Daredevil #22 Review

Daredevil continues the amazing hot streak it is on with this current issue that just so happens to feature the all new Superior Spider-man. I imagine that a lot of people will be picking this issue up who don't read the book normally due to the Spidey appearance, but it seems to me that after reading this people will be sticking around with this series longer than they thought they would be.

This being a Daredevil book and not a Spidey book; the story of this issue revolved around Matts' POV, which makes a lot of sense. What was great was how he was unsure throughout why "Peter" was behaving the way he was. Matt had doubts about his best friend all the way until the very end, which made sense considering they are pretty much best friends. I am sure Spidey will come across a lot more of this while Doc is in fact in Peter; but it was nice to see DD wonder what was up straight from the get go.

The battle that Spider-man and DD were involved in against stilt man was quite entertaining; but it obviously took a back seat to the second guessing of Matt as well as the massive revelation at the end of this book. It was something that I never saw coming, not just in the lead up from this issue, but the series as a whole. The revelation came totally out of left field, and I am really hoping that something will happen so the consequences of it will never be felt; otherwise we will be losing a very dear character of the book.

Chris Samnees' art has always been good in my opinion; better than average but not as good as people have made out to me. However, in this issue I think it finally hit me how it has obviously already hit so many people. I think this issue was just beautiful. I loved every single panel, and I can now see why he is as loved as he is. I hope this continues in the coming issues.

Once again this is another great issue. In fact I would go as far as saying that it is better than I thought it would be. I had a feeling it was going to be some kind of filler issue; but instead it has become one of my favourite issues of the series so far. If you are not purchasing this book then buy this as it acts as a great jumping on point. A brand new story arc is starting next month too, so now really is as good a time as ever to step into the world of Daredevil.

Rating: 9 / 10

Indestructible Hulk #3 Review

I mentioned in my review of #1 that I was desperate for this series to be good because I have been waiting for a decent Hulk book to sink my teeth into. After three issue I think it safe to say that Mark Waid is really delivering here; bringing us a Hulk series that the fans I am sure are enjoying very much.
I did think that #2 was a slight step down from the very impressive #1, but with this issue I think Waid has delivered the best yet.

In this issue we see Hulk on yet another SHIELD mission. I like the way that these missions are settled in the space of a single issue. It may sound like it is not enough, but the mission in this issue came across very well in this kind of format. Waid is not belittling the readers by making the missions really simple. I am glad he is not because in reality SHIELD would not send the Hulk out and simple boring missions. This particular one was pretty complicated throughout, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it up to its conclusion.

Waid also found a lot of room in this issue to slip in plot points for the future. We got introduced to Bruces' newly recruited lab assistants, as well as a special Robot who seems like will be providing some nice light comic moments in the future of this series.
It also seems like there are more to these new recruits that meets the eye, so that will be interesting to see in the future. I am sure that a couple may have a hidden agenda for wanting to work with Bruce. I also think he probably knows this too; so it will be very interesting to see just how this develops.

The art in this series is getting really mixed responses in other reviews I have read. I for one can say that I really like it. The Hulk looks simply awesome. He is huge, and it is easy to imagine the damage he can do.
A couple of the more packed panels of the issue are a tad hard to make out properly; but that does not bother me as it only makes me want to look into the art more than I usually would; which can only be a good thing.

I am still on a high with this series so I do recommend it. Waid is building a nice little world here; which is something he did very well with the Daredevil book that he is on. I think you should pick this up and give it a go. I don't think  you will be disappointed.

Rating: 8 / 10

Punisher Nightmare #3 Review

This limited series continues in this issue to show how comic books can be used in so many different ways. This series has been very very dialogue heavy, and it enjoys to go backwards and forwards in time a lot with everything coming together just before the end of the issue. It sounds like it may be a bit confusing, or maybe even slightly boring. However, it is neither of those things; instead it a very clever series that has a brilliant story to tell.

In this issue we find out just who exactly is after the new character introduced in this series; Niman. It is something that I saw coming after the last issue, but it makes a lot of sense so I am very happy that the series is going the way I imagined it to do.
What is also interesting is the conflict going on in this issue in characters own heads. Niman is starting to become unsure what is right and wrong. He is also starting to get confused about just who the enemy is. This is interesting because I think before this series concludes, he and Frank will definitely come to blows at some point. Speaking of Frank, he is starting to question just who he is. He is still struggling to come to terms with why he didn't end all of this when he could of done at the end of #1.

This particular issue was set "In the shadow of Civil War". Admittedly I have not read Civil War, so I was slightly concerned with how it would fit in this series. It turns out I had nothing to worry about, as it is used very well in order to get across just what Frank stands for; as well as how other people within the superhero community see him. If you are familiar with the Punisher then you may think that this is pretty pointless. However, I thought it fit very well, and acts as a great introduction to the character for people who may have only got into the character due to this series.

Mark Texeiras' art is growing on me with each issue now. At times I do think it can be a little bit confusing; but on the other hand it does fit the book very well. The double pages spreads that have been introduced in the last couple of issues, which are filled full of flashbacks and flash forwards, work very well; and really help to tie everything together that has been explained in the issue.

This series has still got me. With two issues left I am very intrigued to see how this will end. It may be a series that works better as a trade, but I highly recommend people to get involved with it now. It may even make a nice little TV special one day as it would certainly suit that kind of format.

Rating: 8 / 10

Digital Code: TMM23FFN8XKY

All New X-Men #6 Reivew

I initially missed this series when issues 1-5 came out, but ended up doing everything within my power to purchase those issues when I read just how good this series was. So I got myself up to date and now here we are with #6 in the series. Bendis has been getting plaudits for this book from all corners of the comic book community, and you can really see why. This series has legs to it; so what was firstly considered as probably only running for a few issues, now seems to have the world at its feet. Rightly so in my opinion too.

We see a lot of young Jean Grey in this issue as she is coming to grips with what happens to her in the future, as well as the new powers that she all of a sudden now possesses. What I really liked in this issue was how supporting Kitty Pryde was throughout towards Jean. I am a massive fan of Kitty's, so it is awesome for me to see her role become more important in this series as she has taken it upon herself to look after the younger versions of the X-Men.

The other main story running throughout this book was between young Cyclops and modern day Wolverine. It is clear to see what Logan is finding it hard not to take his anger out on young Scott, even though the events that have recently happened are not his fault at all. However, when he does lower his guard, it doesn't end too well for him.
I really do feel sorry for young Scott as he is coming to grips with just what he is going to do in his future. It must be a big shock for anyone knowing that they will never be what they believe they will become in their future; and it must be even harder knowing that you will be behind the death of someone who was a father like figure to you. It is going to be interesting to see the development of young Scott in particular throughout this series, as well as young Jean.

The art in this series is once again perfect for this book. David Marquez is doing a fine job on this series, and I will even go as far as saying that I think this issue may his best work yet on the title.
As mentioned at the start of this review, many people did not think that this title had the legs; now the potential for some major character development seems pretty much limitless. I really can't wait for the next issue of this to hit the shelves; it may be my favourite Marvel NOW title. February seems so far away.

Rating: 9 / 10

Saga #9 Review

With many new-ish comic books an issue without the two main characters in a single panel can sometimes flop hard. However, with Saga it is seen as a fantastic opportunity to learn about the world that Vaughan and Staples are building. This issue focuses on The Will and Gwendolyn; who is Markus' ex wife. I am pretty convinced that you will not be hearing any complaints from any Saga fans about the lack of Alana and Markus in this issue. It is yet another great example of how comic books should be made.

The first few pages of this issue really confused the hell out of me. We saw a character that we thought was dead seem to come back to life. All was explained later though, and it really helped to set up the issue. What we saw next was a more in depth introduction to Gwendolyn after her brief cameo last issue. The first thing that struck me was just how amazing Fiona Staples has made her look. She has really nailed down Gwendolyns' facial expressions, and after this issue I got a real feeling of just who this character is. That is all down to fantastic writing by Mr. Vaughan, accompanied by great art by the comic worlds favourite artist.

Saga just does everything very very well in general. We had a fight scene in this that was not anything too special on the face of it, BUT we got to see weapons and powers used that we were previously unaware of. This is why Saga is so successful. It makes things very special that have no right to be as good as they are.

I also really enjoyed the character interaction between The Will and Gwendolyn. I wonder if they will get involved romantically in the near future? I have a feeling that they wont though considering Vaughan really likes to surprise us with this series. I just hope he doesn't kill either of these two off for some time to come
if ever.

A character that has all of a sudden become quite key in this series is Slave Girl. What she said at the end of this book has all of a sudden put so much focus on her that I am sure fans of this book did not expect. She has become a vital instrument for The Will and Gwendolyn to use. This is another very intriguing plot point that I am sure will be examined more deeply in future issues.
Oh and who can forget lying cat? The animal that can tell when someone is lying had a couple of moments in here that were hilarious. Who ever thought that such a strange creature could become such a fan favourite. The moments with this animal are well worth admission alone. Speaking of admission, I am in shock that this is still a 2.99 book. It is such a bargain. If you are unfamiliar with this series then pick up the trade of 1-6. I assure you will thank me.

Rating: 9 / 10

Batman #16 Review

I am going to start off by saying that I am 22 years old; and I was really shocked at some things that I saw in this issue. It is by far one of the darkest superhero comic books that I have ever read, and I am not too sure how young teenagers are deemed suitable to read this issue. It is just a bit odd to me.
Saying that, yes it is a dark book, but it is one of the best issues in this current 16 issue series. Joker's plan is finally starting to come together, so we get a lot of answers to our many questions as readers. There is still more to come from Mr J, I am sure, but with this issue we can see just how horrifying his grand plan really is.

This issue mainly focuses on Batman travelling through Arkham Asylum trying to find the Joker. Along the way he encounters many different horrifying images and threats. As a reader we get thrown right into what is going on. At first we are unsure what this first scenario is, but once it becomes clear, we become fully aware of what kind of issue that this is going to be. This may be the Joker's best laid plan of them all. However, the fact that it is as graphic as it is, makes me wonder if this really is him after all. I mean, it has to be though doesn't it?!?

What I really liked about this issue was the fact that even Batman himself seemed to be quite shocked at what he was seeing. Over and over again he was telling himself to not think about it and to just move on as he was getting close to the man he was looking for. I am starting to think that maybe at the end of this arc, Bruce may not be the same again. I am sure Scott Snyder has a very well laid out plan for the future of Bruces' mental state.

The Joker finally did make an appearance towards the end of this issue. He carried on being this new scary monster that we are becoming used to. He seems to have a plan for everything, but that makes sense considering everything him and Batman have been through. The end of this issue shows that he knew exactly what Batman would end up doing to himself, which leads nicely onto the 2nd part of his perfect plan to destroy him in Arkham.

The art by Capullo was once again spot on. He was made to draw a Batman title; this story arc in particular. He just nailed it throughout, with one of the highlights for me being the new "Justice League"; especially Wonder Woman. Read it and you will see exactly what I mean.
The back up story in this issue carried on directly from where this issue ended. It was one of the best back ups so far in this series by a long way as it showed just how much power Joker has over his allies in Gotham City. It also shows that he knows exactly how they will behave too. He is a truly horrendous human being, who you can really not get on top of.

This issue was amazing. There really are no more words to describe it. Scott Snyder is hitting top form with this story line, and you can really tell that he is loving telling us this tale.I know that some people were a bit against #15 in this series, but I am sure that they have changed their minds after reading this. Batman is turning into the best horror comic book out there at the minute, and that is something that I never expected to say.

Rating: 9.5 / 10

Comic Book Thoughts

I have not had a chance to review everything I read over the last few weeks, so here I am going to mention a few titles and give some of my thoughts on them. I hope you enjoy, and I hope it also gives a bit more of an idea of all the things that I do read.


Vampirella #1 - I have not read any of the Vampirella books at all. Of course, I have heard of the character, but I am not overly familiar with her. I decided to get on this new Vampirella mini series from Dynamite, and after reading this issue I am very much looking forward to reading more. This is a great start to what I think will be a very interesting title. It has made me want to pick up some Vampirella trades, so I would say that it is new reader friendly. 8 /10

Mara #1 - This is such a strange concept for a book, and I guess with the Lance Armstrong cheat admission, it has probably come out at a pretty good time. This new mini series from Brian Wood definitely has my attention. 8 /10

Superman #15 - I have not had time to review this, which is a shame as I love reviewing this series. It is still very much overlooked in my opinion, and this issue highlights why I continue on liking it a lot. The H'el on Earth crossover is still very intriguing, and I loved the introduction of some familiar characters right at the end. 7.5 / 10

Avengers Arena #3 - This is another series that I just can not understand the hate for. Here, we have another great issue with some great character introductions. I am not familiar with many of these characters but this book is really making me invested in them. I think it has become clear that they are not all going to be killed off, so I think fans of these names should not worry as much. 7.5 / 10

Fantastic Four #3 - I am enjoying this series, but I cant justify spending money on a book that is just one mini adventure after another like this one is. There is obviously a bigger picture, but I think I am going to drop it. It is thoroughly enjoyable, the same goes for this issue, but I do not think that it is for me. I wanted just a little bit more from a Fantastic Four book. I may jump back on at some point in the future though. 7 /10

Mind The Gap #7- What a series this is! The questions are still being thrown right at us, and it is still not entirely clear what the hell is going on; but I for one am definitely in it for the long run. 8.5 / 10