Reviews for Daredevil #503 & Green Lantern #49.

As I stated in my previous post, I was going to post more in depth reviews for the two comics I enjoyed reading the most over the course of the past two nights. So, without further adieu, I present to you, Daredevil #503 and Green Lantern #49!

Daredevil #503: This issue picks up from last month, with Daredevil and his legion of Hand ninjas attacking some crooked, drug dealing cops at a cargo dock in Manhattan. DD and his ninjas make quick work of the dirty cops, and the Hand ninjas are eager to kill the dirty cops, which leaves DD with a heavy decision to make. Before we learn what DD does, we head over to the law offices of Nelson, Murdock and Blake. After his outburst in court last issue, Foggy Nelson finds himself in the midst of a disbarment procedure... Ouch. On top of that, Dakota North's private investigator's licence is being revoked by the state, which causes Dakota and Foggy to conclude that some outside force is conspiring against them. Back at the cargo docks the following day, we learn that all of the dirty cops vanished without a trace, leaving the NYPD investigators confounded as to what happened to them. Black Tarantula and White Tiger talk about what happened to the cops, but speak in vague terms, leaving it unclear as to whether DD ordered the deaths of the cops or not. DD meets with Master Izo, and the two have a disagreement over DD's actions as the leader of the Hand, which leads to the two making veiled threats at one another before Izo flies the coop. The Kingpin continues to play the Hood against the Owl as he attempts to quietly reclaim the spot of NYC's crime boss. This issue ends with DD deciding to take the streets of Hell's Kitchen back from Norman Osborn's dirty cops.

I've got to say, this series hasn't lost any steam since Andy Diggle took over the writing duties from the masterful Ed Brubaker. I honestly thought this series was going to fall by the wayside when Ed left, but instead, Andy has continued many of Ed's storylines and has kept things rolling along smoothly. So this issue leaves us wondering if DD ordered the deaths of the dirty cops or not. Since I refuse to believe DD has crossed the line, I'm going to say that he sent the cops out of town or something along those lines. DD wouldn't order his ninjas to kill the dirty cops, right??? That uncertainty is one of the reasons I enjoyed reading this issue so much. I also love the way the Kingpin is being slowly reestablished as a big time player in New York's crime scene again. Kingpin isn't a dumb crook like the Hood, and he proves that point by the way he pits the Hood's men against the Owl's, as well as the fact that he has figured out the fact that the Hood and Norman Osborn are in cahoots. The fact that Kingpin knows Osborn and the Hood are working together could potentially lead to some really interesting things depending on the direction Andy decides to go. Besides all of that stuff, there's also the matter of DD's friends being targeted through their professions. There are so many great things happening in this series right now I could easily keep on going, but since I have another review to do, I'm going to have to leave things at that. Score: 9 out of 10.

Green Lantern #49: This issue is a spotlight on John Stewart and his ordeal on the planet Xanshi. John was kind of/sort of responsible for the destruction of Xanshi, and Nekron uses that guilt against John by resurrecting the entire destroyed world, as well as John's dead wife Katma Tui. John tries to fight off his dead wife and the entire populace of Xanshi, but ultimately realizes that Katma was trying to get an emotional response from him. Once he figures out what Katma and the Black Lanterns were up to, John flies off of Xanshi, and comes to the horrifying conclusion that Xanshi is headed straight towards the earth! This issue also contains a back-up feature where Black Lantern Jean Loring takes the Atom and Mera on a journey through one of the Black Lantern rings. While travelling, Jean decides to reveal Nekron's origin story to Atom and Mera for some reason... The back up story ends with Deadman secretly tracking Jean down.

I absolutely loved the John Stewart feature, but was kind of lost as to the purpose of the back-up story. Before I delve into the main feature, a few words on the back-up. I don't get why it was included... At all. Nekron pretty much tells us his origin during the main Blackest Night mini-series(the natural state of the universe is blackness, living beings are against the natural order of things, Nekron wants to return the universe to its blissful state of peace, etc...), so I'm not really sure what Jean's reasoning for telling Mera and Atom this story is. I mean, aren't the Black Lanterns supposed to be killing everybody and tearing out their hearts, NOT regaling the heroes with stories? Maybe Jean was trying to bore Atom and Mera to death, I don't know. While I wasn't able to get into the back-up story, I definitely got into John Stewart's tale. John is pretty much the OTHER Green Lantern, and he pretty much says as much himself. Hal is the star, Guy is the tough Guy(Ha!), and Kyle is the sensitive one. While Hal's story is told monthly in the Green Lantern comic, and Guy and Kyle are featured prominently in the Green Lantern Corps title, John doesn't really appear anywhere. Yeah, I know John was in the Justice League comic not that long ago, but he was more or less a background character. Geoff Johns did a fantastic job of showing people who aren't very aware of who John is(myself included)that he is a whole lot more then just another Green Lantern. Throughout this comic, we get to relive some of John's past as a US Marine, while gleaning a lot about John's personality through his actions against the Black Lanterns. I'll say this much, this one issue told me more about who John Stewart is then the entirety of his recent Justice League run. Hell, after reading this, I'd be all for a John Stewart mini-series! Score: 9 out of 10.