't even talk about certain things like this usually but I feel comfortable talking to you about this stuff because we think pretty similarly. I think it's cool we can talk about comics, politics, gay rights, racism and everything else, just because of us meeting throught your comic blog.
HA!!! Then dude, go to community college! Then you can have all the comics you want! :D
ReplyDelete"Hell they'll probably be a half black, half Mexican, bisexual woman president by then. God bless America." HA!! Somehow I tend to doubt that! I think the south would leave the Union again if that were to happen! :P
Yeah, it's weird... If I didn't know any better I'd swear that we were the same person... Maybe we were actually a science experiment gone HORRIBLY right or something and that's why we seem to think so similarly. :D
Lol but then I have to pay for Community College!!! I was thinking about going next year for some writing classes though.
ReplyDeleteLol the Civil War, part two, coming soon. Hell I'm surprised they didn't pull that card considering how upset some southerners were at Obama.
Lol I could see that, we're secretly Cable and X-Man. They put us in different partxs of the world for a nature/nurture type thing and we beat all the odds and both turned out Awesome! :P
Hmm... true... But maybe you could get your Uncle Sam to pay for some it. Hey, it works for me! :P
ReplyDeleteHA! That's true... The problem with that would be who would lead the South? Bush? PALIN?! Yeah, they had no choice BUT to stay in the Union! Maybe in like 30 years they'll actually be a Republican candidate who has some sort of empathy towards the middle/lower class... What, it COULD happen... Maybe... Speaking of politics, it looks like Linda Mac has lost the Senate race in Conn. I wonder if that means Vince will start creeping back towards TV-14 and away from TV-PG?
Hmm, well I always knew I was X-Man, but you must have been one hell of a confused Cable...
The closest I have to an Uncle Sam is Uncle Tom! Lmao, okay not true but I had to make that joke.
ReplyDeleteYou saying Palin in all caps cracked me up. Man... that lady... where the hell did she even COME from?!
Now that I think of it, maybe I'm more of a Bishop than Cable. :P
Speaking of wrestling and Comics, I downloaded the BEST damn Red Hood/Jason Todd, Nightwing and Power Girl on SVR. Awesome movesets, costumes, everything.
"The closest I have to an Uncle Sam is Uncle Tom!" ... That was a joke? :P
ReplyDeleteDude, right?! I don't know where she came from(well I actually do, but let's pretend that I don't), but I wish she'd just go back!
Wait, if you're Bishop now, who does that make me??? That weird older version of Bishop from the Age of Apocalypse?
Lol It's probably more true than I'd care to admit :P
ReplyDeleteSo, if you had to vote for the first ever woman president, would it be Palin, Linda McMahon or Marjorie Liu? Haha
Lol okay, how about you're Wolverine and I'm Deadpool. There, cut from the same cloth but somewhat different :D
Pfft, Marjorie Liu by a LANDSLIDE!!! Dude, she actually has me slowly getting into the X-23 series! That means that she's either an amazingly skilled writer or a witch...
ReplyDeleteHmm, I get to be a 100 yr old+ short, hairy Canadian and you get to be a deformed mercenary? Sounds about right to me. :P
Maybe she's an amazingly skilled witch named Morrigan Liu! Hey, if she can do that maybe she should come to DC and write Blue Beetle, Hai-Me would be one of your favorites!!!!
ReplyDeleteLmao, a deformed mercenary that gets LOTS of love and Black Widow has a crush on. Also, don't forget I'm insane, a genius, and hilarious. So yeah, that works... Bub. :D
Nope. I may be able to accept X-23 and Damian, but I will NEVER accept Hai-Me! Never EVVVVVER!
ReplyDeleteI'll give you insane, but a genius and hilarious? I think you may be stretching things a bit mi amigo... :P
Sure ya will when ya read the new Brightest Day and see he's the reincarnated Ted Kord and the White Lantern. Oops spoilers...Lmao, I'm kidding X. I'm kidding.
ReplyDeleteHaha, you know Genius and Hilarious are like 49 and 49 and insane is like 2% :D