What comic books have you read today? Part two.19596
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| @HeinzDad I prefer the EC comic. Anthology stories should be complete in one issue. Hello Darkness has the odd story that continues and I don't want to be committed to read a story. I like the fact I can pick up the odd EC and read it and if I miss a issue it doesn't affect the next issue I buy to read. With that I found the art ok in some stories and not so good in others. Real good artists can mimic other artists work and it would of been really brilliant if they had one artist just draw in the 50s EC style. Just for a single story each issue. What you think about them? Also I found only a couple of stories had that twist. ECs are known for their twist endings. And why can't the characters introduce the stories and make a comment at the end. Like the witch and crypt keeper etc use to do. I'm at a 5/6 out of 10. Lots of room for improvement |
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I just read this one for the first time. The first issue of Turtles that I bought back in the 80s was issue 6. That was just as the turtles began to explode in popularity. Within a few months turtlemania would sweep the comics world and the B&W explosion (and subsequent implosion) was officially underway. I was never a true fanatic, but I did enjoy the book back then. Looking at that historic first issue now, I am surprised at how much of a difference there was in the artwork between issues 1 and 6. By issue 6 the book had a stylized, even polished look. The art in issue 1 seems crude by comparison. The story in issue 1 wasn’t bad, but again the writing came a long way in a short period. It will be interesting to watch the learning curve unfold over the next few issues (they are free to read on my kindle). I am asking myself the question, if I had bought and read this book when it came out, would I have bought the next issue? Honestly I am not sure. It was probably better that I waited a few more issues before discovering it. |
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| I liked them both. I prefer to read the anthology though. Reading Shudder, Vampiress Carmilla, Creepshow, and now the EC, I can say I’d like a little more than the 5 page story. I’ve always searched more story though. I can’t stand small volume runs and not piecing things together. | ||
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Quote:Originally Posted by michaelekrupp If you did buy issue one and kept it. You could of sold it to buy more bound comics I think you pick up? |
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| @southerncross not sure what a first print Turtles 1 goes for in 2024, but given that there were only 3000 copies printed and the number of TMNT fans out there today I would say that you are spot on! I probably would have bought it if it had been released a little later. I got my first job in September of 1985, bagging groceries at the IGA, so my purchasing power (and my purchases) increased dramatically at that time. I was like a kid in a candy store, buying anything and everything that caught my interest, especially indie comics! I am guessing that issue 6, which is where I jumped on, probably came out in the fall of ‘85. | ||
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Top 1/2 book in my collection . Third print but whatever. |
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 Miss Chanandler Bong
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Yeah, I had to settle for third printing too. First printing is too rich for my blood. Plus there are so many other comics to collect   All the people that I knew who claimed they had first printings thought they could pay for their kids’ college with it or make $200,000. Yeah, if you had a 9.8  I let 2 of them of know that the VSP service was an option in 2021 but I don’t see them on the population report, maybe they weren’t first printings, or they wanted it verified by CBCS and then went to the other guys. Bummer!As for 1984, it was a great year for reading comics, especially indies. In all my art classes, it gave every budding artist hope that they can make it in the biz. B&Ws were great because they were cheaper to print than color. If you wanted to splurge a little to stand out in the indie crowd, you add a second color like red, which Matt Wagner started adding to Grendel and Eastman & Laird with TMNT. Nowadays it’s more common with Batman and Harley Quinn, but it’s more for artistic marketing than necessity to save money on an indie production budget. Stories didn’t have to be great, but had to have some mass appeal which TMNT did, and had to keep with production deadlines to keep fans engaged, which I noticed in college. All the student cartoonists who made great strides were not art or writing majors, but they had the innate talent to keep up with the campus newspaper schedule. These were the kids that were always doodling constantly. At the time, our paper had about 190 issues a year, which is a lot more than I saw at other schools. Now it’s almost all online, so who knows how many cartoon submissions are required. |
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| From the last week. Sabretooth: Back to Nature. Sabretooth and Wildchild head to Canada to track down two killers who offed one of Wildchild's friends. Story is set during the time when Sabretooth was hanging out with X-Factor. Frank Teran's art was ok. Stylized and gritty for the story so it fits the mood but not necessarily my cup of tea.  Starlord #1-3. Timothy Zahn scripted miniseries about a guy who takes on the role of Starlord after finding his ship in the woods on the planet he is residing. He goes about learning how to behave like Quill while also stopping a corrupt politician from killing his parents. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and Dan Lawlis' art was phenomenal.    Spellbound #1-6. A dimension-crossing baddie (Zzaxz) slides over to Earth where Erica Fortune is selected as the new Spellbinder. She crosses paths with Zxaxz and manages to go toe-to-toe with him but turns out the Spellbinder powers cause the user to go nuts. An interesting concept that took an issue or two to really get going. I believe there is a follow-up story at some point in Marvel Comics Presents.       Nam #52-61. Punisher in 52-53 gives some backstory on Frank as a Marine. He has a personality here. 80s-90s Frank Castle was so much different than post-2000 Frank Castle. Chuck Dixon takes over the writer with #54 and here the style shifts. Previously, the series would run in real time. Now, it hops a bit and focuses on multi-issue stories. It's not bad, but definitely different from what was happening prior. #54-61 really have no happy endings but superb reads nonetheless.           |
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| Been reading mainly on my tablet lately. Also still reading Terry and the Pirates and trying to catch up on my R.A. Salvatore books. I am 2 trilogies behind on the Drizzt books and am working on the last Corona trilogy now. I am currently halfway through Reckoning of Fallen Gods. On the Tablet, the turtles creators seem to be finding their direction and the Gerber wackiness continues in Defenders.     |
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Sabretooth: In the Red Zone. Sweet chromium cover doesn't scan well. The story takes place shortly after UXM 328 when Sabretooth guts Psylocke. Creed is on the run being pursued by some of the X-Men and tangles with Iceman, Angel, Cyclops, Caliban etc. Good pacing and art. I believe this ending sets up Creed's alignment with X-Factor later.  The 'Nam #62-69. Since Chuck Dixon took over the writing chores, it doesn't feel like a 'Nam series but rather just a series set in Vietnam (sounds like that is what it should be like right?). A comparison would be That 70s Show where the early seasons focused on the 1970s and had relevant topical comedy based on the decade but later seasons was just a show set in the 1970s without the topical references. That isn't to say the writing is bad, it's quite good. The sniper stories in #65-66 are very well done.         Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1-4. This limited series was a bit disjointed. Individually, the stories were fine but it wasn't particularly coherent. It could be because it's a very early Marvel mini and the style wasn't as defined, but not bad. #3-4 were pretty good, and #4 had the emotional pull.     Deadly Foes of Spider-Man #1-4. It's nice to see the C-list villains get some love. Since the Sinister Six was indisposed, Beetle forms a group called the Sinister Syndicate along with Boomerang, Speed Demon, Rhino, Hydro Man, with some cameos by the Shocker. Long story short, the team works on heists, but the Kingpin is pulling some strings for some other motives. Interesting writing by Danny Fingeroth who examines the thought processes of the villains, since Spidey really only shows up to get his ass kicked, recover, then save the day. I liked this, and I think there is a sequel to it called the Lethal Foes of Spider-Man. I might check that out.     |
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Archangel: Phantom Wings. I believe this takes place after the Sabretooth: In the Red Zone one-shot as Warren has just recovered from his slashed wings. Interesting tale with Warren being abducted by a woman who is constantly attacked by birds. Very Twilight Zone ending which throws a wrench in his and Betsy's relationship. Maverick one-shot. This story is the possible set-up for Maverick's short-lived solo series when everyone in the X-books was getting a series in the 1990s. Maverick is being chased by Omega Red who is looking for the Carbonadium Synthesizer or some shit. Wilfred Santiago provides some Mark Texeria-inspired art. Quick read and it's ok but nothing special.  Iceman & Angel. An entertaining story about Iceman and Angel hanging out when Goom, the Thing from Planet X comes looking for his son. The art is ok but it had some fun moments.  Colossus one-shot. Colossus and Meggan are hanging out in Paris. Why Colossus is hanging out with another man's girl is beyond me, but I digress. Both are kidnapped by Arcade and get to spend some time working their way through Arcade's games.  Wolverine/Gambit: Victims #1-4. Gambit travels to London to investigate the murder of an old flame. The evidence points towards Wolverine. Wolverine is turning feral at this point since Magneto pulled his adamantium out and can't remember what is happening. I don't recall how Logan ended up in London. Anyways, it turns out Arcade is pulling the strings. I don't know why this guy keeps popping up in the mid-1990s.     Nam #70-78. With six issues left in the series, the war is also on the timeline to wind down. Ed Marks (from the first dozen or so issues) reappears as a war correspondent and spends some time bouncing from FOB to aircraft carrier. Also, there are some backup stories catching up on some of the characters from the early issues like Rob Little and Sgt Polkow.          |
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| I’m almost certain I’d rather read your reviews more than some of the books. | ||
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| Sabretooth and The Nam are intriguing however. In hind sight, my post sounds snarky about your reading choices, I meant it more as compliments to your writing. | ||
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| From the past few days. I got in a groove for a while. Star Wars #48 and Darth Vader Vader #48. Nothing wild. Luke and Leia go on a mission to find some refugees from Alderaan and end up being attacked by Zahra who is apparently now a cyborg pirate after being totally jacked up by Leia in an earlier story arc. Meanwhile, Luke is simultaneously on another planet with Sabe and some other skirt. Sabe is trying to see if he has the dark side in him, and Vader is using the other girl to try and track him. Then Vader gets jumped by some toys. I don't know. Marvel, along with myself, is just trying to get to the end of each series at #50.  Transformers #10. Shockwave is pulling Cybertron towards Earth in an effort to convert Earth's resources top energon to power Cybertron. Sounds like the episode "The Ultimate Doom" from the original cartoon. Beachcomber makes an appearance, and his characterization is on point with how he should be as a scientist and pacifist. Good issue, but more of a setup issue than anything.  Get Fury #3. The story is really starting to roll now, and the art is beginning to catch up. Frank was ordered to travel to North Vietnam to kill white Nick Fury after he is captured by the enemy. It appears Fury stumbled onto a drug trafficking operation between members of the NVA and the CIA; which means Frank is being sent to silence Fury. It appears Nick likes to raw dog the good-time girls because he apparently has a Vietnamese daughter who makes an appearance here. It's a first appearance too, so that should get the flippers' panties wet, but it's a Punisher story so I can't imagine she'll make it past the series conclusion.  Smurfs #1-3. Lighthearted and cute. I have a soft spot for the Smurfs as the cartoon was a Saturday morning staple for me. Also, at King's Island back in the 1980s-early 1990s, the children's section of the theme park was Hanna-Barbera Land and it had this kick-ass animatronic Smurf ride. Anyways, not so much of an overall narrative, but mostly 1-2 page stories with some tied together, and a couple of longer stories mixed in. Considering the format, I'm not positive on if these were stories Peyo created specifically for Marvel or previously published work which was retooled for Marvel.    The Thanos Quest #1-2. Darkseid- er, I mean Thanos is behaving like a beta simp because he loves Mistress Death. While Thanos is still deceased, Death tasks him with eliminating 1/2 the life in the universe to bring a balance. He figures he can do this through the infinity gems. He has encounters with the In-Betweener, Runner, Gardener, Collector and Grand Master. Strong script and solid pencils, inks and colors help the story pop. I'm sure this builds towards the Infinity storylines that populated the Marvel cosmic titles in the early 1990s.   The 'Nam #79-84. Don Lomax took over the writing with #70, resulting in multi-part stories, but also trying to bring back some of the deeper look of the socio-political issues of the Vietnam war like Doug Murray did early on. Lomax also happens to be a Vietnam veteran who has written multiple works on the subject. He really picks up with President Nixon's policy of Vietnamization. Basically, the policy is to train and equip South Vietnamese forces to fight for themselves while the US gets ready to bail. Ed Marks from the first dozen issues is still the protagonist as a reporter now. It ends with issue #84 although the editor writes a letter and says they had more material. Outside of one Punisher in the Nam story, I don't know if any of it has ever seen the light of day, and at this point, it might never. Who knows. Overall, a great series with a big focus on about the first 40ish issues where the characters of the 23rd Infantry are the main focus, and it moves in real time. I don't even know if the whole series is collected in trade form but I would recommend people to check it out.       |
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 I'd like to say I still turned out alright, but that would be a lie.
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One of my secret Santa gifts:  |
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 If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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| @flanders great bookmark or greatest bookmark? | ||
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I don't know what's going on in Undiscovered Country anymore. I think there will be one more story arc before it finishes. Public Domain #6 continues a series from a while back where a delusional guy who could be construed as a Stan Lee or Roy Thomas type of character takes all the credit for a character while the actual creator gets boned. Fast forward to this continuation and now the original creator has his character back and is beginning work on publishing new stories. However, he is confused as to why his kids/employees are telling him to update the character for the new era because being white is out of style. There is a companion series to this title which details the story-within-the-story. I might pick that up. Star Wars: Inquisitors #1 begins a new mini-series, and this is my last foray into Marvel SW before bowing out. The Empire has dispatched the Spanish Inquisition to hunt down a Jedi. Interesting concept even though I thought most of this played out already. SITC had a good character-driven piece for the main character and her feelings.  Wolverine: Deep Cut #1. Pretty solid first issue, which takes place just after the Fall of the Mutants as Sabretooth quips that he saw the X-Men die in SF. Edgar Salazar's art for the action between Logan and Sabretooth is really good, and graphic. I like where this is going.  Squadron Supreme #1-12 + Captain America #314. I don't know where to begin with this. Let's get the obvious out of the way. The Squadron is definitely Marvel's version of the Justice League. Hyperion is Superman, Power Princess is Wonder Woman, Nighthawk is Batman, Amphibian is Aquaman, and so on. That said, this is a very well-crafted story by Mark Gruenwald. CA #314 is an odd tie-in issue where Nighthawk travels to Earth 616 and converses with Cap about what is going on, and recruits some villains who escaped his Earth. The series begins with the Squadron Supreme deciding to take control of their world after a global catastrophe has left it in ruins. They aim to create a utopia with the aptly named "Utopia Program." This involves measures such as mind-controlling criminals and becoming hardcore SJWs. There is tension throughout the team as some members don't agree with the ends justifying the means. Eventually Nighthawk decides to recruit some other superhumans and teams with Master Menace to combat the Squadron. A large battle ensues between the two groups and there really isn't a winner per se. Thematically, it is heavy with topics such as combating poverty, criminal justice reform, emotional manipulation, and the few with the power ruining shit for the many. Highly recommend.              |
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Here’s a not often looked at story by Bisson and illustrated by Berni. Absolutely beautiful. Art work from this story was auctioned off personally by Wrightson to fund the fourth issue of Web of Horror which was never published. The publisher, Sproul, never gave a shit and just did knock off mags like “Cracked”. The team putting it together fell in love with their Web of Horror creation so much they tried to get it to continue. They even tracked Sproul to addresses only to find empty offices. Issue 4 never happened and a lot of work for said title was later published in the fanzine Reality #1 and #2. |
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Webster is by far the best horror mag host. |
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   Some fun early 70s DC horror |
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| I've been pretty hemmed up with hard covers and volumes so my weekly's have been sitting there. Yesterday I purged the pile of everything but a couple mags. First up was Hulk. On his way to Vegas to find Eldest, she can sense it and narrates an issue of her first run in with a fractured son over 3600 years ago. Still a great story but it appears I missed issue 16 somehow as issue 17 is advertised for September.  This is a stand alone which is an issue of Thanos and Hulk bashing each other. If anyone keeps track of infinity issues it may be important but I don't.  Red Band seems like its Marvels attempt at a new version of the Max books. They come all sealed so kids have a hard time buying them which really got my hopes up. Sure there was a crappy attempt at gore but I didn't get any four letter words or flashes of titties. If this line continues without Frank Castle getting a run it's all blasphemy.  This was cool. The illustration fits like a glove.  Dumb, just like I figured. Unfortunately I kind of have to buy a copy to keep up with TMNT going forward.  Im pretty sure I'm on the record of not buying this anymore and I wish I would have listened to myself.  I have no past or vested interest in Predator at all. For some reason I keep buying these volumes even though thats something I'm against. I guess they are just good, I'll finish this series just like the other recent arcs.  The stories in this are cool but I read it in 5 minutes. I have some serious thought to do on if the book is worth it to me or not. EC does have two titles coming out in December and January, Shiver Suspestories, and Cruel Kingdom  This was cool. Capullo got me to check this out and Wolverine always seems like a decent read. Once again though, I have a hard time tracking what volumes are what and where anything fits in the Xmen universe. This takes place after Asteroid M explodes obviously making the world a different place. Just a few heroes are involved with Wolvy and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants which lands a Cold War feel. It seems I have a 5 issue series I can read without having to know about Jubilee's great aunts sisters baby's momma.  All these BRZRKR one shots share something in common. Since Unute is immortal he'll appear in historical incidences and the story illustrates how he affected them. This particular issue was about Ghengis Khan. They are all phenomenal and really get me to thinking. Then, I close the book and see the 9.99 price and I think even more.....  |
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Star Wars stuff. Again, the two main titles are wrapping up some loose ends before they each end with their respective #50. Entertaining stuff but not much to make it memorable. There is an Ewoks miniseries coming out soon to "celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Caravan of Courage". I know I said Inquisitors would be my last foray into Marvel SW. I thought about it trying it, but I don't think it will be worth $5-$6 an issue. Tigra #1-4. I'll be honest, I wasn't looking for this series but Mike Deodato Jr's covers reeled me in. I'm not familiar with Christina Z (the writer) but she crafts a solid story with Tigra going undercover to infiltrate a secret society of police officers who mete out their own brand of justice. Taut pacing, and great art for a character who I never paid much attention to before.     Jack of Hearts #1-4. Again, not a character I'm too familiar with other than seeing some guest spots in a few other series like Avengers and Hulk. Bill Mantlo's script isn't without its flaws but the story essentially follows Jack as SHIELD is attempting to help him control his power before his sort of countrymen from the planet Contraxia come looking for him to repair their dying star. A great power comes great responsibility style tale, with some good 1980s Marvel art and character development.     Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1-12 + West Coast Avengers #2. This storyline probably didn't need to run 13 issues. The overarching plot line is that Wanda wants kids, Vision discovers his humanity and somehow Wanda literally pulls that MacGuffin device of magic out of her ass to make herself pregnant. Essentially, it's an immaculate conception. There's a lot going in with subplots such as Magneto's relationship to Wanda, Vision's relationship to Wonder Man and the Grim Reaper, Toad being presented as a legit threat, and Quicksilver's wife being a cheating skank. Overall, I enjoyed it, even if it felt a little drawn out.              |
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 I blame the forum gremlins.
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| I read the first issue of the short-lived 2023 Punisher series. Despite being a big Punisher fan this series flew completely under my radar. The issue begins with a police investigation into a home that had exploded. The detectives check out the crime scene and discover an unexploded bomb, indicating it had been a murder. This then begins to intercut with a seeding bar frequented by some high-tech gang members. A man wearing a skull on his chest arrives and asks for the whereabouts of someone. Turns out everyone in the bar was paid to protect the guy he’s looking for. The guy with the skull then fights and kills all the gang members in the bar but his target escapes. We learn from the police that of the bodies recovered in the home, the father is missing and he’s now the prime suspect. Back at some underground base, the news is abuzz with news that the Punisher may be back. The guy with the skull, the father of the slain family, is named Joe Garrison. The skull is apparently just a coincidence as it’s meant to just be a ballistic vest. Judging by his outfit, he is former SHIELD, which explains the hi-tech gubs he used in the bar and some of the other equipment we’ll see shortly. His previous handler, a woman going by Triple-A, is like his Microchip. Turns out Triple-A had upgraded the ammunition in Joe’s guns with tracking devices so Joe is able to track down his target, the man who bombed his home. Joe’s Target buys some protection with millions of dollars worth of Mutant Growth Hormone. They are able to spring an ambush when Joe arrives but Joe brought a rifle-sized railgun and makes short work of them. The last guy, some kind of Doctor reveals himself to be Mister Hyde and is able to defend against the railgun. The two fight and Joe is able to blind Hyde with his (hi-tech) knife and uses the suitcase full of growth hormone to defend against a punch from Hyde. The punch sends Joe out into the subway tracks and as Hyde goes on to try to eat him, Joe stuffs his mouth full of the growth hormone which goes on to horrifically transform and possibly kill Hyde. On the opposite platform, Joe’s Target takes a woman hostage telling him to let him onto the next train and get away or he’ll kill the woman. Joe wants him alive to learn who ordered the hit but can’t let him hurt the woman, so as a train runs between them, Joe shoots between the train cars, killing his target along with his last lead to his family’s killer. As a first issue, it’s not too bad. I know it’s a Punisher comic but it still feels weird that they make Joe’s origin so similar to Frank’s and then make the skull a coincidence. I’m not sure how I feel about all the hi-tech gadgets quite yet. Part of the appeal of Frank Castle’s Punisher is how he rarely uses anything fancier than a rifle and now Joe is using hi-tech knives, advanced rail guns, and contact lenses that allow two-way visual communication with Triple-A. That’s not to say there isn’t any room for Joe to make the role his own. Frank was similarly hi-tech in the 90s Spider-Man Animated Series out of necessity and that worked out well-enough. With the series getting cancelled after four issues, it doesn’t look like Joe gets sufficient time to conclude his arc. I do wonder if Joe has made any appearances outside of this series or if he’ll just disappear.  |
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| Wow, I’m glad I already read this. There wouldn’t be a point now. | ||
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 Issue 2 goes by pretty quickly. It begins with the police investigating the home explosion unable to find a history for Joe and then spot him on subway footage fighting Hyde in the last issue. We’re then introduced to a Kingpin-like character called The Offer. Joe is breaking into his building to get to him. When he’s spotted on surveillance The Offer calls in his security team, The Night Shift, to stop him. The Night Shift is a team of villains lead by Bushwacker and includes The Eel, an electricty-based villain, Finesse, daughter of the Taskmaster with “photographic reflexes” and training from AIM and SHIELD, and Doughboy, a clayface-like villain. Each villain gets a couple of pages before Joe dispatches them. He sneaks up on Eel and knocks him out with a fire extinguisher. Finesse is able to avoid Joe’s gunshots and from his movements recognizes that he’s not Castle but was former SHIELD. When she gets in close for the kill, Joe uses Eel’s electric glove to incapacitate her. Doughboy tries engulfing Joe but he pulls several grenades, taking the blast to his advances SHIELD ballistic vest and blowing Doughboy apart. This scene kind of reminded me of a scenes in the Thunderbolts Red series where Frank was wearing some kind of advanced vest himself, attaches a claymore mine to it and uses it to blow up a hulked out soldier. The fight with Bushwacker gets a few pages with the two shooting at each other down a stairwell until they arrive to a room under the piano bar where the fight began. Joe triggers some explosives that bring the piano crashing down on Bushwacker. The fight itself was pretty cool, for how short it was, but the ending was a little too Looney Tunes for me and it’s hard to imagine when Joe would’ve planted the explosives and why he’d have the inclination to. When Joe finally meets The Offer he demands information on who killed his family. The Offer tells him he doesn’t know but that it was a hit sent out across the dark web but not for Joe but for his wife, who worked as a secretary and flagged payments going to shady people. When the offer asks if they are good Joe throws him out of the window. It looks to be dozens of floors up but The Offer hits an awning and then onto a car and survives the fall; apparently Joe did not intend to kill him. This also reminded me of s previous Punisher moment, though the mobster didn’t walk away from that encounter  The issue is once again solid though Joe really can’t escape comparisons to Frank and the fact that, in the story, it’s meant to be unintended on his part (it’s the press giving him the name because of the giant Skull Joe is wearing) just feels weird. If I were to guess, I’d imagine that the story arc was meant to conclude with Joe accepting that he is the new Punisher but we’ll see if the story manages to get that far. I did like the twist that the target of the murder wasn’t Joe but his wife. I’d definitely like to see where that takes the story but with only two issues left, I’m betting it won’t be especially satisfying |
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If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite He's on the cover of the current Elektra (Daredevil) series, but I haven't read them. |
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| @xkonk Interesting! Looks like he’ll be featured at least until Issue 4 of Woman Without Fear. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like that series is on Marvel Unlimited yet so I’ll have to read that later. Thus far these are Joe’s only appearances so he’s not exactly storming the Marvel Universe. It’s neat that he’s interacting with Elektra but again but why have Joe retread the same ground as Frank instead of sending him out in his own direction? With his high-tech angle Joe seems like he should be facing off against more powered or sci-fi enemies, basically more super-villains, than Frank’s more street level niche. |
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 I really enjoyed issue 3, though not perfect. It begins with Joe being chased by the detectives investigating the murder of his family. Joe is injured and has apparently been drugged with a fear toxin. He hides away in a warehouse. The cops call for backup but there’s some kind of gang war elsewhere in the Marvel Universe New York so they have to go in alone. The fight with Fearmaster, apparently the daughter of Mister Fear, is little more than a scuffle before she hides away. Most of the issue is Joe having Scarecrow-like fear hallucinations of his murdered family. Joe expresses his desire to join his family but they tell him that his mission isn’t as simple as he thinks. Joe stumbles on a room with dozens of people strung up from the ceiling, previous victims of Fearmaster, who was hired by the same person that put the contract out on Joe’s wife. Joe realizes his mission is not just to avenge his family but everyone that’s been killed by the people that killed his family. Throughout the issue there’s an ongoing thread of the fear toxin straining Joe’s heart, possibly to the point of killing him. Intercut with Joe’s hallucinations, Triple-A’s base is attacked by unknown thugs. She puts up a fight but is captured. Meanwhile, one of the detectives is killed by Fearmaster who then attacks the second. Joe’s heart gives out, but literally for a single frame when his heart starts beating again. When Fearmaster is just about to kill the second detective, Joe bursts in and beats on Fearmaster and ultimately snaps her neck. The detective tries to arrest Joe but Joe tells him he didn’t kill his family. Joe shows the detective a map he’d found earlier with targets list and tells him that whoever funded Fearmaster is planning an attack on upcoming peace talks. The detective asks who’s running it but Joe says he only knows the name is Jigsaw (he’s shown as a masked figure so we’ll see if this is the Jigsaw we already know). I enjoyed this issue since it gave us a little character development for Joe and helped crystalize his mission and made it sufficiently different from Frank’s. I’m not a huge fan that they keep tossing C-list villains at him or the children of villains at him and that they only last one issue. Another thing I’m not a fan of is how much happens off-screen, though I imagine part of that is due to the book being cut short. We don’t see what lead Joe to The Offer last issue, though I could kind of let that go if he’s meant to be a well-known information broker in the underworld. In this issue though, we don’t see anything leading up to the start of the issue. Sure starting in media res is an artistic choice but I still would’ve liked to see Joe’s first encounter with Fearmaster, how the cops found him to give chase, and definitely how he found the name Jigsaw. I know Joe wouldn’t die in this issue but still, I would’ve preferred they play up the drama of it a little instead of having him flatline, cut to one frame of the detective fighting Fearmaster, and then cut back to Joe’s heart beating once more. One thing I haven’t really talked about is the artwork by Dave Watcher. I’ve really enjoyed the art thus far. His work is very detailed and shines especially with the more grotesque creatures Joe encounters like Mister Hyde, Fearmaster, and the charred corpses of Joe’s family. Sometimes it can take on a more sketchy quality for certain scenes. |
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