who's killing who

drive-by readings

Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #2 (Marvel) Antony Johnston Wellinton Alves Nelson Pereira Frank Martin Dave Sharpe Francisco Mattina (cover)

what we learned: Paladin gets punk'd by the Shroud (gotta hand it to Pig Pen). Misty finds out that its not the Hand that killing mobsters, the Hand ninjas also tell her the same thing, and Paladin and Shroud are also two steps behind.
oh shit moment: not much sighting of Silver Sable and her fantastic treasure chest this issue. still not sure what her angle is in this story, but do i care? LOL
what's next: always the first question to ask in a murder mystery: who profits?


the "K" disappears twice in this book. that's a crime!

street fighting

drive-by readings

Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #1 (Marvel) Antony Johnston Wellinton Alves Nelson Pereira Frank Martin Dave Sharpe Francisco Mattina (cover)

what we learned: the first time i saw The Shroud, he was involved in Latverian politics and Henry Kissinger. the last time i saw Paladin, he had that Spear of Odin thingy and went off his merry way after Siege. now they're both in this Shadowland spinoff moneymaker. apparently someone is offing bad guys and all signs point to Daredevil and his Hand ninjas. the Shroud and Misty Knight feel something's not right, but we don't know what Paladin's thinking. he shot Daredevil once from long range (look who can't do that!) so he might be looking for a repeat performance. i think this is all just confusion (par for the course) - they'll all team up and fight the common enemy in the end.
oh shit moment: i haven't seen Silver Sable's chest in years. oh mama.
what's next: Pig Pen, Robot Arm and the two mercs duke it all out, to provide entertainment for Lord Daredevil.


why, because she's better looking?

aligned moon

drive-by readings

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #10 (Marvel) "Team Player" Gregg Hurwitz Juan Jose Ryp Andres Mossa Joe Caramagna Francesco Mattina (cover)

its great to see Juan Jose Ryp in a non-Warren Ellis blood-and-gore-raining Avatar-published work. it may not fit his style in the long run, but he does a good job here - the level of detail and line work can be dazzling. thumbs up.

so, what do we make of 616's resident loony hero? well, there was a time when he wasn't that loony, and Gregg Hurwitz thankfully brings that part of him back. maybe its just luck that he got over the hump by himself, just in time for Captain America Steve Rogers to offer him (Secret) Avenger membership. last couple of times this happened, Moon Knight spurned Iron Man and escaped a lopsided battle with Norman Osborn.

now we see him becoming a team player for Rogers' weird bunch (how long is this thing going to be a secret?), and reining in his murderous urges for the most part. he's like the Hulk, since you're not sure if he's gonna snap sometime soon (Rogers could have implanted him with nanotech failsafes for all we know). although it seems MK is the wild card or odd man out here, i don't think Hank is suited for fighting pirates, or deep sea creatures (experience with S.W.O.R.D. notwithstanding). i don't know, it just seems really ... off. he's the science guy, sure he'll get his licks in once in a while, but generally his best work is figuring out how to save lives without breaking bones or sweat. also, seriously, its Moon Knight who figures out a way off a sinking ship? not Hank? not War Machine carrying the whole piece of ship deck where they're standing?

as for Moon Knight, i have high hopes for this gig working for him this time. he may be a low-rent Batman (hey, look, Daredevil has a white haired cop with a moustache for a supporting character now), but he'll have his spots and roles. right now, its to be an Avenger. welcome to the big leagues, Marc. let's just say WCA, no matter how kooky & lovable it was, doesn't count.

drive-by readings: Secret Warriors #7/Thunderbolts #135

Secret Warriors #7/Thunderbolts #135 (Marvel) "God of Fear, God of War"/"Black Widow vs. Thunderbolts" Jonathan Hickman/Andy Diggle Alessandro Vitti/Miguel Sepulveda Sunny Gho/Frank Martin Dave Lanphear/Albert Deschesne Jim Cheung/Justin Ponsor/Francisco Mattina (cover)

Marvel's improving somewhat in keeping their stories straight in recent years, and these two are a nice example of that (thank the editors). after the revelation that the Thunderbolt Black Widow Yelena Belanova was really the original, Natasha, the rest of the Thunderbolts have come after her and erstwhile T-Bolt leader Songbird. a crossover with the Secret Warriors was necessary because ol' Nick Fury himself put Natasha in that position to spy on Norman Osborn. unaware they were being trailed by the always-heinous Ant Man, Black Widow demonstrates to Songbird why the new Yankee Stadium is one overpriced magilla. too bad, Fury appears and they're all captured in one swell foop by the T-Bolts and presented to a gloating Osborn (previously hired by now-i'm-dead-now-i'm-alive Baron Strucker to kill Fury). but don't despair, True Believers! prior to this, Fury activates Agent John Garrett, and if we know Papa Nick, he's always two or three steps ahead of everyone else. even if he gets shot in the head. wait, ... what?!?

drive-by readings: Thunderbolts #134

Thunderbolts #134 (Marvel) "Songbird vs The Thunderbolts" Andy Diggle Miguel Sepulveda Frank Martin Albert Deschesne Francisco Mattina (cover)

if you think about it, the Thunderbolts concept germinated this Dark Reign thing. villains masquerading as heroes - Kurt Busiek's fantastic first issue reveal is still one of the best thing of '90s comics. things have come full circle as you got Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers enjoying the spotlight and popularity ratings, and the rest of the criminal horde do as they please in the background. it does seem quite ironic now that the original T-Bolts (less Zemo, less Moonstone, who's still on the bad side) look to be the good guys (must be all that Hawkeye training huh?). now Songbird is on the run from the psychos of the new team, but fear not, kiddies, Uncle Nicky has something up his sleeve, ain't that right, 'Tasha?

oh and maybe, its just the coloring and all - but isn't Norbert Ebersol a WHITE NERD DUDE??? so how come he's looking like a leaner Luke Cage eh?

cover of the week

X-Factor #37 by Boo Cook
Thunderbolts #126 by Francisco Mattina