The last week of July is a solid week overall. Onward with some spoilers!
DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT FOR 7/31/13:
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #24: "City Fall" enters its third chapter as writers Tom Waltz, Bobby Curnow, and Kevin Eastman alongside artist Mateus Santolouco (with longtime colorist Ronda Pattison) continue to build a tale of the epic rise of the Foot Clan. Dangerous when introduced during the first year of this great IDW Comics revival of the classic franchise, they've regrouped and become twice as dangerous as this series officially ends its second year. While Casey Jones recovers from his near mortal wounds, the Ninja Turtles (and Splinter) form an uneasy alliance with their enemies Old Hob and Slash to try to rescue Leonardo from the Shredder. Unfortunately, the feudal era warlord sees the young turtle (and not his granddaughter Karai) as a worthy heir, and has twisted him into our heroes' worst nightmare. Various seeds and characters introduced in previous arcs are sown for great effect in this affair. Highlights include Leonardo's great new design and Michelangelo's innocent attempt to befriend the beastly Slash - which actually pays off! In two years of stories, Waltz and Eastman have recreated a universe with ninjas, mutants, and reincarnated characters dueling in the streets of New York (with ties to alien empires) and it has all flowed together seamlessly. While the story has a lot of violent and grim moments, there are also always moments of levity to keep things from getting too bleak to bare. Viacom has a new TMNT cartoon on Nick and Michael Bay produces a new TMNT film to everyone's chagrin, but this fan's money, it is this IDW series which offers true TMNT enjoyment.
For the record, I think this issue ran about a week late since both Diamond and Comic Book Resources thought it was coming out last week. The 6 page preview was also available last week. But, so long as it ships the month it's supposed to, I don't usually care.
DAREDEVIL #29: Marvel Comics offers up a rare treat for the fifth Wednesday of July; a second issue of the Mark Waid written "Daredevil" which is up to snuff to usual issues. Usual colorist Javier Rodriguez fills in his second issue for Chris Samnee, and his artwork is up to the same standard as Samnee or some of the other great artist the series has been privy to. Having wrapped up a long running story line which led back to his first issue on this relaunched series, Waid has the task of trucking forward without making it seem as if he's making things up as he goes along. Thankfully, Waid is a master at making every page count and building stories which are simple on the surface but become more complex as one delves into them.
Matt Murdock was tasked with representing one of the most difficult clients of his legal career - the grown up bully who used to torment him as a child. Unfortunately, the creep was a former flunky of the white supremacist super villain organization "the Sons of the Serpent", who Daredevil last battled in issues of "Defenders" from 1975. Fighting a false arrest charge, Murdock soon finds that the evil group have infiltrated a Manhattan court-house when a number of the guards and police officers and even the judge prove to be members (or paid off flunkies) of the group. Very quickly, Daredevil is trapped in a court-house with a mortally wounded client and no where to turn - with a bomb ticking away as well! If there are any clues who to trust, Daredevil quickly realizes a weakness with dealing with white supremacist fanatics - they rarely accept minority flunkies.
Flanked by inks by Alvaro Lopez, the artwork by Rodriguez works incredibly well with pacing the action and suspense within the issue. Waid has often forged a close union with his artists on this series in terms of portraying Daredevil's radar powers as well as the general tone of the series, and Rodriguez is able to continue in that vein well. Considering there have been two regular artists before Samnee within two years, one wonders if Rodriguez may be being groomed to be the secondary artist on a regular basis. While the story may not be of the epic level as a crossover event, Waid works well with the more subtle suspense of being trapped in a building with enemies around every corner. The mystery unravels into something larger, which will lead to more exciting stories ahead.
It gets repetitive, but that doesn't stop it from being true. "Daredevil: The Man Without Fear" as relaunched and written by Mark Waid has become a shining example of Marvel superhero comics done right. Even with minor crossovers with other books here and there, the narrative quality never wavers and it often features some of the best artwork available for three dollars an issue. This is a seminal run unraveling before us, one which will stand on its own for years to come.
FEARLESS DEFENDERS #7: A fortnight ago, the previous issue of this plucky ladies themed "Defenders" relaunch seemed to strike a nerve with fans online due to killing off one of its new heroines. This issue written by Cullen Bunn picks up right after that controversial one, with beautiful fill in art by Stephanie Hans. It also will be the last issue priced at $2.99 as Marvel's editorial board seeks to hike the price to continue to print the book due to low sales. Unlike "Morbius the Living Vampire" or "Gambit", this book has gained some cult status despite its poor sales overall, and Marvel has responded. Rising the price a dollar won't extend the life of this book much (unless the upcoming "Infinity" crossover delivers a spike in sales), but it will increase the profits enough that this series may limp to a twelfth issue instead of being axed at a ninth. At any rate, this issue takes place in Valhalla, the mythical land of the dead for the Norse pantheon where archeologist Annabelle Riggs finds herself after a very noble sacrifice. Guilt-ridden, Valkyrie ventures into such lands to resurrect her, teaming up with fellow classic Defenders member Clea and ultimate reuniting Misty Knight with her friend. There is always a price for such things, which may remind some of the dynamic which used to exist between Rick Jones and Mar-Vell. Bunn writes an interesting take on Valhalla and how it may not be "heaven" for Riggs, but it is easy for Hans' artwork to steal the issue with its stunning beauty. So many people seemed to only notice this book when it did something controversial; will these same audiences pay attention when it's not?
INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #11: A second dose of Mark Waid from Marvel this week as the latest arc of the solo Hulk title charges forward from the ashes of "Age of Ultron". While there is no team-up with Daredevil this time, the "Sons of the Serpent" show up to offer some cohesiveness with Waid's other major series. The finale of "Age of Ultron" suggested that the entire space/time continuum was collapsing due to far too many time-travel quests by various characters, and it seems Waid has picked up that ball to roll with. Bruce Banner discovers yet another hidden wing of SHIELD which is focuses entirely on attempting to manage time-travel affairs. A spare Thor villain is dusted off as aircraft and structures seem to be vanishing and reappearing in alternate time periods. This leads to a near suicide mission for the Hulk which ends with one of the most fun cliffhangers in ages. In three words: cowboys and dinosaurs. Artist Matteo Scalera and colorist Val Staples continue on the series from the last two issues, and they seem to be a good fit; Scalera seems to have a style which reads well alongside Lenil Yu, who helped launch this volume. This series still may not be as good a read as Waid's "Daredevil", it has managed to create a new status quo for the Hulk which capitalizes on "The Avengers" film without it being pandering - a notable feat.
VENOM #38: Yet another "double ship" month for one of "Amazing Spider-Man"'s longest running spin-offs in recent history, Cullen Bunn and artist Kim Jacinto with colorist Lee Loughridge continue on the uphill run on a book built by Rick Remender and Tom Fowler. Flash Thompson/Agent Venom has settled into Philly with a new job and a stable supporting cast, but still retains the same problems he usually always had. The local crime boss has declared open season on the vigilante, and costumed mercenaries are coming out of the wood work to slay him and cause trouble. Thompson is forced to accept aid from the shifty tabloid reporter Katy Kiernan to assemble a support team of his own. Unfortunately, it isn't in time to spare his trouble student (and neighbor) Andi from being stalked by his arch nemesis, Jack O'Lantern. The finale reveals that Agent Venom may be getting a new teenage partner; while "Amazing Spider-Man" attempted this last year with Alpha, it may work out better here since it has been built up for a longer period of time. Sales for this series are slipping dangerous close to cancelation territory, but this series seems set to hit a 45th issue, which is a more than worthy run for a bold take on an old character. Enjoy it while it lasts.
I also think, due to the trend of relaunches and reboots, this is one of the longest numbered volumes of a mainstream Marvel comics in print. 20k seems to be the mark for either cancellation, relaunch, or a price hike and this series is nearing that.
