Thursday, August 28, 2003

Lucifer #41 - A Review

Written by: Mike Carey
Penciled by: David Hahn
Inked by: David Hahn
Colored by: Daniel Vozzo
Lettered by: Comicraft
Editor: Shelly Bond
Publisher: Vertigo Comics

Okay you stubborn little SOBs…Listen up! For nearly every month since we’ve run this little hack rag called 411 comics, I have had the dubious honor of telling you all about the monthly comic called Lucifer. Without exception, every issue of this book has been a modern masterpiece, sure to go down as one of the finest contributions made to The Art. I have gone out of my way to describe the majesty of the writing, the beauty of the artwork and assure those nay-sayers who think “This is just another lame Sandman spinoff” that it is anything but lame.

And yet, somehow, despite this… the sheer generosity and goodness of my heart… some of you, and I include the other reviewers of this magazine in this, some of you… AREN’T READING THIS BOOK?!?!

What’s wrong with you all? I mean, I thought most of you were intelligent, discriminating consumers of fine literature! Several steps above the common fools who come into my shop, ask if there are any new #1 titles or anything that has sold really well before walking up, grabbing all the copies and a pile of mylar bags and boards, to seal away the books as some sort of protection against dying old and poor, never opening those tender pages to see the work that a poor team of creators slaved away to enlighten and amuse the world…

To these people I say, fine. I’m sick of it. Go and fritter away your money on Youngblood: Genesis. You won’t be missed, unless I am inspired to the generosity to give you a warning shot with my crossbow. I’m not going to tell you about this book anymore. I wouldn’t describe one detail of what happens in this issue of Lucifer if you got down on your LOUSY, FILTHY KNEES AND BEGGED ME, LIKE THE SCUM-SUCKING, TOADING EXCUSE FOR-


The management of 411 Comics would like to apologize. Mr. Morrison is not feeling well and-

THE HELL I’M NOT! AND YOU CAN TAKE YOUR APOLOGY AND-

*THWUNK*

Ahem. Mr. Morrison has in fact been found in the broom closet, bludgeoned over the head by his evil twin Trevor, who took his place in writing the first part of this review. Mr. Morrison will resume his regular reviewing duties next week. In the meantime, the rest of this review of Lucifer #41 will be written by Mr. Morrison’s 3rd grade English teacher, Mrs. Nesbitt.


Thank you. Now when I was asked to write Matthew’s review, I wondered why. I mean, he was the best student I had last year but I hardly have any qualifications to talk about comic books, being a fictional construct being used in a humorous context in an increasingly absurdist bit of writing. All I’ve ever done as far as comics go is pulled them out of young men’s hands when they should have been studying, looked at the covers to make sure there was nothing very naughty and then held it until the end of class.

Now, the cover to this book looks very naughty indeed. The name for a start… Lucifer. Now, I certainly hope nobody would ever make a comic about The Devil, but having the name there is not a good thing for healthy young men. And I’m not too crazy about the two ghostly girls, one of whom appears to be in very great pain indeed.

And then I opened the book, breaking my usual habit, and was shocked to see a topless woman. Nicely illustrated though it is, they could just as easily draw a blouse on her as draw out nipples. Probably be easier, actually! And I don’t care if she is a centaur and this is a mature title! That’s still no excuse for nudity- If you were really mature, you wouldn’t read such filthy things such as this. Why, I remember last year when I caught Matthew reading this book called Hellblazer-


Thank you, Mrs. Nesbitt. That is more than enough. I guess it is up to me then.

*ahem*

Lucifer #41 acts as an epilogue to the previous five-issue saga. In it, two ghostly girls are given a brief chance at life by Lucifer, before making up their minds on a reward that he owes them for saving his life. The story of “what would you do with your last hours” is an old, but true one and is played quite well here. Highlights include the novel solution towards escaping a bad situation when you are going to die soon anyway and an amusing blasphemous speech by the former archangel himself about how “If you’re going to have gods, you might as well have farcical gods that command no respect.”

The artwork, by guest artist David Hahn, is much brighter than is usual with this title but it does not disrupt the usual tone of the book; resembling that of Mike Allred with a slightly darker tone. The coloring and lettering are, as always, excellent and the overall package is quite satisfying.

Oh yes. And don’t forget that the New Fall Season premiers in four days time.

Monday, August 25, 2003

Trouble #2 - A Review

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO…

*RING RING*

Mark Millar: (dragging himself to the desk in a drunken stupor) ‘Ello?

Bill Jemas: Mark! Wazzup!

Mark Millar: Sweet Jesus!

Bill Jemas: No, Jemas. El Presidente Grande?

Mark Millar: Strewth, man. I ken it was ye. Wat’s shaking?

Bill Jemas: Oh, just working on a plan for improving the company. I’m going to fire Mark Waid off Fantastic Four.

Mark Millar: Wot? That’s bloody madness, man. Did I hear ye right? I’m a wee bit knackered at the moment.

Bill Jemas: No, you heard me right. It’s all part of my brilliant plan…

Mark Millar: Wot plans dat den?

Bill Jemas: My plan to have all our regular monthly titles being written by a team of six men by the end of the year. Going to call ourselves the Ultimate Six. I’ve already got Austen taking over most of the line. Between you, him, Bendis, Stracyzinski and me we’ll have half the books by September.

Mark Millar: Whoz the sixth man going to be?

Bill Jemas: Chris Claremont and Peter David will have a Jamacian stick fight for the title at Wizard World Texas.

Mark Millar: Good idea, my lord!

Bill Jemas: Course it’s a good idea! But that’s not the point. I wanted to talk to you about a problem we have. See, for too long the superhero has dominated the comic business. I want Marvel to revive some of the dead classic genres while twisting them for the new millennium. Now, we’ve made some progress reviving the Western with the “gay cowboys eating pudding” epic that was Rawhide Kid. I thought that Marvel should bring back the romance comic next. And I thought to myself, who is the first person to come to mind when I think of brilliant, realistic romantic language yet hip and cutting edge and popular?

Mark Millar: Aww, yer too kind, Bill-

Bill Jemas: Actually, I thought of Kevin Smith. But since he said I’d be… how did he put it…“f***ing retarded” to give him a monthly title when he can’t get a mini-series done in under a year and since I can’t pay him enough to make him forget about making movies, you’re going have to do it.

Mark Millar: What? Are ye bloody mad? I’m no romantic! I write dysfunctional lunatics! Power-mad fascists! End-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-and-I-feel-like-crap epics!

Bill Jemas: Where did you get all your ideas anyway?

Mark Millar: Spend 20 years living under a Tory government and try NOT to get ideas like this!

Bill Jemas: Huh?

Mark Millar: Skip it… I’m not well. I feel like an American is trying to write my British slang… like bloody Hellblazer for the last three years.

Bill Jemas: But Mark… aren’t you Irish?

Mark Millar: … Yes! Yes, I am.

Bill Jemas: So? All you Irishmen are supposed to be great romantic poets. Look inside yourself and find a great American romantic story. For God’s Sake, man… do you want to be the poor man’s Grant Morrison for the rest of your life?

Mark Millar: But I’m not-

Bill Jemas: Listen, I’ve got to go. Ron Zimmerman wants to talk to me about his idea about bringing back Devil Dinosaur, but making him bright pink and hinting that he’s gay. Get the pitch to me by tomorrow.

*CLICK*

Mark Millar: Right. Don’t panic, old boy. You can think of something good. Something brilliant. Something ingenious.

(An Hour and Three Guinness Later)

Mark Millar: Alright! Screw it! I’ll just base it off Spider-Man, deny that I based it off Spider-Man to the media and take the plots from a thousand teen movies and a Flintstone’s episode.


SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, IN A COMIC BOOK.

Richard: I’m a popular, good looking average American promiscuous teenage male. If this were a movie in the 80’s, I’d be played by Tom Cruise.

Ben: I’m Richard’s older brother. I’m a nice, responsible, straight-forward, conservative guy, but I feel like Esau to Richard’s Jacob.

Mary: I’m the shy, quiet blonde one destined to forever be called “Virgin Mary”.

May: I’m the wild and crazy redhead party animal. I’m always doing impulsive things.

(May rips off her clothes and jumps in a lake)

May: See?!

MEANWHILE, IN A COMIC SHOP

Fanboy #1: Dude, I am so loving that May chick.

Fanboy #2: Yeah… she’s hot. Except… oh, dude…

Fanboy #1: What is it, dude?

Fanboy #2: Ewww.. don’t you get it, dude?

Fanboy #1: What? Oh yeah… dude, how could I have missed it?

Fanboy: #2: Yeah… dude, that’s Aunt May you’re ogling.

Fanboy #1: What? Dude, I thought you meant how May is like Mary Jane and Mary is like Gwen from the old Stan Lee books.

Fanboy #2: No way dude. This is totally original! But that trashy redhead is Aunt May!

Fanboy #1: No way!

Fanboy #2: Way!


MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE COMIC…

Resort Head: I’ll make sure there’s no way any of you can have sex!

Richard: Well, I’m going to make sure that I DO get to have sex.

May: Me too!

The obvious couples are mismatched. May winds up with the conservative Ben because she likes his honesty. Richard winds up with the virginal Mary and finds he likes talking to her more than having mindless sex. Ben runs out of condoms. May has some.

May: Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot!


MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE COMIC SHOP…

Fanboy #1: Ah-hah! See? She is a rip-off of Mary Jane!

Fanboy #2: So you admit that is Aunt May and this is all one big in-joke for the Spider-fans?

Fanboy #1: Ewww. No way, dude! That May is HOT!

Fanboy #2: But it is still Aunt May!

Fanboy #1: No it isn’t! It can’t be. Everyone knows that Aunt May is a natural blond and that Peter’s mother Mary is a redhead!

Fanboy #2: That’s only in the ULTIMATE Universe, you dolt! In the 616 Marvel Universe, Aunt May was SO a redhead. It was shown in Spider-Man Annual-

Fanboy #1: No it wasn’t!

Fabboy #2: Yes it was!

Clerk: Will you two shut up and do something useful? Like researching all the historical inaccuracies in 1602?

Fanboy #1: And insult The Master Neil Gaiman?

Fanboy #2: Blasphemer!

(The Clerk is jumped and beaten in a scene we cannot describe due to local standards)


MEANWHILE, IN THE DEPTHS OF CYBERSPACE…

Jesse Baker: Darrrron! Starman ripped off my style of reviewing!

Daron, The Dark Overlord: Silence! This parody amuses me, greatly.

Matt Morrison: Wow. I wonder if Marvel will sue us over this? Then maybe I’ll get as many readers as that Al Franken guy!


This is a critique/parody published by 411mania.com, and is not intended maliciously. 411mania.com has invented all names and situations in its stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental, or used as a fictional depiction or personality parody (permitted under Hustler Magazine v. Fallwell, 485 US 46, 108 S.Ct 876, 99 L.Ed.2d 41 (1988)). 411mania.com makes no representation as to the truth or accuracy of the preceding information.

Daredevil #50 - A Review

Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciled by: Alex Maleev
Inked by: Alex Maleev
Colored by: Matt Hollingsworth
Lettered by: Cory Petit
Editor: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Marvel Comics

There are times when a book comes along that I cannot review easily. Sometimes the book itself is hard to read, due to a poor story or confusing artwork. Sometimes I just feel uninspired and cannot think of the right words to do a good book justice. And sometimes, the book itself can not be described without giving away every bare detail of the plot and artwork. This is one of the later.

The title page helpfully informs us of what has happened so far. There is a blind lawyer named Matt Murdock, whose four senses operate at a superhuman level far surpassing any loss he might have felt from his sight. His secret identity has been revealed to the world, but he has managed to prevent any proof of it from being discovered, since this would likely result in his disbarment and arrest. His most dangerous enemy, The Kingpin of Crime Wilson Fisk, has returned to reclaim his broken empire and sent Typhoid Mary and Bullseye, two of Daredevil’s most dangerous enemies, to distract him as the Kingpin goes about his business.

But Daredevil managed to best the two assassins, at long last putting away Bullseye; the man who killed the two greatest loves of Matt Murdock’s life. And now there are no more distractions. No more obstacles. Nothing standing between Daredevil and the Kingpin and one glorious, long overdue fight.

And what a fight it is! This issue promised a battle to end all battles and it delivers, lasting for over half the pages of the book.

This is gloriously illustrated over a series of panels by an all-star team of artists, who had worked on the regular Daredevil series in the past. While this is much more interesting that the standard "pose gallery" that your typical 50th issue closes with, it is a bit jarring to see Kingpin and DD change so much from panel to panel. Particularly since none of the artists seem to agree on what kind of pants the Kingpin is wearing or whether or not he has a jacket.

I think it might have been better to give each artist a whole page, rather than a single panel. And Frank Miller is conspicuous in his absence among such classic greats as John Romita Sr. and Gene Colan. For that matter, I wonder why John Romita Jr, who illustrated Miller’s "Man Without Fear", wasn’t included.

Despite the spotty artwork during the "tribute" fight scene, Alex Maleev maintains his gritty, photo-realistic style throughout the rest of the book until everything concludes in a wonderful scene inside the now infamous Josie’s Bar in a scene that will surely leave you wanting for the next issue.

Looking To The Stars: Mocking The Prez

Recently, on our message board and in last weeks “Words of Questionable Wisdom”, John Babaos discussed JLA #83, its “subtle as a brick” political commentary and the general ill-advisedness of comparing President Luthor of the DCU to the man living in the White House today, George W. Bush.

While I agree with John that the issue was less than wonderful and decidedly biased, I do disagree with a few of the points that he made regarding the arguments behind the issue. Kelly’s story is heavy-handed and one-sided, but I believe that his heart, if not his head, were in the right place.

With John’s words “ideological criticism of government is a sign of a healthy democracy” in mind, I would like to address some of the points that he makes from the other side of the fence. I think I have a unique perspective on this, being an affirmed liberal who has lived in Texas for the past 15 years and had the benefit of seeing Mr. Bush rise from partial owner of a baseball team to governor to the presidency.

  1. Many of the opponents of action in Iraq were / are either the disgruntled anti-Dubya crowd, with others, presumably smaller than the preceding group, opposed to military action of any sort in any situation.

I’m sure there are a few people who hold the Groucho Marx “Whatever it is, I’m against it” attitude in regard to anything George W. Bush has to say. Then again, there are just as many people who refuse to believe anything that I say. Ignoring our comparable levels of fame and media coverage, the problem is the same; you can’t get everyone to like you.

Still, that is not to say that there are people who had legitimate reasons to question our going to war. Indeed, the current evidence suggests that there were no weapons of mass destruction to be found and that the United States and their allies jumped the gun in their handling of the whole affair.

  1. It is very difficult for readers to give Kelly's view point a fair shake when the President of the United States in the DC Universe is a super-criminal - Lex Luthor. By even making this comparison, Kelly is indicating that President Bush is a criminal That is outrageous

If George W. Bush knowingly got us into a war using information that was false, than I can think of no better definition of a criminal act. I think it far more likely that incompetence, not malice, was the defining force in getting us where we are. At least, I hope that we were depending on bad information rather than willingly ignoring the evidence to start a war for reasons I’d rather not speculate on.

And the idea of George W. Bush as a criminal is not so outrageous, nor implausible to many of the residents of Texas. Particularly the city of Arlington, my home town, where many people suffered at the hands of some very Lex Luthorish business deals that George W. Bush was a part of. For more information on this, and several other alleged crimes of George W. Bush while he was Governor of Texas, I recommend this site. ( http://rush_awards.tripod.com/shrub.html )

  1. If Luthor’s Vice President, the boyhood friend of Clark Kent (Superman), Pete Ross had assumed the presidency for whatever reason, then readers could absorb, digest, and think with more clarity about what Kelly is trying to say about the Bush administration’s actions. Luthor as President hinders his message. Ross as President would have seemed less biased.

Here, I agree completely with John. Having Luthor as the President in this kind of story does bias it a bit towards the anti-war argument that I’m a part of. Everyone knows Lex Luthor is a bad guy. So he must be wrong… I mean, he’s the bad guy, right?

Still, I prefer to think of this not just as a bad political story… but a just plain bad story. While I appreciate the attempt to address the issue and indeed admire those writers who attempt to comment upon modern politics and society in their writings, Kelly really missed the mark here by trying to draw upon the current situation in Iraq.

Realistically, the problems we had with the Iraq should have been a non-issue in the DC Universe. Think about how many superheroes could spot check for weapons of mass destruction. True, most of them would have ethical issues with spying on another country. I’m sure Superman wouldn't x-ray the entire country looking for bombs and the Martian Manhunter wouldn't become invisible or shapeshift into the identity of a weapons inspector. (Although one of his secret identities could be one- now there’s a story idea!) but there are plenty of them who would do it and damn the consequences. Heck, even though their title was canceled, I’m sure the Suicide Squad could be sent in.

Setting the story firmly in the real world also firmly shatters the classical morality play tone of the story. Picture it with Luthor as the Devil, Superman as Everyman and Batman and Wonder Woman as the Angels and you'll see what I mean.

And ignoring all the many moral and political subtext, I have seen nobody who has discussed this book mention how horribly out of character
Lois Lane was written. Lois Lane, from personal experience, has a few hundred reasons not to trust Lex Luthor any further than she could throw him as well as a few hundred reasons to ask her husband to throw him into the sun. Owing to her past with Luthor and whatever information she can gleen from Clark, his superhearing and his connections as Superman to say nothing of her own connections in the media, her keen mind and tough-as-nails Army brat personality… do you think she'd HONESTLY be walking around a supermarket in a panic looking for baby powder and canola oil? Unless it's Thursday Night and she forgot to prepare for the "special treatment" from Clark.

(What? He makes really good Itallian. It's in some back issue. Really.)

Hell, if nothing else she can wait it out in the Fortress of Solitude. She'd probably refuse to, but she could.
Lois Lane is about the last person on the planet who ever has to worry about an end-of-the-world occurrence. If nothing else, even if Lex does wind up causing doomsday, Clark can fly them to another planet.

Still, John is totally right about one thing; though we may disagree, it is important that we discuss these differences in a civilized, intelligent fashion. And I intend to do that next week, when Looking To The Stars takes a detailed look at some of the most famous political comics of all time.

Finally, and on a less political note, keep an eye out on the website, folks. Our New Fall Lineup premiers in one week!

Tune in next week. Same Matt Time. Same Matt Website.

Thursday, August 21, 2003

Knights Of The Dinner Table Illustrated #25 - A Review

Written by: Mark Plemmons
Penciled by: Brendon & Brian Fraim
Inked by: Brendon & Brian Fraim
Colored by: N/A
Lettered by: Brendon & Brian Fraim
Editors: Brian Jelke & Eric Engelhard
Publisher: Kenzer And Company

It seems like the same complaints keep coming up over and over as I’ve read this title these past few months. What was once a laugh-out-loud parody of fantasy role-playing and the traditional sword and sorcery comic book had become weighted down by a serious plot and an attempt to create a unifying continuity between various events in the book’s past.

And now, in this issue… it all comes together. And even as things reach the pinnacle of months of plot threads being woven together, this issue somehow manages two tricks that it has often failed in previous recent issues. First, this issue is actually accessible to new readers. Second, it is funny as all get out.

In a way it reminds a bit of Sojourn #25, which also came out this week. I’m not a regular reader of Sojourn, but the bargain hunter in me can’t resist a one-dollar comic. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the issue, despite obviously being a ending to something very big, was very easy to get into despite not having my beloved “Previously on…” page. The same can be said of KILL, which doesn’t give any background into the on-going story of this issue besides a summary of our four main characters. And even these summaries are tinged with humor, the profile of female fighter Thornia saying that there is no information about her because she just joined the book as a woman of mystery. All you need to know is “she’s human, she’s female and she’s been imprisoned by a secret society that has been manipulating the Untouchable Trio” for years.”

That does, in essence, sum up the revelation the last few months have been devoted to. This is to say, that a group of adventurers known as the Untouchable Trio (fighter El Ravenger, thief Knuckles and wizard Teflon Billy) have become the victims of a society, formed up of people the Trio have wronged in some way. This society includes a princess they rescued who was given less than royal treatment and the best friend of a randomly slain peasant. The society has been moving the trio around the world, using their innate ability to cause random destruction to further their own goals of world domination and the Trio’s eventual destruction.

All of this is conveyed in one pictorial panel by Thornia, who was freed by the society in order to lure the Trio into a trap-filled dungeon. Naturally, the Trio are ready to call forth bloody vengeance but due to a lack of magic in the world thanks to the alignment of the moons, they are not operating at full power… until Teflon Billy reveals some unusual and humorous uses for livestock.

No. Not that. You should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking it.

The art is still gorgeous as ever, and the black and white style really does suit the book well. While this book isn’t one that you typically buy purely for the artwork, the Fraim Brothers (at least I assume they are brothers and not friends with the same last name) can easily stand aside Greg Land in terms of being able to draw a fantastic fantasy scape and manage the trick of being as detail-oriented as Bryan Hitch without being quite as dirty (and managing to maintain a monthly schedule to boot!

So to everyone at Kenzer and Company, please accept my apologies for my less than faithful remarks the past few months. I am glad to say to say that things are as funny as ever again, that the plot actually helps the humor this time around and that I am really looking forward to next month’s issue. Hopefully I’ll have a few more friends reading with me next time.

Monday, August 18, 2003

Daredevil: Born Again TPB - A Review

Written by: Frank Miller
Penciled by: David Mazzucchelli.
Inked by: David Mazzucchelli
Colored by: Christie Scheele & Richmond Lewis
Lettered by: Joe Rosen
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Publisher: Marvel Comics

How many single issues have there been that completely changed a comic book?

This may sound like a loaded question, but think about it; even before today’s multi-part, maxi-series “the story that will change Captain X and Random-Man forever!” driven story-arcs, it was rare to have a major change take place in just one issue. Gwen Stacy’s death and the aftermath was a two-part story. The death of Barry Allen took several issues to build up to. And it took three issues for X-Men: Phoenix to lower the standards of what Marvel will publish to make a quick buck. Good drama, like good cooking, needs time to heat up and boil.

In fact, I can think of only two single comics in everything I have read where one issue really changed everything. The first is the Green Lantern/Green Arrow issue where Speedy is revealed to be a heroine addict. The other is the first part of this, Frank Miller’s last regular writing job on the monthly Daredevil title.

Right from the very beginning, we know something is different. We see a woman, later identified as Karen Page, who has fallen on hard times. Leaving the series to become an actress years before, Frank Miller brings her back, writing that she fell into drugs, a different kind of movie and is now so desperate for a fix that she is willing to sell away a sacred trust: the secret identity of Daredevil. This information makes its way up the ladder to Wilson Fisk (The Kingpin), who is all too happy to turn this information to his advantage and orders the deaths of Page and everyone else who passed the information up to him.

In the turn of a few short pages, Matt Murdock is beset by disaster after disaster in one morning. Newly released from a law firm and looking for a new job, he gets a Dear John tape (no letter for the blind man, of course) from his girlfriend Gloria. He also receives a subpoena regarding charges of corruption by one of the few honest cops left in New York, a letter from the bank saying he is behind on his mortgage payments and his assets have been frozen pending an IRS audit.

Things go from bad to worse as the power and phone at his apartment are turned off and Matt finds out the next day that his girlfriend is now shacked up with his best friend and lawyer in the pending corruption charges against him, Foggy Nelson. Franklin manages to save Matt from doing jail time, but is unable to keep Matt from loosing his law license. Unable to access his savings and distrustful of everyone around him, the final touch comes as Matt’s brownstone is blown up before him. In that moment, Matt has the revelation that Kingpin must be responsible for all his sudden misfortune and decides to take the fight to Fisk.

One issue. That is all it took for Matt Murdock to go from a respected lawyer looking for a job to a disgraced pariah with nothing. No money. No home. No love. No friends. And very quickly, no sanity and no hope.

Miller would further break down Matt Murdock and build up one of the most amazing stories to ever grace a spinner rack over the next six issues. He effortlessly follows multiple subplots; the Kingpin’s life as he watches Matt self-destruct, Matt’s actions as he falls further into madness, Foggy and Gloria as they get to know each other better, Ben Urich as he tries to locate Matt and Karen as she desperately tries to make her way to New York. This all builds towards an exciting climax in which Hell’s Kitchen is set ablaze, guest stars aplenty appear and old grudges are avenged.

This is all gloriously illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, who manages the thankless task of working with one of the undisputed masters of the craft and having to keep up with him. But keep up with Miller he does and does well, as do the rest of the art team who maintain a dark, noir feel to everything… even the battles in broad daylight and brightly-lit offices.

Born Again was recently reprinted as part of the Daredevil: Legends series and is a must-have for all comics fans and not just fans of The Man Without Fear. True, Miller’s gotten more attention for his work with Elektra during his original run on the series or his redefinition of the characters in his “Man Without Fear” mini-series (also available as a Legends TPB). But I’ll be damned if this isn’t the best thing he wrote with Daredevil.

Looking To The Stars: Keeping It Hush-Hush.

The following thoughts spun out of a conversation on our message boards. It was suggested that those of you who don’t read the boards might want to read this as well, so here it is.

I should mention here at the start that if you haven’t read Batman #617 and do not know of the much ballyhooed revelation within…well, you can skip my column just this once because this will either a) spoil a good story for you or b) bore you to tears. Just pass forward the note from your parents and go sit in the hall until I come to get you.

I make no claims to any inside information or any precognitive abilities. So if it turns out that my deductions are correct, please do not ask me for any advice regarding relationships, money, stock tips or sporting events. I have no special powers, over than a keen detective insight forged by years of reading Batman comics.

I would like to point out something that many people discussing this issue have forgotten and put forth my own theory about it. See, I'm not quite sure that Jason Todd is quite so resurrected as we'd like to think. To quote the good Batbook, issue 617, page 28.

Scarecrow: I don't understand. My fear gas should have affected you. Unless... your mind was already infected by another--

The obvious suggestion here is that someone is influencing Batman to see something besides what is there. The fact that "Jason" is holding Robin by the throat seems to suggest they are trying to keep him from saying something.

This leads to two possible suspects.


1. The Mad Hatter

A Loeb favorite, frequently partnered with Scarecrow in his works, he's about the only one of the classic villains we haven't seen yet. And it would be a trick getting it on him, but one of his mind control devices would definitely alter Batman past the point of fear gas working on him.

2. Spellbinder

Villainess with the power to create illusions, but from what I remember she could only work on one person at a time. Mostly slumming around in Green Lantern and other titles of late, she got her start as a Bat-villain and has appeared in Birds of Prey numerous times.

There. Now that my peace is said, let's assume that IS Jason. How then, do we explain, who Hush REALLY is. I mean, obviously it can't be Jason completely. He would have needed help from someone to come back from the dead.

Well, I have my own theories about this. I'm not going to make any claims as to knowing exactly WHO Hush is, but let's review the facts thus far and I'll explain my guess.


1. Evidence Hush is Harvey or Two Face: Flipped coin with scared head. Costume is dead ringer for
Harvey's outfit from "Dark Knight Returns".

Problems: Hush knows more than Harvey Dent should now about Batman. Of course, back in the early days, Batman trusted
Harvey enough to consider revealing his secret ID to him. Harvey and his gang made it into the Batcave in Dark Victory. It is not unimpossible that Harvey may have figured out that Bruce Wayne is Batman.


2. Evidence Hush is Jason Todd- foreshadowing in various points of early issues (Hush stands next to Robin sign, for example). Jason Todd would have all the knowledge of Batman Hush does.

Problems: As I said, Jason would have needed help coming back from the dead. As such, he is not the ultimate mastermind behind the plan. Also, judging from his appearance in the book he is quite a bit older than at the time of his death, meaning he has been alive for quite a while.

3. I think it possible, and even likely, that the two could be working together. After all...

Jason was the second Robin.

Two working together under one identity would certainly appeal to Two Face.

Problem: Jason's resurrection would require knowledge that Harvey Dent didn't have.

The obvious solution, given the dust Bruce found: Lazarus Pit. But Ra's denies involvement... and so few others know about the Lazarus pits. Except for those closest to Ra’s... such as a very devoted daughter. A devoted daughter who just got hired away to run a certain corporation...

And there we hit it. Who has a major grudge against Batman and Bruce Wayne? Who would have the resources and connections to monitor Batman. Who used those same resources to discover Superman's secret identity? Who made a totally unmotivated appearance in the book to say "No, not yet." and nothing more?

Answer: Lex Luthor.

Obviously Lex is involved in this somehow. Lord knows he's tried to get to Bruce and Batman before and something this convoluted or complicated wouldn't be beyond his means. Of course some (like our Dark Overlord) doubt Loeb would go through all this examination of Batman and his enemies only to make the ultimate villain be Superman’s greatest enemy.

Well, ignoring the connections it appears that Loeb is trying to draw between a Superman villain and Batman’s past in Superman/Batman #1… lets consider the fact that in the last few years, Lex has been just as big a Batman villain as he has been a Superman baddie.

Lex was the mastermind behind framing Bruce Wayne for Murder, thanks to Bruce's stopping Lex's buy-out of Gotham after No Man's Land. And he's had something of a vendeta against Batman due to...

1. Batman clearing Superman on a murder charge (JLA 80 Page Giant)

2. Batman's head for tactics derailing his Injustice League (JLA: Rock of Ages)

And lets not forget that we have seen Luthor in Hush once and that his company gave Ivy the chemicals she needed for her plants. And we never DID get an explanation as to who gave Ivy that Kryptonite-tainted lipstick. Who better (or more likely) than Luthor?

Of course it could just be Dr. Hugo Strange (Stephen’s crazy uncle) again, but all the Smart Money is on the bald one.

Tune in next week. Same Matt Time. Same Matt Website.

Monday, August 11, 2003

Dr. Fate #1 - A Review

Written by: Christopher Golden
Penciled by: Don Kramer
Inked by: Prentis Rollins
Colored by: John Kalisz
Lettered by: Kurt Hathaway
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Publisher: DC Comics

I was rather nervous when I first looked at this book. The cover art, depicting DC Comics most powerful magician, looks like it was inked and colored with Magic Marker. Still, the adage about how you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover proved most accurate in the case of Dr. Fate.

I’m not familiar with Christopher Golden as a writer of comic books but I am familiar with his work as a novelist and have enjoyed all of his books that I have read. And I have it on the authority of a friend who is a big fan of “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” that his books based on the series are the best. I mention this, because that is what the series and this opening issue remind me of… but in a good way.

In Golden’s introductory text, we discover that the city of Salem is a nexus of dark magical powers but most of those in the city are unaware of the battles between order and chaos that occur on a near daily basis, thanks to the efforts of one hero: our esteemed Doctor. But this is the only battle of supernatural forces that we see in the entire book, so those expecting a story full of cape-waving and dialogue along the lines of “Zounds! The dread Demons of Dorkmammu are arising again. I must call upon the powers of the Terrific Talisman of Tal-Ah-Has-Iee if I am to survive this, my greatest battle!” will be greatly disappointed.

The rest of us will be treated to our introduction to several interesting characters. Aside from Hector Hall (who we should all know from the pages of JSA) and Nabu (who has materialized as an Obi-Wan ghost inside Fate’s Tower), we are introduced to…

• Professor Boiling and his students Anita and Tom; practicing Wiccans, who are observing Fate for reasons as of yet unexplained.
• Caitlin, a waitress at a coffee shop, who has a crush on Hector.
• Justin, Caitlin’s stalker ex-boyfriend
• Jenny, Caitlin’s co-worker
• The proprietor of the “Wicked Wicks” candles and spells shop, who does little more than give Hector a dirty look as he walks past her shop.
• Justin Gilder; a thief of high skill, recruited to steal a magical helmet from a Mr. Fenton for an old lady in New York City.

How does all this tie together? I can’t begin to say. But the characterization rings true and every character, despite only appearing for a few pages, is easily identifiable and memorable. This is helped by the excellent art Don Kramer. Kramer’s work is, as best as I can describe, as detailed as Frank Quitely but not nearly as dirty or as heavily inked. The colors are rich and vibrant, making this look every bit the DC book despite its Vertigoesque roots.

(Incidentally, you cameo spotters will not a number of Vertigo’s magical heroes in Fate’s scrying mirror at one point in the book. And someone who is no stranger to us magic fans makes it quite clear he doesn’t like being watched.)

All in all, it feels like Golden is building towards something with his opening arc. This issue is a little slow on action, but it looks very promising. And considering that we’ve sold the title out twice at my store in the four days since its release, it looks like there are a lot of people besides myself who are under the spell of this book.

Looking To The Stars: Quick Takes

Dear Reader,

Due to some rather hectic things happening in the last few weeks, I haven’t gotten to have as many of these special weekly little talks with you as either of us would like. Well, I hope you like them anyway and if not, why the heck are you wasting your time reading this?

Don’t answer that.

At any rate, a lot of good books have come out in the last month or so, but I haven’t gotten a chance to weigh in on them. But how… how am I going to cover so much ground in so little space?

Brevity is the soul of wit, I’m told. And it is also the soul of writers with a quickly approaching deadline. With that in mind, here’s my quick takes and ratings of some of the books to grace and curse our shelves in the past few weeks.


Bad Girls #1

Somewhat amusing tale of superpowers accidentally given to the bitchy beautiful girls we all hated in high school and the new, uncool girl having to stop them. I’ll give it a few more issues, but this looks pretty prosaic so far. Indie title Shades of Blue does the same thing but with a lot more passion and realism.

Final Score: 4.0 (out of 10)


Supreme Power #1

To my regret, I have yet to get around to reading the original Squadron Supreme books and what I saw here isn’t making me all that eager to read much more of this prequel series. I probably will keep reading it though, as JMS has a way of starting stories off slow and typical but then twisting the heck out of everything later. If nothing else, I’ll probably be able to sell the single issues for a mint later. Word is the issue #1 is already doing a brisk trade on eBay.

Final Score: 3.0 (out of 10)


Futurama #14

The series may be over, but the comic lives on. This month it features a gimmick that even ol’ Stan Lee never tried… seven comics in one story. The entire comic is done in a six-box format that can either be read as one whole comic story or by following each corner-panel to read a separate story centering around a different member of the cast. The effect is a bit trippy, but enjoyable.

Final Score: 7.0 (out of 10)


JSA All-Stars #4

I’m going to miss Geoff Johns when he goes off this title and I can only hope that Courtney a.k.a. The Star Spangled Kid (now Star Girl as of this issue) will make an appearance in Teen Titans. John’s baby, Courtney really came into her own in the pages of JSA and this issue is a real treat. And Starman fans (that’s fans of the comic and not fans of yours truly), will want to check out the vintage story by James Robinson and Tony Harris, complete with cheesy Golden Age ending.

Final Score: 10.0 (out of 10)


Formerly Known as the Justice League #1 and #2

There’s just not enough good comedy in comics anymore. So may any gods that are listening bless whoever had the idea to bring back Giffen and DeMatteis to doing this book instead of preaching pseudo-intellectual spiritual dogma (Spectre) or mindless violence for the sake of comedy (Lobo). Not that I have anything against The Main Man or The Spirit of Redemption, but I don’t think either of these writers shined quite so well as when they were working on JLE and JLI together.

Final Score: 8.0 (out of 10)


Superman/Batman #1

Jeph Loeb, the best writer on Batman and Superman in the last ten years, is writing.

Ed McGuinness, one of the best artists in the field today, is penciling.

It sold out at DC before it hit the streets.

It was the best thing I read all last week.

What else do you need to know? Get this book!

Final Score: 10.0 (out of 10)


Batman #617

Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee continue to do everything we always wanted to see or never thought we’d see in a Batman story. If you aren’t already reading this book, nothing else I can say will get you reading it. Go sit in your dark corner all alone and cold while the rest of us laugh and point at you.

Final Score: 9.0 (out of 10)


Birds of Prey #57

It’s been too long since I’ve read Huntress done right. Too long portrayed as a PMSing brat (Greg Rucka), an unemotional psychopath (Chuck Dixon) or Nightwing’s wannabe love slave (Devin Grayson), she actually… and I’m sorry I can think of no better or more original way to say this because it has become such a clichĂ© with this title… she actually READS like a real woman who kicks butt. And while I’m not too crazy about her hot-pants and halter costume, the fault with that lies with Jim Lee and not the art team here, who manage to keep this from degrading into total Jim Balent-esque cheesecake work. If she keeps fixing up my favorite books like this, I may have to propose to Gail Simone. (You heard it here first, folks!)

Final Score: 10.0 (out of 10)


Daredevil #49

I wanted Matt back in the costume. I got Matt back in the costume, and none too soon as we get a fight we’ve been waiting for since nearly the start of this volume. My one complaint though, is that Bendis has ruined the mystique of one of the best villains in all of comicdom and in a very off-handed fashion with this issue. While I can appreciate and understand the brief “origin” details given here, it is still too much and ruins the imaginings of me and a million other Daredevil fans.

Final Score: 6.0 (out of 10)


Hawkman #18

Proof you don’t have to have all-action, all the time, even on an action heavy title such as this one. A brilliant story about a depressed Carter Hall visiting a place from his past life and learning a lesson from an unlikely teacher.

Final Score: 8.0 (out of 10)


Green Lantern #167

Slowly but surely, Raab is building towards something. I’ll stick around to find out what, if only out of curiosity. That and because I’m really digging the sci-fi hero elements that we haven’t seen since… well, since Hal was still GL 10 years ago. And cheers to someone finally doing something with ex-Darkstar and perpetually ignored John Stewart girlfriend Merayn.

Final Score: 7.0 (out of 10)


Fantastic Four #500 and #501

Excellence. Pure unadulterated excellence. I can only echo the thoughts of most of my colleagues and the vast masses I have seen on the message boards in asking “What the hell is Bill Jemas thinking taking Mark Waid off this title?”

Final Score: 11.0 (out of 10) Cause it’s one higher, don’t you know?


And on a final note, as long as we’re talking about the insanity of Bill Jemas, I’d like to address the rumors flying around now about an Ultimate Hulk title aimed at children.

GOOD IDEA about to be executed badly.

Look, Mark Millar has gone so out of his way to make the Ultimate Hulk…. NOT a kid’s character, that only a fool or a madman would suggest a kid-friendly Ultimate Hulk title. The whole raping Betty, using Giant man’s skull as a toilet thing is SO not going to fly with the parents of a younger audience. And I am not suggesting that Marvel editorial would be so stupid as to put such material in a children’s book. But having had to fight to keep the young ones out of Ultimates #5 at my store, thanks to a mention in the big history book of The Hulk that’s name escapes me at the moment, I can tell you that slapping Ultimate on the cover and trying to tie a friendly face onto the Hulk as depicted thus far in the tight continuity of the Ultimate Universe would be a BAD IDEA.

A Hulk comic aimed at kids, however, would be a great idea and would sell quite well. Many a customer I’ve had to warn away from the current, more adult Hulk books by Bruce Jones and many is the parent I’ve had complain about how they bring a kid favorite like The Hulk to the big screen, they put out all these toys and then they don’t even have books that the kids can read.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again folks; the audience is there. But the publishers need to cater to it and cater to it right.

Tune in next week. Same Matt Time. Same Matt Website.

Thursday, August 7, 2003

Spectacular Spider-Man #2 - A Review

Written by: Paul Jenkins
Penciled by: Humberto Ramos
Inked by: Wayne Faucher
Colored by: Studio F
Lettered by: Randy Gentle
Editor: John Miesegaes
Publisher: Marvel Comics

When I first heard that Jenkins and Ramos were getting a whole Spider-Man title to themselves, I was thrilled, having loved their “Return of the Goblin” storyline back in “Peter Parker”. Jenkins, to my mind, has always been the most underrated of all the people to write Spider-Man in recent years. True, he may not have done many revolutionary change stories like Straczynski. He may not be redefining the character while retelling classic stories like Bendis. No, Jenkins’ writing is more subdued most of the time, focusing more on character and relationships than big explosive fights or major shocking revelations. Not that he can’t handle a big fight scene or a shocking revelation, as this issue proves.

Last issue ended with the revelation that the symbiote known as Venom has freed itself from Eddie Brock (or perhaps the other way around) and is now functioning independently. Peter escapes from it. Meanwhile, a police detective named Neil Garrett continues his investigation into a string of assaults where the victims are drained not of blood, but of adrenaline. He also finds a common linkage between the victims which, coupled with the knowledge of what was being taken from the victims bodies, points to Venom. There’s also a continuation of the plot brought over from Jenkin’s run on Peter Parker, involving Flash Thompson’s injuries and Aunt May and Liz Osborn dealing with his release from the hospital.

The amazing thing is that for a book called Spectacular Spider-Man, Peter really doesn’t do much in this issue aside from the fight at the beginning. Okay, he does fight some muggers in the middle of the book and we get a really nice explanation of how his spider-sense operates, but most of the plot action is done by newcomer Detective Garrett and the emotional plot centers around May and Liz and Flash. All of that though, takes a back seat to the real treat of this book.

I’ve made it no secret that I’ve never liked Venom as a character. A promising concept in the first few issues, it was milked to death and then the corpse was paraded around for 15 years in a series of mini-series devoted to the idea that “With Great Power, Comes A Whole Lot of Bloody, Funny Fight Scenes!” Little explanation, also, has ever been given to the symbiote’s function other than that it eventually consumes its host.

The theory that I think Jenkins is putting forth here, and it is new as far as I know, is that the symbiote feeds on adrenaline and that by inspiring the anger of Peter (remember how he started to lose it in the black costume) and then Eddie, it was able to feed and grow stronger. Aside from adding a whole new horrific attitude to what has become a tired bad guy (and explaining the long standing “I want to eat your brain, spleen etc” lines), this view also gives us a whole new sympathetic view of Eddie Brock. As Jenkins reminded us last issue, Eddie was a religious, if flawed man, who was praying for guidance when the symbiote found him. His reaction to the monster here keeps with that portrayal and ignored the bloated muscle-head obsessed with revenge for vaguely defined reasons that was Eddie Brock through most of his life in the comics.
And both characters are all the richer for this portrayal.

Ramos artwork is hit and miss. I don’t think he’s “love it or hate it”, but I do hate certain aspects of his work while I love others. For example, I noticed that all of the hardened fighter characters who know something bad is going on have small black eyes (Peter, Detective Garrett) whereas all the innocents have big anime eyes (Liz, Aunt May, Flash, etc.) It’s a nice bit of distinction, even if it does have the effect of rendering half the cast REALLY wired or in Aunt May’s case, like her body is shrinking around her eyeballs. Still, Ramos has a great “slimy” take on Venom and I’d argue that between his Venom redesign and his Green Goblin from “Return of the Goblin”, he does the best villains of any artist working on Spidey today.

Monday, August 4, 2003

Looking To The Stars: The Devil Digested Redeux

Some of you might remember that six months ago back in “The Devil Digested”, I wrote a review of the Daredevil Movie that was, at parts, less than flattering. I apologized for most of my harsher comments a week later, after realizing that I was watching the movie as a fanboy who was seeing his favorite character messed with and not the film critic judging the film on its own merits.

With Daredevil’s release out on DVD this past week, I thought this as good a time to take a look back at the film and examine some of the much ballyhooed (at least in the DVD advertisements) extra features.

After watching the movie again, very little of my opinion of it changed. Visually, the film is gorgeous, but lacks much of the heart and soul of the original characters due to time constraints. Only two characters really get developed to the mythic heights they hold in comicdom; Daredevil and Bullseye. Affleck and Farrell BECOME their characters and you honestly do forget that you are watching J-Lo’s and Britney’s boyfriends duking it out in front of a camera.

Jennifer Garner and Michael Clarke Duncan do the best with what they have, which is not much. Duncan’s Kingpin isn’t given nearly enough screen time and Garner isn’t able to convincingly harden Elektra in the few days movie-time she goes from rich girl with some fighting skills to hardened ass-kicker that was developed over years in the comic.

Technically, the film is proficient. More on all this in a moment, but the costumes, sets and lights truly do create the feel of a world as drawn by Frank Miller. And let’s not forget the revolutionary “Shadow World” effects that let us “see like a blind man”.

In the end, I still think the movie was flawed in several respects. Most of the characters weren’t fully developed. Everything felt far too rushed and way too short. And the fanboy in me screams to be heard… one moment…

DAREDEVIL DOESN’T KILL! THIS IS THE WORST MOVIE EVER! EXCEPT FOR SPIDER-MAN! WHY COULDN’T HE MAKE HIS OWN WEBSHOOTERS! AUUUUGH! AND BATMAN? WHAT ABOUT BATMAN?!? BATMAN DOESN’T HAVE NIPPLES ON HIS-

Sorry…. I feel better now. Anyway, now we know the movie. So what extra goodies does the DVD have to offer us? Well, going down the list of features…

Director’s Commentary

It’s the director/writer and producer talking about the movie. Pretty standard as far as DVD’s go.

Enhanced Viewing Mode- Takes You Behind The Scenes As You Watch The Film

Probably the biggest disappointment of the extras, you don’t really go behind the scenes; i.e. backstage. A symbol flashes, you push a button and you can see the stop-figure animation that was used to create the special effects shots. This feature would have been better on the second disc instead of the Multi-Angle Scene Studies. (more on this later)

Still, this does have one cool feature- we get to see one scene in animation that they never had a chance to film due to time constraints, where Daredevil chases a limo from car to car and eventually rides an ambulance. (Insert your own lawyer joke here)

On-Screen Trivia Track

One of the more enjoyable parts of the Spider-Man DVD, this Trivia Track for Daredevil is actually an improvement upon the smaller trivia boxes that appeared at random points on the screen. In the Daredevil Trivia Track, full text runs unobtrusively along the bottom of the screen, making note of actor and creator’s past presence, telling what visual elements of the story are inspired by what comics (ie: the very first view of Daredevil in the movie was inspired by a cover from “Guardian Devil”) and even noting all the moments when a Daredevil writer or artist’s name was slipped into the movie. There were a few that even I missed, like how Matt’s priest is named Father Everret- a tribute to Bill Everett, the artist who co-created the original look for Daredevil.

Audio Description Track For The Visually Impaired

An absolute must for a movie about a blind superhero. Among all the other options for languages and the hearing impaired, there is a special track where, during the action scenes and during transitions, a narrator describes the visual action. The narration never intrudes on the dialogue, though I do wonder about some of the descriptions… such as Daredevil “seeing a blue light” as he jumps off a roof ledge. It’s a good description of the effect used to show Matt’s super-senses, but probably not the most useful imagery for an actual blind person.

DVD ROM

Not having access to a DVD ROM drive, I can’t review this part. But the DVD book says it comes with a history of the comic, a quiz, web links and “More!”

Documentaries

The second DVD boasts three documentaries: one on the making of Daredevil, one on the comic book itself and one done by HBO.

The HBO documentary… is an HBO documentary, more concerned with promoting the movie and actors and comic than the technical elements of the movie. Probably useful when the movie came out in attracting all those who knew nothing of the comics, but not so interesting now.

The “Beyond Hell’s Kitchen” documentary is vivid, showing details of the costume design, stunt work and computer effects among others. Sadly, the documentary is hampered by the inclusion of an “extra hunting” feature; look for the sai, hit enter and watch another track about the movie. I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys these little “hunts”; even theatrical types like me who will watch and enjoy a documentary about how they had to put Ben Affleck into a full body mold in order to create a sculpture to build his costume around.

The real treat though, is “The Art of Daredevil” where darn near everyone who has a major influence on Daredevil in the last 40 years (except for the conspicuously absent Ann Nocenti) is interviewed and talks about their work on the book. From Stan Lee to Brian Michael Bendis, the whole thing is a treat. It even manages some genuinely touching moments (John Romita Sr. talking about plotting Daredevil stories with his son on their way to go fishing), funny moments (Romita Jr.’s recovery while talking about the need to meet deadlines and how most artists “work on speed”) and unintentionally funny moments ( Kevin Smith discussing his chronic lateness and how he hopes to have “The Target” done “before you all see this on the DVD.”)

Multi-Angle Scene Studies

More suitable as the “hunt” feature on the first DVD, this lets you view several of the fight scenes from different camera angles. Sadly limited to two cameras on some of the scenes, you still get a good idea of what things might have looked at and this feature does put the Elektra/Bullseye fight in a whole new light.

Jennifer Garner Screen Test

Why Jennifer and nobody else? I can only assume it is for the cheesecake potential, much like her presence through most of the movie. That, and I don’t think Michael Clark Duncan showed up to audition in a low cut top. At least, I hope not… Still, there’s not much point to show her reading through the lines here.

Shadow World Comic Book-To-Film Comparison

Scenes from the comic are shown before we see the scenes in the movie that they inspired and the use of the “Shadow World” effects. For example, we read the text from a Frank Miller story (I can’t tell which one, but I know it was Frank) where Matt recognizes his girlfriend from the smell of her perfume and thinks “I can tell match any smell after having it one; I can identify a woman by her perfume and a man by his hair tonic!” Then we see the scene where Matt navigates a staircase, working his way past a plate of hot food and a smoker before getting to the top and “seeing” a cloud around Elektra.

Too short, but enjoyable. I wish they had not limited this to the Shadow World effects and, much like the Trivia Track, shown us the pictures that inspired key scenes… right down to showing how the Elektra/Bullseye fight of 181 stacks up to the filmed fight. (I should note that having read the story as I watched it… it does stack up. Very well. Right down to the dialogue.)

A Day With Tom Sullivan

A quick look at the life of Tom Sullivan, a very active man despite being blind, who acted as an advisor to the film on how blind people live and helped train Ben Affleck in tricks like folding different denomination bills in order to tell money apart. Nice and inspiring, proving it is not unimpossible for someone to train like Matt Murdock.

3 Music Videoes

In case you don’t, like me, live in an area where Clear Channel owns all the rock stations and the song “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence ISN’T being played once every four hours by the pop rock, Top 40 and alternative stations, now you can see their video and hear “the wake me up” song over and over until your heart is content.

Watching the video though, I can’t help but wonder about how accurate my comment in my review of the movie was about Elektra’s training scene looks like a music video… and how that was a much better music video than this one.

Ah, but I’m a film critic and not a music critic… so let them play on. And on. And on. And on…

Character Bios, Trailers & More!

Not sure about the “& More”, but the trailers and biographies taken from The Marvel Encyclopedia are here.

Overall, it’s not that bad but it isn’t great either. The fault lies not what with what is there, but with what isn’t. I really would have liked to have seen some outtakes and cut scenes. We know that a half-hour was cut from the movie to get it down to an hour and a half. Maybe it’s being saved for a “Daredevil 1.5” to be released when the inevitable Daredevil 2 or Elektra movies come out. I don’t know for sure. But in the end, there’s only one thing that can be said about this DVD.

“It’s good. But me? Heh. I’m magic, baby.”

Tune in next week. Same Matt Time. Same Matt Website.