Tag Archives: Mark Waid

Aug 6 2013

Daredevil 29

daredevil 29

Today, Patrick and Ethan are discussing Daredevil 29, originally released July 31st, 2013. 

Patrick: White supremacists are the worst. Don’t try arguing otherwise, ETHAN! They’re represented here by the Sons of the Serpent, a group that tempers their problematic world-view with some good old fashioned supervillainy. This way they feel a little more at home in the Marvel Universe. Just like you can’t have too many straight-up gangsters in Batman before one of them starts to affect a Penguin’s quack or whatever. But there’s one detail about this group that I can’t decide whether in lends credence to their real-worldness or their comic-bookiness: they have infiltrated government organizations at high levels of authority. Hey, either way: Daredevil’s going to have to kick ’em in the face. Continue reading →

Aug 5 2013

Indestructible Hulk 11

hulk 11

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Indestructible Hulk 11, originally released July 31st, 2013.

Shelby: I recently saw Pacific Rim, and I absolutely loved it. Plot-wise, it was nothing special; case in point, it was the same as every other world-ending, hail-Mary-play sci-fi action flick I’ve ever seen. But that didn’t matter in the least because it was just so much fun to watch. The sheer joy I felt at watching giant robots punch those deep sea monsters is what made the movie so great. It’s simple, well-executed, and a ton of fun. This month’s issue of Indestructible Hulk sets us up for the same sort of situation. It’s probably not going to be quite so simple (time travel never is), but it promises time travel shenanigans in a messed up version of history with a surprising team-up, so I expect a lot of wacky, fun adventure to ensue.
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Jul 26 2013

The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction 1

rocketeer 1

Today, Shelby and Drew are discussing The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction 1, originally released July 24th, 2013.

Shelby: As I mentioned recently, I’m a big fan of pin-up culture. I love the way pin-ups could be innocent and classy, but still extremely sexy. I also totally dig the style. The makeup, the hair, the clothes: if I weren’t so lazy, I would dress that way every day. I don’t know how Dita von Tease does it; that woman is my hero. If you’re not like me, though, and don’t have a love of pin-ups and the charming aspects of the 1940s, The Rocketeer & The Spirit might seem like nothing more than a remake of a dated style of story-telling. Luckily for us all, Mark Waid is in the driver’s seat, and he can balance historical charm with contemporary relevance with the best of ’em.
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Jul 17 2013

Indestructible Hulk 10

hulk 10

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Indestructible Hulk 10, originally released July 10th, 2013.

Shelby: It’s really easy to look back at a situation after the fact, and see the obvious solution to the problem, what with hindsight being 20/20 and all that. I know it sounds like I’m making some sort of mean joke, talking about vision in an issue of Indestructible Hulk that features Matt Murdoch, aka Daredevil, the blindest lawyer/masked vigilante around, but stick with me. For Bruce Banner, great big chunks of his life are lived with only hindsight to guide him. When he turns into the Hulk, he loses his control; all he can do is look back when it’s all over and try to assess what happened, maybe even learn something useful about the Hulk for next time. Banner moves forward as himself by constantly looking back to when he was the Hulk. It’s not ideal, but I guess hindsight is better than no sight, am I right Matt? Ok, one mean joke…
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Jul 12 2013

Daredevil 28

daredevil 28Today, Ethan and Drew are discussing Daredevil 28, originally released July 10th, 2013. 

Ethan: There are some classic tropes we associate with The High School Reunion. The kids who used to be ugly are now the fit, glowing, underwear models; the jerky jocks are flipping burgers; the nerdy punching-bags all own their own companies and are rolling in dough. So when Matt Murdock comes face to face with a childhood bully in need of some help, it’s no surprise that the bully is now down on his luck while Matt’s strutting around in a suit. On the other hand, maybe things are a little more complicated. Maybe there’s a little more virtue in the dirtbag and a little more dirt in the virtuoso lawyer-superhero than we knew about before? Writer Mark Waid and artist Javier Rodriguez continue to keep us on our toes as they shuffle our expectations in Daredevil #28. Continue reading →

Jun 28 2013

Age of Ultron 10 A.I.

age of ultron 10 AI AU

Today, Shelby and Taylor are discussing Age of Ultron 10 A.I., originally released June 26th, 2013. This issue is part of the Age of Ultron crossover event. Click here for complete AU coverage.

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Shelby: After the reality-shattering events of issue 10, we were left asking some big questions, namely, “What the hell was that?” For a second, the reality of the Marvel universe started to come unglued. Or maybe did actually come unglued, at least partially. Instead of focusing on the effects on the timeline itself, this issue focuses instead on the effects on one man, the man who started it all: Dr. Hank Pym. 
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Jun 27 2013

Daredevil 27

daredevil 27

Today, Mikyzptlk and Patrick are discussing Daredevil 27, originally released June 26th, 2013. 

Mikyzptlk: I’ll just come right out and say it, the conclusion to Age of Ultron was a huge disappointment to me. It felt less like a conclusion, and more like a setup to a bunch of other books that I may not even be interested in reading. I’m not saying I won’t be reading any of them necessarily, but it’s a pretty annoying to see a story “end” by telling me I have to read all of these other books to learn about any potential consequences of the story I’ve been reading for 10 issues. So, what the hell does this have to do with Daredevil you ask? Well, I get that comics, by nature, are supposed to get you to come back month after month. The thing is, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do that. And, with the conclusion of the latest Daredevil arc, Mark Waid proves he knows how to do it right.  Continue reading →

Jun 24 2013

Indestructible Hulk 9

hulk 9

Today, Ethan and Drew are discussing Indestructible Hulk 9, originally released June 19th, 2013.

Ethan: Given time, life is going to throw us a curveball that we can’t quite hit, no matter how on top of our game we are. The politicians most on-message always seem to make the inevitable career-ending gaffe; level-headed Olympians of spotless character waver in a moment of weakness and shoot up to get the gold. When we’re at a pivotal moment, the people around us can help encourage (or goad) us on to success, or inject a much-needed grain of reality into our head with a well placed word. We’ve seen Banner in a mentoring role with his researchers, but in Indestructible Hulk #9, writer Mark Waid and artist Matteo Scalera take a look at the interactions Banner has with his peers, Director Maria Hill and Daredevil, and how they each keep him going in their own signature ways. Continue reading →

Jun 18 2013

Chat Cave: Man of Steel

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Between the commercial success of a near-constant stream of Marvel Studios Avengers movies and the critical success of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, there are impossible expectations for Man of Steel. Expectations like reigniting the public’s love for Superman; expectations like launching a blockbuster film franchise; expectations like being any good in its own right. Zach Snyder’s Superman slug-fest has a lot to accomplish. Does it achieve any of that? Welcome to the Chat Cave.

Drew: Like many comics fans, I was incredibly excited by the teaser trailer for this movie. In spite of the trailer’s own prominent reminder that Zach Snyder directed both Watchmen and 300, it felt like this movie got Superman. Indeed, the trailer trades in Snyder’s standard embarrassing music cues and slow-motion punches for meditative statements about Superman’s power as a symbol. Between story credits by Dark Knight Trilogy scribe David S. Goyer and director  Christopher Nolan, I dared hope that Man of Steel might be to Superman what The Dark Knight films were to Batman: an operatic drama that understands the defining nature of the hero.

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May 31 2013

Indestructible Hulk 7-8

hulk 8

Today, Ethan and Shelby are discussing Indestructible Hulk 7-8, originally released May 29th, 2013.

Ethan: Sometimes, when you’re feeling a little blue, you need a distraction. Something to take your mind off of what’s causing you pain. A kind word from a friend, a spontaneous trip to somewhere new, an experience that shakes you out of the depression. Or a near-death experience accompanied by front-row seats to a couple of big, brawny dudes rolling around in the snow. In Indestructible Hulk 7 and 8, writer Mark Waid and artist Walter Simonson explore all of the above. Continue reading →