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DanSchwent

Dantastic Book Reviews

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Daredevil Volume 1: Devil at Bay

Daredevil Volume 1: Devil at Bay - Marvel Comics 1 - Daredevil adjusts to life in San Franciso and looks for a kidnapping victim.

Relocating Daredevil to San Francisco is a good justification for renumbering the series, I guess. Matt's law practice has new life with Kirsten McDuffie as his new partner. It'll be interesting to see Matt cope with fighting crime in a city that isn't all skyscrapers.

2 - While looking for the Owl, Daredevil meets San Francisco's other blind crimefighter, The shroud!

Huh. I read about The Shroud in Marvel Universe but this is the first comic I'd ever read featuring him. You'd think blind crimefighters would stick together. Chris Samnee's art gives this series a unique feel. Or almost unique. It reminds me of David Aja's work on Hawkeye a bit.

3 - After the standard hero vs. hero brawl, Daredevil and The Shroud join forces against the Owl...

Or do they? Mark Waid does a great job contrasting Daredevil and the Shroud. I'm curious about the Shroud's appearances before this one now. Damn Waid!

4 - Things go pear shaped as Daredevil and The Shroud face off with the Owl and his men.

The Shroud's motives become clear and it turns out he and Daredevil have a lot more in common than blindness. I love how Daredevil describes the Owl. "He is a walking sack of hate and gristle."

0.1 - On a flight from New York to San Francisco, the plane makes an emergency landing in Wisconsin and Matt decides to follow a mysterious passenger with no heartbeat.

I thought this one was a little predictable, although I did not foresee the ass-kicking the Mad Thinker took. Once again, Waid and Samnee do a great job depicting Matt's blindness.

5 - In order to be safe, Foggy Nelson needs to tie.

As Foggy's cancer progresses, Matt realizes he's put the lives of everyone he cares about in the crosshairs. Right before Leap Frog shows up. This was a surprisingly touching tale and explains Foggy being in disguise in Frisco.

Closing Thoughts: It's a little too early to say if moving Daredevil to San Francisco was a good idea or not. However, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee continue to put out a great super hero comic. Four out of five stars.

Doctor Strange: Into the Dark Dimension

Doctor Strange: Into the Dark Dimension - Roger Stern, Paul Smith, Bret Blevins, Mark Badger Rebellion is growing in the Dark Dimension, led by Doctor Strange's former girlfriend and apprentice, Clea. Can Doctor Strange help Clea unseat the unrelenting Umar, sister of the Dread Dormammu?

By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, this was pretty good for an 80's comic. Doctor Strange helps the Black Knight overcome his madness, helps Clea, and encounters the Beyonder.

Roger Stern's writing is ahead of its time, not so bogged down and wordy as many comics from this period. With Paul Smith, Bret Blevins, and Mark Badger doing the art chores, it's got a nice feel to it, although I don't think the craziness of the Dark Dimension was depicted as well as Steve Ditko did it. I did like how the art team handled the Mindless Ones, however, and some of the creepy crawlies were suitably Lovecraftian.

The book end tales of the Black Knight and the Beyonder weren't as good as the meat of the book, Strange going to the Dark Dimension to help Clea. It's a shame that Marvel usually uses Doctor Strange as a plot device rather than a character. There's a lot of potential for whacked-out stories with the Sorceror Supreme. I'm betting they'll push Doctor Strange much harder in the coming months to tie in with the upcoming movie.

By the seven rings of Raggador, I award this book Four out of Five stars, adjusted for the time period it was written and the Sphere of Cittorak.

Doctor Strange: Don't Pay The Ferryman (Doctor Strange (1974-1987))

Doctor Strange: Don't Pay The Ferryman (Doctor Strange (1974-1987)) - Roger Stern, Peter Gillis, Sal Buscema, Chris Warner, Mike Mignola Doctor Strange battles Mephisto in Hell with Reed and Sue Richards, setting the realm in torment. Strange also has to mend his shredded cloak of levitation and battle the Sorcerer Supreme of a neighboring dimension.

This volume was a disjointed collection of tales. Doctor Strange and the Richards family battle Mephisto for Franklin Richards' soul. Topaz emerges from hell with half a soul. Strange's doubts cost him the Cloak of Leviatation, making him seek out the original weaver. Strange gets impaled and uses Morgana Blessing's body while his lays dying. All of that and a lot more make for a diverse volume.

Overall, I was not wowed by this. A lot of stuff happened but most of it was forgettable, although I won't forget Strange being impaled by Urthona's minion's spear any time soon. The supporting cast is growing and now I'm left waiting for the next volume. The status quo was somewhat upset at teh end of this one and I'm curious what happens next, even if this volume didn't tickle my moons of Munnopor.

The art by Chris Warner was pretty good but I missed Paul Smith and Bret Blevins. For that matter, I also missed Roger Stern since he only wrote the first two issues of this.

After Into the Dark Dimensions, this volume had a lot to live up to and was not up to the challenge. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

The Man from Primrose Lane

The Man from Primrose Lane - James Renner Widowed writer David Neff is at rock bottom when his agent drops the tale of The Man From Primrose Lane into his lap. Will a new book to work on bring him out of the funk he's been in since his wife's death or will his obsession kill him?

Before I get down to business, let's all be honest with one another. Most of the books we read are of average or less quality and are just an entertaining way to pass the time. This book is not one of those. This one grabs you by the genitals and infects your thoughts while you aren't reading it.

The Man From Primrose Lane is one hell of a crazy read. The titular character is a local eccentric who was known as The Man with a Thousand Mittens to the cop who found his corpse, complete with fingers in a blender. In life, he was always seen wearing mittens and had a closet full of them when he died? Interested yet? What if I told you the MFPL had a painting of David's dead wife in his basement? Or that he has a notebook about another woman's daily habits that just happens to resemble David's wife?

This is one of those books that I cannot divulge the plot of without ruining it. Suffice to say, it is a cleverly written mind bender. Part detective story, part bat shit crazy. Your brain might fold in on itself like a black hole before it's finished.

What the hell else can I say without spoiling things? I like how Renner uses David going through the withdrawals for his depression meds as a good way to reveal his back story using flashbacks. I had a feeling who The Man From Primrose Lane was about 30% into the story but I had no idea how complex things really were.

That's about all I'm prepared to reveal at this time. If you like genre-bending, thought provoking reads, you could do a lot worse than this. This is in the top two or three books I've read so far in 2016. Perfect score.

Daredevil, Volume 7

Daredevil, Volume 7 - Jason Copland, Javier Rodriguez, Chris Samnee, Mark Waid 31 - After a controversial trial, someone hacks the live feed to start a riot and all signs point to The Jester!

Matt finds out it was Foggy's idea for Kirsten to take his place. Is it a sign of me getting older that I find the Matt Murdock parts of Mark Waid's run better than the super hero parts most of the time?

32 - The Jester and the Sons of the Serpent continue their reign of terror. Meanwhile, Daredevil enlists the help of Doctor Stephen Strange!

Daredevil goes to Kentucky to find Jack Russell at Strange's insistence and winds up meeting The Stitchwork Man, The Zombie, The Mummy, and Satanna. While I love how DD bounces from street crime to super hero shenanigans so effortlessly, I find it hard to believe he's never met Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night before.

33 - Daredevil gets more than he bargained for down south when he looks for pages from the Darkhold, the book the Sons of the Serpent worship.

Daredevil in a rural setting doesn't work all that well, although it nicely demonstrates how ineffective illusions are to a blind man.

34 - With the pages of the Darkhold in his clutches, Daredevil riles up the Sons of the Serpent and sets up a showdown...

Written by Mark Waid, Daredevil has testicles like a pair of wrecking balls. There were some scary moments in this one but it all worked out in the end. Until it didn't...

35 - The Sons of the Serpent are keeping Foggy Nelson alive and have Daredevil by the short and curlies. They want him to clear one of the Sons of the Serpent for a crime he didn't commit...

Daredevil is forced into action again, this time with Elektra by his side. As usual, the last panel was a great hook into the next issue. Mark Waid has a great talent to write Daredevil into situations where his lawyer instincts conflict with his super hero ones.

36 - Foggy is dying of cancer and Matt tells a full courtroom that he's Daredevil.

Things get settled in dramatic fashion. The Sons of the Serpent are out and Matt and Foggy are headed to San Franciso, just in time for a new Daredevil series to start.

Closing Thoughts: I fucking love Mark Waid on Daredevil. It's just a notch below Hawkeye as the best super hero comic of the last decade. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Leinil Francis Yu, Mark Waid 1 - Bruce Banner makes a deal with SHIELD to use the Hulk as a weapon in exchange for them funding his lab. His first task is to take down the Mad Thinker.

I've never been much of a Hulk fan. To me, he's so powerful that he's more of a plot device than a character, kind of like Superman. However, what Mark Waid is doing here piqued my interest. The first issue was a nice setup for what promises to be an interesting run.

2 - Banner and Tony Stark have a conversation that eventually turns ugly.

Much like he's done on Daredevil, Waid plums the depths of Bruce Banner's psyche. His motivation for taking Tony out into the Himalayas made sense, although a super genius should have taken into account what would have happened with the Gamma Fracker.

3 - The Hulk is unleashed against the Quintronic Man!

There wasn't a lot of meat to this one. The fight with the Quintronic Man wasn't as interesting as Banner's new lab crew being recruited.

4 - Banner meets his team and The Hulk is set against Attuma and the Lemurians!

While I like the Banner parts of this series, the Hulk is still the Hulk.

5 - Hulk and Attuma have it out.

Yeah, this one is also mostly fighting.

Closing Thoughts: I'm not nearly as enamored with this series as I thought. The Hulk is still the Hulk. However, Walt Simonson draws some of the next volume and Daredevil appears so I'm up for one more. 3 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil, Volume 6

Daredevil, Volume 6 - Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Javier Rodriguez, Matteo Scalera 28 - An asshole that used to torment Matt when he was a kid shows up looking for representation in a false arrest case.

Yeah, Mark Waid may not write a Hulk that I'm a huge fan of but he writes the shit out of Daredevil. I liked that Hackett had a different view of things when he and Matt were growing up. The ending was a shocker.

29 - It turns out the Sons of the Serpent have infested the legal system and want Hackett dead. Can Daredevil keep him alive long enough to get him to a hospital?

Pretty slick. I chuckled a little when Daredevil said "What am I, blind?"

30 - Kirsten McDuffie fills in for Foggy. Oh and an alien shows up in Matt's office looking for asylum on earth with the Silver Surfer on his trail!

It's simply amazing how Mark Waid can bounce Matt back and forth between street level crime and super hero stuff and make it all feel perfectly natural. Daredevil in control of the Silver Surfer's board was pretty bad ass.

Indestructible Hulk #9 - Bruce Banner and his lawyer, Daredevil, track down a stolen super weapon!

Daredevil and the Hulk seem mismatched at first but Hornhead knows how to handle the Hulk. Let's see how they handle Baron Zemo with an ultrasound cannon.

Indestructible Hulk #10 - Baron Zemo and HYDRA vs. The Hulk and Daredevil!

This was actually kind of a yawn, despite the carnage, until the Hulk went berserk and Daredevil had to control him. A Hulk in a China Shop indeed.

Closing Thoughts: Hulk issues aside, this was another kick ass Daredevil volume. The team-up with the Silver Surfer was one of my favorite moments of the series so far. Four out of five stars.

Daredevil, Volume 5

Daredevil, Volume 5 - Mark Waid, Chris Samnee 22 - The Superior Spider-Man shows up and starts some shit with Daredevil. However, they are interrupted when the recently upgraded Stilt-Man shows up!

We're treated to an old school super hero misunderstanding here, enhanced by the ridiculousness of Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man's body and Stilt-Man using Doc's technology to enhance his armor. The ending with Foggy is a chilling hint of things to come.

23 - AIM (I think) recreates the accident that created Daredevil and looses a gang of hypersensitives on New York. Meanwhile, Matt makes Foggy go to the doctor.

Daredevil battling some crazies with senses like his was an interesting encounter. I'm more interested in Foggy's cancer and whomever is masterminding the attacks on Matt, though.

24 - Matt tries to patch things up with Kirsten and someone sends a crate of hypersensitive dogs to Matt's office.

I haven't touched on the humor of the Mark Waid Daredevil run. They're actually pretty funny. One kid calls Daredevil "The Red Batman." It balances out the grimness of Foggy's cancer somewhat.

25 - An escapee from the project trying to recreate Daredevil takes Matt to a warehouse near the river...

Holy Shit! Daredevil goes up against his ninja doppleganger, Ikari, and has the fight of his life. I still have no idea who is pulling the strings and I hope Ikari sticks around for a while.

26 - While on the run from Ikari, Matt pieces together who is behind the constant shitstorm that has been raining down on him.

The penultimate issue of this arc really ratcheted things up several notches. The final issue is really going to be something. The backup story with Foggy and the kids in the cancer ward was a nice touch.

27 - Daredevil goes up against Ikari in a fight to the death with the mastermind watching. If Daredevil wins, his friends die!

That final battle was everything it needed to be plus some. I'm glad Ikari and Lady Bullseye are still alive. That Daredevil is a clever guy. Waid and Samnee make one hell of a team.

Closing Thoughts: Waid and Samnee are the team to beat on Daredevil. This volume was one hell of a ride. I wonder what the next chapter in Daredevil's life will bring. Four out of five stars.

Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 2: Gods and Monster

Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 2: Gods and Monster - Mark Waid 6 - Banner and his team go to Jotunheim to look for a legendary metal that might be a super conductor.

This was more like it. It felt almost like a Fantastic Four issue. Simonson drawing Thor is always welcome. After the last panel, I'm jonesing for the next issue.

7 - Hulk and Thor tackle a horde of Frost Giants! Can SHIELD reestablish the portal and bring the Banner team home?

This issue was a lot of carnage but it was Simonson-drawn carnage. Now that the Frost Giants are interested in earth, things got a lot more interesting.

8 - SHIELD, Hulk, and Thor must repel the Frost Giant invasion so team Banner can get back to earth.

More carnage and some good Hulk/Thor moments. I'm still not feeling this series and now I'm just sticking around for the Daredevil issues.

9 - Bruce Banner and his lawyer, Daredevil, track down a stolen super weapon!

Daredevil and the Hulk seem mismatched at first but Hornhead knows how to handle the Hulk. Let's see how they handle Baron Zemo with an ultrasound cannon.

10 - Baron Zemo and HYDRA vs. The Hulk and Daredevil!

This was actually kind of a yawn, despite the carnage, until the Hulk went berserk and Daredevil had to control him. A Hulk in a China Shop indeed.

Closing Thoughts: Since getting on Marvel Unlimited, I've been looking for the definitive Hulk story. Indestructible Hulk, despite the novelty of Banner working for SHIELD, wasn't it. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil by Mark Waid - Volume 4

Daredevil by Mark Waid - Volume 4 - Mark Waid 16 - Hank Pym shrinks down to microscopic size to take out the robots in Daredevil's brain!

Pretty cool stuff and another example of how Matt is part of the greater Marvel Universe, no longer exiled to its gritty shithole corner. Although it feels like he might be heading back to the feces-smeared area pretty soon with what Foggy fond in his desk drawer.

17 - Jobless, Matt reflects on his rocky past with Foggy Nelson and a battle with Stilt-Man.

Michael Allred drawing Daredevil is pretty fucking sweet and this tale is perfectly suited to his retro-style. Matt getting to see his dad using virtual reality was pretty cool.

18 - Foggy gets a case he needs Daredevil's help on and Matt needs a huge favor from Foggy.

I was in the dark about Matt's ex-wife but her being in his apartment and not the asylum seemed like a big deal. Someone powerful continues to mess with Matt's life. I'm guessing this is the next big story now that the Omega Drive storyline is over.

19 - Matt's life continues to disintegrate but now he knows who is responsible... or does he?

He sure knows who's responsible by the end of the issue. I can't express my newfound admiration for Mark Waid on this title. Also, Chris Samnee's art is really growing on me now that he's the regular artist.

20 - Coyote has Daredevil in his clutches and can't wait to explain his scheme to him. Meanwhile, Kirsten spills her guts on what she thinks is Daredevil's insanity...

This one had some crazy imagery in it. Waid has certainly dialed up the weirdness.

21 - Things get resolved with Coyote and The Spot. Foggy and Matt try to patch things up. And Kirsten goes to someone for help with Daredevil.

Waid and Samnee continue to tick all the right boxes for me. I thought the last issue had some crazy images but The Spot vs. Coyote had some Ditko-level craziness to it. I would not want to be Daredevil when the Superior Spider-Man shows up to settle his hash.

Closing Thoughts: Waid and Samnee are the team to beat on Daredevil. I'm not ready to say it's Hawkeye-good just yet but it's definitely heading in that direction. 4 out of 5 stars.

Uncanny Avengers, Vol. 1: The Red Shadow

Uncanny Avengers, Vol. 1: The Red Shadow - Rick Remender 1 - The X-Men bury Professor X. Captain America asks Havoc to lead a joint X-Men/Avengers team.

Uncanny Avengers is off to a good start. The battle with Avalanche was good and I liked the Scarlet Witch-Rogue confrontation. Red Skull stealing Professor X's brain was a little hokey, though.

2 - Rogue and Scarlet Witch try to escape the Red Skull.

Okay, this issue was mostly talk. So Red Skull used Xavier's brain to give himself super powers somehow? Okay...

On a side note, how powerful is this team shaping up to be? Captain America, Havoc, Wolverine, Thor, Rogue, and the Scarlet Witch. Why is Cap on the team if Havoc is supposed to be the leader? I guess I'll find out.

3 - The Red Skull uses his mental powers to set the human populace of NYC into a murderous rage against mutants!

This issue was one long fight scene. It also illustrates why having Cap on a team he's not leading is illogical. Thor taking out Wolverine was oddly satisfying, though.

4 - The chaos the Red Skull has sown comes to something of a conclusion.

Some brutal shit happens. Order is restored but not in a satisfying way. I like that the team is finally coming together but nothing was really resolved. The chilling vision of things to come makes me think I'll probably be reading the next volume despite my original intentions just to dip into this title.

5 - Wonder Man and Wasp join the team for PR purposes and Wolverine recruits Sunfire.

The fight with the Grim Reaper was pretty great. Wonder Man refusing to fight was an interesting moment. Havoc unmasking and his subsequent speech made him seem like the leader of the team for the first time in the series so far. I've been interested in Sunfire since I saw him on an episode of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends so it was cool to see him here. I'm a little more interested in this team than I want to admit.

Closing Thoughts: I tried not to be impressed by this but I was anyway. Rick Remender and John Cassady did a great job on the first five issues. I'm not a fan of their being 147 different teams of Avengers but this one was damn good. I'm in for one more volume at least. Four out of five stars.

Daredevil, Volume 3

Daredevil, Volume 3 - Marco Checchetto, Khoi Pham, Chris Samnee, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid Avenging Spider-Man #6 - Everyone wants the Omega Drive! Daredevil, Spider-Man, The Punisher, and his partner take on a shit load of ninjas!

Things are kicking into high gear with the Omega Drive. Spidey, Daredevil, and the Punisher work fairly well together. I'm not sure Frank's going to keep his promise about no fatalities, though...

Punisher #10 - Things heat up as Frank, Cole, Spidey, and Daredevil take on AIM, HYDRA, and all the rest.

There was lots of carnage but the Punisher acted true to character in the end. This storyline might be going on a little long. I'll be glad to get back to solo Daredevil.

11 - Cole has the Omega Drive! Can Daredevil get it back and destroy it before hell comes crashing down on him?

DD manages to not die and leaves with the Omega Drive! I guess it's still in play.

12 - Matt finally goes on a date with Kirsten McDuffieand explains his past with Foggy until things catch up with him.

Things heat up with the Omega Drive again but Foggy and Matt at law school was one of the best character moments of the series.

13 - The four megacrime groups are in Time Square and Daredevil has the Omega Drive around his neck!

This didn't go like I thought it would but at least the Omega Drive is out of play for a while. I'm liking the relationship between Spider-Man and Daredevil the way Waid writes it.

14 - Daredevil finds himself teleported to Latveria!

Wow, and I thought being blind would be bad but losing your remaining senses one by one would be so much worse. Those Latverians are pretty miffed about the whole Omega Drive thing.

15 -Doctor Doom has Daredevil in his clutches. How will old Hornhead escape?

Shit, those were two brutal issues. How the hell are they going to get nanobots out of DD? Ant-Man? If I wasn't already bound to read the next volume, I'd have to now.

Closing Thoughts: This was not my favorite volume in the series so far but it was still pretty good. I'm glad the Omega Drive storyline was resolved and I'm digging Daredevil interacting with the rest of the Marvel Universe. Mark Waid's Daredevil is one entertaining read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil, Volume 2

Daredevil, Volume 2 - Paolo Manuel Rivera, Mark Waid 7 - Daredevil takes some kids on a field trip and the bus wrecks in a blizzard.

This was some serious shit. Daredevil and a busload of kids, most of them blind, wandering through a blizzard. Once again, Waid plays up what it's like to be blind, with or without radar sense. Good shit.

Amazing Spider-Man 677 - Fresh from being dumped, Spider-Man encounters the Black Cat. Shortly thereafter, she's arrested for breaking into Horizon Labs. Since he knows she was framed, Spidey enlists Daredevil to help him clear her name.

This issue demonstrates why Spider-Man and Daredevil have always worked well together and contrasts their crime-fighting styles. It also emphasizes that Daredevil is also a lawyer.

8 - Spidey and Daredevil are in trouble and it sure looks like Black Cat is behind it. Also, cemeteries are being found vandalized and one of the graves affected is that of Battlin' Jack Murdock.

That was pretty serpentine. The interplay between Spidey, Black Cat, and Daredevil was really enjoyable. I like where things are going with Daredevil and the Black Cat.

9 - The Mole Man is behind the graverobbing but why? That's what Daredevil means to find out!

Lots of good shit in this. Daredevil using a coffin as a raft. Mole Man dancing with a corpse. And the Black Cat has her paw in the cookie jar while Matt's underground. I love that Mark Waid is moving Daredevil away from the gritty crime corner of the Marvel Universe he's been trapped in for years.

10- Matt settles things with the Mole Man. Meanwhile, what's happened with the Omega Drive?

The battle with Mole Man was pretty great and the epilogue was also well done. I also liked how things went down with the Black Cat.

10.1 - Matt visits Pyromania in prison, a man Daredevil brought in. Turns out the word is out about the Omega Drive.

Pyromania telling Matt his version of his fight with Daredevil while seeing how it really went down was a nice touch. Things are progressing nicely. I'm guessing the Omega Drive will be the focus of the next volume.

Closing Thoughts: Mark Waid has done a lot to bring Daredevil out of the funk he's been in pretty much consistently since Frank Miller ran him through the meat grinder 30 years ago and into the Marvel Universe as a whole. The Omega Drive was a great maguffin and I'm hoping the Black Cat sticks around for a while. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil, Volume 1

Daredevil, Volume 1 - Paolo Manuel Rivera, Marcos Martin, Mark Waid 1 - Daredevil prevents a hit at a mafia wedding and goes up against The Spot. Also, his identity being exposed is threatening his legal profession as Matt Murdock.

I haven't read a modern age Daredevil tale since Kevin Smith was writing it. So far, I'm digging Mark Waid's not-as-grim take on Daredevil since old Hornhead has been through the wringer pretty consistently since the Frank Miller run.

I like how Waid and company portray Matt's blindness and heightened senses.

2 - Daredevil has a brawl with Captain America and tries to get to the bottom of the Jobrani business.

Looks like Klaw is going to show up pretty soon unless there's a new sound-based villain with the same color scheme. Shouldn't super heroes take each other at their word when it comes to mind control by now?

3 - Turns out Klaw is behind Matt's most recent woes. How can a blind super-hero who relies on his hearing combat the man of solidified sound?

Waid's plot does a great job at showing how reliant Daredevil is on his remaining senses. The Klaw battle was excruciating to read. I'm also pleased to see the direction Matt and Foggy's law firm is going in.

4 - Matt takes on a wrongful termination case for a blind young man.

The final panel of this issue was pretty chilling. I like how Waid and company are going out of their way to show how hard it is to get around without sight, even with super powers.

5 - Turns out that blind kid overheard some Latverians talking about Hydra. Matt hides him and goes looking for his old boss.

Who the hell is Bruiser? This one started off strong and never let up. Daredevil's in way over his head.

6 - Daredevil has to go toe to toe with Bruiser and figure out what's got Mr. Zachary so scared.

Daredevil takes a shit-kicking and jumps from the frying pan into the fire when he winds up with the Omega Drive, gigs and gigs of data about Hydra, AIM, and all the other superterrorist groups in the Marvel Universe.

Closing Thoughts: Mark Waid and the gang have taken Daredevil from rock bottom to being super again. I love the new life they've injected into his character. I'm in for the long haul for Mark Waid on Daredevil. Four out of five stars.

The Superior Spider-Man Vol. 6: Goblin Nation

The Superior Spider-Man Vol. 6: Goblin Nation - Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Christos Gage, Javier Rodriguez 27 - The Goblin Nation is running roughshod all over New York and Otto realizes what is happening and that it's also too late! Spidey goes looking for the Green Goblin even as an assault is prepared on Spider-Island!

The end time is clearly here. All the pieces Slott put on the board up until this point are finally coming into play. Let's see if the destination was worth the journey!

28 - The Goblin Nation attacks Spider-Island and devastates it! Meanwhile, Peter is lost in Otto's memories.

The manure continues to hit the windmill. Otto is off his game, Mary Jane's got web shooters, and everyone is looking for Spidey! And the Goblins have Anna Maria!

29 - The Goblin is bent on destroying everything Otto Octavius holds dear! Meanwhile, JJJ decides to release his new army of Spider-Slayer robots!

Don Lamaze dies in a touching act of self sacrifice and Spider-Man 2099 shows himself again. The way things ended makes me think the chaos is just beginning.

Annual 2 - Ben Urich deals with his nephew being the Goblin Knight and the Wraith breaks into Parker Industries and runs into Carlie, aka Monster.

This was mostly filler, although the Ben Urich story had some touching moments.

30 - Otto leaves Spider-Man 2099 high and dry against the Spider-Slayers to save Anna-Maria. Meanwhile, Peter relives Otto's memories.

Well, what I've been waiting for is coming soon. It's about time, too, since there isn't much of New York left to save.

31 - Spidey and the Green Goblin finally have it out!

Peter Parker is back and dukes it out with the Green Goblin and his minions. Afterwords, Peter begins the cleanup on what's left of his life after Otto was done mucking around with it. While I liked that Peter is back in control, it was kind of anti-climactic. For as much buildup as there was, the end was a little bit of a letdown. Still, it was an enjoyable read.

Closing Thoughts: When I started the Superior Spider-Man, I was not prepared for the roller coaster ahead of me. Doctor Octopus had good intentions at first and was frightfully effective until things started going off the rails.

While I enjoyed the journey, I thought Peter's return was a little too easy. Still, Dan Slott turned what easily could have been a bullshit sales booster into some of the most compelling Spider-Man stories in years, exploring what it means to be a hero. Four out of five stars.

X-Factor: Madrox - Multiple Choice

X-Factor: Madrox - Multiple Choice - Peter David, Pablo Raimondi Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, has set up a detective agency. When one of his duplicates comes home dying, Madrox has the most important case of his life to solve...

Madrox is one of those secondary characters I've always found interesting. For years, people told me I'd dig this detective take on the man who could make duplicates of himself. They were right.

Multiple Choices is a noir tale of one man investigating his own murder. Sort of, anyway. Jamie, Strong Guy, and Wolfsbane, formerly of X-Factor, set up a detective agency and soon they have to find out who killed one of the Multiple Man's multiples.

This book is a murder mystery complicated by the fact that Madrox's duplicates all have different personalities. Couple that with Madrox sending his duplicates out for years at a time to learn new skills and suddenly the Multiple Man has leading man potential. The tale has enough twists and turns to keep it going. Madrox arguing with himself has a lot of psychological implications.

Peter David, unlike a lot of comic book writers who got their start in the 1980s, is still damn good today, the reason being that he has been able to change with the times. The old dog still has a lot of tricks left in him. 4 out of 5 stars. I guess I'll be reading his X-Factor run next.