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Post by sabongero on Jan 6, 2017 15:22:32 GMT -5
 Marvel Knights: Daredevil #30“Underboss” Part 5 2.99 USD/4.50 CAN @ April 2002 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Penciler: Alex Maleev Inker: Alex Maleev Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: Richard Starkings & Wes Abbot Editor: Stuart Moore Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada Synopsis: The story opens with a meeting between Ben Urich and Daredevil, with their discussion on The Kingpin of Crime has just recently died. The story then goes on a flashback sequence with Daredevil trying to figure out who was behind The Kingpin's murder. DD found blood in the Kingpin's bedroom. But as Ben Urich said, blood doesn't mean that the Kingpin's dead. They continue their talk and Ben lit up a cigarette which DD removes from Ben's mouth and snuffs it out. Ben relights a new cigarette. They concluded someone might talk. And the story goes further into the past, around two months. We are joined in a bar area of Fisk Towers. Men are playing cards at one end of the bar and lone man is drinking by the main bar area. The figure of Sammy walked in, and showed surprise amongst the the men talking that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. He further added why these criminals won't go after Matt if they knew his DD identity. Talk goes around because those are the orders of Wilson Fisk, The Kingpin. Sam and the man at the bar, whose name is Silke, kept talking while The Kingpin arrived with some bodyguards with him. Silke told Sammy, nobody will listen to him, but perhaps some of the boys will listen to Sammy. The story moved forward a month later and we are now at the garage area of Fisk Towers parking area. A coup d'etat is brewing with several men along with Silke and Sammy. But it is moving forward, because this time Richard Fisk, The Kingpin's son is supporting them, while he drank his liquor and remembering the physical beating he received from The Kingpin as a child. Sammy says he'll be in charge and will merge his family with this crime family along with Jersey and NYC. And at the same time, he'll knock of a heavy percentage from each of their cut, which they are giving to Kingpin at this time. While they are talking, they also included to put the word out that there's a bounty on Daredevil/Matt Murdock's head, and to put the word out that The Kingpin's era is finished. We then get a scene where The Kingpin is stabbed repeatedly by his men in his own facility, similar to the senators assassinating Julius Caesar with multiple stab wounds in the Senate floor. The final page is a scene where a prone body on life support is in the airport tarmac about to be boarded on a private plane. Vanessa Wilson, Kingpin's wife, gave orders to the loyal men of Kingpin to fly him to Switzerland and keep him safe. She's staying in NYC as this assassination attempt on her husband cannot go unpunished. Comments: Bulgarian illustrator, Alex Maleev's work on this title is the main difference of making this story from being a very good story to being a great story. Being introduced to the comic book medium in the late 90's affected his illustrating style in making it more realistic than traditional superheroes style. This noir story showcased his talents, and you really grasp the grit and the inevitable "Pearl Harbor" job from the blind side that happened to The Kingpin. Furthermore, the noir artwork inking and coloring is in dark hues, with the exception of main story villain, Sammy, whose sunglasses were colored yellow. This was brilliant in that he is the main character from amongst the many goons of Kingpin. Daredevil takes a backseat in the story in this issue. Even with his minimal appearance at only the beginning, this crime noir story told in brilliant flashback style captures a great tragedy of betrayal and its subsequent fallout. The ending with Vanessa Fisk is suspenseful, where you, as a reader, just cannot wait to see what she will do to those who are responsible for her husband's attack. |
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Post by berkley on Jan 6, 2017 22:15:23 GMT -5
 Marvel Knights: Daredevil #28“Underboss” Part 3 2.99 USD/4.50 CAN @ February 2002 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Penciler: Alex Maleev Inker: Alex Maleev Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: Richard Starkings Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada I like this cover and it's made me reconsider my view of Alex Maleev. I haven't read any of hiis comics, but from skimming a few things here and there over the years, I had gained the impression that he was a very talented artist but one who took his realism too far for my taste in superhero comics. For example, I remember an issue where he drew the Sub-Mariner as this pudgy, soft-looking guy that really looked ridiculous parading around in his speedos. But this DD cover shows that Maleev can draw a convincing looking hero while keeping a relatively realistic approach. So what's the story - was his out-of-shape Namor just a momentary lapse of judgement and this Daredevil cover more indicative of his usual style? |
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Post by sabongero on Jun 1, 2017 9:38:07 GMT -5
Marvel Knights: Daredevil #28“Underboss” Part 3 2.99 USD/4.50 CAN @ February 2002 Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Penciler: Alex Maleev Inker: Alex Maleev Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: Richard Starkings Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada I like this cover and it's made me reconsider my view of Alex Maleev. I haven't read any of hiis comics, but from skimming a few things here and there over the years, I had gained the impression that he was a very talented artist but one who took his realism too far for my taste in superhero comics. For example, I remember an issue where he drew the Sub-Mariner as this pudgy, soft-looking guy that really looked ridiculous parading around in his speedos. But this DD cover shows that Maleev can draw a convincing looking hero while keeping a relatively realistic approach. So what's the story - was his out-of-shape Namor just a momentary lapse of judgement and this Daredevil cover more indicative of his usual style? I haven't come across his Namor illustration(s). However, in my opinion, his style is more suited to crime noir type of superheroes with a street level crimefighting with an urban setting (i.e. Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen, and Batman in Detective Comics set in Gotham City, etc.) |
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Post by sabongero on Aug 24, 2017 16:25:19 GMT -5
 Thing #1"Lifelines" 0.60 USD @ July 1983 Writer: John Byrne Penciler: Ron Wilson Inker: Joe Sinnott Colorist: Bob Sharen Letterer: Janice Chiang Editor: Al Milgrom Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter Synopsis: The Thing visited his old stomping grounds in Yancy Street. He walked around in the slum and run-down area. He entered a condemned building, and upon reaching the superintendent's room, smashed through the doorway. The startled young gang members inside were surprised and grabbed whatever weapon they have to throw at The Thing. No effect. The Thing motioned for the leader of the gang, and a red-headed kid stepped up. The kids didn't want to listen to The Thing. The Thing finds his voice and tells them his Yancy Street origin story. He had a typical neighborhood childhood there, like playing stickball. He had an older brother, Dan Grimm who was part of the Yancy Street Gang, who was always hanging outside, and would see him once in a while, and his big bro would hand him some money. He remembered at night he'd overheard his brother and father arguing, and Dan leaving for the night, which was a typical occurrence. Then one time Dan snuck out and went to meet with his gang. Ben followed him to a gang fight. Dan was stabbed, and died in the fight. Surprised and angered, Ben joined the melee. The cops arrived, and Ben was brought to central booking, where his parents picked him up. The parents learned about Dan's fate. His mom was worried and was glad he was safe, and his father was his usual self and smacked Ben in the head. Fast forward and Ben is a teenager hanging out as a member of the Yancy Street Gang, when his uncle Jake suddenly appeared, and told him that his parents just died. He was taken in by his uncle and aunt. At first, he was a menace to them. They kept providing him nice things and eventually he learned to like school and discovered football, in which he really excelled at. Eventually he got a scholarship at the university. It's where he met his future mortal enemy, Victor Von Doom, and his best friend, Reed Richards. He told Reed he'd fly his spaceship if it ever materialized. As [art pf the Air Force test pilot program he learned to fly, and before you knew it, he was flying Reed's rocket to space, along with Sue and Johnny Storm. The space travel bombarded them with cosmic rays. And the rest is history. The Fantastic Four was born. The Yancy Street Gang kids didn't want to listen to his story. They still think The Thing was a sell-out because he left the Yancy Street Gang when he was a kid. They tell The Thing they're not soft, and that they're tough because they're going to live the tough life in Yancy Street. The Thing gave up and just told them, if they had any smarts in their head that they would haul ass and get out of Yancy Street and do something with their lives. Outside the building, Ben met a middle-aged man, who is a friend of his in the old days. He tells him, that he did his best, but can't convince the kids, especially the gang leader, which was the middle-aged man's son. They said what can you do, so the middled aged man suggested they go to the bar and grab a couple of cold beers. Comments: This is a nice origin story to The Thing. First you get his origin story as a kid in his old stomping grounds in Yancy Street. Then you get another origin story from the pages of the Fantastic Four. You have The Thing trying to talk sense to gang members in teenagers, and they won't have any of it. We get a glimpse of the character of Ben Grimm in this first issue. And it helps us see him in a new manner of why he's a tough guy, and what made him a tough guy. It wasn't just the Air Force program or tackle football in school. It is because he had a hard life as a kid and has seen his share of tragedies. |
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Post by berkley on Aug 24, 2017 21:39:24 GMT -5
I'm sceptical about Byrne's writing but I might look for this since Ron Wilson did the artwork. I remember liking some of his Marvel Two-in-One stories with the Thing.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Aug 25, 2017 10:22:02 GMT -5
I loved The Thing at the time it came out. At least until someone had the dubious idea to leave him on the Secret Wars world. I haven't read those comics since they came out though and have no idea how they would hold up now that I'm a whole passel older.
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Post by brutalis on Aug 25, 2017 11:21:56 GMT -5
I loved The Thing at the time it came out. At least until someone had the dubious idea to leave him on the Secret Wars world. I haven't read those comics since they came out though and have no idea how they would hold up now that I'm a whole passel older. Same here for me Slam Bradley as I loved the Two-in-Ones and when it transitioned into The Thing I grabbed every issue at the LCS. I truly enjoyed Ron Wilson's version of Benjamin J. Grimm. As you I have not read or pulled out those issues since purchasing them. Something to look forward upon one day... |
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Post by Cei-U! on Aug 27, 2017 8:42:48 GMT -5
My big problem with that Thing story, which is otherwise pretty good, is Byrne's moving Ben's childhood from the '30s to the '50s. I sorta kinda understand why it was done but it was also the moment I realized that Marvel continuity would henceforth be hampered by the "sliding timescale" shtick.
Cei-U!
I summon the disappointment!
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Post by kirby101 on Aug 27, 2017 9:43:22 GMT -5
My big problem with that Thing story, which is otherwise pretty good, is Byrne's moving Ben's childhood from the '30s to the '50s. I sorta kinda understand why it was done but it was also the moment I realized that Marvel continuity would henceforth be hampered by the "sliding timescale" shtick. Cei-U! I summon the disappointment! That became a problem for me as well. And one of the reasons I stopped reading new Marvel books. This might be worthy of a thread itself, or a discussion in a more appropriate thread. What do you all think? A new thread or perhaps Comic Lovers Memories? |
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Post by sabongero on Aug 27, 2017 11:32:19 GMT -5
My big problem with that Thing story, which is otherwise pretty good, is Byrne's moving Ben's childhood from the '30s to the '50s. I sorta kinda understand why it was done but it was also the moment I realized that Marvel continuity would henceforth be hampered by the "sliding timescale" shtick. Cei-U! I summon the disappointment! That became a problem for me as well. And one of the reasons I stopped reading new Marvel books. This might be worthy of a thread itself, or a discussion in a more appropriate thread. What do you all think? A new thread or perhaps Comic Lovers Memories? Sliding Timescale is a good thread to create. |
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Post by kirby101 on Aug 27, 2017 14:54:35 GMT -5
That became a problem for me as well. And one of the reasons I stopped reading new Marvel books. This might be worthy of a thread itself, or a discussion in a more appropriate thread. What do you all think? A new thread or perhaps Comic Lovers Memories? Sliding Timescale is a good thread to create. Thanks, if I can collect my thoughts, I'll start one. |
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Post by sabongero on Aug 29, 2017 9:52:51 GMT -5
Sliding Timescale is a good thread to create. Thanks, if I can collect my thoughts, I'll start one. If you start one, please also mention Cei-U since he mentioned the "Sliding Timescale" in his post about Ben Grimm's sliding timescale origin from the '30's and slid into the '50's. Thanks. |
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Post by kirby101 on Aug 29, 2017 10:19:59 GMT -5
I did start it. Will edit for Cei-U
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Post by sabongero on Aug 30, 2017 16:23:28 GMT -5
 Silver Surfer #1"The Origin of the Silver Surfer" 0.25 USD @ August 1968 Writer: Stan Lee Penciler: John Buscema Inker: Joe Sinnott Letterer: Sam Rosen Synposis: The Silver Surfer encountered a plumetting NASA spacecraft from space and heading in the middle of the ocean. He saved the astronaut trapped inside the capsule and emerged from the ocean and brought him to a nearby U.S. Aircraft Carrier. The fallen astronaut is Colonel Jameson. U.S. Navy ships pursue the Silver Surfer who is still considered a menace to the general populace at this time. He easily sped away from the fighter aircraft and circumvents the globe where each location's military (the Soviets and Communist Red China) fired upon him, to no avail. The brooding Silver Surfer then recalled the past to his home planet of Zenn-La. He recalled the science marvels at the time. They explored space, but as time passed, they lost interest in space travel. His thoughts were interrupted by Abominable snowmen who attacked him. He distracted these Earthly legends by levitating his surfboard by itself, and as they battled each other to possess it, he summoned the surfboard to him, and flew away. He started recalling other creatures in Earth that he encountered. The Hulk. He considered the Hulk a friend but they ended up fighting as the Hulk had a child-like mind. Then he encountered the Latverian ruler, Dr. Victor Von Doom, who lulled him into a false sense of security in order to steal his cosmic powers. As he continued his thoughts, he encountered an ancient entrance to a cavern in a snowy mountain region. In despair, he remembered the love of his life, his dearest Shalla Bal. He remembered his time with her, and the tragedy that befell them on a planet-devouring-gigantic glove arriving doomlike spaceship that is Galactus that arrivied in Zenn-La. Panic ran across the planet. Norrin Radd volunteered to go meet "the giant globe." He gave his farewell to Shalla Bal and proceeded to fly to the gigantic orb above his planet. He met and spoke with Galactus who explained to him they are like ants and that he hungers and much as he doesn't want to kill the inhabitants he must feed himself. He could spare the planet if he had a herald that could find other suitable planets for him to feed. Norrin Radd volunteered and thus the Silver Surfer was born. He gave his final farewell to Zenn-La, and rode his spaceboard to seek planets for Galactus to feed. Then came that fateful day when he arrived on Earth. Galactus was about to feed on the planet, and upon meeting the noble inhabitants of planet Earth, the Silver Surfer rebelled and battled against Galactus. Galactus at the end of the battle doomed the Surfer to be a prisoner of Earth, to never be able to leave the planet. And the Silver Surfer, brooding as ever, accepts his fate as a prisoner of Earth, and to "surf" the planet. Comments: The long monologue of the Silver Surfer has its pros and cons. Its great for an origin story, and flashbacks to his past. However, when you are in the recent timeline, he comes across as too moody, bordering on whining. I suppose Stan Lee is preparing to do a commentary about the planet in the upcoming issues. As long as it doesn't sound like whining, I am all for it. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
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Post by shaxper on Aug 30, 2017 17:04:40 GMT -5
Silver Surfer #1 was a tremendous retcon of the character. What we saw in the pages of Fantastic Four prior to this was Jack Kirby's Silver Surfer. What we get here is Stan Lee's Silver Surfer. I found Kirby's more complex and fascinating, though I still enjoyed Lee's run immensely.
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