CABLE #20: My biggest questions about this book right now, as it finishes up the (excellent) brood storyline, and enters its biggest arc yet (Hope & Cable return home) are: 1) What’s the mission after Hope and Cable get back to the present? and 2) Is there any hope at all for redemption for Bishop? To the first one, it’s clearly wait and see. I wouldn’t be surprised if the title gets canceled/rebooted in the wake of the upcoming “Second Coming” event, which ties up the loose X-Men storyline started in Messiah Complex several years ago. To the second… I don’t know. Duane Swierczynski has done such an effective job of completely breaking down Bishop, to the point he’s no longer a villain, he’s a tragic figure, more Shylock than Iago. So I’m not sure he can ever crawl out of that. Maybe this title could change from “Cable” to “Bishop” and be about his redemption arc? Anyway, all the heady talk aside: Cable blasts his way out a space-whale. Sweet. If you’re not picking up Cable, you’re missing one of the most unique journeys in mainstream comics today.

DAREDEVIL #502: Here’s my ridiculous comment – this series is still moving a little slowly for my taste. Silly, because its been literally three issues under Andy Diggle’s steady hand (#501, #502, and The List one-shot), so its not like we’ve moved an inch in a year or anything; it just feels like Diggle is still taking his time and feeling out the area, when I really want him to just f- some s- up. Essentially, despite the massive change in status quo, he’s still playing in Ed Brubaker’s sandbox. I’d like to see him start his own, play with his own characters and plotlines. That aside, Diggle does provide, as usual, solid plotting, good characterization, and some nice, albeit small, twists and turns. And the end of this issue seems to promise what I’m asking for, so no way I’m putting this title down yet.

DARK X-MEN #1: Paul Cornell never works better than when he’s paired with Leonard Kirk, like on Captain Britain and the MI13, one of the best series you guys got canceled and I hate you for. Kidding! Maybe. Anyway, Dark X-Men is a pretty much perfect first issue, following up on the events of the Dark Avengers/X-Men crossover, without ever having had to read any of those issues. Its a riff on the original X-Men line-up, and I won’t spoil anything by revealing who is who, but lets just say the gang’s all there… And evil. Great art, great writing, fun twists and turns. The only downside to this issue is that its kicking off a limited series, and not an ongoing.

DEADPOOL #17: This issue of Deadpool, as well as this week’s Amazing Spider-Man (see above) confirm something I’ve long thought: Deadpool works ever so much better as a villain. Or at least, an anti-hero more on the side of anti- than hero; and Daniel Way walks that line perfectly in this issue. As usual, the balance of action, jokes and character is great, and Way keeps the various balls in the air with deftness and speed. If there’s a reason Deadpool is so popular right now, its because of this title, and because of Daniel Way. Also? Best butt joke this week.

PUNISHERMAX #1: It’s missing the depth of Garth Ennis’ run, but we’re one issue in, so relax. Or rather, reLAX. Jason Aaron turns in a solid, fun, over the top Punisher tale in the best MAX tradition. And the story of the Kingpin’s rise to power is one that I shockingly haven’t heard before, so I’m really fascinated to see how this all turns out. Plus, Steve Dillon art. Sweet. This issue earns the right to call itself Punisher MAX, though I would like to see Aaron bring the emotion, as well as his usual razor sharp writing, to the next few issues.

S.W.O.R.D. #1: Well, that was… Not what I expected. Far more Phonogram than Beta Ray Bill, Kieron Gillen brings the funny to space with this first issue, creating a workplace comedy set in the Marvel Universe. There’s hints it might become something more, particularly in the stupendous back-up story (no joke, it’s worth picking up the issue just for this fantastic follow-up to Astonishing X-Men), but for right now, if you like ‘em fast and light, you might enjoy this.

STRANGE #1: I really love this book. Really, really love it. Emma Rios’ art is a clean fusion of manga and Western styles. The colors are bright and engaging. And Mark Waid, as always, turns in a pitch perfect comic book script. It even brings you up to speed with Dr. Strange’s current status quo, and sets up the series as effectively as a television pilot. Except… There’s something slightly off about it, and it isn’t just having a baseball storyline a few weeks after the season’s ended. It’s that it doesn’t quite strike the balance between the current status quo, and being a brand new series. It’s honestly a little hard to put your finger on, because I really did like this a whole lot, and even recommend it, but… Something was off. It’s a good start to what looks like a cool take on Dr. Strange, but I need another issue to sell me 100%.

VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT #3: Jerome Opena’s art still knocks it out of the park… The action sequences are pitch perfectly staged, and match the “Shock & Awe” title of this arc to a T. But three issues in, and I still don’t know why we should care about Moon Knight, other than everybody telling us how amazing he is. I want to see some struggle, some heroism, some loss… Some reason I should be sold on this title, and I’m not quite getting it yet. A well put together comic, well written and drawn, but its got no heart. Yet.

X-FORCE #21: The second chapter of Necrosha continues at a far more break-neck pace than Blackest Night, so we’re quickly leaving comparisons behind. I hope. Anyway, we do get at least one “Holy S&%T!” moment in here with a returning… Character. And the whole cross-over is well conceived and executed. I’m just hoping, though, that X-Force can get more than two months off between crossovers next time; this is basically an X-Men book, guest-starring X-Force. Though with Second Coming on the horizon, I don’t see that happening. Ah well.

X-MEN FOREVER #11: Why is this so enjoyable. Why? ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!

I mean, hasn’t Daredevil been a noir book since Frank Miller redefined it in the ’80s? Certainly, the art for Daredevil, starting with Miller, running straight through the current day with Michael Lark’s take has been characterized by the strong emphasis on off-kilter angles, shadows, and thick, dark lines. Which is, you know, noir.

Then there’s the writing, a steady progression of a regular-ish guy in over his head, lured by troubled dame after troubled dame; corruption and crime always one step ahead of him; and an ending that is often far from happy. Again, you know, noir.

So since Daredevil is already a noir, what makes Daredevil Noir any different from the main title?

Well, nothing actually. It takes place in the 1930’s, and some characters have slightly different names. But Daredevil still has heightened senses, he’s still blind, and still fighting crime. This is the same problem I had with Spider-Man Noir, which also took Spider-Man, transplanted him to the 1930’s, and then didn’t really change anything beyond that (essentially… We can certainly split hairs here, but unlike X-Men Noir, which gave a different focus, and new roles for the characters, Spider-Man is still acting like Spider-Man).

The main question that comes out of this is: what is the focus of the Noir line? What is the idea? I like the general concept, and think there’s a lot that can be explored there, but right now, it’s not reaching its full potential… And it certainly doesn’t seem like it will get there with Daredevil Noir.

Or maybe it will? Again, I haven’t read the book yet, so this is all speculation. If I’m wrong, you can shoot me right in the back, ya dirty cowards.

The shadows of the city grow thick with ninja blades. The Hand is back in New York, on the hunt for something as yet unknown…but the enigmatic new Lady Bullseye is in league with them, and whatever they’re after can’t be good news for Daredevil and his friends. The second chapter of “Broken Hand” begins here — featuring Iron Fist, the Black Tarantula, and more!
Rated T+ …$2.99

PRICE: 2.99
IN STORES: October 22, 2008

I think everybody was duly impressed by Brubaker’s coming-out party with Matt Murdock, the excellent “Devil From Cell Block D” storyline that ran from Daredevil v2 #82-87, directly following Bendis’s run. It took everything Bendis had repopularized about the character and pumped it to the next level by creating a thrilling crime epic that incorporated and twisted the cliches of crime fiction, prison operas and the superhero story. It was pretty goddamn great.

But then… seeming stagnancy. We’re almost two years past that point, and all we’ve gotten are echoes and reaffirmations of Bendis’s ballsy changes – the there-but-not-quite secret identity, the blurring of the line between public and private personae, the perma-tortured outlook that ultimately comes off like a parody of Frank Miller. I think everyone was pretty sick of Murdock getting his life shat all over in a neverending vicious cycle, from Smith to Mack to Bendis to Brubaker. It was time for a change.

So the legendary team of Gotham Central was brought together for “Cruel & Unusual,” a shockingly straightforward Daredevil-fights-the-shitty-people-with-brawn-and-wits story that didn’t sacrifice complexity and intelligence for traditionalism. It certainly wasn’t hurt by the nerd-oh-wow factor of reuniting the legendary Gotham Central team of Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark. And now we’ve got the spark for the next (according to Brubaker) three stories ignited in the first part of his latest arc, “Lady Bullseye.”

I know there’s been a lot of fairly understandable negative fan reaction to the concept, as it seems to be another iteration of the pattern that led to Mighty Avengers‘ Lady Ultron, as well as the herald of an invasion by DC’s fundamental “legacy character” concept. After reading the issue, I’m certainly not going to claim either camp will be completely satisfied, but it’s clear that there is a reason for this new character and she likely would have existed in one form or another regardless of her namesake’s current pseudo-incapacitation with the Thunderbolts.

Really, though, the question is, how’s the issue? And the best response I can give is that, for the first time in quite a while, Daredevil has shifted from being a book I maintained a steady but largely academic interest in to something I am pretty goddamn excited about reading the next installment of. The first part of “Lady Bullseye” is concise and effective, establishing the narrative topography for new readers while stimulatingly clarifying it for old. Most importantly, though, it reestablishes that sense of the unknown that permeated the best parts of Bendis’s run, such as “Out” and “Hardcore,” taking place in a no-man’s-land where it really feels like anything can go as long as it stands within the boundaries of these characters. And due to recent events, the characters in Daredevil have formulated pretty damn wide boundaries.

Is it an utterly perfect issue? No – Brubaker’s recognized issues with overdramatic monologue are still pretty apparent, and the arc’s titular character has an almost obnoxiously cliched backstory (at least in its initial telling). However, for the first time in quite a while, I’m excited about the future of the story, and I feel that Brubaker may yet live up to the creative pedigree established by Miller, Nocenti and Bendis despite a seemingly-repetitive recent section of his run. He’s clearly learned from his recent experience working with Matt Fraction on Iron Fist, and fans of that sort of history-spanning examination of previously-obscured elements of the Marvel Universe will probably find a lot to enjoy in this opening chapter.

Who Is Lady Bullseye?

Who is Lady Bullseye? And just what does she want with Daredevil? The answers begin in Daredevil #111, from Eisner-award winning writer Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Criminal) and rising star artist Clay Mann, kicking off the hotly-anticipated new arc that will rock Matt Murdock’s world! If you’ve been itching to jump into the award-winning, critically acclaimed Daredevil then this is the perfect jumping on point for you! Plus, this issue feature a cover by red-hot artist Marko Djurdjevic (Thor) plus variants by superstars Terry Dodson (Uncanny X-Men) and David Aja (Immortal Iron Fist)!

It all begins here and no Daredevil fan can afford to miss the beginning of the “Lady Bullseye” arc in Daredevil #111!

DAREDEVIL #111 (JUL082276)
DAREDEVIL #111 AJA VARIANT (MAY088242)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by CLAY MANN
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
50/50 Variant Cover by TERRY DODSON
Variant cover by DAVID AJA
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—9/4/08, On-Sale—9/24/08