You don't get to be called the "Kingpin of Crime" by being a nice guy. In fact, Marvel's Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin, is one large, scary, intimidating, cold-hearted dude. If he invited you to visit him in his top-secret, super-duper high security prison cel, you would probably not want to go have a "friendly-chat." Especially if you were Ben Urich and had once been stabbed by one of the Kingpin's high-priced assassins. Yet, that is exactly what Ben finds himself doing in Daredevil #76.
The Kingpin hasn't really been on the scene since Daredevil (AKA Matt Murdock, big-shot attorney) last trounced him and took his place as the Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen. No matter how many times they square off, Murdock just can't seem to get Fisk out of his life for good. DD has had his share of troubles recently. He's had his identity revealed to the public, worked long and hard to convince the world that he ISN'T Daredevil, had his new wife leave him, and had his fellow heroes question his whole "I am the new Kingpin" approach to crime-fighting. He really should have known that, just as things started looking up, Fisk would show up to throw a big fat wrench into the works of Matt's life.
Daredevil #76 begins the last DD storyline by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev. You might have heard of this Bendis guy. He has been known to write a few bestselling comics for Marvel, like Ultimate Spider-Man, House of M, New Avengers, and almost everything else they publish. Marvel may have one or two books by other writers, I'll have to look that up. Anyway, Bendis and Maleev have had a long, critically acclaimed run on Daredevil, so you know they are going to go out with a bang. Bendis's writing is consistently excellent, and his crime-noir Daredevil stories are a perfect match for Maleev's gritty, realistic art.
This book has great creators, it has the return of the Kingpin, and it has a whole dump truck load of complications for Murdock's already crazy life. It is a good thing Daredevil is known as "The Man Without Fear," cause it seems like his life is set to get mighty scary.
Now you can be the "Comic Book Reader Without Fear!" Buy Daredevil #76 today! It is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week. You don't have to be afraid to rush out and get this book now, but you should look carefully for trucks carrying radioactive waste when you cross the road. No need to be reckless.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
A Super Babysitter: Supergirl #1
Babysitting can be a mighty scary experience. You might find yourself responsible for the sweetest little darling imaginable, but you might also find yourself held hostage by a holy terror that makes Bart Simpson look like a dream-child. Of course, you MIGHT get to the house and find that the little tyke you are expecting is not only a fully-grown adult, but also the greatest and most powerful hero the world has ever known.
OK, that last one is unlikely, but it is sort of what happens to Kara Zor-El in Supergirl #1. Kara arrived on Earth in suspended animation, expecting to be right behind the spaceship carrying her infant cousin, Kal-El (AKA Superman). As you can probably guess, she arrived just a little late. Kal is a pretty big boy, and doesn't really need any supervision from his 15-year-old cousin. Add to that the fact that the ship carrying Kara's parents apparently ISN'T going to show up, and you are dealing with a very confused and uncertain teen in search of her identity.
As you may know, Supergirls haven't been all that hard to come by in the DC Universe. There have been quite a few previous holders of the title. Some have been retconned out of existence and some haven't, but you don't need to know anything about the previous Supergirls to join in on the adventures of the latest model. The fact that she is not the first Supergirl just adds to Kara's confusion about her new life. Even more perplexing, she isn't even the only person on Earth who claims to be Superman's cousin. (Yes, this issue DOES feature a serious girl-fight between Kara and Power Girl. Not that any of you are interested in that kind of thing.)
Supergirl #1 is written by the much-loved Jeph Loeb, with art by Ian Churchill. No one can deny that Loeb is a great writer, and his talent shows in this book. The characters are interesting, the dialogue revealing, and the mystery intriguing. Churchill's art is a great fit for this book, as he does a great job drawing big powerful, scary villains (like Solomon Grundy) and cute/sexy females (like the title character).
Don't miss out on the first issue of this new series! It's got Loeb, it's got Churchill, it's got Kara, it's got teen angst, it's got punching, AND it's got Power Girl's huge, ummmm, heroic ambitions. (Get your mind out of the gutter!) All that, PLUS Supergirl #1 is Four Color Fantasies guaranteed Book of the Week! Bribe the babysitter if you have to, but get out of the house and check this comic out now!
OK, that last one is unlikely, but it is sort of what happens to Kara Zor-El in Supergirl #1. Kara arrived on Earth in suspended animation, expecting to be right behind the spaceship carrying her infant cousin, Kal-El (AKA Superman). As you can probably guess, she arrived just a little late. Kal is a pretty big boy, and doesn't really need any supervision from his 15-year-old cousin. Add to that the fact that the ship carrying Kara's parents apparently ISN'T going to show up, and you are dealing with a very confused and uncertain teen in search of her identity.
As you may know, Supergirls haven't been all that hard to come by in the DC Universe. There have been quite a few previous holders of the title. Some have been retconned out of existence and some haven't, but you don't need to know anything about the previous Supergirls to join in on the adventures of the latest model. The fact that she is not the first Supergirl just adds to Kara's confusion about her new life. Even more perplexing, she isn't even the only person on Earth who claims to be Superman's cousin. (Yes, this issue DOES feature a serious girl-fight between Kara and Power Girl. Not that any of you are interested in that kind of thing.)
Supergirl #1 is written by the much-loved Jeph Loeb, with art by Ian Churchill. No one can deny that Loeb is a great writer, and his talent shows in this book. The characters are interesting, the dialogue revealing, and the mystery intriguing. Churchill's art is a great fit for this book, as he does a great job drawing big powerful, scary villains (like Solomon Grundy) and cute/sexy females (like the title character).
Don't miss out on the first issue of this new series! It's got Loeb, it's got Churchill, it's got Kara, it's got teen angst, it's got punching, AND it's got Power Girl's huge, ummmm, heroic ambitions. (Get your mind out of the gutter!) All that, PLUS Supergirl #1 is Four Color Fantasies guaranteed Book of the Week! Bribe the babysitter if you have to, but get out of the house and check this comic out now!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Just a Bad Dream: Justice #1
Ever had a bad dream? Or even a nightmare? Everyone has them sometimes. Maybe you've had the one where something is chasing you and you can't seem to move. Or maybe you've had the one where you show up for work or school and suddenly realize that you've forgotten your pants. Or maybe...umm, on second thought, I won't mention THAT one. The point is, we all have bad dreams, but you wake up, get a glass of water, go back to bed and forget all about it.
In Justice #1, the villains of the DC Universe are sharing the same bad dream. This isn't the kind of dream you just go back to sleep and forget about, though. Sharing dreams is disturbing enough, but this is one whopper of a bad dream. This is an apocalyptic, end-of-everything bad dream. Even stranger, the villains all see the heroes of the Justice League completely failing to save ANYONE in this dream of theirs. Since even the bad guys don't want the whole world to be destroyed, they are going to have to work together to make sure this dream never comes true.
Justice is a collaborative effort with a story by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, and gorgeous painted art by Ross and Doug Braithwaite. Everybody knows Alex Ross, and you get just what people expect from him in this book: incredibly detailed paintings that make the heroes and villains of the DC Universe seem real enough to step right off of the pages. The backgrounds are amazingly lush, and Ross really shines depicting both apocalyptic explosions and amazing views of Aquaman's Atlantis.
The creators of Justice are not thinking small. The story is just as big and bold as the art. From beginning to end, this book is about huge, momentous, Earth-shattering events, with the promise of more to follow. There is no slow build-up to the action while characters sit around and chat here. For readers not as familiar with the DC Universe (like me!), there are some very helpful files from the Batcomputer included to fill you in on the major characters. No more will you be mocked because you don't know Black Manta's backstory!
Really, this book is worth 3 bucks for the art alone. Add in a great story, and you just can't go wrong. Try Justice #1 now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week! We can't promise you won't have any more bad dreams, but next time you have one you can roll over, read your copy of Justice, and realize that your dreams could be worse!
In Justice #1, the villains of the DC Universe are sharing the same bad dream. This isn't the kind of dream you just go back to sleep and forget about, though. Sharing dreams is disturbing enough, but this is one whopper of a bad dream. This is an apocalyptic, end-of-everything bad dream. Even stranger, the villains all see the heroes of the Justice League completely failing to save ANYONE in this dream of theirs. Since even the bad guys don't want the whole world to be destroyed, they are going to have to work together to make sure this dream never comes true.
Justice is a collaborative effort with a story by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger, and gorgeous painted art by Ross and Doug Braithwaite. Everybody knows Alex Ross, and you get just what people expect from him in this book: incredibly detailed paintings that make the heroes and villains of the DC Universe seem real enough to step right off of the pages. The backgrounds are amazingly lush, and Ross really shines depicting both apocalyptic explosions and amazing views of Aquaman's Atlantis.
The creators of Justice are not thinking small. The story is just as big and bold as the art. From beginning to end, this book is about huge, momentous, Earth-shattering events, with the promise of more to follow. There is no slow build-up to the action while characters sit around and chat here. For readers not as familiar with the DC Universe (like me!), there are some very helpful files from the Batcomputer included to fill you in on the major characters. No more will you be mocked because you don't know Black Manta's backstory!
Really, this book is worth 3 bucks for the art alone. Add in a great story, and you just can't go wrong. Try Justice #1 now, while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week! We can't promise you won't have any more bad dreams, but next time you have one you can roll over, read your copy of Justice, and realize that your dreams could be worse!
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