The Mast Blogs/Reviews: Shameless Plugs & Thursday's Comics (25/2/2010).

Oh yeah!

I guess that intro loses potency when done without wearing a Kool-Aid Guy outfit.

Regardless, welcome to another fine edition of Thursday's Comics! I am your host, The Mast. You should know that by now.

I want to start this weeks post by gloating about a few gems I recently picked up! Last week I got my hands on THIS bad boy: The Daredevil #505 Deadpool variant.

It's special because it's a parody/edit of Daredevil #187, as I've said before. That comic is special because it's the first Daredevil comic I ever read, so to have a Deadpool variant of Daredevil (My two favs) that happens to be a mock-up of my first Daredevil comic? Pretty special. I want to give special thanks to Mr. Alex...well, just Alex, of Comicana Comics for providing me with this gem for a stupidly reasonable price. Someone actually wanted to charge me £25 more than what I paid, so major thanks to him for that.

I also want to thank Alex for providing me with this: The Fantastic Four #576 Deadpool variant.

I think it's hilarious, totally Deadpool and thus, essential. I don't have it NOW, unfortunately. I have to go back next week to get it, but he's putting it aside for me.

Comicana and Gosh (My main sources of comicy goodness) BOTH happen to be void of websites, so if you want anything ordered, get in touch with me or Google the number/email address of the respective places. Between those two stores and the really awesome staff that work there (In Comicana's case, just Alex. He's a trooper!), there's nothing you'll really be left wanting for. As soon as either of these establishments have an internet place of purchase, you'll see me spam the links here.

Alex has a knack for making people spend money...it's like a sickness, so watch out.

With all that apple-polishing out of the way, let's get to why all seven of you are here (I totally must have more than seven regulars by), to read comic stuff!


Deadpool #20.

Ehh.

The interaction between Spider-Man and Deadpool is solid in this issue, as it was in the issue before, but something just...lacks. I'm so glad that Way seems to have ditched Pool-o-Vision and seems to be cutting back on the two-voices thing, too. That's always a good thing.

The whole issue revolves around Deadpool and Spidey trying to figure out how to deal with Hit-Monkey and his impending assassination attempt on our favourite 4th wall-breaking mercenary. There's one scene where Deadpool shows up in a dress...which was so unnecessary that it made me sick. Like Deadpool isn't portrayed as enough of a joke nowadays, they gotta put him in a dress.

I must admit, the first time they encounter Hit-Monkey is amusing; Spidey theorises that if he can't kill Deadpool then Deadpool can just let himself get shot and then heal, derived from the fact that Hit-Monkey isn't aware Deadpool can heal. Spidey then stands up and just gives Deadpool's hiding place away, thus causing him to get peppered with bullets.

Regardless, it's hard to like or dislike this issue because NOTHING HAPPENS. It honestly feels like absolutely nothing happens at all. There's a subplot involving some corrupt cops who are quickly assassinated by Hit-Monkey...so that was pointless. The issue ends with Hit-Monkey attempting to make amends with Spider-Man after attacking him, but Deadpool mistakes it for an attack and engages Hit-Monkey. The final page shows Deadpool getting pumped full of bullets.

I don't know where this is going, it frustrates me. I wish there was some kind of cohesion between his comics, I really do. During his first main on-going series, it honestly felt like each comic had a purpose. The filler issues at LEAST felt solid. Now it feels like hardly anything's going on. These last two issues have been improvements, but it's gonna take something good to dig it out of the hole it has been in since #12.

I can't say I'd recommend this series right now. Get #1 to #12 and then don't bother with any of them until there's a better arc.

I do love the art, though. Chunky and nice, I dig.


Realm of Kings: Inhumans #4 of 5.

So frustrating, I swear to god.

Realm of Kings is truly suffering without a main serious, I feel. I can only hope that somewhere and somehow things end up relating to everything else. Let me clarify that point...

In the one-shot you had all this horrifying shit revealed and things seemed like they would blow up, big time. Then...never heard of again. Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard is doing well, but that's because it has characters I like and contains actual creatures from The Fault. Realm of Kings: Inhumans has gone four issues without really revealing how or why The Fault is connected.

The loose connection of Black Bolt is running through the issues, this one included. Triton and Ra-Venn continue their research within The Fault and come to the conclusion that they can't tell Queen Medusa of their discovery. The reason for this is that they don't want her to get her hopes up of Black Bolt being alive. They agree that if there's some kind of ghost in The Fault, that Black Bolt himself might be, but don't feel that telling her is a viable option yet.

Mainly, though, the story consists of Ronan and co chasing down Maximus who has betrayed them yet again and been revealed as the orchestrator of the Alpha Primitive rebellion. Toward the end of the issue they corner him and it's revealed that Queen Medusa herself had been the one ordering him around.

Could she be a Fault-controlled being? Who knows? With one issue to go, I don't understand nor see how they could possibly connect it to everything else, but we'll see.

Of the two miniseries, this is the one with the least focus. I've stopped reading Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy, though. I can't be missing much as there're only a couple of issues of those left that can be considered tie-ins.

I very much look forward to Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #5 of 5, but aside from that. I really can't recommend this. The first half of this arc was good, but then...I don't know what happened. It has dissolved.


Dark Wolverine #83.

This is a bit of a weird issue.

After revealing that the Asgardian Fates had dubbed Daken the bringer of Ragnarok (The cycle that ends Asgard and rebirths it again), we saw him kill Norman Osborn. Naturally, it wasn't real and had to be revealed as a daydream in this issue.

We see the Fates continually courting Daken and getting rebuffed for their troubles. They seem certain that Daken is the one for the job, and it's only when they explain things that it gets interesting. You see, Thor ended the Ragnarok cycle and this caused the Fates to be cut from Asgard and somewhat bound to Earth (Best I could tell, anyway). The Fates cannot handle this, they consider it unnatural and explain that Ragnarok MUST occur as it's a natural cycle. Daken, confused, asks what the Hell this has to do with him and, while not totally explained, it's revealed that the circumstances of Ragnarok have changed.

It used to be that Ragnarok could only be brought about by a certain kind of person, but now Daken is somehow eligible. He says he's in, but on his terms and shakes himself out of the hallucination, just in time to get fried by an off-panel Thor (See Siege #2).

The Fates begin plotting their next move with regards to manipulating Daken as the issue ends.

I think Daniel Way meant to hint to a lot of things in this issue, but failed to do so clearly enough. The result is a reasonably odd issue that neither asks nor answers questions. It isn't revealed how Daken is meant to be involved at all, which is expected, but I thought it'd be hinted at a lot more.

I'm curious, so I'll keep reading. I doubt Dark Wolverine is going to have a massive Siege revelation in it, though. I'm sure that'd only ever happen in a Bendis title.


Thor #607.

Now, this is such a nice issue even if Thor isn't in it.

Throughout the issue, multiple things happen that spell quite epic consequences for all involved.

Asgardian hobo, Knut, begins running around prophesising that Asgard will not survive the night, which ends with Loki murdering him after confirming that what he is saying is true, all following a typical scene whereby he is dismissed as a crazy old man by King Balder. This is compounded by the fact that Heimdall contradicts him and says that there IS no threat coming, that he would have seen it if it were true.

The very next morning we see the Siege of Asgard begin (I guess this is where Thor's series catches up). Volstagg, currently held in a jailcell (Willingly), is released by the two jailers so that he can go and defend his home. He vows to return and honour the justice he is served as soon as things are settled, but not before he uses a broadcasting system to plead his case and reveal that he was provoked.

Loki traps Heimdall in some kind of room and tells him that trying to escape will mean his own death. He isn't capable of escaping in this issue, but we must assume he does since he is the one who explains things to Ares.

The issue ends with Volstagg on his way to Asgard as Thor seemingly flies down to greet him, old costume and all. With great vengeance, Thor begins attacking Volstagg, revealing himself to be none other than Ragnarok, the Thor clone from Civil War!

I'm very glad they brought Ragnarok back, simply because I want Thor to smash him into oblivion. Thor is definitely the most effective Siege tie-in right now, seeing as it's the source of the battle.

If you do want to get into Siege but don't want all the tie-ins, Thor #607 is a good issue to pick up. The art is phenomenal, courtesy of Billy Tan, and Kieron Gillen's dialogue gives the Asgardians a robust and potent aura. I'm enjoying this series thoroughly.


The New Avengers #62.

This issue is set before/during Siege.

Following on from the battles in the previous issue, we see Spidey fighting for his life against a Mandrill-hypnotised Spider-Woman. He takes a fairly hefty beating without fighting back before he manages to shake her out of it and the two of them team up. Griffin and Mandrill don't really stand much of a chance against the two and the focus of the issue quickly shifts to the Living Laser Vs Steve and Bucky.

Steve, using the diplomatic approach, tries to reason with the guy but ultimately fails. The coolest moment comes when he tells Laser to walk away and change his life or else. Laser's all like: "...or else what?", "...or else Luke Cage will punch your head off your body.". Something to that degree. Luke Cage then appears and deals Laser and ALMIGHTY uppercut. Such a badass, and a badass entrance.

Bucky overloads him with a stray electrical wire and knocks him out of commission. There's a really, REALLY touching moment at the end of this battle as Luke Cage realises Steve is back. They embrace and it's the first real time you see someone affected by his return. Before they can share pleasantries, Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors appear on a rooftop opposite with rifles aimed directly at them. Convinced they are who they say they are, Nick Fury and his crew follow the three of them back to the area we saw them gathered in during Siege #2.

Upon Steve returning to the base, he meets the assorted Avengers teams for the first time since being back and again, it's a really touching scene. The look on all of their faces, Ms. Marvel especially, is priceless. Luke Cage has the line of the issue, though: "I went to the Living Legends store and this is all they had left.".

Another really cool piece of dialogue is dropped when Spidey and Spider-Woman show up. Spidey says that they wouldn't believe the night they had, but before he can finish his line he sees Fury and Steve together and says: "Ok, you guys clearly had a crazier night.". They gather around to see Thor getting decimated on TV (See Siege #1), to which Steve says something needs to be done (Leading into the planning stage from Siege #2 I guess). Bucky and Fury state that they don't have nearly enough manpower to go up against Osborn, but Steve says it'll have to be.

With the immortal line of "Avengers Assemble!", Steve inspires the group and the issue ends.

I cannot get enough of this team. By "This team" I mean Bendis and Immonen. Stuart Immonen has long proven that he is one of the world's premier comic artists, man. The dude can draw like a motherfucker. Bendis isn't perfect, but when he gets his shit right, he gets his shit RIGHT. The dialogue in this issue, as with most of his latter-Dark Reign and Siege work, is as on point as it needs to be and really does convey a great sense of character understanding and situational gravity.

It feels like they're preparing for a war. Hopefully the relevant tie-ins will have caught up to Siege in time as it's a bit weird reading stuff as if it's happening before Siege. Besides that, which isn't really a negative, I have nothing bad to say.

The Siege tie-ins are not spectacular, they've actually been kinda mediocre up until Thor #607 and this issue. As single comics, they are doing a very good job, though. Again, if anyone wants to get into Siege I have an entire read-order ready for anyone who needs it. it tells you what comics you need to buy and in what order. Don't hesitate to let me know!

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I was going to review Nation X #3 of 4, but it's so fucking shit that I really can't be bothered.

I definitely want to start putting at least one post between editions of Thursday's Comics, but the past two weeks have caused me to be a bit scatterbrained. I'll definitely start doing other posts with the same regularity as I do Thursday's Comics, though. I'm not sure what they'll be, but I'm SURE I'll think of something.

That's all I've got for you today, but keep your eyes glued to this blog! Bookmark me, RSS me or do whatever makes you feel good, because you never know what I might post next! I am very sneaky.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (18/2/2010).

Sup.

It's been a few days and I am terribly sorry for the lack of posts.

Due to health reasons I couldn't go to the comic store on Thursday OR Friday, so I went on Saturday. By this point I figured it would be a bit ridiculous to do an edition of Thursday's Comics. I was going to just do a double post next Thursday, but then I figured that'd be way too much due to the amount of comics coming out.

So, apologies for this belated post, but here is Thursday's Comics for 18/2/2010!


Deadpool #19.

Two Deadpool comics this week. No shock there. The shock is that they're both quite good.

No, seriously, they're both quite good.

Deadpool #19 sees my favourite of favourites arrive in New York City with hopes of yet again becoming a hero. The plot isn't anything you'd be surprised with, which makes its enjoyable execution all the better.

In order to learn the ways of a hero, Deadpool decides he must acquire Spider-Man's attention. After eating a crapton of street hot dogs, he sets off to get Spider-Man to notice him. Elsewhere, someone assassinates Spider-Man's shopkeeper friend, Mr. Cheng, and a bunch of his back-room collegues. Assuming Deadpool is the culprit (Having seen him enter the city from the office windows of the Daily Bugle), he hunts him down and gives him a beat down. Now, Spidey WOULD beat Deadpool, so I don't mind him being on the losing side here. I just wish Way would give him SOME FUCKING FIGHTING SKILLS. Jesus.

Anyway, Spidey webs him up and naturally doesn't believe him when he says he didn't do it. For once, Deadpool is being truthful! He even has an alibi. Agreeing to let him tag along and help if he agrees not to kill, Spidey and Deadpool set off to the crime scene. Surveying the bodies and damage, Deadpool claims this was the work of a REAL pro, a professional and legendary assassin named Hit-Monkey.

Yes, Hit-Monkey. A hitman that's a monkey (Deadpool actually says that line). The interaction between Spidey and Deadpool IS enjoyable in this issue, unlike The Amazing Spider-Man #611.

Hit-Monkey only takes out people who've killed, so Deadpool says, leading us to believe there was more to Mr. Cheng than people knew.

With disbelief, Spidey dismisses the claims and Deadpool begins explaining who Hit-Monkey is (He hasn't been seen by many, just known). As he does so, we see Hit-Monkey entering a club with women on his arms etc. Deadpool tells Spidey that they can't find him, they can only hope to find who he's after before he does and that he goes after multiple, high-profile gun-for-hire targets as per his modus operandi.

Spidey says that Deadpool fits that description and the issue ends, implying that Deadpool is Hit-Monkey's next target.

I don't know if this issue was good or if I'm so used to Daniel Way's shit that it seemed good. Either way, I enjoyed it. It felt more like he was an integral part of the story and had something to contribute as opposed to just BEING there and Way assuming that would be enough.

We'll see how the next issues go. #20 is due out next week according to various sites (#19 was late I suppose), so there won't be long to wait.


Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #8.

This issue seemingly wraps up the previous arc and begins a new one all in the same comic.

Dr. Voodoo explains to Deadpool, Headpool and co. that time is unstable due to all the time travelling they've been doing. He suggests that they put it right as soon as possible and opens a portal to Headpool's world for them, the destination they've been waiting for.

When Dr. Voodoo says that time has been thrown out of balance due to overuse, Deadpool says his Xbox 360 does that too; "You've just gotta keep it ventilated.". I laughed.

Leaping through, they find themselves in the Marvel zombies universe. Zombies attack, they fight them off and spend the issue hiding in place after place, all while trying to formulate a plan. Headpool reveals a way to get them all back to their own dimensions just as they are accosted by another group of zombies.

They are rescued by four surviving humans that have built a base amongst rubble further into the city, hidden from the zombies. Professor Veronica Chase and her three friends; Costello, Porter and Weinstein take the crew back to their hideout and the issue ends.

All in all, I'm happy with this series. It feels like it has come far in eight issues. It's far from great, but it's solidly good. I'll want way more variation in the coming stories, but I'm liking it so far. Gischler has a knack for the lighter side of Deadpool and as I've said before, this series reads like a typical '80s action flick; full of violence, action, a couple of big-boobed chicks and witty one-liners.

Not a bad week for Deadpool.


Doomwar #1 of 6.

I bought this under the pretenses that it was a Deadpool appearance, and was prepared to do so begrudgingly. I really didn't want another mini-series.

Deadpool is NOT in this issue, he is on the cover. Quite bullshit. That's not what shocked me, though. No. What shocked me was the fact that this is a pretty fucking epic opening to what could evolve into a captivating story.

Basically, a group of clandestine rebels known as The Desturi have overthrown the Wakandan government and seized power. Storm is held captive and T'Challa - most famous for being the former Black Panther - has fled with the current Black Panther, Shuri. It's revealed that Dr. Doom has been plotting to conquer Wakanda for some time and these are his first steps to doing so. Do you see why I love the guy so much? One country isn't enough, he wants the country that's allegedly impossible to conquer through force of arms.

At first, it's entirely unknown as to why this is, but the most televised part of the takeover is Storm's trial for witchcraft. Even more shocking is that she is sentenced to death for her alleged crimes. The audience most intrigued and unsettled by this are her former teammates, the X-Men, who are watching from Utopia.

Desperate for help, T'Challa and Shuri (For those reading at home, she's T'Challa's sister and regent Princess of Wakanda) approach the X-Men on Utopia and request assistance in retaking their homeland. T'Challa illustrates that Dr. Doom wants all of Wakanda's exclusive supply of vibranium, known for being the most durable substance on Earth besides adamantium. The X-Men ask why it matters if Dr. Doom gets his hands on "some metal", and T'Challa reveals the terrifying truth.

Vibranium has a quality that has not been looked into or researched; magical absorption. He believes that while nobody in Wakanda or elsewhere has figured out its potential in conjunction with magical powers, Dr. Doom has. If Dr. Doom got his hands on the mountainous amounts of vibranium contained in the Wakandan vaults and proved this theory to be true, he would undoubtedly become the most powerful being to ever walk the Earth.

Cyclops, ever loyal to his currant Utopia philosophy, states that he cannot sanction such an intervention, what with their existence and public relations being shaky at best. Just as T'Challa leaves with a great deal of supplies, Cyclops tells him that he can't SANCTION the intervention...but he can't stop the X-Men from following their hearts. T'Challa's jet opens and we see the X-Men sitting in there waiting to go to war with him whilst Cyclops and Emma stay behind.

Battle plans seem bleak, especially considering the country they're about to go up against, but it really is all very exciting as they're on the plane heading to Wakanda. Truly. The art is also especially sharp thanks to some nice pencilling from Scot Eaton.

As soon as they land they are greeted by a swathe of Wakanda military might. A nice touch is that when the focus is aimed at the invaders, there's a sign that says "You are now leaving Wakanda.", and when it's aimed at the military, it says "Welcome to Wakanda.". I dunno, I thought that was cool.

The newly elected and corrupt leader, T'Ken, mocks the invaders and tells them to leave. Shuri, more than prepared to shed blood to reclaim her country and directly opposed to T'Challa's previously diplomatic approach, immediately tells them to back off or die. Well, not verbatim, but more or less.

T'Ken asks if they are truly going to shed blood of their countrymen and go to war with Wakanda. Nightcrawler provides a distraction and, quick as lightning, Shuri rushes in and breaks T'Ken's neck. T'Challa ends the issue by saying "You are NOT Wakanda. WE are...", as Shuri clutches the dead T'Ken in her hands.

I have to say, Jonathan Maberry totally surprised me here. What I thought would be a throwaway, contradictory-to-Siege mini-series has turned out to be reasonably captivating! I really didn't need another series to buy, but since I've dropped Uncanny X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova (For now), I can pick this up without worries. I'd be dropping Nation X too if it wasn't an issue from ending.

Regardless, this is looking to be a NICE series so get it while it's new. I wonder how Deadpool will figure into this...


Dark Avengers #14.

A point of contention among fans, oddly, has been that the synopsis for this issue was a complete lie and that nothing mentioned therein actually happened in this issue. For one thing, synopses will always overblow the story more often than not. Secondly, cover art is always false. Nothing on covers actually happens in the comics, at least not often.

Not a great deal happens in this pre-Siege issue of Dark Avengers, but what does happen is rather intriguing and could have serious ramifications.

Victoria Hand expresses great discomfort at Norman Osborn's continually deteriorating mental state ahead of his planned invasion. She requests he see a team psychologist to which her efforts are quite vehemently rebuffed. I must add that I think Bendis does a good job of writing the devious and the insane, with this scene proving why. Osborn really does seem unhinged as he expresses his stress under the pressure his job brings upon him.

Hand goes so far as to say that she is scared he is reverting back to the Green Goblin and that he is losing his team. Not surprisingly, she highlights Karla as the problem factor, stating that she has been working (Fucking) her way through the roster and has already scared off Noh-Varr. At this point she shows Karla and Bullseye having fun in the meeting room, awakening Osborn to the lack of seriousness his team are exhibiting. He gives her full authority to deal with it however she sees fit, and with that, she leaves.

What happens next is just badass. Now, of the two newly introduced women, I always liked Maria Hill more as a character. She's a completely unlikable bitch, but that proves how well her character gets across. Victoria Hand seemed like nothing more than Dark Maria Hill, but she really has developed into her own character over the past 14 issues.

She walks into the meeting room and orders Karla to go to her quarters, which Karla scoffs at. She won't have anyone effectively sending her to her room, and she questions Hand's guts to even confront her. Hand blasts her with a ray gun and sends her into paralysing spasms, after which she is dragged back to her quarters and Bullseye is sent to the gym, but not before making some choice, sexual remarks to Hand.

This scene was one I really enjoyed. It feels like there's a real struggle going on between the sane, the insane and the murderous. Victoria Hand is trying to keep balance between members of a team that consists of super powered questionables. Elsewhere, Osborn is cracking up internally and then you have Bullseye who just loves the drama. The interaction between the characters in this scene, ironically, just seemed to dive a wedge further between everyone. I loved it. Hand is badass.

Alarms ring out all over the tower and Osborn expresses fear at what he sees. The Void is slowly closing in on Avengers Tower after appearing at the end of Dark Avengers #13, and Sentry appears to be orchestrating it. Osborn flies up in his Iron Patriot armour and talks to Sentry as controlled by The Void, trying to calm him down and dismissing this as a tantrum. His pleas fall on deaf ears as Sentry begins mocking him and saying how weak Bob is, all while reigning chaos and destruction on New York City.

Osborn needs Sentry, right? So he's panicking like fucking crazy, he's screaming at Sentry to stop. Sentry says he can't sotp him, but Osborn retorts that the likes of Reed Richards, Dr. Doom and others can...and will if he continues to prove unstable. Sentry says that he can't kill Lindy, because he won't let himself (Remember, The Void is speaking through him), but he can make the world bad enough that she'll go away.

At first, it seems like Osborn genuinely doesn't want The Void to continue using Sentry in this way, and after some coercing, Sentry stops. The Void clearly is the dominant personality here, and it shows. Osborn warns Sentry that if this happens again, he won't stop him, but he won't stop what happens next either. Lindy, terrified beyond belief, looks up at the confrontation from a window in the tower.

The comic ends on the note that I think the synopsis was referring to. Osborn pays Bullseye a visit and asks if he's feeling blood thirsty and, receiving the obvious answer, gives Bullseye the task of murdering Lindy...Sentry's wife.

If this goes ahead, The Void probably won't give a shit and it'll cause more destruction than perhaps any available being can handle, what with no ties to subdue Bob anymore. Alternatively, Bob may use such a tragedy to come to a realisation and be all good again. I really hope that's not the case, but it could be.

Being that Siege is happening (This is pre-Siege, remember), we have to see if Lindy dies or not. It will go some way to maybe explaining the current actions of Sentry in Siege if she IS dead, and if he knows this.

All in all, I can't really see why so many people are crying foul over this issue. I really liked it, but then again, I consider most solicit/synopsis reading forum dwellers to be idiots.

Bring on Dark Avengers #15.

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Next week sees the release of SIX comics that I'll be picking up. The volume is increasing again, people! To be honest, had I continued buying Guardians of the Galaxy AND Uncanny X-Men, I'd have had seven comics to review instead of four!

Seven? Yes, seven.

Seven because Daredevil #505 came out this week. I know, I know...I said I'd get started on covering Daredevil this week, but I didn't. I want to give Daredevil's series a proper catch up and as a result, I've decided to dedicate a post to Daredevil's entire second volume (He only has two), from Kevin Smith's run up to #505. I'm working on the format so that it won't be just a chunk of text that you have no interest in, or...it might me a chunk of text. At least it'll be out there either way.

This will come sometime before Daredevil #506. So that's the next big thing.

With regards to interviews, I've got three in the pipeline. I won't announce the two you're unaware of until I'm certain they're gonna happen. Vast Aire is semi-confirmed and I'm waiting on him to tell me how he wants to do it, since he already said he would. That's the deal with those, incase you were wondering.

All things said, thanks for reading and sorry for the delays. It won't happen again unless there're extreme circumstances.

Until next time, peace!

-The Mast

The Mast Blogs: The Heroic Age Feels Real/Vigilante Morality in Comic Books.

You have LEGOS?!

Greetings to you all. I bring good tidings and bloggings of a comical nature. Comical as in the bloggings pertain to comics, not that they are of a jocular content.

SO! Blog! Blog, blog, blog, blog, blog. I even love saying the word "Blog". A bit of light and heavy, today. Light content and reasonably heavier content than you're used to.

The Heroic Age Feels Real.

The Heroic Age, as referenced in a prior post or two, is not becoming unavoidable clearer. Whether you dislike spoilers, solicits or not, it's near impossible to avoid announcements about who is on what team.

With that said, we got the alternate cover to the upcoming comic, The Avengers #1! I'm not sure if they're adding the prefix "The", but they should. It sounds better. I haven't shown the main cover by John Romita Jr., so I'll do that:

The Avengers #1.

Here's the new one:

The Avengers #1 (Greg Land variant).

I loved Romita Jr.'s Thor and Iron Man from the teasers, but I disliked his others. In the former, I LOVE his Captain America and dislike all the others. I guess I'll just have to see what it's like when reading. Though I gotta say, Wolverine? Give it a rest, man. Spidey has the chance to make the BIG push, the call-up to the main roster...and you cheapen it by throwing in Wolverine? Ehh.

I like the Land cover more, but it still looks anti-climactic.



Either way, the Heroic Age is feeling way more real to me now, though. Bendis has stated that it isn't the whole team, so if you consider that we have seven already...I think we're pushing limits. It depends on so many factors, though. If it's written well and so are all the characters, it'll blast off. I'm totally excited for it, man. It FEELS like the dawn of a new era.

I'm still most awaiting Secret Avengers, especially with the continued teaser posters. Silhouetted ones at that.

So, heroism and such out of the way, we move to the darker side of the arguably heroic spectrum!

Vigilante Morality in Comic Books.

The Punisher: If you don't shoot, you've got a death on your conscience. A death you could have prevented. If you do shoot you're a killer.

Daredevil: What kind of a choice is that?

The Punisher: The one I make every time I pull the trigger.

I was re-reading Daredevil's entry into the mini-series that was Dark Reign: The List, and there's a scene in there that got me onto thinking of something that I wanted opinions on.

We've seen it in Batman's stories inside and outside of film, we see it in Daredevil and we see it in The Punisher. There are countless other characters, comic based or movie based, that take vigilantism upon themselves.

Now, while we can all agree that seeing these people kick ass is awesome...how RIGHT or WRONG is it? Well, it's neither as morality is subjective, but for the purposes of this blog post, I am asking.

Some people have such a low level of faith or trust in the law that they feel vigilantism is justified. Me? I believe that if we're going to green light vigilantism, we might as well green light anarchy. If we green light anarchy, we're green lighting idiocy. Sorry, but anarchy is never going to work, ever. Proof? It never has. The world was once lawless and it sucked, it would suck again.

If someone kills your loved one and you kill them, I don't condone that. I UNDERSTAND it, I do not condone it. That's not really vigilantism, though.

Regardless, where do you stand?

Where do you stand in the case of people like Batman? This man stands so rigidly and firmly by his rule to not kill, he does so because his parents were murdered and he wishes to not be the same. The fact remains, though, that he could have saved many lives by killing the Joker.

In Dark Reign: The List (Daredevil), Daredevil is lured to a rooftop by Bullseye. Bullseye then reveals that he didn't want to fight, just distract him long enough to blow up the condemned building he was trying to help the inhabitants of. He then explodes the building, killing 107 people of all races, genders and ages. The most notable piece of this exchange is when Bullseye says this:



Would Daredevil have been justified in killing him? Could you?

Is that a different kind of vigilantism? Is killing those who YOU decide deserve to be removed from society a different kind to, say, killing someone who has killed many, with a view to preventing many more?

Give me comments, let me know how you feel about this and what you feel on the subject. I'm really interested.

---

I guess that's all for now, so I will see you guys and girls on Thursday with slightly bigger edition of Thursday's Comics than you've seen in a while!

Until then, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (11/2/2010).

Precisely 27 minutes 'til Jeopardy.

Sorry, I've just been watching Rain Man; excellent movie. If you haven't seen it then you're stupid.

Welcome to the Mast, ladies and gentlemen. Today I bring you another edition of Thursday's Comics!

Unfortunately it's a very slow week for me and my subscription box at Gosh! Comics, so you won't have much to read and I won't have much to type. Before I get into that, though, I want to give you a heads up about some stuff you should be keeping your eyes out for.

Image Comics' ultraviolent series, Haunt, is approaching the release of its first trade paperback. Haunt (Vol. 1) comes out on March 3rd and collects issues #1 to #5. It shouldn't break your recession-hit pockets too much, so if you're looking for something to get into then definitely check that out. Furthermore, it has a truly delicious cover!

Also, people have been asking me if I plan to do anything on DC's current mega event, Blackest Night. I have only read bits and pieces, but I haven't read enough to review it. On top of that, with the amount of subscriptions I have, I can't really focus my efforts on yet another event that's attached to another load of mini-series' and tie-ins. When Blackest Night is finished and released in trade paperback format, I GUARANTEE I will be doing a comprehensive review of Blackest Night in its entirity.

That's for another time, though. Right now, let's talk some comics!


Haunt #5.

With the Kilgore bros now in deeper with The Agency than they ever imagined they would be, we see the plot of Kirkman's first arc as Haunt writer come to a close.

The comic begins with Hurg - the Kingpin with a ponytail and grey hair, looks wise at least - visiting Cobra, still in his hospital bed after getting his face caved in by Haunt. He mentions that he can forgive Cobra for his misgivings THIS time, simply because he now has an opportunity to gain what he wanted anyway; cast your minds back to Haunt #4's end and the woman (Mirage) offering to sell Shillinger's notebook to him.

As of this moment, the story centres around the Kilgore bros and their progression inside The Agency as they track down the notebook, the people who want the notebook and the people responsible for Kurt's death. All the while, the mole that Hurg placed there begins to relay info to him.

Agency Director Stanz reveals to Daniel that they've received a tip-off about a meeting between Mirage and Hurg, and that the notebook will be present. Kurt tells Daniel to pass on the message that they ARE going, regardless of what Director Stanz says, to which he reluctantly agrees.

Naturally, the deal goes awry as soon as Mirage and Hurg exchange the notebook and cash respectively. The Agency's agents command everyone to freeze and a massive gunfight erupts between themselves and Hurg's men. Haunt joins the fray and they despatch a number of bad guys with their tendrils. They catch up with Hurg and as they have him near their grasp, one of his henchwomen fires multiple shots into his side, forcing him to concentrate on healing as Hurg escapes.

During the botched meeting it's revealed that there's a connection between Kurt and Mirage. This is quite expertly explained when Daniel is back at The Agency getting patched up. Kurt had an affair with Mirage, but for reasons that you can't help but understand. He snaps at Daniel for judging him and goes on to say how he loved Amanda, but felt nothing in common with her due to his line of work. Through all the death, carnage and high stakes of being a covert assassin/soldier, he began to find all of the little aspects of her life to be trivial. Due to a similar line of work, he bonded with Mirage and they made all these plans to use the notebook as a means of bartering for cash. Cash they'd then spent to forge a new life together.

Daniel feels worse because he fell for Amanda in the way Kurt fell for Mirage, but could never have her due to her love for his brother, despite his brother loving another in the same way. It's a really twisted, heartbreaking tale that leaves no moral ground safe to stand on.

Eventually we see Hurg's mole, Ms. Rhodes, cursing the incompetence of Hurg's henchwomen and Hurg himself for not getting the notebook. Director Stanz overhears, asks what's going on and gets a headshot for his troubles. She detonates a bomb in The Agency and Haunt promptly shows up ready to handle the business, but it's too late. Assistant Director Tosh is crying over his body and the realisation that this is deeper than they thought dawns on them.

Drawing to a close, we see Daniel at a meeting with Tosh as she thanks him and Kurt for saving her. Offering Daniel the chance to be a full member of The Agency, using the spirit of his brother to train him as a soldier, Daniel says he isn't sure. She gives him a card and tells him to meet her back at the H.Q. when it's rebuilt, and that she knows he'll say yes because he has nothing better to do.

The issue ends thusly.

I have to say, this is an absolutely tremendous way to end the arc. It feels like this title is on its way to progressively greater things and I'm an so very hooked. The characterisation is being fleshed out nicely, the characters have noticeable punch and the art is mesmerising. Unfortnately, this is the last issue that Ryan Ottley is working on. It's not all bad, though, because Greg Capullo (Haunt's layout organiser) will be taking over.

Really, this is shaping up to be something special, even though it's not wholly unique or original. The trade paperback is out on March 3rd and if you don't pick it up, it's your loss!


Dark X-Men #4 of 5.

I am so glad that this series is only five issues.

Again, I am going to assume this takes place before Siege because otherwise it makes even less sense than it does already.

We pick up as we left off. Nate Grey has possessed Norman Osborn and Mystique is trying to talk him out of it, or talk sense into him. Something of that nature. Eventually, the Dark X-Men venture into Osborn's mind via the use of his psi-ops. The ones that Nate Grey, X-Man, used to take corporeal form.

They enter his mind and eventually come face to face with Osborn's psyche. Due to having to spend all his energy trying to fight Nate, he has left some of his lesser personality traits unchecked, and thus the Green Goblin portion of his psyche proceeds to appear and threaten to kill them all.

That's more or less all that happens in this issue and, honestly, I don't care to remember anything else.

It's a poorly written, poorly conceived and poorly timed series. Avoid it.


Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #4 of 5.

THIS rules.

With the immense and nightmarish ships closing in on them as they venture further into The Fault, the combined crew of the Starjammer - this being The Starjammers and the Imperial Guard - attempt to prepare themselves for an upcoming fight of epic proportions. In a last ditch attempt to call for help, Oracle links with Quasar in an effort to use the M'Kraan crystal as a means of communication between them and Gladiator, the Shi'ar Emperor.

Gladiator barely receives this distress signal, but he recognises the dire peril his collegues must be in if Oracle risked using the crystal as a means of contact (The crystal is in the hands of the Shi'ar), and decides that they need his immediate help.

The scene shifts back to space and members of the Imperial Guard are floating around outside the ship, trying to use some of The Fault's floating debris as a barricade. They haven't got much time, but due to not being detected by The Fault's warships, they have SOME time. Starbolt begins welding pieces together whilst Warstar and other plant mines around on various pieces of space debris. In the middle of all this battle prep, Smasher's attention seems to be caught and he floats off toward something.

Ch'od of The Starjammers contacts them and asks which one decided it would be a good idea to rip out the ships hyperdrive capacitor, to which Praetor quickly dismisses any hint of sabotage. It begins to dawn on them that Smasher has only recently joined the Guard, and becomes a prime suspect. As he re-boards the ship, he is revealed to be none other than Talon, a space-warrior with a group known as The Raptors. He retrieved these amulets that will allow him to spawn three more of himself, with the excuse being that he wants to aid them in their battle. They can't outrun the threat, so they may as well outfight it.

The dialogue in these issues is just brilliant. Abnett, if a little directionless on other titles, always comes through with brilliantly gripping dialogue that marries up with the storytelling perfectly.

Inevitably The Fault's warships detect them and they begin their approach. Let me just say that the art on the creatures from The Fault is absolutely great, the horrifying appearance of these creatures/demons is truly what helps them come across as this demonic threat. The battle is similarly gruesome.

The Fault's ships begin spitting cloned warriors out of their maws - think the Kraken from Pirates of the Caribbean, but red/brown and looking suspiciously like a vagina -, clones that look like the X-Men! The clone of Beast bites into Starbolt causing him to explode and, presumably, die. As the rest of the Guard fight for their lives while those on the ship make further attempts to bolster their firepower, one of the warships draws closer, about to fire something from it's gaping mouth. At this moment, something erupts forcefully from it as if being shot from a gun, severely disabling it.

We see Praetor exclaim great shock at the sight, and the issue ends with him triumphantly announcing: "It's Gladiator!".

THIS is where it all seems to kick off, despite having ONE issue left. It feels like nothing as really happened in ANY of the Realm of Kings titles except the one-shot, and this. Even then, this title has only stepped the gears up within the past two issues.

Regardless, Gladiator finally defying Shi'ar law and entering the battle (An Emperor must never enter combat) made me very happy. I loved seeing him become Emperor as he's one of by boys after all, but he clearly isn't born for it. He's meant to be out there, fighting! Finally, he is. I await the final part pleasantly, even if I feel Realm of Kings is a bit of a missed opportunity. If it ends in March/April like I assumed it did, then it's definitely not really done enough, but we'll see.

If you still haven't picked up or read War of Kings, do so. Get the trade paperback and then, if you desire, you can get this series. Realm of Kings: Inhumans is alright, but I'm really not sure what it has to do with Realm of Kings. I will be better suited to recommend tie-ins and mini-series' when the whole thing is over and I can better understand the purpose of it all.

Overall, Abnett provides yet another lesson in how to write exciting and dramatic cosmic extravaganzas. You could do far worse than to pick up anything he's writing right now.

---

In other news, we have THREE more teasers for Marvel's upcoming Secret Avengers series!







Discussions suggest that the most popular front-runners for the first and second ones, respectively, are Scarlet Witch and Noh-Varr. It could be Noh-Varr in his Captain Marvel costume, but I think the only reason the former is being said to be Scarlet Witch is because not many other females have a silhouette like that.

I doubt it's her just based on what she has caused in the past, but I suppose it could be. Though the second one is rumoured to be Captain Marvel, it is a very ambigious silhouette. I have NO idea who the last one could be. I was going to say War Machine, but the severe absense of shoulder minigun and shoulder missile launcher is standing out.

I'm actually thinking that it could be Captain Marvel, and the second one is someone else entirely.

Oh well. Expect to hear from me as soon as they're revealed!

That's it for this week, but as usual I will be back between now and next week with another post or two of some kind.

Thanks for reading, thanks for the interest and thanks for the support.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Blogs: Darkness & Light in the Marvel Universe.

Somebody's stealing my water!

Welcome to the Mast, you faceless people. I am your host, you may call me The Mast.

Today, as the title says, I will be talking about darkness and light in the Marvel Universe. Not literally, of course. It's not some kind of mad post about turning the lights on and off in the Baxter Building, making deep bass noises and pretending you're in a rave.

Pt 1: Darkness.

"In the beginning, Marvel gave us The Way and Deadpool. The Way made sure Deadpool was without form and void; and Way was upon the face of the Merc, and the spirit of Gischler moved upon the face of the waters, before dragging thy great character down to thy depths of mediocrity never to surface again.".
-The Mast, 22:30 on a Tuesday night.

It's no secret I am a HUGE fan of Deadpool. It's him and Daredevil at the top of my all time list for one reason or another. I own all of his appearances and, despite Marvel turning him into their new cash cow, I still buy all his appearances. It's also no secret how I feel about this.

Now, I feel I may have to step away from collecting Deadpool comics. The death of my love of pursuing the character and his place in my collection has sadly come upon me I know, I know. Hear me out.

Marvel have taken this way too far, they really have. I tolerate three poor to mediocre, and sometimes very good, Deadpool on-goings. I was even prepared to grit my teeth and get through the onslaught of Deadpool material coming out in March and April (See The Deadpool Bugle's list of upcoming releases on the right). I think you'll agree that's pretty good of me, considering how much there is of the fucking stuff. Then add to the fact that it's highly likely none of it will be stellar enough to justify the purchase and I think you can agree I'm being a rather dedicated, and probably stupid, fan.

There was a mini-series planned entitled The Deadpool Corps. I sighed a sigh of tedium when I heard, but hey, it's only a mini-series, right? Then I saw the art:



A dog and a kid with lightsabres? In all honesty, Marvel, you're going to put a character out there called Dogpool? Are you legitimately serious?

Still, it's only a mini-series, right? That's what was stated, right? Yes. So presumably Marvel will keep to that, salvage some dignity for the character and let it go? No, of course not!

In an interview with conducted by Marvel (Source Here), Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth writer, Victor Gischler, has stated that The Deadpool Corps will be an on-going series.

I was pissed off enough that this shit was even a mini-series, but that's a FOURTH on-going Deadpool series to cap off his billions of upcoming guest appearances. It was accompanied, ironically, by this quote:

"Imagine you're dragging around a dead dog on a leash and talking to it and petting it and feeding it like it was a live dog.".

Now, I'm taking that out of context because he was referring to something else, and that's not the entire quote. I just think it's hilarious because that's exactly what Marvel have done, collectively. They've single handedly killed Deadpool, or at least my love for the character. I'm not going to keep blinding myself, I refuse to. I love Deadpool like I loved the idea of my ex-girlfriend when I was newly single, you know?

She was awesome and we had awesome times. Then she became a rather soulless and immeasurably selfish sociopath with a drug problem and a penchant for pathological lying. I didn't recognise this immediately because it was the same familiar shell.



The same can be said for Deadpool. He's the same red and black clad character I loved for many, many years and spent a lot of money on...but only on the outside. It's sad, it really is. Part of me just wants to keep getting them, because I've come this far, but I know he'll never get the writer or series he deserves while people are still paying for it.

Even Daniel Way has more or less explicitly stated that he doesn't want to care about the Deadpool continuity that has come before. Everyone's just taking a steamy shit on the character and it's truly saddening to me.

Pt 2: Light.

"...and Bendis, Diggle and Brubaker said: 'Let there be better quality comics.', and there were better quality comics. They saw the better quality comics and saw that they were good. They divided the better quality from the works of The Way. Henceforth there was a consistency and firmament of character, story and artistic quality, to divide the good from the shit.".
-The Mast, 22:38 on a Tuesday night.

As you will all know, if you read my blog and/or comics on a semi-regular basis, a LOT of things are happening in the Marvel Universe right now. We're just fresh out of Dark Reign and we're smack in the middle of Siege, Marvel's blockbuster event to cap it all of in the first quarter of this year. Two issues in and things show no sign of slowing down!

The hot topics in the comics community, however, have more to do with speculation regarding what the post-Siege Marvel Universe will reveal to us. It has been stated that The Heroic Age will begin; an era of heroism emerging from the darkness that has had a hold on everything for the past few years.

I rabidly avoid spoilers AND solicits wherever possible, I do. The only way I could TOTALLY avoid them is if I stopped visiting comic news websites or forums. I am a comics fan, I like to discuss comics. So, my choice is to either never interact with anyone about comics on the internet again, or risk getting some things spoiled. Now, if I view a solicit/headline or a piece of promotional art by accident, I can handle that so long as nobody is actively posting spoilers. With writers leaking shit on their Facebooks, Twitter pages and forums also, it's even harder.

With that said, A LOT has been revealed and simultaneously kept secret about what The Heroic Age will entail. We know now that ALL the current books involving any roster of The Avengers will be finishing in April, after Siege. That means Dark Avengers, The New Avengers and Avengers: The Initiative will all finish their runs in around three or less months. This makes me sad because I LOVE The New Avengers, it's been one of my favourite on-goings since it came out and I really like Dark Avengers, too.

In their place - this being a piece of info I wish I DIDN'T find out - we will have FOUR new titles surrounding The Avengers. "Sir Mast! What titles will they be?!", I hear you cry. I shall answer!

One of these has been said to be The Avengers, a new series centred around the new main team of The Avengers. It has been revealed - again, not something I wished to find out - that Captain America (Bucky, in the promo art), Thor and Iron Man will be on this team. The Trinity (Not technically, as Cap isn't Steve) back together after seven years! I'm not thrilled about the idea of Thor forgiving Iron Man for what he did during Civil War, but Siege isn't over and maybe they give him a good reason.

Regardless, it should be a good book. Bendis is writing it and John Romita Jr. is doing the art. I'm not a big fan of Romita Jr. simply because his art looks a bit too...I don't know, but I'll post up the promotional art pieces next so you can see. I like all of them, to directly contradict myself, except Captain America and one other.

In addition to The Trinity, we have two more members confirmed, and Bendis has said the roster isn't fully announced. Here're the teasers:







There's The Trinity. I have to say that despite drawing a shitty Bucky in that picture, Romita Jr. draws a MEAN Thor. That's honestly one of the very best images of Thor I've seen in a long ass time. I love the gloves, a nice touch. His Iron Man looks...kinda blocky from the image there, but we'll see. It still looks good.

Here are the teasers for the two additionally confirmed members:





Spider-Woman and Hawkeye, ladies and gents. The REAL Hawkeye, not Bullseye as Hawkeye, but Clint Barton (Currently known as Ronin). I know for a fact this has pleased a shitload of fans, including myself. I think he looks absolutely terrible in that picture, though. As for Spider-Woman...ehh. If there has to be a chick, it should be Ms. Marvel, not Spider-Woman. I understand that Bendis is working with her on her on-going, though, so maybe it'll work out.

All in all, this book can't be worse than decent. Bendis has proven his worth at writing The New Avengers and Dark Avengers, let's hope he can take the big one.

So, what are the other three titles? Nobody knows for sure what the fourth is, and with the third rumoured to be Avengers Academy, that leaves the second title. This one IS confirmed, and it's called Secret Avengers. As expected, it will probably be a sort of street-level team that deals with smaller things than The Avengers are necessary for.

Who is on this roster? NOBODY KNOWS! All we have to go by are these two images:





The first one has been the cause of much speculation, with most of us leaning toward saying it's Beast. This is problematic as Beast tends to have three fingers, unless they've changed it. Also, a big man covered in blue fur doesn't scream "Secret!". Regardless, he remains a front runner. Black Panther remains another highly speculated candidate. Other speculated, yet less likely candidates, include: Anti-Venom, Toxin, Spider-Man (Too bulky, proportions are off) and Daredevil (Likewise).

The second? Most of the comics community seem to be putting their money on Moon Knight and/or, at a close second, Dr. Voodoo. Nobody is entirely sure how the quote would fit Dr. Voodoo, but Moon Knight is currently going through this phase of trying to be a hero rather than a vicious vigilante. I'm just hoping it's not Sentry, man. You ripped Ares in half, you don't get to be an Avenger.

However, the concept of another street-level team is EXCITING TO ME! I love that kind of stuff. Awesome, right? THERE'S MORE! When you buy this Shamwow...I'm kidding, but there is more. CAN YA GUESS WHO IS WRITING THIS? CAN YOU?!

I'll give you a delicious piece of text from Marvel's website, you bastards:

"Don't miss the brand new Secret Avengers #1, from the superstar creative team of Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato, this May!".

ED...FUCKING...BRUBAKER and MIKE...erm...BLOODY...DEODATO on the same comic? One of the world's best writers and best artists on the same book? If the roster turns out to be sick, then this is going to be 2010's best new series. I'm calling it. Even if the roster doesn't immediately jump out as amazing, I'm sure these guys will make it so.

As you can see, so much is happening that's good in the Marvel Universe, or about to. It truly does feel like the dawning of a new era. I wait anxiously to find out what the other titles will be. Avengers Academy seems like it'd be a nice mix of Avengers: The Initiative and Young Avengers, which I'd be into if the writer is good.

It's recently been revealed that the new leader of the Thunderbolts (If you don't know, this is Marvel's villains-turned-good guys team) will be Luke Cage. This even has some reshuffled members including the likes of Juggernaut and, surprisingly, Crossbones. The man helped assassinate Steve Rogers, but oh well. Apparently people are way more forgiving in Marvel now. I've never been a reader of Thunderbolts, but I'm sure it'll be solid.

I guess...the biggest question I have is regarding my boy. Will Daredevil finally become an Avenger in some format? If anything, Secret Avengers would be perfect. I kinda like that he's been the one that got away for the whole of his life, no team affiliation, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be happy for him to finally make the cut!

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This has been a mighty long blog post, but I hoped you enjoyed it and even some of the new formatting. It helps break the monotony of text, I suppose.

I'll be back on Thursday with Thursday's Comics, and hopefully you guys and girls will join me. PLEASE! I'm joking, but seriously...join me or I'll kill your entire family.

Until then, peace!

-The Mast

The Mast Blogs: A Change of Plans & Another Major Announcement.

Wake up!

I'm back, but not for a review of any sort. Today I just have an announcement to make and boy, is it huge. It's huge for me, anyway.

As you all know, my two biggest passions are comics and music, hence this blog's existence. However, someone correctly said that everything on this blog is geared toward comics, and that the music reviews seem out of place. Now, everyone I speak to says my music reviews and posts are awesome, so here's what's going to happen.

I am keeping Welcome to the Mast STRICTLY comics-orientated. So, what will happen to the music side of things? Nothing. I will either stop the reviews or I will create a way less frequent blog, perhaps bi-monthly, especially for music. It's more practical this way and I hope that those of you who read my blog before will still do so.

Now, I have a MAJOR announcement that makes me extremely happy.

I have scored yet ANOTHER interview! This time I will be talking to none other than my favourite hip hop MC of all time. Coming within the next month, The Mast Interviews...?



The mighty Vast Aire!

Anyone who knows me knows how into Vast Aire's music I am. He's a high placer in my list of all time fav musicians and it'll be an honour to have him here. Having laced his rhymes with massive amounts of references to comic books, manga and cult culture, I figured he would be a perfect interviewee for Welcome to the Mast.

This is tremendously exciting and I cannot wait to present it to you. The Mast meets Vast. It's going down.

In the meantime, go check out his music anywhere you can. Whether it's solo or with Cannibal Ox, it's worth your time.

Vast Aire on MySpace.

Don't forget to go check out my other reviews and posts!

Until next time, peace!

-The Mast

The Mast Blogs: The Top 10 Best Non-Powered Heroes & Villains.

What? You think that cos a guy reads comics he can't start some shit?!

WELCOME, you faces of people.

Today, I am bringing you a collaborative blogpiece for your mindboxes! On a forum I have been a member of since 2004, there have been a number of comic book readers that I have had the pleasure of speaking to on a regular basis. One of these people, long story short, is called Paul. He's not just CALLED Paul, it's his name.

He leans more toward the DC side of things than I do, and thus, when coming up with the idea for this post I decided I would invite him along. The post, you may be wondering, is regarding the best non-powered heroes and villains in comics.

We both chose five people and, in no order, we will tell you why we think these people are cool as shit. I wrote my parts, Paul wrote his parts. The trick is that they're not allowed to be powered! They can have NO powers, they must simply be human.

Without further ketchup, I bring you The Top 10 Best Non-Powered Heroes & Villains!

Paul Picks:


Booster Gold.

Yes, Booster Gold.

I hear people screaming their doubleyew tee effs already and talking about how much he sucks. Yes, until a couple of years ago, that was true. Then his solo series came along, where Booster tried to set right what once went wrong (Very Quantum Leap-like). This involved making sure Blue Beetle didn't die (Thereby screwing up the universe) and of course, the big one, trying to stop Barbara Gordon from being shot by the Joker (During The Killing Joke. Read it. Seriously).

To Booster's dismay, he finds out that some things can't be changed, enduring beating after beating at the hands of the Joker, hoping that once he might get lucky. For this selfless act, Booster has BATMAN HIMSELF come to him and express his gratitude, offering him his eternal friendship. Booster has come a long way, and is no longer the cheap, vain opportunist he once was. Well, not completely, anyway.

The Mast Picks:


Batman.

Inarguably one of the most iconic characters in creation, not just comics.

Despite not having a great deal of his comics, despite not LIKING a great deal of his comics, Batman earns his place. Batman's intention was to be a symbol of protection, a concept for villains everywhere to fear. He has done just that.

He remains one of the central pillars of the DC Universe and has done for a very, VERY long time. As s formidable fighter and, as most people forget, the world's very best detective, Batman has so much to offer every single one of his allies. This also means that he has an immeasurable amount of reasons for people to fear him. Like most tortured heroes, he has been through the ringer. His history with the Joker needs no explaining. It remains one of the most densely intricate feuds of all time and will probably rage on until we're all dead and buried.

What's interesting about Batman is that his villains are crazily successful. Not because they are especially smart or powerful, but because he seems to bring out the worst in them, and that theme of escalation is a burden he carries with him throughout Batman fiction. From the events of The Killing Joke (The scene in the cell at Arkham Asylum sums up their history) to the legendary murder of Jason Todd (Batman's, at the time, sidekick known to everyone as the second Robin), Batman has been through a lot as a result of the Joker alone. Never mind the fact that during Knightfall (Read it if you want to enhance your life at all), Bane released ALL of Arkham's prisoners. Just as Batman was at stress-level breaking point from tracking them all down, Bane literally breaks his back.

Through it all, though, Batman has been exactly what he appears as and what he is billed as: The Dark Knight.

Well...he's dead at the moment...but still...

Paul Picks:


The Joker.

Some villains you can reason with. Some you can identify with. Some can rationalise their actions, even if it's only to themselves. Joker is none of those.

Batman's nemesis still, to this day, terrorises Gotham in ways no other villain ever could, and he does it purely for fun. Clown Prince of Crime, and all that. His insanity means that he's unpredictable, dangerous, and seems to have no concept of morality or conscience (Except with Nazis. Joker never works with Nazis. Not kidding).

He sees crime with the innocence and curiosity of a child. His obsession with Batman and, to a smaller extent the Bat-family, does lead to some dark conclusions, but regardless, you know that when it comes down to it, all the Joker wants to do is put a smile on your face.

The Mast Picks:


Elektra.

Ok, so technically she MAY have some SLIGHT powers. This isn't due to her being powered, though. He minor mental powers have not been exhibited enough to be considered regular powers, and they came as a result of training.

Elektra burst onto the scene in Daredevil #168 where she was sent to kill none other than Daredevil. Their history goes WAY back, but her first appearance was in that issue. Not long after, in Daredevil #181, she was graphically and shockingly killed off at the hands of Bullseye. Only to be resurrected against Frank Miller's (Her creator) wishes in the Fall from Grace storyline that spanned from #320 to #325.

Some consider her to be Matt Murdock's truest love, but they have never really reached any kind of happiness or healthy relationship. Multiple reasons are to blame for this, most notably the fact that Elektra is an assassin with a body count rivalled by Wolverine alone, probably. Daredevil was never really big on murder, so while he loves her (He really does), he can never be with her while she chooses to maintain her job.

That's where she won me over. She never came crawling back, she did what she did without ever giving a shit, or giving a shit and separating it from her work.

From being killed not long after reuniting with her old love and friend, to being a victim of Skrull kidnapping and experimentation, Elektra has endured and dished out her fair share of pain. Nevertheless, she remains THE most badass female in all of comics.

That and she's hot. Like, REALLY hot. It must SUCK that Matt can't even see her. Such cruel fate.

Paul Picks:


Hawkeye.

Clint Barton is full of win. That's it, really.

Seriously though, on a team of scientific and technological geniuses, national icons and norse gods, Hawkeye managed to carve out his own niche by showing that he could be just as useful as almost anyone else on the team.

Like Batman in the JLA, Barton never let a little thing like being powerless affect him, going up against the likes of Ultron and managing to live to talk about it. His death during The Avengers: Disassembled left this fan with a sour taste in their mouth, but his return during/after House of M was nothing short of awesome, and so far, he's shown why he's just that damn good. Even putting an arrow in the head of the Skrull Queen during Secret Invasion.

His problems with Mockingbird seem to have abated for now and it's looking more and more likely that when a reunion of The Avengers finally happens, Clint will once again don the purple (He makes it work) and pick up his bow. Can't wait.

The Mast Picks:


Bullseye.

Some people say never to judge a book by its cover, but if you take one look at Bullseye and think he's someone you should get to know better, you're messing with fate.

To me, Bullseye is Daredevil's most hated enemy. Some would say The Kingpin is, and I'd probably agree they're tied now that I consider it, but none have had the continual impact that Bullseye has. Not only have they fought on countless occasions, but Bullseye - to this day, void of a full real name and known only as Lester - has brought tragedy to the man on many fronts.

He killed Elektra with her own said, in front of Matt. If that wasn't bad enough, he killed Karen Page, the only other woman who could claim to have a spot in Matt's heart as strong as Elektra did.

Bullseye's ability is to have frightening accuracy with any weapon and any object. He has no real powers, but his abilities and feats are impossible in the real world. That doesn't stop everything he's done being DAMN awesome. For example, you can enter a stationary store and I could probably point out more than 30 items that he has killed with. He has killed someone with a toothpick from an opposite building, he has killed people by slicing their throats with playing cards (THAT is how you use cards, Gambit) and to cap it all off? He once spit his own loose tooth through the skull of another man.

Bullseye indeed.

Paul Picks:


Nightwing.

Despite the fact that Nightwing TECHNICALLY doesn't exist anymore, he's still here because of, well, how awesome he is.

The original Robin, Dick Grayson left the roost and forged his own life for himself as Nightwing. The closest thing Batman has to a son (Barring that little brat. Yes, you know who), Dick is now one of the most respected and loved heroes in all of the DC Universe. Inside and outside the universe. Despite his attempts to be less and less like Bruce, he's still managed to end up just like him, even if he has managed to maintain a barely healthy personal life.

He's even managed to be less of a dick than Bruce and he keeps his relationships intact as best he can.

As the new Batman, Dick has left Nightwing behind, but for how long is anybody's guess.

The Mast Picks:


Rorschach.

Oh, Rorschach.

If anything, Rorschach's very purpose and existence is to shine a really bright spotlight on the inherent ridiculousness and danger that comes from the concept of being a vigilante. We can all romanticise about how awesome Batman or Daredevil are, but if they really existed we'd be calling them nutjobs. That's what it takes, to some degree, to be a vigilante. You have to be unhinged and a bit wrong in the head.

Enter Rorschach.

He still stands high as the character I most enjoy reading whenever I return to Watchmen (Because fuck the movie, in all honesty). Not in the way that most stupid kids who liked the movie see him, but as he was intended. He isn't supposed to be cool, he isn't supposed to be seen as a hero. He is, in fact, a contradictory and hypocritical borderlined facist. He's a psychopath.

I never could decide if his intentions being good justified the fact that he was going around splitting peoples' heads in half with meat cleavers. When he hunts down a child molester and acts out the aforementioned cleaver-to-head intimacy, I really didn't know what to think. On one hand, you don't molest children. On the other, you...don't go around doing that kind of thing with kitchen utensils.

He makes it onto this list because he is an absolutely flawlessly created character, even if he is an extremely flawed, unsettled human being.

I do not think he's insane, I just think he feels this is absolutely the right thing to do. Why? I have no clue, but I also do sort of see it. To truly understand Rorschach is to admit you'll never be on the level of understanding people like him. The best you can do is read Watchmen and bask in the genius of the man who created him.

Paul Picks:


Hal Jordan.

Considered by many within the comic universe as the greatest Green Lantern, there's plenty of opportunity to see why if you sit down and read the books.

His rivalry with Sinestro is unlike anything within the G.L. universe, and as for the man himself, well there's more to him than being a silver age remnant that's taking Kyle Rayner's place. He's the everyman of the four Earth Lanterns, especially when it comes to his constructs. He doesn't have Guy's cockiness, Kyle's flair or John's complexity, but instead, Hal favours simplicity, as it more often than not gets the job done.

While he sometimes straddles the line between Boy Scout and anti-hero, Hal is still THE hero of the Green Lantern Corps. Plus, he's a well developed, rich character that can be introspective without being cliched. Also, he's a total pimp.

The man deserves respect either way.

The Mast Picks:


Dr. Doom.

Never have I found a villain so unintentionally hilarious. The funniest part is, Dr. Doom is NOT funny. The hilarity comes from his ability to show up at any point, anywhere, for any reason, and make literally any plan he has into a success.

Wearing an armour that makes Tony Stark's look like something churned out by Fisher Price, bearing an intellect that goes unsurpassed on Earth or even in space to some degree(I do believe he surpasses Reed Richards, but others disagree), and possessing more devices than a chick at a lesbian slumber party, Dr. Doom has cemented his place as the greatest villain in all of comics. In my opinion, at least.

His achievements put other villains to shame. From running his own country (This means he has diplomatic immunity and cannot be arrested, ANYWHERE. Such a clever plot device) to stealing the powers of various cosmic entities and using them to his own diabolical ends, Dr. Doom has proven time and time again that he is a major threat. As it stands currently, he is spending time in Castle Doom, dissecting Asgardians in hopes of discovering a means to achieve immortality. Most scientists are content with dissecting a frog, but Doom dreams big and goes after gods for HIS vivisections. In every field he meanders into, he excels at it. Whether it's science, magic or anything else...he pretty much aims for mastery, not competence. He was even a candidate for Earth's Sorceror Supreme when Dr. Strange lost his powers.

The sheer ambition of the man knows no bounds. During the amazing saga of The Infinity Gauntlet, there's a climactic battle between Thanos and most of Earth's heroes. Out of nowhere, literally, Dr. Doom shouts: "THE GAUNTLET! IT'S MINE AT LAST!", or something to that effect, and lunges for it. I don't think it's ever made clear WHERE the fuck he came from, but that goes to show that he always knows what's up, and usually has a plan regarding it.

He's just too good, even when he's too evil. With all his European coolness, his epic villainy and his penchant for doing what he wants, when and why? He inspired one of the most iconic villains in movie history. Oh yes. Because no matter how much he denies it, we all know where George Lucas REALLY got his main ideas for Darth Vader from.

Samurai outfits, my ass.

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That took mildly longer than I expected, but I think it's one of the most fulfilling posts I've ever made.

I want to thank Paul for contributing to the blog and you for reading. I hope this post exposed you to yet more characters to get into, or at least to read about. I could probably re-shuffle this list a good few times, but this is the best way to do it.

Again, thanks for reading and I will be back, hopefully, on...Tuesday!

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (4/2/2010).

Got a lot of GOOD things on sale, stranger!

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to another fine edition of Thursday's Comics! I will be your awesome host, The Mast.

There are only THREE comics to review this week, but when I say they are mostly epic, you KNOW it's true. You callin' me a liar? Fuck off.

Anyway, let's get this meal underway and eat some serious reviews and shit. Hungry?


Deadpool Team-Up #896.

No surprises here, then.

Deadpool teams up with time/space-hopping trucker U.S. Ace, who is looking for a way to escape Earth and get back to the stars and to his family. He meets Deadpool after Deadpool, dressed as a trucker, almost runs his truck off the road. He goes to meet up with The Highwayman, with Deadpool in tow, to get a job. It turns out that the parts he is couriering are the very parts he needs to get back to space. Naturally, the catch is that there are two trucks full of them, so he needs Deadpool's help. Thus, we have our team-up.

After running over a raccoon, they are ambushed by the raccoon's vengeful family and a fight ensues in which lots of raccoons die and the trucks eventually crash, revealing the cargo to U.S. Ace. Deadpool being Deadpool (Now at least) unintentionally blows up all of the cargo, leaving U.S. Ace rather perturbed.

The issue ends with U.S. Ace trying to get a courier job in Hell, with Deadpool driving off in a truck singing a song about how he dislikes U.S. Ace.

Make no mistake, the only reason I buy this is because it's a Deadpool comic and I didn't come this far to stop now. In all seriousness, that's the nature of Deadpool Team-Up as I've said, you know? One month it could be a great team-up with a good writer, the next it could be mediocre or even shit. This one was shit.

A totally forgettable, boring, unnecessary issue.


Siege: Embedded #2 of 4.

THIS is the shit I'm talking about.

We last left off with Ben Urich and Will Stern befriending the villainised Asgardian, Volstagg, and heading off to bring down or expose Norman Osborn with journalism.

Not a great deal really happens in this issue, but there is some REALLY enjoyable dialogue between the three characters as they're essentially road tripping in a run-down vehicle. A rather funny piece occurs when, just after they stop for fuel, Volstagg says he has questions regarding the magazine that Will bought him to amuse himself, entitled American Women (A fashion magazine). Volstagg asking what the obsession is with standing in front of a mirror, disrobed, is very pleasant.

The bewilderment of Volstagg comes across as so genuine that the language and cultural barrier between this god and these two humans is very acceptable and totally enjoyable. It's almost heartwarming in a way, maybe because Volstagg is just like a big and stupid lump of flesh with a heart of gold.

Meanwhile, as they head toward their goal, Todd Keller - a very Fox News-esque anchorman hired by Osborn's goons to make him look good - begins broadcasting spin journalism to the nation. As he pipes on about how necessary the Asgardian invasion is, we get some more really humourous dialogue between the three characters in the van. Volstagg asks why he is so bad, and after they compare him to the fire giants of Asgard, Volstagg quips that the only way to kill them is to cut their heads off. Stern smirks at this with a very sarcastic: "Oh yeah?". It's so good, Brian Reed does a fine, fine job on this issue.

Eventually, they hit a huge roadblock and H.A.M.M.E.R. agents ambush the van, demanding that they turn over Volstagg and telling them that they're under arrest. This isn't part of the plan. The next thing you see is Volstagg nearly decapitating a H.A.M.M.E.R. agent, jacking his glider and doing battle with an army of them in the sky. It's amazingly exciting.

Urich and Stern get captured and arrested, but Stern manages to overcome the guard and they both escape. Jumping back into the van they go driving off in search of Volstagg, with the issue coming to a close.

I must say that after such a reasonably slow start, enjoyable as it was, this issue really does pick the pace up. Unlike Civil War: Frontline, which had some good parts yet was mostly good in theory, Siege: Embedded really does give you an exciting and captivating feel of "the little man's" take on a big event.

Really, I'm totally looking forward to the next issue now.


Siege #2 of 4.

I had this issue spoiled for me by two people. One was admittedly unintentional and came with an apology, the other was by a despicable fucking shitcock who I hope loses something dear to him in a car fire.

Despite this, Siege #2 was still an utterly amazing, shocking and exciting read. I just wish I didn't know what happened.

EVERYTHING kicks off with a bang, there's hardly a dull moment. Ares is seen taking the fighting King Balder as he implores Ares to stop. His continual efforts to dissuade Ares and convince him that Osborn is the bad guy falls on deaf ears. That is until Heimdall the All-Seer shows up. Being the All-Seer, Heimdall is known to not be lying and as he lays out all this revelatory info, Ares is visibly shocked by this. He glances at the battlefield with a renewed sense of clarity and with a grimace, he says Osborn's name.

I swear, if you have ANY appreciation for artistic talent then you need to check these issues out. Olivier Coipel can DRAW like a motherfucker, I swear. You often find yourself forgetting that these images are just pencil and colour on paper, and that is the mark of true escapism that I don't think you'll ever get from an iReader or whatever.

Thor, having been grounded temporarily by the combined might of Osborn's Initiative members, is rescued by the perpetual bad-ass known as Maria Hill...with a rocket launcher. She blasts at the group enough to scatter them, while Jason - someone she has met from Broxton presumably - tries to drag Thor into the back of the pick-up. X-Ray from The U-Foes appears behind Maria Hill, as Karla - Dark Ms. Marvel, remember. Karla "Moonstone" Sofen - is confronting her. Thor, with the last of his available energy, smacks them both as far away as he can to save Hill. They get him into the truck and speed off.

The scene shifts to the hideout of The New Avengers, and we see Steve Rogers giving a speech about how far this has gone and that it needs to end now. It's revealed that he is talking to the combined might of The New Avengers, The Mighty Avengers and The Young Avengers. The plan? To take Osborn out once and for all.

Karla is about to head off after them before Osborn stops her. He sends Daken instead, giving him total permission to trash Broxton and kill anyone in his way. Before he can full finish his orders, Ares crashes into him from above! I swear, I got goosebumps when I read this.

He screams at Osborn, accusing him of lying, to which Osborn says that it was the only way he could get him into battle. When suggesting that Ares would have done the same, Ares denies this, saying that he was tricked into fighting his "brothers" (Norse gods/Greek gods. I guess they're brothers in deity-hood) and that he will keep his promise; he'll pull off Osborn's helmet and cut his head off. Osborn cockily replies that Ares' defection is a shame, and out of nowhere we see Sentry appear! He deals a swift right hand to Ares and smacks him into a structure opposite, a statue I believe.

It's such a heroic moment for Ares to change sides, and it's a really cool juxtaposition. On one side you've got Ares who is this gruff, slightly hairy god of war. On the other you have the flowing blonde locks and the glowing aura of Sentry, someone who couldn't look more like a goodie two-shoes if he has a crucifix on his neck. Yet, the roles are reversed.

A rather visceral fight begins, with Ares understandably getting a beating put on him. He manages to impale Sentry with the back of his axe and does a bit of damage by ripping it out. When he does so, we see a black tentacle-esque thing creep from the wound and it becomes clear that The Void is about to become dominant. Sentry begins absolutely battering Ares, breaking his nose (Most of the bones in his face I imagine) and wrecking his body with some truly sickening blows. Eventually, he grabs Ares and everyone, mid-battle, begins to cast their gazes skyward.

With everyone watching, jaws-agape and shock on their faces, Sentry proceeds to literally rip Ares in half. The blood, spine and intestines of the Greek war god spill out all over the place and Sentry is left standing there with glowing eyes, holding one half of Ares by his arm. I really, REALLY started to dig Ares even more than I did before...and he gets killed. What's more shocking is how graphic it was! I really dd not expect such gore in a Marvel comic, especially since I was just talking about how Haunt is refreshing in that sense.

The art, again, is truly phenomenal.

It's quite a sad moment, to be honest. There's no redemption, there's no heroic saviour moment at all. Ares realises his fault, tries to kill Osborn and gets ripped in half for his troubles. Bendis has a lot of guts, no pun intended, to kill off such a favourite like this.

The comic cuts back to the hideout and we see Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors prepping a jet, along with the combined Avengers rosters. Bucky, in somewhat of a weird move, insists that Steve takes the shield, saying that the world needs Captain America. He pulls HIS Captain America mask back and, upon being asked what he's going to do, he says: "I'll do what I do.", and reveals a HUGE gun.

I truly hope they don't chicken out and let Steve become Captain America as well as, or instead of, Bucky. That'd suck. It's really take away from all the work they've done with him. Regardless, Jarvis (Stark's butler) appears and tells Steve that it's good to see him again. He hands him a metallic briefcase, to which Steve asks if it's what he thinks it is. Jarvis tells him to get it to "him", and that "he" is nearby, if they're heading to Asgard/Broxton.

We cut back to Broxton, with Daken tracking Thor and the others while keeping in contact with Osborn. Just as he finds him, Thor blasts Daken with a bolt of lightning. This causes him to fall to the ground with most of his skin missing, charred to the bone, but alive.

I tell you, this is a VERY brutal comic for Marvel. It's definitely helping put across the idea that this IS a war, a big fight to the finish.

Thor says that he'll defend his home, his friends and his people until his very last breath. Osborn hears this and tells Sentry to go give Thor his wish. FUCK YES! Sorry, it's just that Thor Vs Sentry is something a lot of us have been waiting for and finally, it looks like it's going to happen.

As Osborn is giving the order, Taskmaster calls to him and advises him to turn around. He does so, and we see Captain America's shield getting closer and closer to him in the reflection of his helmet, about to smack him in the face.

The issue ends.

NO! I WASN'T READY FOR IT TO END, YOU BASTARDS! What's even MORE frustrating is that we don't get Siege #3 until MARCH FUCKING 17TH! Grr!

If you can't tell, I recommend this issue beyond belief. I recommend this STORY beyond belief. It has since been revealed that Siege #1 will not be getting reprinted when it sells out, so if you want to get into this and own the single issue, you'd be well advised to go get it while it's available. I'm not sure if the rest of the issues are the same, but really, you shouldn't take the chance.

Bendis is doing utterly phenomenal work on this story and it is living up to the hype so far. I really hope it keeps up the pace and leads us into The Heroic Age (Marvel's title for post-Dark Reign/Siege activities) with a bang. Accompanied by Olivier Coipel's flawless and painstakingly evocative artwork, you really can't go wrong.

Get it, that's all I'm saying.

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For now, that's all you're gonna get, but I should be back on Saturday with a pretty fun post, that is if I am not too busy. If not Saturday, then Sunday or Monday at the EXTREME latest.

Thanks for reading, whoever did read this, and I hope you found this post enjoyable!

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Looks Back: Vol. 5 (Daredevil #1).

No surreal opening needed.

I have waited for years and years to own this comic and I never really dreamed I would, but now I do.

Daredevil is such an important character to me and has been a huge part of my life for such a long time now, so to own his first issue and his first appearance is absolutely astounding to me. I cannot believe it. It came in the mail this morning. I read it and immediately threw it into a plastic sleeve with a cardboard insert. It may never see the outside of that sleeve again.

I do think that it's only right I review it on this blog because it's a fantastic and immense issue for any collector or Daredevil fan. Without further ado, it gives me GREAT pleasure to present the latest edition of The Mast Looks Back.


Daredevil #1.

The story begins with a group of gangsters playing a card game, as Daredevil (Yellow suit and all) busts in and gives them all a beating whilst looking for their boss, The Fixer. During the fight Daredevil begins to daydream (I've never been THAT confident of a fighter myself) about how he come to be the hero we all know and love (We all meaning the fans).

I must say, as with X-Men #12 and any old comic really, some of the dialogue here is SHOCKING. Like, we're talking Batman-T.V.-series-with-Adam West shocking. Ok, maybe not that bad, but quite. Nevertheless, the action scenes are fantastically drawn for their time. Bill Everett supplies the art on this issue, accompanied by some impeccable inking by the mighty Steve Ditko.

If you've seen the movie, you'll have a basic grasp of how Matt Murdock's life turns around. His father, Battlin' Jack Murdock, was a boxer who wanted to give up fighting in hopes of his son not following the same path, opting to push him toward education instead. At this point, due to bullying, Matt has taken up training in secret so that he can take care of himself and defend himself against the bullies. It's actually quite a well-poised dynamic, really. Jack doesn't want his son to fight, but his son is training so that he can defend himself. Even here we see Matt's desire to protect rather than harm.

Eventually, trouble befalls Jack and he is forced to begin fighting for a very shady boxing promoter and criminal called...? Oh, go on. Guess. That's right, The Fixer. Matt remains unaware of this, but things are about to go from bad to worse. Every hero has an origin, but very few freak accident origins are as sad or tragic as Matt Murdock's. Whilst saving a blind man from almost getting run over, Matt is knocked over himself. The noxious chemical waste that the truck was carrying begins spilling into his eyes, leaving him blind.

Even with the very dated art, this is a truly painful scene. I'd love to see some kind of updated issue drawn by the likes of Deodato, De la Torre or Immonen.

Matt discovers that his remaining four senses functioned with ascended and superhuman sharpness. Daredevil's sense of touch is such that he can read letters by feeling the ink on the page, he can hear a heartbeat from a fair distance away and all other manner of things. Unhindered by his loss of sight, Matt continues his training and goes to law school where he meets his life-long best friend, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. Combined with his father's renewed career and self-esteem, things seemed to be looking up for the Murdock family.

All is not as it seems, however, because The Fixer is about to call in a favour. He orders Jack to throw a fight and, when he refuses, proceeds to have Jack killed in cold blood. After the funeral, Matt tries his best to push on with life by graduating law school and opening the now famous Nelson & Murdock law firm (Matt has been hired by a number of his hero friends throughout the years), hiring a woman named Karen Page to be their secretary. Kevin Smith once remarked that this is one of the few times where a lawyer had been seen in a heroic and positive light.

As well as graduating and starting a business, the vengeful Matt Murdock opts to become a costumed vigilante by the name of Daredevil. He modifies his walking stick into an extendable billy club to fight with, as well as using it as a grappling hook to traverse New York City's rooftops.

The comic brings us back to the present where Daredevil is still handing out a whooping to The Fixer's gambling men. Elsewhere, Foggy tries to find Matt in order to help him get to work, but isn't successful. Upon asking Karen Page if she has seen him, they have a conversation that hints to a slight attraction to Matt on her part as she expresses sympathy for his condition (Karen Page would go on to become one of Daredevil's most important cast members).

Matt tracks The Fixer down using his powerfully augmented senses, finding him in a subway station. He switches into his Daredevil guise and hunts The Fixer down, chasing him throughout the subway. Terrified, The Fixer suffers a heart attack and dies from the strain. Satisfied that justice has been served, Daredevil returns to his civilian clothing and shows up for work, where the rest of his co-workers are glad to see him, despite expressing concern for his wellbeing.

The issue ends here.

I have to say, with the exception of some dire dialogue, this is one of the very best origin comics I've read. Not only does it give you a fairly plausible origin, but it provides a perfect starting point for the exploits of Marvel's THEN newest and most unique hero.

I think his costume is utterly dire, but there's a joke a friend and I have regarding that. He's blind, so it's not surprising he looked like he got dressed in the dark. He changes into the now legendary all-red suit in Daredevil #7 (Which is next on my list), and the yellow suit is fashion faux-pas history.

Needless to say, you're not gonna get this comic in any kind of decent, readable condition without shelling out £400 or more - a Daredevil #1 of 9.0 grading or above will go for no less than £2,500 - so that tells you how much I paid. So unless you're a madly passionate collector with the money to buy this, umm...don't? Haha. I DO think this origin tale is worth reading, though. So, for those of you who want it but don't want the single issue, you can pick it up as part of the Essential Daredevil (Vol. 1) collected edition. It's available at all comic stores worth their salt, Amazon.Com etc. It's pretty cheap too, and you get Daredevil #1-#12.

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Well, how about that? I promised an epic retro review and I provided adequately, I'd say.

My next post will be tomorrow, Thursday's Comics, and it involves Siege #2! So, if you're as excited as I am for the continuation of this epic event, you won't wanna miss out. I've had some spoiler free conversations and everyone has said it blows the first issue away, and then some.

On Saturday, expect a rather cool post. It should be kind of fun and may even be co-wrote!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Tell your friends, whore my link around if you wish. The more readers, the better.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast