The Mast Reviews/Blogs: Thursday's Comics (13/5/2010) & The Heroic Age Begins Now!

'Bout time, idiot.

After a few weeks of somewhat passive comic releases, today is a massive wave of awesomeness and slight regret.

No words are really needed, but here are some reasons why. Two series' and one mini-series that I have come to love are over. That's right! The New Avengers, Dark Avengers and Siege came to a close today, which makes me reasonably sad.

ON TO THE INKED PAGES OF NICENESS!


New Mutants #13 (Second Coming: Chapter 7).

At least there are SOME epic tales of heroism and villainy, locked in a combative dance across time, that HAVEN't been cancelled.

New Mutants #13 picks up immediately where Uncanny X-Men #524 ended, as the Second Coming chapters usually do. Domino is being contacted by Cyclops with the hopes of bringing The Vanisher to Utopia. For those not in the know, The Vanisher is a teleporter...and we all know what Bastion and his Purifiers think of X-Men teleporters! Naturally, he's very scared for his own life and tries to leave town. He returns to his apartment to find his girls murdered and, before he knows what has happened, is the victim of an assassination carried out by Bastion minion, Stephen Lang.

With the three of the four teleporters dead, and Magik trapped in Limbo, Bastion uses his spy on Utopia to execute the next stage of his sinister plan. After Dani Moonstar gets in Cable's face about whether or not Hope is worth it, Hope jumps to Cable's aid. A pretty rough fist-fight breaks out and Cable interrupts Cyke's attempts to stop it, stating that she needs to find her own maturity.

I think that at any other point in the story, this would have come as an odd surprise. I mean, why would Cable protect her through time and all the way back to the present if he's just gonna ditch her and decide she can walk on her own? At THIS point, however, it made sense. She obviously needs to find her place in this time, but she'll never be able to do that if everyone keeps her in a bubble.

The fight is interrupted by a huge explosion, and it's NOT good news. Bastion's spy has destroyed every available mode of transportation on Utopia, effectively trapping the X-Men. He talks trash to the team as soon as they arrive on the scene and is promptly blasted into oblivion by Cyclops for his troubles. Warning them to prepare for an attack, Cyke begins organising his team for what may just be the last stand of mutantkind.

I really, really cannot get enough of this series. I don't know what else I can say that I haven't said already. Considering the amount of people involved in this story, the combined team of writers really do make it feel like every one of them has something invested in the fight. I'd say that the only part of the saga that's lacking is the X-Factor tie-in, but that's to be expected. It's not truly central to the plot.

To make it easier for you, here is a read order of the entire Second Coming saga, containing everything you'd possibly need:



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Seriously, get into it.


Siege #4 of 4.

It all ends here. Seven years of Marvel storylines have essentially been building to this. From Avengers: Disassembled, to House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion and Dark Reign. It's all been leading to one moment.

Asgard itself has fallen by the hand of The Sentry, and now The Void has entirely manifested itself against our intrepid heroes. All of Marvel's available forces are united on the battlefield that is the crumbled ruins of Asgard. The Hood and his entire gang have been powered up with Asgardian Norn stones, courtesy of Loki, and our heroes really have their work cut out for them.

The issue opens with The Void unleashing fury on just about any living being in sight, and the art is utterly astonishing. Olivier Coipel really draws his ass off on this mini-series, I'm not even joking, he's such a beast. Loki's voice-over narrates the carnage and destruction, but not as we expect!

There's a great deal of regret as he explains that he never intended for Asgard to fall, only to be returned to its rightful place and ownership, highlighting the fact that he never knew how powerful The Sentry/The Void truly was. He request forgiveness from the Allfathers and, with tears in his eyes, retracts the Norn stones from The Hood and all of his boys. In an entirely unexpected and daring turn for Bendis to make, Loki empowers all of Earth's heroes with the force of the Asgardian Norn stones. He insists that those who fight to defend his father's home with dignity and valour deserve the aid.

The battle momentum soon shifts in favour of the heroes, but The Void is not so easily fooled. The Void, by the way, looks genuinely terrifying. Really.

Tracking down Loki, he begins his attack. Then in yet ANOTHER unexpected turn, Loki apologises to Thor, calling him brother for the last time as The Void completely disintegrates him. As much as I thought this was an incredibly poignent moment, I can't entirely bring myself to accept that Loki never wanted to rule Asgard. I can't accept that all of his work during Dark Reign, inciting the Siege, was all for essentially nothing. I don't really buy it. Although, the destruction of Asgard regardless may have shocked him into siding with the heroes. Bendis DID do a great job of having Loki come off with a tremendous sense of regret.

Now lacking the additional power, the heroes begin to fight what they feel is a hopeless fight, although Thor really does crack into The Void with as much intensity as I've ever seen. Steve Rogers smacks Osborn in the face with his shield and asks him to tell them how to defeat The Void, to which he utters the sinister words, "You...you can't! He's...the Angel of Death."

How literally we're meant to take this is...not known to me.

Iron Man makes radio contact with the H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier and tells everyone to get off it immediately. When Victoria Hand asks why, he says, with unparalleled coolness, "Because I'm about to turn it into a bullet."

The helicarrier and all its weaponry crashes into The Void, the explosion is IMMENSE and everyone ducks for available cover. When the smoke clears, there lays Robert Reynolds, the frail and human form of The Sentry/The Void. Finding out that he's responsible for everything that's happened, he requests to be killed. THIS is what I was curious about, because Siege needed to end well.

With his request denied, The Void begins trying to attack again, but Thor deals a swift blow and ends the life of Robert Reynolds once and for all. I must admit, I did feel a great deal of pity for the guy. Not many people consider The Sentry a good character and I was never a fan myself, but I think that in this end, people will really see what purpose he had.

He was a man who intended to do good, but simply had way too much darkness and not enough will to fight or control it. Perhaps with the right guidance, he could have. This makes it doubly shameful, I guess. Osborn essentially drove the man off the deep end and it resulted in him being killed by someone he considered a friend.

The heroes begin rounding up all of The Hood's goons (The Hood and Madame Masque both fled the scene during the battle) and cart them off to finally face the punishment for their crimes.

In what I feel was the most integral moment of this issue, Steve Rogers is given the position that Nick Fury and Norman Osborn once occupied. He's the Marvel Universe's top cop now. He tells the President that he will only do it HIS way, and the announcement is made in Times Square that the Superhuman Registration Act is vanquished. Every hero is a free hero.

The Heroic Age finally feels real, ladies and gentlemen.

As the gathered heroes celebrate atop Stark's re-acquired Stark Tower, Thor appears, followed by many Asgardians. He expresses thanks for all their help, states that they showed heroism beyond the call of duty and that he will forever be read to return to the ranks of The Avengers, whoever they may be. Heimdall, at Thor's insistence, erects a structure on top of Stark Tower that has the Rainbow Bridge leading from it. I'm guessing this is a quite epic union of Asgardians and humans.

Steve Rogers tells Thor that he is glad to hear him say what he did, because he is going to need everybody for what comes next.

So ends Siege.

I do think it's unfair to criticise Siege, as some have, for ending so obviously. What did you expect? The next status quo is called The Heroic Age. It was clearly always going to be a case of good guys winning.

I think Siege could've done with being one or MAYBE two more issues, but I think that's because it was a blockbusting action arc. It wasn't meant to be a drawn out, intricate story. I DO think Norman Osborn deserves a prominent role in Marvel stories to come, and it feels kind of like he's just swept aside in the issues that end Dark Reign/Siege. Though it DOES feel more complete with the tie-ins.

All in all, the dialogue is cool, the art is mouth-watering and it leads us into The Heroic Age in the only way you could ever ask; heroically.

I'm satisfied. Bendis does a tremendous job of conveying a grand sense of transition, I must say. After Dark Reign, it feels like a new age is dawning.


Siege: Embedded #4 of 4.

Not much happens in this issue, but what does happen is kinda nice.

Arriving at the ruined scenes of Asgard, witnessing the final battle between the heroes and The Void, Ben Urich looks on.

Ben Urich gives a WONDERFUL account of true heroism through the eyes of someone who admires it. It made me very happy. In a world where heroes are often heatedly debated, here is a man who is staring at people putting their lives on the line and appreciating them for what and who they are; heroes.

When the battle is over, Ben Urich wanders New York with an optimistic view of life. Visiting the grave of his beloved lady, he mentions that he finally sees the world as having a future, as getting better every day...and him along with it.

I've always liked Ben Urich and I actually think that this issue really adds something for the fan in me. Would I recommend the series? Ehh. Get the trade if you simply must read everything, or get the single issues as it may be cheaper. You won't be missing much, but I enjoyed this series.

Though I feel this issue was what the WHOLE series should've been, I can't really knock it. It's not as bad as Civil War: Frontline, at least!


The Sentry: Fallen Sun (Siege: Epilogue).

This one-shot is Robert Reynolds' funeral.

Coming after Nightcrawler's funeral, this one truly doesn't seem as powerful, but maybe that's not a fair comparison. Attendees are The Fantastic Four, Tony Stark, Daredevil, Rogue, Cyclops and Emma Frost.

I honestly think that Paul Jenkins writing this is madly appropriate. My issue with this comic is that it tries too hard and doesn't take enough things into consideration.

Nightcrawler was a character who saw the good in almost everyone, never judged and never looked down on anybody. He died sacrificing his life for the future of his race. HIS funeral was sad and warranted tributes as a result.

Robert Reynolds became The Sentry because he was a drug addict who mistakenly took a serum. Granted, he was a guy who honestly wanted to use his powers for the best of humanity, but the reason he is dead is because he flipped and had to be killed. I can't take all the tributes and attesting to his heroism seriously. Sure, don't forget all the good he did, or tried to do, but acting like this is a bit ridiculous.

Chris Benoit was allegedly a really nice guy, he was a great entertainment wrestler and this must never be forgotten. He also killed his child and wife. It's an admirable effort of a comic, and there will always be debates as to how best The Sentry could've been used, but he's gone now. Don't ask us to miss him when you spent so long sending us every which way, Marvel.

I can't. He didn't sacrifice himself. He was a man who literally couldn't overcome his darkness, he didn't overcome it and destroy himself in one last effort of heroism. He was Void-ing out again and Thor had to kill him.

His existence was to be pitied, but that's all. I pity Rob Reynolds, The Sentry.


Dark Avengers #16.

One of my favourite modern on-goings comes to an end.

This issue is the last union of Bendis and Deodato, so I'm gonna tell you that this makes me intensely sad. A sad panda.

Osborn and his goons are at the mercy of Marvel's heroes and face mega-jail time. Ryker's Island jail time, to be exact. Not to be sniffed at (We'll see how long they last in there). Moonstone (Dark Ms. Marvel) and Bullseye (Dark Hawkeye) attempt escape, but are swiftly and brutally apprehended by Ms. Marvel (Who I really dig a lot more than I used to).

Captain Rogers (Steve's new alias) confronts Victoria Hand and gives her amnesty. He tells her he understands that she wasn't exactly in full agreement with Osborn, that she's a good soldier and that he can use her in his team. Upon telling her to go home, get her life sorted and report back to him on Monday for her first assignment, she's left kind of wondering. I would be too!

She got off LIGHTLY, I swear. Then again, she didn't do MUCH wrong. She was following a man she thought would bring about a better world (George Bush comparisons intended, I guess). I'm actually glad Bendis seemed to keep her around, because she's so much more than the Dark Maria Hill. I really liked her role in this series, so to think that she'll be in Secret Avengers, WRITTEN BY ED BRUBAKER, is AWESOME.

I guess the big reveal is that Osborn is now in jail, with Iron Man and Thor outside, telling him he's where he belongs. Osborn begins talking back, and it may be Bendis' finest moment of dialogue.

He explains that he was just trying to make the world safer. He says that one day the wrong mutant will collide with the wrong person and the world will explode in on itself, soon. One particularly memorable passage is when he says, "It's only a matter of time before Hulk destroys everything he see, or The Punisher shoots the wrong bad guy and triggers a nuclear holocaust. Sooner or later, people with powers will make this world into a wreck that no human can live on. If YOU hadn't stood in my way, I could have stopped that happening."

It's then revealed that he is talking to a gigantic, demonic imagining of the Green Goblin. He tells him to leave, to which the Goblin says he can't and that they're trapped together, cackling all the way.

A fairly nice send-off for what was Marvel's best-selling on-going. It was always in the top of my reading list and I AM very saddened to see it go.


The New Avengers: Finale.

Dark Avengers ran for 16 issues, 17 if you include the annual. The New Avengers ran for 64. 65 if you include this, 69 if you include the three annuals. I've been way more attached to this series on account of that, I guess.

I started reading The New Avengers when it came out, back in 2005.

I can safely say it hasn't often let me down, and this finale is no exception.

This issue is where I feel The Heroic Age truly kicks off and sets itself in stone.

The New Avengers take off from the ruins of Asgard and chase down Madame Masque and The Hood, using one of his goons to rat him out and track him down. They force him to set up a meeting, and hijack it. Little do they know, Madame Masque has gone to her father for advise; Count Nefaria.

Essentially immortal and with immense power, he offers to bestow it upon The Hood for ALL the money he owns.

The remaining members of The N.A. storm the building and attempt to tie up the last few loose ends, with Ms. Marvel leading the pack. Neferia turns out to be a bit much, but he is blind-sided by Wolverine, returning from Utopia, and Ms. Marvel takes him out with a HUGE energy blast. Eventually, they're all taken out and dumped at the appropriate authorities.

All of the characters are left wondering where to go from here, now that most of them are newly freed from the S.R.A. and such. Captain Rogers says that if God had taken him or ceased the work they did over the past years aat any point, he'd have been proud. He'd have pride in the fact that they all stepped up and did what they needed to do, as heroes.

The most beautiful panel really drives home something. Captain Rogers says that he promised himself, way back when they formed The New Avengers, that whenever peace came, he'd do one thing; take a nice walk in a park. As much as that may seem simple, it actually makes you appreciate just how important such things are. I always go walking around my city for those very reasons.

The last panel is a picture of Luke and Jessica Cage pushing their baby through the park, with Peter Parker taking pics and the rest of the crew following. Out of uniform and out of danger. It's such a beautiful picture.

That was when I realise The Heroic Age was upon us. I can't wait to see what's next.

---

So, there we go!

I have to say, I'm so excited for The Heroic Age. Out of seven years of dark and tumultuous storylines comes a time where heroes rule again. If one thing is certain, there are people who won't let it stay that way for long. With Avengers Academy, Secret Avengers, The Avengers and the second volume of The New Avengers, there's LOTS to look forward to.

Next week we see the first issue of The Avengers! The Heroic Age actually starts, and you won't wanna be anywhere else.

I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Thursday's Comics, I enjoyed typing it.

Thanks to everyone who comments, everyone who reads. Thanks for the AMAZING feedback on Daredevil Month. I've secured two new followers of his on-going! That's something.

Anyway, be sure to check out the blog in the next couple of days. Why? Another edition of The Mast Looks Back of course!

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (6/5/2010).

Good news, everyone!

I sincerely apologise for the delay in this post...but I am very retarded. I typed it all out, thought I posted it, but didn't. So I'm adding this in as an apology and editing the date.

Quite a few good comics this week (as in..two), and some important amendments!

Let's get this party started.


Uncanny X-Men #524 (Second Coming: Chapter 6).

The opening of this issue is really odd and out of place.

Cable and Hope are in the sick bay, and Colossus is there talking to Kitty Pryde...giving her some DVDs and laughing. Didn't Nightcrawler just die?

Aside from that, this is somewhat of a well-done retreat from emotions, courtesy of Matt Fraction. There isn't a huge amount of action in this issue, with the X-Men preparing for Bastion's inevitable assault on Utopia impending.

I don't like Terry Dodson's art. Well, I do, but it's too cartoony at time, especially for such a heavy storyline.

I suppose this is like in Resident Evil when you get to a save room, really. All that action and then a well-deserved rest, but not a wasted one. It takes time to re-arrange the pieces, basically. It feels like something big's about to happen and Cyke is trying to get everyone in place. This is made even more difficult by his need to send the New Mutants into Limbo (More on that next).

Nightcrawler's funeral was heartbreaking, I won't lie. Beast blowing up in Cyclops' face, with tears in his eyes, to tell him he has to bear this burden forever, was immense. The individual speeches from his friends and teammates, intertwined with artwork of him through the ages, were especially touching. Wolverine's reaction was the best, though.

Wolverine extending his claws and screaming at Cyclops, asking what all this was for, really drives home the weight of this story. Then he points at Hope and says, "You BETTER be worth all this, I swear to God."

It's really quite amazing. I didn't care for, or dislike, Nightcrawler. So for this death to have made me care is a testament to Fraction's writing here.

My best advice would be to start reading Second Coming, but if you're not by now and I haven't sold you, you'll probably never be.


Second Coming Revelations: Hellbound #1 of 3.

This is actually a very relevant and decent tie-in!

When Magik was about to die in the previous issue of New Mutants, she instinctively threw herself into Limbo. Bad move.

Cyke sends the New Mutants in after her, with a couple of them very reluctant to go and help, Anole and Pixie in particular (Magik took a part of her soul when she was bad).

Eventually, the team is ordered by Cannonball (Leader) to go into Limbo and, with the addition of Gambit, they head off.

Trapped in an intensely hostile place, the group fend off any number of demons and trapped horrors in hopes of rescuing Magik (She's important to Cyke because she's a useful sorceress and teleporter...and Colossus's sister). What they do NOT know is that N'Astirh and Sym, malevolent rulers of Limbo, have a sinister plan. They intend to allow the group to find Magik, only for them to steal the soulsword from her.

It is all set up to be a very exciting story within another exciting story. Will they get back in time?! Won't they?! WHO KNOWS?!

Seriously, it's all very well set-up. MUCH more than I can say for Utopia's follow-up, Nation X. Arguably the worst let-down of the year.

If you read this, I cannot praise this story arc enough. Trust me, pick this shit up.

---

Amendments, ho!

Deadpool Corps and Deadpool Team-Up will never see this blog again. They are garbage and I shall not waste my time writing about one of my most beloved characters being shit on.

I'm sorry, I won't. I have more deserving comics to write about and those two are just taking up space.

I will therefore be introducing The Invincible Iron Man into Thursday's Comics, starting from the next issue, #26. It's a blinding series, and I had SO much catching up (You guys, not me) to do with Daredevil that I couldn't IMAGINE having to do it with Iron Man. A new arc began in #25, so it'll be easy.

Hugo Weaving has been case as the Red Skull in Captain America's movie. This is good news.

Also, SIEGE #4 IS OUT NEXT WEEK, AFTER A MONTH'S DELAY. FINALLY! Mega-excited for this.

That's about all I got for this week. Thanks for reading, guys and girls.

Until next time, peace!

-The Mast

The Mast Blogs: Dear Marvel, I'm Sorry I Doubted You.

Show me your citrus peels!

Before I continue with my Daredevil Month tomorrow, I wanted to update you all on some truly pleasing developments.

First, if you haven't read Thursday's Comics or my review of Iron Man 2, what's your problem? Why are you being a douchebag? Secondly, on the topic of Marvel movies, I wanted to talk about Thor. I spoke about Thor in one of my very first posts, and today I have reason to do so again.

I was not sure that Chris Hemsworth would look the part. He did NOT strike me as someone who looked like Thor, or could convey the appropriate amount of au-Thor-ity (Oh yes, I did). You may have seen him, for about...five minutes, as Cap'n Kirk's father in the newest Star Trek movie. Now, it remains to be seen how well the dude can act as Thor. Kenneth Brannagh is a Shakespearean stage actor, so I don't believe he'd cast scrubs in a movie he is directing.

My point is, what does he LOOK like? That is when things seem real, that's when you get a sense of excitement or disappointment. So, let's take a look at the first picture of Hemsworth as Thor...after we see the way he SHOULD look!



The mighty Thor; Avenger, slayer of frost giants, guardian of Midgard, god of thunder.



Can you say, "Fucking yes"?

I can. I'm in such an awkward position! Iron Man was so amazing, but I went into that expecting it to blow chunks. It was the resurrection of Marvel movies. Since then, they've made The Incredible Hulk AND Iron Man 2, both fantastic. I can't force myself to go into Thor next May (April for us, most likely) with low expectations. I have three film's worth of satisfaction to back that up. I'm afraid I'll be disappointed if it's not on the level, especially with The Avengers riding on Hemsworth being good as Thor.

Back on topic, how awesome does he look? I mean, he doesn't wear armoud and the armour he has on there DOES looks a little plastic, but that's just one promo shot. I do think it looks better with the silver disc-things being used as a cape holder, but regardless, I think Hemsworth looks the shit. I'm waiting on a full shot of him with the helmet, the blonde hair properly showing and, of course, Mjolnir. Aside from that, how about it?

Nobody really figured Heath Ledger to turn in the role he did until we saw those first promo/set shots of him as The Joker.

A promising start!

That's about it for today, but I figured this was worthy of an update.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Reviews: Thursday's Comics (22/4/2010 & 29/4/2010).

You've got blog on you.

I was trying to decide how to do this, because there were nowhere near as many comics as I thought, but still a lot. I was weighing up what matters more when having a blog; is it giving readers lots of content, or quality content?

I opted for quality. Thus, I stumbled upon a new policy. Unless it's an on-going series, I will cease to review things that I don't feel are of good quality. For example, to keep up with issue #23 of Deadpool, you need to be told what happens in this month's Deadpool #22.

One-shots don't really need reviewing unless they're good or they add something to proceedings.

With that said, here is a combination of last Thursday's comics and this Thursday's comics!


Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #10

Just when I thought Deadpool might be having a little bit of a quality resurrection, there's a two doses of shit over a couple of weeks.

Having already been cancelled three issues from now, I really find it hard to even invest into this series anymore. I can't say that I feel the story will go anywhere either. Oddly enough, I do think it could have, given time. Given time, given more variation, Victor Gischler could be an ideal Deadpool writer.

This issue basically just continues from where #9 left off. Deadpool and Co. are being cornered by the three zombified Marvel characters, lead by Absorbing Man. They are also ambushed at the same time by agents of A.I.M., which proves to be quite fortuitious. Chasing down the easier option of fodder, the zombies pursue the soldiers and Deadpool tries to escape with his friends. Absorbing Man attempts to stop them, so Deadpool grabs this enormous rocket launcher thing from Dr. Veronica and tells them to clear out. He fires it into what appears to be the support of a building, the Chrysler building.

It collapses on him as Deadpool runs boyishly away. I thought that was kind of a funny, Deadpool-esque element. That's what we have to settle for nowadays, I guess.

Anyway, the search continues for Headpool's headless body so everyone can then go back to where they came from.

I suppose in and of itself it's not fair to call this issue shit. It's Marvel. I love Marvel to death, but their handling of Deadpool is abominable. Bringing me to the next point...


Deadpool #22.

Not only has Deadpool already done the wannabe hero thing, but he's already done it better than Daniel Way is trying to do it.

His tiny encounter with Spider-Man showed promise. Daniel Way, allergic to this it seems, has completely regressed and had Deadpool end up fighting a hillbilly family. One of which is called White Lightnin'.

I...I don't know.

Until a more steady, lengthy arc of quality can be said to exist, I don't recommend this series.


Thor #609.

And...


The New Avengers #64.

Thor #609 and The New Avengers #64 are getting a dual review because, though good, they sort of just detail the Siege of Asgard in what appears to be a manner that's unnecessary. I mean, I get that the main battle is saved for Siege's main four-parter, but they could've at least made the tie-ins as grand.

We're treated to Loki getting throughly exiled from Asgard in Thor #609, which made be respect King Balder a great deal more. Loki is never down or out, though. Whatever his end game is, I'm sure it's brilliant. Definitely the most improved villain in Marvel. He's just so goddamn sneaky, it's almost like violence-less viciousness.

Thor wasn't even in the issue, which bugged me.

The New Avengers #64 gives us some more alternate views of the Battle of Asgard. Most of it centres around Asgard being destroyed by The Sentry and how everyone reacts to this. Mockingbird is revealed to be alive under the rubble, shocker there. There is an intriguing turn when Loki takes away the power of the Norn stones from The Hood and his villains, however. The Hood and Madame Hydra escape and go on the run, powerless. He's really scared that when this is all settled, they'll be thrown in jail for life, to which Madame Hydra insists he has something that they'll never suspect or see coming.

I'm gonna let The New Avengers and Bendis get away with being a bit filler-y right now. This was, sadly, the final numbered issue of The New Avengers first volume. A series I have read and loved since 2005, save for The New Avengers: Finale next month, is coming to an end. I've followed it through Civil War, Secret Invasion and Dark Reign. It has been a terrific series and I can't really fault it for having a couple of issues that are dry.

I'm going to miss it. Thor is being written, post-Siege, by Matt Fraction. This pleases me! He writes a MEAN Thor and his current run on Iron Man is to Iron Man what Frank Miller was to Daredevil.


X=Men Legacy #235 (Second Coming: Chapter 4).

What an opening, and it picks up RIGHT where the previous chapter left off.

Cameron Hodge has sliced off part of Karma's leg foot and is about to deliver a killing blow when Cannonball rams him clear of her. The X-Men are shown bombing along a highway in pursuit of Cable and Hope, but they are swiftly ambushed. Ariel is killed in the blast and Wolverine is charred beyond belief, but still fine.

The other battle continues, but the New Mutants appear to be getting ever more overwhelmed. Cypher, in desperation, makes Warlock break his promise to never kill. He uses his alien ability to take over the body of a Purifier drone and fights Hodge with it.

The fight doesn't last long and it ends with him completely ripping Hodge's bio-organic head from his body.

Cable and Hope are holed up in a remote place in the desert, assured that while they are safe, they don't have long. This leads to an outside shot of their hiding spot being surrounded by Purifier soldiers. Luckily, the X-Men show up in time to finally taken them out and get Hope into their custody. The plan is for one Rogue to absorb powers from each of the X-Men and, with Nightcrawler, get Hope back to Utopia.

With Bastion tracking Cable, or at least the virus in Cable's cyborg arm, Cyclops thinks that they will be diverted to them as opposed to Hope. They take a moment to prepare themselves for the incoming enemies as Hope, Nightcrawler and Rogue take off.

I am really, really loving this story. As I was discussing with Andrew of Gosh! Comics, it's SO focused. It knows exactly where it's going and how to get there, despite having no main series and different writers on each tie-in. The next chapter was a week away...but I got them together due to the delay.


X-Force #26 (Second Coming: Chapter 5).

This is where shit gets mega serious.

With the New Mutants rushing back to Utopia in hopes of stopping Karma from bleeding to death and the X-Men and Cable ready to do major battle with Bastion's warriors, a lot was poised to happen. An incredibly exciting issue with a very tragic end (AND IT'S ONLY CHAPTER 5!).

Bastion is informed of Cable being stationary and recommends that they go after him and the girl immediately. Bastion, however, has other ideas. Sinister ideas, indeed.

Hope, Nightcrawler and Rogue continue their escape across the country. Nightcrawler cannot teleport continually, with two guests, without being extremely drained. As a result, they pause for a rest in an alleyway. Just as they are about to make their last few teleports, a gigantic flash of light appears. Rogue immediately orders Hope to get behind her as she summons all the powers loaned from her X-Men friends.

It's Bastian, or at least an extremely lethal representation of him. Rogue viciously attacks him, but he emotionlessly deals with her repeated attempts by knocking her unconscious. He approaches Hope and tells her that she must be destroyed on account of what he has seen her become in the future. Right at that point, Nightcrawler leaps into the way and receives a punch through his torso for his troubles. I was suspecting he'd be the one to go, if any, but it was still sad to see a character so likeable meet such a violent end. The tone and the execution of this death scene was amazingly well done.

Considering how many deaths are occuring right now, it was stand-out. Perfect.

He uses his remaining strength to teleport himself and Hope to Utopia, destroying what is revealed to be a drone of Bastian's in the process. Upon arrival, Hope tries to keep him alive, but he tells her she is worth it and that he believes in her. With that, he takes his last breath.

Everyone on Utopia is filled with absolute grief, understandably. When Wolverine arrives, he is almost reduced to sobbing and tears. THAT is how you make a death scene count, you know? If you want to make ME care, make me see why I should. To see everyone else rocked by this is what added to it. It's a very powerful moment and really does drive home what's at stake for mutant kind, and what has been sacrificed to keep Hope alive, even if nobody knows WHY she's the Messiah yet.

Back at their base, Bastian and his crew reveal that they have more plans yet to put into action (Not surprising, it's a story 13 chapters long). One can only imagine what those are.

I must say, if you're not reading this...then you're missing out.

It's an absolutely MAGNIFICENT series, it truly is. It's such a focused story and it has such a grand sense of impending doom, but triumph in with it. This story really does make you feel like something serious and important is happening.

Yost does an amazing job with X-Force and this issue is no exception. I really, really like it. His ability to characterise each character uniquely is making me want to go back and read the rest of the X-Force issues now. Maybe I'll even get the trades. The art is VERY good also, but then again, Mike Choi is a pimp like that. It's not terribly unique, but it's VERY detailed. The man knows details.

I also picked up the X-Factor tie-in, but it doesn't seem to be too relevant so I'm gonna save myself some time. If it becomes relevant, I'll fill you in later.

Seriously, guys. Second Coming is the shit right now, get onto it!

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That's about all I've got right now.

Stay tuned for the continuation of Daredevil Month on Sunday AND...a VERY special post tomorrow. Not an interview or anything, but something VERY exciting pertaining to comics.

Thank you ALL for reading. Comment, tell your friends and eat your vegetables.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast.

The Mast Reviews: Iron Man 2.

You smell funny!

Thursday's Comics, due to being a double edition and me already having THIS post to prioritise, will be coming tomorrow as ONE post.

Now, let's just get right on with it. It's not too arrogant to say that I am the greatest man in the world. I also happen to be many people's go-to-guy on all this comic-esque. This review has been awaited and requested by millions of people, so I shall give you what you desire.

First, a spoiler-free summary of my thoughts. Then, I will go into detail about what I loved or loathed about the movie.

Ready? Take off!


Iron Man 2.

Spoiler-Free:

I saw this in IMAX and I recommend strongly that you do so wherever available, first off. Secondly, the movie itself; what do I think of it?

Iron Man 2 is better than Iron Man. It IS, in many ways, what I thought it would be. That being a typical Marvel sequel. It had the elements I expected: more characters, more action. It lacked what I was dreading, though. It lacked a lack of focus, and it lacked a sense of Spider-Man 3ism in that it never felt like any of the characters were unnecessary or shouldn't have been there.

Robert Downey Jr. tends to play Stark in a little more of an eccentric fashion than I'd have liked. It seems his ability to deal with the pressure of his position lead him into more comedic moments than it did serious ones, but I still deny there was or is probably anyone better suited to Stark. He's Stark to the core, and I can't take that away from him. Aside from the aforementioned eccentricity, he turns in a marvelous performance. When they DO get it right and Stark does start to show some of the more negative signs that come with his lifestyle, combined with being a superhero, he does so with competence and believability. Not just acceptable believability, either.

My biggest worry was that it would succumb to Marvel Sequel Syndrome. That being more characters, more action, worse story, worse movie. It didn't. The reason a lot of people will feel this isn't as good as the first is because it's not the first time we see Iron Man. We'll never have that first time seeing him suit up, we don't see the genesis, the tale of how Stark becomes Iron Man.

This should not be held against it, as nothing's new forever. What it does have is an additional genesis story, or stories. Stark is essentially re-learning how to live life, how to be himself and what matters now. He is faced with the fact that he can no longer be a carefree playboy, flying above his concerns and the concerns of the world. In this particular thread of plot, the movie successfully avoids being what I hoped it wouldn't.

Don Cheadle is very fine as Rhodey. I prefer him over Terrance Howard (The previous movie's Rhodey), actually. I do feel that he wasn't as spot on with Rhodey's character as R.D.J. is with Stark, but the dynamic between the two definitely hearkens back to some of their comic dynamics. I loved that. Then, of course, there's War Machine. All I'll say is that he lives up to the hype. Remember how Hollywood sold Revenge of the Fallen on Devastator? "We've got the Constructicons! They combine to form a big robot! We included a three second clip of him in the trailer!", only for his inclusion to be the worst waste of a climactic event in cinema history.



War Machine is not like that. War Machine shows up and you know they didn't falsely advertise in the trailer.

Mickey Rourke's character, Whiplash, was something contentious to me at the beginning. I didn't like how they gave him one character's name, but another's powers. When you see the movie, it all makes sense and is an acceptable and well-done/thought out departure from the comics. A stellar actor who commands more with just a glance than most actors can dream. He played his part well. I'm not entirely convinced it was a role made for him, a role that someone out there couldn't have been better in, but he was very enjoyable. They pulled a gambit similar to the one seen in The Incredible Hulk in that an origin is told throughout the opening credits. Whiplash's/Ivan Vanko's beginnings are what start off the movie.

This leads into the ball-bustingly cool first scene with Iron Man.

Sam Rockwell wasn't the Justin Hammer I originally hoped he'd be, but he still gave as good a shot at stealing the show as the rest of the cast. Truly one of the world's absolute finest actors and, again, his departure from the comics version of Hammer was necessary and ultimately well done.

Some scenes do seem like they suffer from intention. There are some moments where a more serious tone was required, but not entirely conveyed. Some cases where a serious tone was conveyed happened to be done at slightly inopportune times. I appreciate what they tried to do, though, and in many ways it did its job. The scene where Tony indulges himself a bit too much needed to be more of a downward spiral than a rising laugh moment, but the way in which he is reeled in perfectly counterbalances it.

Overall, the story is a surprisingly compelling and well-orchestrated tale of how a man is thrust into dealing with life at supersonic speed, due to his own influence, despite his desire to cruise through it at his own pace. As the characters are dragged into the world of Tony Stark, they all come together to form a purpose and are all there for a reason. The first and second acts are brilliant, but may leave some wondering when everything's going to kick off. If the criticism of the first one not having a sustainable and worthwhile third act was justified, it's roundly trounced and silenced in the sequel. One of the most pulse-quickening, fun and exciting third acts of superhero movie history.

The action scenes are not as plentiful as I'd expected, however I do NOT believe this means there wasn't enough action. What was there was brilliant and any more WOULD have been overkill.

Let me just say it: It's not The Dark Knight. It's not better, it's not worse. It just is. It's not like comparing Iron Man and Spider-Man movies. Batman is an entirely different mythos, premise and character that deserves to be left where it is. Iron Man is as excellent a franchise in its own right, and it too deserves not to be compared.

I loved this movie. I gained a maddeningly large amount of respect for Jon Favreau when watching the special features of the first movie. It was his baby, such an intense labour of love that truly does come through on screen. Iron Man 2 is absolutely no exception. There were so many little things that I could tell were done for my kind, and I appreciate that beyond words. There were things thrown in for Saturday night popcorn munchers, and I can appreciate that too.



Iron Man 2 raised the bar for the superhero genre, in my opinion, and when all was said and done? I could safely say it was my favourite superhero movie of all time.

Go see it, then see it again. Be warned, this is geared more toward fans of the first one and fans of comics/Iron Man more so. It's not a movie I think you are guaranteed to jump in and enjoy if you've either not seen and liked the first, or if you don't like comics.

Still, I can't recommend it enough.

Oh, and uh...stay after the credits...

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT:

I will leave a space so you don't accidentally read them.








































That should be enough.

Multiple geekgasms were had. There were points where I was almost frenzied, I kid you not. These movies are great, but you really cannot grasp how much more enjoyable they can be if you are into the comics, though.

The opening scene after the during-credits scene...it's the scene you've all seen from the trailer. He flies through the roof of the Expo Centre, lands on the platform and his armour is peeled away to reveal a tuxedo. As he lands, the chorus from Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC kicks in. It's really quite magic.

Let's move onto my gripes with the movie. Black Widow was underused as I expected she would be, she wasn't even given a name. My biggest issue with her was, as expected, no Russian accent. It's kind of unacceptable to me. Scarlett Johansson is a millionaire because her job is to act, so put on a Russian accent please. Do what you are paid to do. Not to say she wasn't good in this movie, because she was. She just wasn't...Black Widow. She wasn't the Black Widow I know and love.

In fairness, I must concede that many people may not have as big an issue with this as I did. I am a Daredevil fan of 18 years, and Black Widow is a huge part of his comics (Iron Man's, too). I recognise that I was always going to be more critical of her role and use than most, so just go in knowing that.

Maybe it's just me. Scarjo made a good point in saying that it's not very covert of a spy to show up and start talking in a Russian accent out of nowhere. In that case I accepted Natasha Romanoff (Her real name which they DID give her) using an assumed name, Natalie Rushman, and an American accent. What they SHOULD have done is had her immediately revert back to her real accent when she revealed herself to Stark in costume and Nick Fury introduced her. Tad disappointing as a reveal, really. Fury and Stark are chatting in a diner near the end and she just arrives in uniform.

She did go from pedestrian and sultry new girl to complete bad-ass toward the end. That bit was Black Widow that I know and love, and Happy Hogan's role in that scene was truly brilliant. Some would knock Jon Favreau for playing a character in his own movies, but he is such a gem.

The War Machine/Iron Man Vs Hammer Industries Drones fight was delicious. It was beautifully juxtaposed with them planning how they're gonna take these things out with strategy, only to realise they spent too long bickering and the drones had arrived. The revelation of Whiplash actually having a final form beyond that of the breathtaking racetrack scene was VERY pleasant. It added that coolness of having an opposing armoured villain, without repeating it from the first movie. If you think he looks intimidating in the racetrack scene, wait until you see the armour. This appears RIGHT at the end of the electrifying third act, and serves as the final showdown.

Samuel L. Jackson is...Sam Jackson. I'm not convinced he's Nick Fury in spirit, but he isn't in it much, so whatever. He does nail the Ultimate version, which he is supposed to be, but I never cared for that version. Perhaps that's why. Most of his scenes allude to The Avengers, especially at the end where Stark is deemed unfit to join as a member, only as a consultant (We all know that'll change).

The inclusion of Captain America's shield was cause for major geekout by me. It guest-starred in the first one for half a second, but you see Stark and Agent Coulson holding it in this one (No further details are indulged). Then...of course...came the biggest geekout, spaz-fit moment for me...

After waiting for the credits to finish, you are treated to Agent Coulson's car showing up in a New Mexican desert (Fury and Coulson previously alluded to a situation down South). He walks over to what appears to be a dig, but is actually a MASSIVE impact crater. He turns, raises his cellphone to his ear and says: "Sir? We've found it."

The camera pans down and what do we see embedded in the desert dirt? Mjolnir.

The hammer of Thor.

If you're reading this and you know me, you know my reaction. I threw my hands up and shouted out "YES!", much to the hilarious surprise of many around me.

Here's honestly hoping that his movie is as amazing as it has the potential to be, because Iron Man 2 set the standard.

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Thanks for reading this review, I know a lot of you have wanted to get your hands on it and I hope you enjoyed it.

Catch the blog tomorrow for Thursday's Comics, and come back on Sunday for the continuation of Daredevil Month!

Comment, RSS me, tell your friends and all that good stuff.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast

The Mast Blogs: Flying Jerks & The Devil's Associates.

Curses!

Due to a volcanic ash cloud, caused by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland, planes all cross the U.K. have been grounded. I'm not sure how many, if any, incoming or outgoing flights are allowed. This means that Thursday's Comics were not delivered! What's the deal with all these flying jerks? Given that there were about six comics for me to buy this week, I must say that it will be a bumper edition of Thursday's Comics next week. Depending on how many comics come out, on top of the six I couldn't get today, it may be a two-part post.

It does present me with an opportunity to continue Daredevil Month, however. I planned to do this yesterday, but I was under the weather, health-wise (Again!). Speaking of Daredevil, I have to give a shout out to this website:

The Man Without Fear: A Daredevil Fan-Site.

It's run and operated by a fan of around 25 years and has been running since 1996. It has lists of issues, mini-bios, appearances, wallpapers etc. You name it, it's there. It's a wonderful site and does a great service to newcomers. Check it out!

Anyway, let's talk some delicious fiction!

The Devil's Associates.



Throughout Daredevil's 45 year existence, he has encountered and experienced a number of different associates. Some were friends, some were enemies, some were lovers and some were any variation of those. It's my personal opinion that Daredevil has been blessed with some truly excellent supporting characters, and given that he has always operated on the cusp of the mainstream, but mostly under the radar, a lot of these characters are partially or entirely unknown.

This entry is designed to give you some idea as to who's who (Most importantly, anyway. Who wants to read about Man-Bull? Nobody!) in the world of my favourite vermillion vigilante.


Franklin "Foggy" Nelson.

In the immortal words of Bob Ross, everybody needs a friend.

First appearing where it all began, in Daredevil #1, Foggy is Matt's work collegue and best friend. They first met as Matt studied law at Columbia University, at which Foggy was also studying law. Initially a target for bullies and thugs, Matt defended him and the two struck up a strong bond. A future and very important figure in Matt's life would also meet their acquaintance at Columbia. Some chick named Elektra Natchios...or something.

Matt began dating Elektra to Foggy's disdain, he considered her to be very off-putting and warned Matt to keep his wits about him. This is ironic, actually. At this point she wasn't someone Foggy had any reason to be suspicious of. More on that later...

After Elektra left the university, Matt and Foggy switched to Harvard Law School and graduated together. When deciding to open up the now legendary Nelson & Murdock law firm, they hired a secretary to work in their burgeoning practice. This turned out to be none other than Karen Page, with whom both Matt AND Foggy developed feelings for.

Over the years Foggy has been a concerned and loyal friend to Matt, visiting him in prison after his identity was outed (Currently, it's been covered-up to a degree) and risking his life by being involved with him. He had a very close scrape with death, which turned out to be him faking it as he went into witness protection. Despite his loyalty, he is a strong-willed man who isn't afraid to put Matt in his place. Upon his deal with the Kingpin, Foggy fired Matt from the company they built together.

As it stands right now, they seem to maintain a friendship, albeit strained.


Karen Page.

Also making her bow in Daredevil #1, the apparantly impossible-to-find-pictures-of Karen Page tends to define the "Distress" in the term Damsel-in-Distress a little too much.

As you can read above, she first met Matt when he started up the law firm with Foggy. Karen Page doesn't really have as much of a frequent role in Matt's life as others have, but the impact she left (Yes left) him with, both times, is undeniable.

Aware of Matt's double-life and arguably Matt's truest love, Karen Page eventually left the series after breaking up with him and heading to Los Angeles to pursue her acting dreams. She was not seen again until Born Again, Frank Miller's definitive Daredevil story. It's revealed that she had failed in her attempts to become an actress and had spiralled into a heroin addiction and making money from porn. Her desperate need for money caused her to sell Daredevil's identity, leading to the events of Born Again.

After the end of Born Again (Which I WON'T spoil), she returned at the beginning of Kevin Smith's Guardian Devil arc. Again, Matt was floored by the scent of her perfume before he even saw she'd returned. She most certainly knows how to make the guy's mind do gymnastics. Just after Matt had been told that he must kill a baby due to it possibly being the anti-christ, she turns up and tells him that she has A.I.D.S., falling crying into his arms. I'll save the rest for my review of Guardian Devil! Needless to say, Karen plays a part.

She remains one of the only female characters I really loved reading. SO utterly and truly damaged, she was as much a danger to herself as anyone else. A great character.


Mr. Fear.

Showing his not-so-famous face for the first time in Daredevil #6, the man once known as Zoltan Drago was the proprietor of a wax museum. As it was slowly running out of business, he sought to create an elixer that could turn his wax models to life.

Why would anyone do this? Well, for the very '60s reason of creating an army to strike back at those who have shunned him, of course! It doesn't work, but instead of discovering an elixer capable of spawning an army, he discovers is acts as a powerful gas, a gas that he can use to fill his enemies with paralysing fear. Thus, Mr. Fear! This may remind you of Scarecrow from DC, a character who pre-dates Mr. Fear by about two decades. Oh well!

Zoltan was eventually defeated and imprisoned by Daredevil, but there have been a number of people to take up the mantle. I always feel Mr. Fear, rip-off or not, was underused. He was always promoted as a great contrast to someone being billed as The Man without Fear, but it never seemed to materialise in my opinion. Maybe due to the aformentioned comparisons.


Owl.

Daredevil #3 brings us Leland Owlsley (Because you have to foreshadow your inevitable villain name in your surname), a crooked businessman who used his various businesses as a means to dodge taxes...at first.

Tired with being nothing more than a simple corporate crook, he began recruiting thugs for Owl's Gang (God, the names. I love you Mr. Lee, but come on). Naturally, somewhere along the line he takes a serum that appears to give him owl like abilities (What are the odds?); gliding, razor sharp talons, augmented strength and agility.

It turns out that he's actually a mutant and this actually just improves his strength.

Cliched beginnings aside, I really like Owl. Maybe it's the bird of prey thing, but he has an inherent viciousness to him, even in those early days, that just seemed genuinely threatening. What's better is that he rarely fought anyone in a fight, choosing to delegate such matters to underlings and fellow crimelords. When he DID begin to cross paths with our crimson crime-fighter, he proved to be no slouch. He gave Daredevil one of his most pivotal fights in Daredevil #80/#81, and to be fair, has give him a fair share of war wounds.

After he appeared to be killed at the hands of The Hood in The New Avengers #33, back in 2007, he returned as part of the returning Kingpin's plan. His last great encounter with Daredevil ended with a slightly unhinged Daredevil brutally cutting his nerves and putting him in the hospital. Some villains just don't get breaks.

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I was going to include Elektra in this post, but I covered her (Ba-zing!) in my co-post with Paul, entitled The Top 10 Best Non-Powered Heroes & Villains, and you can read that here.

Sometimes a curious or intriguing enough supporting character can be enough to draw someone into a comic series, so I hope this post went some way to giving you a bit more to think about. The saying goes that a hero is only as good as his villains, and Daredevil has a great supporting cast.

Again, apologies regarding the lack of Thursday's Comics, but next week will hae so much goodness for you. I'm amped about the next part of Second Coming, man. Saying that, I may end up with the next two parts due to delays! We shall see!

Thanks for reading and giving my blog your time. Don't forget to spread the link around and comment your asses off.

Until next time, peace!

-The Mast

The Mast Blogs/Reviews: Catch-Up with Daredevil & Daredevil #506.

Is this your homework, Larry?!

Welcome to the Mast, your number one stop for everything. Well, if everything involves and includes comic book reviews and ramblings. We are about to continue with Daredevil Month, and it's a post I've been waiting to make for a long time.

I love detailing plots, but I figured that to spare your eyes I would encapsulate Daredevil's current goings-on as briefly as I can, but will probably fail due to how much I love this series.

Let's get to this badness!

Daredevil's New Calling: Daredevil #500 - #505.

Matt Murdock, our beloved crime-fighter known as Daredevil, hadn't had the best run of luck as we headed into the 500th issue of his on-going series. Ed Brubaker's run had seen Matt endure a strained relationship with P.I. Dakota North as well as struggling with his regular crime-fighting duties by day and by night (Lawyer is his profession, do not forget).

During a particularly arduous and on-going conflict with the ninja death cult known as The Hand, Matt turned to the one man who nobody expected him to side with, out of sheer desperation, the returned crimelord of the Big Apple, the Kingpin. It cost Matt even more of his life's work as a sacrifice, due to his best friend and partner-in-law, Foggy Nelson, firing him from the firm upon hearing of his agreement with the Kingpin.



Now, before we go on, I must take you back a bit further. In Daredevil #111 (Vol. 2, it was re-numbered to #500, and Vol. 1 number, at what would have been issue #120 in Vol. 2), Lady Bullseye (An assassin for The Hand) shows up in New York to take part in the plan of The Hand's crime-lord Hiroshi.

Not caring much for their ceremony, ritual and tradition, she found herself looked upon with disdain. Long story short, she causes a mess in Daredevil's life and after confronting him, shockingly offers leadership of The Hand for him to accept. Naturally, he declines.

The Hand relocated to Spain and Lady Bullseye, at Hiroshi's order (We discover this in Daredevil #500), assassinates the new girlfriend and children of none other than? Yes, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. She stabs him, telling him that it was a message from Matt Murdock. All the incentive he needs to return to his former stomping grounds.



Coming back to the events of Daredevil #500 and a few issues prior, the Kingpin had his own ideas for The Hand, having returned to New York. Using the aptly titled Lady Bullseye, Fisk began to etch out ways to eventually control The Hand himself. He naturally betrayed his deal with Daredevil by breaking the ever-lethal Owl out of prison and having him kidnap Dakota North. Daredevil, taking advice from a mysterious and blind sensei named Master Izo, begins to consider his invitiation to lead The Hand.

Discovering that the Owl had been working for Kingpin, he rescues Dakota North and lethally paralyses Owl in the ensuing fight.

Aware of the Kingpin's not-so-surprising betrayal and after convincing himself that under his grasp, the cult could be used to do good, he interrupts the ceremony whereby Wilson Fisk is about to presumably become leader of The Hand himself. A rather brutal battle breaks out with Daredevil taking one of The Hand's lords hostage and forcefully accepting the invitation. This madly angers Fisk, as two of Daredevil's conditions are that Lady Bullseye and Fisk are never associated with them again, to be forever considered enemies.



Now leading The Hand, Daredevil enters dangerous new territory. He severs ties with his public associates and is lead into the dungeons of The Hand's headquarters, accompanied by his new comrades, White Tiger and Black Tarantula, for his testing. This is where Daredevil #500 ends.

I fear I may have gotten some of those details hazy, or even in the wrong order, but the jist of it is: Daredevil was having a rough time with The Hand, they offered leadership to him, he declined and they fled. The Kingpin returned to snatch The Hand for himself in an attempt to get revenge on an assassination attempt he wrongly believed Daredevil was responsible for. As he's about to be initiated, Daredevil crashes the party and accepts the leadership. Daredevil now leads The Hand.



That's the basic premise of the storyline beginning from Daredevil #501 as Ed Brubaker's fantastic run ends and Andy Diggle's begins.

Slowly but surely, it becomes harder for Matt Murdock to not only separate himself from Daredevil (If there was such a distinction), but to make decisions in-keeping with his own sense of morality and ethics. After his testing is a success, still unsure of his role in this, he is told that he must offer a sacrifice if he is to lead. Seemingly betraying Master Izo at their request, he chains him up and causes a heart attack with a swift blow to the chest.

It's revealed later that Izo was in on it and, through meditation, slowed his heart to the point that it seemed dead; allowing Daredevil to lead The Hand with clean hands of his own.

Working on an as yet unknown project named Shadowland, Daredevil begins attempting to use The Hand to clean up New York City in the wake of Norman Osborn secretly allowing his criminals to run riot over the place. Crooked cops and common crooks alike begin falling at the blades of The Hand, and Daredevil begins to become an increasingly violent and more dominent aspect of Matt's personality.



This leads him and his close associate, White Tiger, to Japan, where he seeks to push his plan forward by convincing the native and elder members of The Hand that the organisation can be used to do good. Naturally, the idea of a gaijin (Foreign devil) warping The Hand into something like this is frowned upon by certain members. Bakuto, especially. Bakuto is a brash, modern and anti-traditionalist member of The Hand who only seems to love its penchant for killing. As long as they remain bad and murderous, he's fine with the way things are.

All is not as it seems, however, because someone wants Bakuto dead...someone within The Hand itself. All leading us to...


Daredevil #506.

How BEAUTIFUL is that cover art? I own all 506 issues of Daredevil, let that be known. So I do not say lightly that this is probably my favourite Daredevil cover at EVER.

Anyway...

Bakuto gets cursed with magic that causes him to see people as demons when they are not. We're talking MAJOR paranoia trips here. During an attempt on his life, Daredevil shows up and saves him, twice. Still unconvinced, partially due to the magic, Bakuto vows to expose why Daredevil would want to kill him.

The big reveal in this issue is that White Tiger, possibly under the spell of The Hand's hypnotism, has been plotting against Daredevil this whole time, alongside the other elders.

They ask her if he suspects anything and she says that he views her as being "as pure as the driven snow.". I have to believe that she's under some kind of spell here, because she'd fight to the death for Matt. It's a very tense, suspenseful story! Made even worse by the fact that there isn't another issue of Daredevil until JUNE! I think so, anyway. We're getting a one shot next month entitled Daredevil: Cage Match, where he fights Luke Cage for some reason. I'm guessing it's plot relevant, but not much is known. Same goes for the July five-parter known as Shadowland. A big year for Daredevil, it seems.

I HATE THAT. Grr, never mind. Andy Diggle is the shit and I'm happy to wait on Left Hand Path's (The current arc's title) conclusion.

This really is the most consistent comic out there, it always has been for me. Since Kevin Smith took over back in November 1998, with the exception of an issue here or there, I can honestly say that every writer has knocked Daredevil out of the park. He's a character whose series has been blessed with great writer after great writer.

If you want to get into comics and can only stomach one issue to keep track of, it's Daredevil. TRUST me. If anyone, ANYONE, wants a heads-up on where to start or any good stories to read, drop me a comment.

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Typical, huh? I finally get around to catching everyone up on Daredevil and we don't get any more Daredevil until June! Anyway, sorry this took so long, and stay tuned for more goodness coming for Daredevil Month, including my interview with Daredevil WRITER, Andy Diggle!

I hope you're all doing well, take care.

Until next time, peace.

-The Mast