Something I want to start doing every week or two is to go through all the weekly pulls I have on a given week and give my quick thoughts on them. In a typical month, I’m reading on average 35-40 monthly titles so hopefully that gives me enough content to fill in some gaps. This week was a quieter one, with me only reading 5 titles.
Daredevil #1
This week, Stephanie Phillips & Lee Garbett joined forces to relaunch Daredevil with a new #1, coinciding with the release of Daredevil: Born Again season 2. Now the last Daredevil series that I regularly collected was the Zdarsky run, which is up there as one of my favorite comics ever, so I was cautiously optimistic when I picked this up. In this new series, Matt Murdock has started a new career as a law professor at Empire State University, and seems to be going through the motions as both Matt and Daredevil, but with minor changes that we don’t fully understand yet as readers. To me, the hook is interesting. I like that this is a clean slate for new and old readers alike with a budding mystery centered around what seems to be a killer tied to the Hand? I also like what Phillips has said during the promotion of the book, and how the story will be tied to Matt’s civilian life and not that of Daredevil. It gives it a breath of fresh air to me. Also, I just couldn’t resist scooping up a blind bag, I’m a sucker for gambling. 7.5/10.
Batman #8
If there’s one series that I’m always looking forward to every month, it would be Batman by Matt Fraction. I think it has something to do with Fraction’s ability to write compelling characters without unneccesary drama to move the plot forward. Bruce Wayne feels like a person, and he’s not just trying to be the super tough, emotionless character some writers often depict him as. This issue was nice because it focused on 3 different men: Vandal Savage, Alan Scott, and a normal civilian, and how they go about their days. It didn’t really move the overarching plot forward all that much, but because of how Fraction writes it, I’m still fully invested. It was nice to see Bruce looking for help in a threat he can’t understand rather than just trying to solve it himself. I like that Batman just wants to make sure people who feel neglected know he’s still around. It’s all great stuff that I want to read more of. If you aren’t reading this series, you’re missing out. 8/10.
Absolute Superman #18
Absolute Superman #18 is an interesting one for me. I really like Jason Aaron’s way of writing Kal-El, but I’m less interested in characters like Lois Lane & Talia Al-Ghul. They don’t feel like fleshed out characters to me yet which makes the conflict in this issue rather boring. The one side character I actually do like a lot is Ra’s Al-Ghul, and how because of Superman’s impact on him, he genuinely wants to change. He’s done being this super demon, and just wants to right his wrongs. This change feels earned, to me atleast, with how an earlier issue spent time showing Kal’s devotion to reform. The other big thing introduced this issue is King Shazam / Teth-Adam. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet, in theory it seems fun how the Braniacs gave him his powers over a magic wizard guy, but I haven’t seen enough to love it. Steel was also seemingly introduced which could be fun, seems like he was a head engineer for Lazarus? Could be fun. 7.5/10.
Nova: Centurion #6
Nova: Centurion by Jed Mackay came to an end this week, and I have mixed feelings on it. The first issue of this run hooked me right away, I love Richard Rider and a new ongoing was right up my alley but after issue 3 when I learned the book had been canceled after #6, I just stopped caring for the book. This issue was fine, nothing terrible, but nothing ground breaking. It feels like we’ve done this song and dance before with Nova, I just want something fresh which Marvel seems allergic to doing. I don’t doubt Mackay’s ability to write a good Nova story, and I’m almost certain if this was given the breathing room it deserved we would’ve been an all time classic, but I guess we’ll never know what the real plans were. 6.5/10.
MAD About DC
The last book was something that I could get behind, a Chip Zdarsky edited parody of DC Comics. Add in the other all star talent, and I figured I was in for a good time. And I was right, I did enjoy everything I read here, but I didn’t read everything. The issue was extremely dense at 60+ pages, and at some points, the repetitive jokes did start to irk me. What I found myself doing was combing through the issue looking for writers that I love and just reading those stories, which made life much more enjoyable. I dont think there’s much else to say really, it’s a fun time, nothing crazy. 7/10.
So that’s my round up for the week. Were there any books I should’ve read? What was on your list for the week?
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