Review- MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AVENGERS VOL. 11

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE AVENGERS VOL. 11 (Marvel, First Printing, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Avengers #101-111 and Daredevil #99 (cover dates July, 1972- May, 1973)

Writers: Roy Thomas and Steve Englehart with Harlan Ellison, Chris Claremont, Stan Lee, and Steve Gerber

Artists: Pencilers- Rich Buckler, John Buscema, George Tuska, Jim Starlin, Don Heck, and Sam Kweskin; Inkers- Dan Adkins, Joe Sinnott, Jim Mooney, Dave Cockrum, Frank McLaughlin, Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia, and Syd Shores.

In this volume we find The Vision and the Scarlet Witch become the focal point for the series. Thomas builds on The Vision's discontentment with his lack of humanity in #102 while introducing a foe who soon-to-be Avengers writer Steve Englehart would use quite often: The Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper was the brother of the late Wonder Man, whom the Vision's android brain patterns were modeled after. The Grim Reaper offers The Vision his deceased brother's body, which is in a form of stasis, in exchange for him standing aside while he destroys the team to revenge his fallen brother.

While all of that is happening, we see the return of The Sentinels, who have returned to Earth to save humanity from the “threat” of mutantkind. I dig this aspect of Silver and Bronze Age Marvel. The true shared universe aspect, where one hero's villains turn up in another magazine. There didn't have to be some lame tentpole event series with umpteen crossover titles to make it feel that way, either. The shared universe wasn't just implied, it was successfully implemented in an organic way. The suspension of disbelief was easy during this era.

Roy Thomas hands the title off to Steve Englehart with issue 105 after his Sentinels three-parter. Unlike today's comics, The Avengers were left with no time to catch their breaths before being called into action again, this time to the Savage Land. Having scooped up the Black Panther and losing Quicksilver in the previous issue, the team fights another Thomas/Adams X-Men era foe: the Savage Land Mutates: Gaza, Barbarus, Equilibrius, Amphibius, Lupo, Lorelei, and Brainchild. These comics are so action packed and fun to read. Comics without a whiff of self awareness or irony are refreshing when compared to today's hamfisted soapboxes.

#106 is a reframed Captain America inventory story that ties up a dangling plotline from a few issues earlier: The Vision and his desire for humanity. In one of those convoluted, it makes sense because everyone was stoned back then kind of way, the Grim Reaper's partner is none other than the Space Phantom. What makes it even more bizarre is that they use the inventory story as an even more confusing backdrop, inserting the Space Phantom disguised as the head of Hydra for the time being because he was biding his time in order to destroy The Avengers. None of it makes any sense to me either, but it was a blast to read nonetheless.

This “arc” is resolved in #108, which also neatly ties up the Vision and his desire to be human. He and the Scarlet Witch profess their love for one another at the end of that issue, setting the stage for a bizarre human-synthezoid relationship that will culminate in The Celestial Madonna storyline. I read the old trade paperback of that a decade or so ago, and look forward to rereading it remastered in “high def” in the Masterworks. I already own that volume, but it's the whole finding time to read everything that is the challenge. My backlog is like fine wine, aging to perfection. The older and more out of print a book is, the more enjoyable it is to read.

#109 and 110 tie up the loose ends of the Savage Land adventure from a few issues earlier, revealing Magneto to be behind it all while bringing The X-Men into the proceedings as well. Remember, The X-Men were cancelled, with their title being relegated to a reprint series. Writers like Englehart kept them alive, limping along from guest spot to guest spot until Len Wein and Dave Cockrum would give rebirth to the series in 1975. These two issues lead into Daredevil #99, acting as a way to get rid of Hawkeye and bring back the Black Widow, who has been Daredevil's love interest and co-star in that series during that time. #111 wraps up the Magneto/X-Men/Savage Land saga nicely.

The writing is great, while the art is uneven. It starts out very strong. Rich Buckler, an underrated artist if ever there were one, nails the Marvel house style of the era. I'll take this aesthetic over what passes as comic art any day of the week. Jim Starlin and Dave Cockrum aid and abet, adding their polish to various issues. Things go south with the then over-the-hill Don Heck, who phones in weak artwork with weak inking by various folks. Don Heck did some solid work, it's just that this ain't it.

Forget ham-fisted “writers” who write endless pages of talking heads Avengers sitting around a breakfast table. These Avengers save the world on a daily basis, giving the bad guys a what for in the process. I urge folks to pick up some real Avengers comics and see for yourselves.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Marvel Masterworks remain my poison of choice. Indeed, they are the reason that I reentered this accursed hobby lifestyle.

Linework and Color restoration: Marvel Masterworks are the Criterion Blu-Rays of collected editions. Top shelf restoration and a color palette faithful to the original comic books, all lovingly restored to the highest standards. Make mine Marvel Masterworks!

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding. Lays flat.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: Dustjacket has a lamination as well as spot varnish. The hardback casewrap has a faux leather texture with dye foil stamping on the front cover as well as the spine. 

Review- SILVER STREAK ARCHIVES FEATURING THE ORIGINAL DAREDEVIL VOL. 1

SILVER STREAK ARCHIVES FEATURING THE ORIGINAL DAREDEVIL VOL. 1 (Dark Horse, First Printing, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects Silver Streak #6-9 (cover dates September, 1940- April, 1941)

Writers: Jack Cole, Kane Miller, Don Rico, Carl Hubbell, Otto Binder, Bob Turner, D.B. Icove, Dick Briefer, Walter Galli, and Bob Wood

Artists: Jack Binder, Dick Briefer, Jack Cole, Maurice Gutwirth, Hal Sharp, John Hampton, Mac Raboy, Harry Anderson, Carl Hubbell, Dick Dawson, Carl Formes, Walter Galli, Fred Guardineer, D.B. Icove, Richard Norman, Kane Warren, and Bob Wood

The Golden Age of collected editions has made spoiled brats of us all. I remember a time when just the idea of obscure, expensive old comic books beautifully restored and slapped between two hardbacks was enough to send me into a tizzy. Fast forward a dozen years and there are hundreds of collections of this material available for purchase. The novelty of reading said old comics has entirely worn off for me. They now have to impress me either through story or historical significance.

Silver Streak Archives Featuring The Original Daredevil Vol. 1 falls flat on the story side, but the historical significance picks up the slack. Lots of legendary creators were cutting their teeth here. Kids who read this stuff at the time can say that they knew them when. The original Daredevil was one of the best-selling superheroes of his day, which seems curious considering that he is merely a footnote today. Like many forty-somethings, I had never even heard of him until Dynamite's Project Superpowers resurrected a slew of public domain Golden Age superheroes, bringing them into the present.

Like most Golden Age comics, this is an anthology series, with a series of features in each issue that run the gamut. Also like many Golden Age comics, this is not politically correct. One must understand the societal mores of the time and look at it in a purely academic sense, or risk being offended. I keep stuff like this well out of the reach of my son, as I don't want to have conversations about racial stereotypes from 75-odd years ago. And like many Golden Age comics, it is amazing to see how folks seemed to be chomping at the bit for us to get into what would become World War II.

Silver Streak is the headliner, although he would soon be eclipsed by Daredevil. Daredevil's first appearance in issue 6 shows his costume as half yellow, half blue. This is changed to half red, half blue by the following issue. The Claw, his arch-nemesis, seems to have limitless power. It is almost Fletcher Hanks bad in terms of believability.

Jack Cole's Dickie Dean, The Boy Inventor!!! is highly entertaining. The Pirate Prince is an excellent series about “that swashbuckling, daring Robin Hood of the sea”. The Pirate Prince robs pirates and frees the slaves aboard their ships, which is something when you consider the rampant racism and lingering resentment towards blacks in an era when people who remembered slaves were still alive. There is a sense of decency and humanity as to how blacks are portrayed here, which again flies in the face of many of these old comics. It seems downright progressive, and makes me wonder if a reboot of this series would work today.

The rest of the strips are of the garden variety. You have your western knock offs, your Tarzan knock-offs, your Buck Rogers knock-offs, random G-man types, airplane/dogfight stuff, humor strips, etc. None of them are remarkable but most are readable.

Old comics are often unintentionally funny. 

This was an okay read that didn't bowl me over. Like I said, there was a time when any old comics would rock my socks off. That ship has sailed though, as I have read enough of them for me to not be impressed by something solely because of it's age. I have Volume 2 in this line and hope to read it someday.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is light, weighing scarcely more than a pack of cigarettes. I do not smoke, but my mother did. She used to send me to the store on my bike to buy her cigarettes, back in the olden days when kids could go to the corner store and pick up their parent's smokes and everyone thought that it was a-okay.

Linework and Color restoration: Perfectly serviceable restoration, done by scanning original comics and then recoloring them with computers and correcting line bleed, off-register printing, etc. I appreciate the fact that Dark Horse put the time, effort, and money into doing this when so many other publishers just scan 'em and slap 'em into hardcovers.

Paper stock: I love the paper that Dark Horse started using in their Archives back around 2010. It looks like old pulp comic book paper but is super thick, high quality stuff. It is matte uncoated stock and has zero sheen under any light source. Plus it has that delectable Chinese sweatshop printing press aroma. I stop reading every so often just to huff it. Oh yeah, that's the stuff...

Binding: Smyth sewn binding. While the book block has room to flex in the casing you need to use two hands to read this, as it does not lay flat.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: The dustjacket has a nice shiny lamination. The hardback has that faux leather casewrap with die foil stamping for the lettering on the cover and the spine. 

Review- AVENGERS VS. THANOS

AVENGERS VS. THANOS (Marvel, First Printing, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Iron Man #55, Captain Marvel #25-33, Marvel Feature #12, Daredevil #105-107, Avengers #125, Warlock #9-11, 15, Avengers Annual #7, Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, and the Thanos back-up story from Logan's Run #6 (cover dates February, 1973- Annual 1977)

Writers: Jim Starlin, Steve Gerber, Mike Friedrich, Steve Englehart, and Scott Edelman

Artists: Pencilers- Jim Starlin, Bob Brown, John Buscema, Don Heck, and Mike Zeck

Inkers- Jim Starlin, Sal Buscema, Dave Cockrum, Mike Esposito, Dan Green, Klaus Janson, Steve Leialoha, Pablo Marcos, Al Milgrom, Don Perlin, Joe Rubinstein, Joe Sinnott, Chic Stone, Sal Trapani, and Mike Zeck

If space aliens landed and asked me Hey Earthling, could you point out some good superhero comics for us to read?, I would hand them this book. While it would appear on the surface to be a scattershot collection of stories featuring Thanos and a mix of then-present and future Avengers in reality it is surprisingly cohesive and reads like one huge event.

I love the Bronze Age of comics. Modern fans accustomed to made for the trade six issue arcs bemoan the amount of dialogue and third party narrative caption boxes in these old comics but they allow so much more ground to be covered in much less space and time. I am of the mindset that modern comics are padded and bloated, with all of them breath and life sucked out of them in order to fit a calculated page count. Page after page of talking heads are not character development. Superheroes being snarky and self deprecating are not heroic.

Newcomers arriving to comics after seeing the movies would have their minds blown by the scope of this book. It starts out in Iron Man #55, a landmark issue which not only introduces Drax The Destroyer and the Blood Brothers but Thanos as well. Well...flashback Thanos and robot Thanos, but close enough for Rock and Roll. Things get kinda sorta convoluted but fun, as Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) gets caught up in a scheme between the Skrulls, the Controller, and Thanos. Captain Marvel fights the Hulk and the Thing before he encounters Eon, who helps him destroy and then find himself as part of some grand cosmic scheme that eluded me. At least the end justified the means.

Drax The Destroyer and Iron Man reappear, as does the Thing. I enjoyed the Thing and Iron Man's battle with the Blood Brothers. The scene then shifts to San Francisco, where Daredevil and the Black Widow encounter Moondragon and Captain Marvel, leading us back to Captain Marvel's magazine with #31. The Avengers and Drax The Destroyer become involved as Thanos finally absorbs the power of the Cosmic Cube, essentially becoming one with the universe. This could well be the end of the book, as Thanos is defeated (I won't tell you how) and the day is saved.

Fortunately there is more, this time over in Warlock's series. Adam Warlock enters into an uncomfortable alliance with Thanos in order to defeat the Magus after Thanos' creation, Gamora, fails to assassinate him. There is all kinds of Bronze Age philosophy and timeslip psychobabble that works in the context of the era and the material but wouldn't make one iota of sense if you read it here.

The climax is a crossover with Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2, where Thanos harnesses the power of the Soul Gem and intends to use it to destroy our sun, thus destroying all life in our solar system as an offering to the love of his life, the lady Death. This is Thanos at his most grim and gruesome, a completely evil creature that takes the combined might of The Avengers, Adam Warlock, Spider-Man, and the Thing to defeat. The battle scenes, especially those between Thor and Thanos, are incredible. This is how comics are supposed to be done, kids. Things end with a bang, and by the time that you are done this feels like a major league event, even though it took place across four years' worth of comics.

Jim Starlin pushed the limits of the cosmic epic, all before the world had ever heard of Star Wars. I am sure that Star Trek and 2001: A Space Odyssey were an influence on him but it is cool seeing a science fiction and superhero hybrid done before Star Wars, as the impact of that movie was so severe that nothing that came afterward was the same. His artwork and writing helped elevate the sophistication of comic books during this era. A few embarrassingly adolescent double entendres aside, this is adult stuff without being graphic or lewd.

So if you happen to encounter any space aliens or inter-dimensional travelers and they ask you to point out some good superhero comics, fork over a copy of this book.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I love these think chunky trade paperbacks. I cannot resist the lure of 400-500 page books with this paper stock.

Linework and Color restoration: Many of these issues use the files from the Marvel Masterworks (Captain Marvel, Warlock, etc.) and are excellent. The rest are very good overall.

Paper stock: Off white matte coated stock. This is the same stock found in softcover Masterworks, Classic line trades, and Epic line trades. It is my favorite paper stock for comics with flat coloring.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID VOL. 7

DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID VOL. 7 (Marvel, First Printing, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Daredevil #31-36 (cover dates November, 2013- April, 2014)

Writer: Mark Waid

Artists: Chris Samnee with Jason Copland (finishes, #33) and Javier Rodriguez and Alvaro Lopez (#34)

Colorist: Javier Rodriguez

I read the first two oversized hardcovers (the equivalent of the first four trades) of this title, and while I enjoyed them I pruned it from my list of titles that I follow. There are simply too many collected editions being pumped out from all publishers on a weekly basis and some things just have to give. It was my soft spot for the macabre that sucked me into buying this book. Daredevil plus a heaping of helping of beloved Bronze Age monsters such as Simon Garth, the Zombie, Satana, the Frankenstein Monster, The Living Mummy, and Werewolf By Night...where do I sign?

Some !!!SPOILERS!!! ahead...you have been warned.

While these issues were being made in mid to late 2013 they feel contemporary in terms of events happening right this minute in the United States. Prosecuting D.A. James Priest, a hero to the black community, speaks out on the verdict in a case not unlike the Trayvon Martin shooting, when the Jester hacks into a newsfeed, essentially putting words in his mouth on live television and inciting a racial riot. It really echoed events of the past year and was as eerie a predictor of current events as Ed Brubaker's prediction of the collapse of the American economy in Captain America back in 2007-2008. Ant-Man helps diffuse the ensuing riots.

It is revealed that the Serpent Society, a white supremacist group, is behind it all. Matt Murdock (Daredevil) has his partner, Foggy Nelson, do some research on them. Foggy finds that the root of the group is supernatural in nature, tracing back to the oft-mentioned book The Darkhold. This made me smile, as many Bronze Age monster comics mentioned it. Matt then seeks help from Doctor Strange, who points him to Jack Russell, an expert on the book. Matt travels to Stone Hills, Kentucky, to meet him when the reason why he is an expert is revealed...Jack is cursed by this book and becomes a Werewolf By Night because of it.

The monsters tell Daredevil where to go to get The Darkhold, although they warn him that they have all failed in the attempt. Daredevil ends up burning the book except for a few pages, ultimately winding up in battle with the Serpent Squad as well as the Serpent Society. Elektra is involved in the battle, although I thought that she was dead. I mean, she was at one time, but these things change. The Serpents have a far reach, and they offer Matt the chance to save Foggy's life with a revolutionary cancer treatment. They give him the option of backing off and his friend gets the treatment or they are going to spill every secret about him, revealing his identity, nature of his powers, and origin to the world. Matt double crosses them and outs himself as Daredevil, resulting in both he and Foggy becoming disbarred. The series ends with Daredevil moving back to San Francisco since he can no longer practice law there, but he can do so in California because he was licensed to practice law there forty plus years ago (in our time).

Mark Waid is a good writer, and I have enjoyed his Silver Age flavored run on the title. They senselessly rebooted the numbering again on this title even though he stayed on. Marvel's endless renumbering has made comics meaningless. They may as well go to all cover dates. They are supposedly going to do “seasons” now. Give me legacy numbering or I won't give you my money! I no longer buy anything new that Marvel produces and live for collected editions of pre-90s material.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone

Paper stock: Good weight glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover. 

Review- X-MEN: FALL OF THE MUTANTS

X-MEN: FALL OF THE MUTANTS (Marvel, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects X-Factor #18-26, Captain America #39, Daredevil #252, Fantastic Four #312, Incredible Hulk #336, 337, 340, Power Pack #35, Uncanny X-Men #220-227, and New Mutants #55-61 (cover dates July, 1987- March, 1988)

Writers: Louise Simonson, Peter David, Ann Nocenti, Mark Gruenwald, Steve Engelhart, and Chris Claremont

Artists: Pencilers- Walter Simonson, June Brigman, Todd MacFarlane, Sal Buscema, Jon Bogdanove, John Romita, Jr., Kieron Dwyer, Keith Pollard, Marc Silverstri, Kerry Gammill, and Brett Blevins; Inkers- Bob Wiaceck, Randy Emberlin, Jim Sanders III, Hilary Barta, Al Williamson, Tone DeZuniga, Joe Sinnott, Dan Green, Todd MacFarlane, and Terry Austin

When is an Omnibus not an Omnibus? When it is the Fall Of The Mutants oversized hardcover. Clocking in at over 800 pages, this beast is an Omnibus in all but name as far as I'm concerned. While past trade paperback collections only collected the three main tie-in issues of each of the X-titles (9 issues total), reading that book felt like coming in 15 minutes late to a movie. The set up had already occurred and you spent the rest of the time trying to play catch up. This book goes in the opposite direction, adding so much of the set up that the plot sometimes feels lost by the time that you get there. It basically reads best in thirds (X-Factor and assorted tie-ins, Uncanny X-Men, and New Mutants).

The only issues that I bought when they originally came out were The Uncanny X-Men and Power Pack ones, and I honestly didn't feel like I was missing anything since this crossover didn't jump across each title. In all honesty, these crossovers and the emerging new breed of artists like Marc Silverstri soured me on the hobby. I was dropping comics throughout 1989, until by late 1989 or early 1990 I was done until Marvel Masterworks sucked me back in a dozen years ago. Look at me now...

"Artwork" by Marc Silvestri. 

Silverstri's layouts and storytelling ability are clear, but his artwork just leaves me cold. Wolverine was now the leader of the team and becoming overly wordy and heroic. Psylocke was still a British telepath. This was before that racist, Jim Lee, would change her into an Asian ninja. Can you imagine if someone today changed the ethnicity of an Asian character into a Caucasian? All Hell would break loose! I enjoyed the battle with Freedom Force, the Government-sanctioned renamed New Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants. This was back when Wolverine battling Sabretooth was exciting and new. Now it is as common as a cold and would cause me to fall asleep.

This was one of those “things will never be the same again!” type crossovers, back when those were still fresh and not the boring cliche which fans suffer through one after another after another. Storm gets her powers back, The X-Men “die”, and Cypher gets killed over in The New Mutants. Oops, quarter century old spoilers. Speaking of that title, going from June Brigman's clean, beautiful artwork to Brett Blevins' super-stylized art is jarring to say the least.

This was a pleasant enough trip down memory lane, back to the old world when things seemed to make more sense. I was 13 and 14 when this crossover went down. The Uncanny X-Men were one of my favorites back then. Now they are dead to me, ruined by careless writers. This book holds up well enough today and is better than anything currently being published with a 'X' in the title.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

I wonder if the corner was cut off of the film. This looks like a patch job done using a floppy.

The OCD zone- Triple dip! I bought (some of) the original issues, the 2002 trade paperback, and now this. I can't wait to rebuy the UXM issues when the Masterworks get there. Kill me now.

Linework and Color restoration: Pretty good for the most part. There are a few spots that look iffy but not bad.

Paper stock: Wonderful coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: While this has smyth sewn binding and lays mostly flat, it seems to lay flat in “chunks”, like this book is three books sewn into one. Weird.

Hardback cover notes: Faux leather casewrap with foil die stamps.

Review- DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID VOL. 2 HC

DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID VOL. 2

(Marvel, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects Daredevil Nos. 11-21, Avenging Spider-Man No. 6, and Punisher No. 10 (cover dates June, 2012- February, 2013)

Writers: Mark Waid and Greg Rucka (Avenging Spider-Man #6 and Punisher #10)

Artists: Marco Checchetto, Chris Samnee, Khoi Pham (Penciler), Tom Palmer (Inker), and Michael Allred

Colorists: Matt Hollingsworth, Javier Rodriguez, and Laura Allred

The Omega Drive has information on the five largest criminal organizations on the planet on it. It is made from the unstable molecules from an old Fantastic Four costume and Daredevil has possession of it. This has made Daredevil a walking target, but he is not without a backup plan. What that means is that we get another dose of the age-old team-up crossover with Spider-Man and the Punisher. That's okay, those are always fun and they always work.

From there Mark Waid does away with the lighthearted Daredevil that we have been seeing so much of and shows more of the brooding, dark Daredevil which has been typical for the character since the Frank Miller run. Seeing ol' Matt Murdock's life being turned upside down again gets depressing, even when done in a well written, well drawn book like this. Hopefully things get lighter again, because this Silver Age flavored take on the character has been as absolute blast.

This title remains one of the few bright spots in the modern day Marvel Universe, and I am definitely on board for the inevitable third oversized hardcover.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Marvel oversized hardcovers are a rarity these days. Usually things are either Premiere Edition hardcovers or Omnibus hardcovers.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: Avenging Spider-Man #6, Punisher #10, and Daredevil #11 combined variant covers by Adi Granov. (2 pages)

Avenging Spider-Man #6 variant cover by Marco Checchetto (1 page).

Daredevil #11 Avengers Art Appreciation variant cover by Steffi Schuetze (1 page).

Daredevil #14 Amazing Spider-Man In Motion variant cover by Mike Deodato, Jr. and Matt Hollingsworth (1 page).

Daredevil #14 Amazing Spider-Man 50^th Anniversary variant cover by Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines, and Javier Rodriguez (1 page).

Daredevil #16 Pages 1-4 art process. (8 pages)

Daredevil #16 Pages 5-20 layouts by Chris Samnee (2 pages).

Daredevil #18 page 2 unused pencils, Coyote character and technology design, and #18 cover sketches by Paolo Rivera )1 page).

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. Semi-glossy coated stock. While it is thinner than the paper that Marvel used to use on these oversized hardcovers, it is still a decent weight and retains that sweet smelling toxic Chinese ink.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Smyth sewn binding, 7 stitches per signature. The book lays completely flat. 

Hardback cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. This has one of those paperboard/ image printed on the casewrap things going on under the dustjacket. The coating is a dull matte finish and is scuff resistant.

Buy DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID VOL. 2 HC at InStockTrades!

Review- DAREDEVIL BY ED BRUBAKER & MICHAEL LARK ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL. 3

DAREDEVIL BY ED BRUBAKER & MICHAEL LARK ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL. 3 (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Daredevil Nos. 106-119 and Daredevil No. 500 (cover dates November, 2008- October, 2009)

Writers: Ed Brubaker with Gred Rucka (#106-110)

Artists: Michael Lark, Paul Azaceta, Clay Mann, Tonci Zonjic, David Aja, Stefano Gaudiano, John Lucas, Klaus Janson, and Chris Samnee

Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth with Jose Villarrubia (#116)

I have to admit that I got an attitude against this book at first. I mean, Lady Bullseye? I was groaning. It is so DC, and I mean that in the most derogatory 1980s teenager Marvel zombie way possible. It felt like Superdog or something equally stupid. The quality of the writing and artwork saved it, and Lady Bullseye even grew on me by the end of the book.

So these issues were originally published when Secret Invasion was the latest event crossover. I like how Brubaker took one snippet of this crossover, namely Elektra being a Skrull (5-6 year old spoiler alert!) resulting in the ninja clan The Hand being thrown into disarray without a leader, and spun a series of events into motion as a result of this while keeping Daredevil out of the thick of said crossover. This feels organic and less gimmicky than many of the repercussions found in so many of these crossovers.

Growing up in the '80s, I was there buying Dakota North off of the spinner rack for a few issues, so seeing her as a part of this series is of course a treat. I am going to guess that since we didn't see a collected edition of that run when she was featured in a high profile series like this that we stand little to no chance of ever seeing it collected. Oh well. I guess I could go and wade through some 50 cent boxes and look for them if I really cared that much about it. Having said that, I found the fling between her and Matt Murdock to be uncharacteristic for him. I realize that it was a plot device, and it worked, but it wasn't much to my liking.

Master Izo, in spite of the Stick ret-con toward the end, is an enjoyable supporting cast member throughout this book. I enjoyed seeing Iron Fist pop in for a minute. Has Iron Fist ever had a prolonged solo battle with The Hand? I can't recall offhand and am too lazy to look it up. I feel that Brubaker effectively dealt with Matt Murdock's marriage. Marriage works for some comic book characters, such as Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, but it does not work at all for others, like Daredevil.

Issue 116 is a great story about the Kingpin trying to put his old life behind him. Of course nobody believed that he would ever give up crime for good, but it was sad to see his attempts fail all the same. The return of the Kingpin brings all of the threads together. The Owl, The Hand, Lady Bullseye...the elaborate trap is set, and Brubaker's twists and turns make this a fun, if dark, read. Issue 500 is great, and it was nice to see Daredevil's original numbering restored, even if it only lasted for 12 more issues. 

So there we have it, Bruabker's run cemented in various formats (single issues, trade paperbacks, Omnibus hardcovers, and Ultimate Collection trades) for the ages. I was shocked to see this book had already fallen out of print. One would think with Brubaker's Fatale doing good business over at Image that Marvel would keep this in print as a sort of “evergreen” bookstore product. You know, like how V For Vendetta and Watchmen keep selling because Alan Moore is still doing other stuff. I don't know, I'm not a marketing expert, just speaking as a fan who stumbled into this run late himself and was glad to find it still available in book form.

Daredevil has tended to skew dark ever since Frank Miller helped make that flavor fashionable, but Brubaker's run has been really dark. I had to read some Silver Age Marvel as a sort of raw juice cleanse just to get my head out of that space. There is no happy ending here.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I really like these chunky trade paperbacks. They have some real heft and feel like something of value.

It's too bad that the Daredevil: Blood Of The Tarantula one-shot has been omitted from these books but is in the second Daredevil By Brubaker Omnibus. While it has a different writer I feel that it would have made a nice addition...or am I being too pedantic? 

The back up stories and pin-up gallery from issue 500 have all been omitted. 

DVD-style Extras included in this book: All are one page unless otherwise noted.

#111 variant by Terry and Rachel Dodson

#111 variant by David Aja

#112 zombie variant by Travel Foreman and Morry Hollowell

#114 Villain variant by Lee Bermejo

#118 Wolverine Art Appreciation variant by Juan Doe

#500 variant by Alex Ross

#500 variant by Gabriele Dell'Otto (2 pages)

#500 70^th Anniversary variant by Patrick Zircher

Marko Djurdjevic cover process with thumbnails for #106, 107, 109, 110, 112, 115 (2 pages)

Not included are the following: #111 second printing variant

#500 Geoff Darrow variant cover

#500 Alex Ross Dymanic Forces negative art variant

#500 second printing Zircher variant

Paper rating: 4.75 out of 5. This book has a nice weight glossy coated paper stock which is perfectly suited to the material.

Binding rating: 4.25 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback with a nice thick band of glue. These chunky trades always seem more solid than the skinnier ones, even though those hold up just fine. That is just my perception.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick lamination which will provide a lifetime of enjoyment when handled reasonably.

While this particular book is no longer available, you can get all of the issues collected in it in the following two books:

Buy DAREDEVIL: LADY BULLSEYE TP at InStockTrades!

Buy DAREDEVIL: RETURN OF THE KING TP at InStockTrades!