Review: "Star Wars: Poe Dameron" #2

Poe Dameron #2 is a solid and skillfully told comic, but suffers from the fact that writer Charles Soule never comes out of the comfort zone provided by well-established Star Wars tales and characters. 

There is Poe himself, who never manages to rise above the status of "Han Solo 2.0", the charming adventurer who can talk himself out of almost every situation. And Agent Terex is the cunning, opportunistic antagonist who plays by his own rules and only uses the First Order as a means for personal advancement, not because he necessarily agrees with their ideology. It's all well done and mostly entertaining, but fails to stand out compared to other of Marvel's recent Star Wars series. Artist Phil Noto, however, has found a clearer vision of where he wants to go with his art, offering an approach that is clearer and more outlined than in #1.

Star Wars fans will be glad to hear that they do get some additional information on Captain Phasma and the inner workings of the First Order. While we have to keep in mind that the comic is narratively limited by the comparably little information provided by the new Star Wars trilogy, a little bit more risk will definitely help this series going forward.

6/10

Further Links:

Poe Dameron #1

Comic of the Day 12/5: "Daredevil/The Punisher" #1

Charles Soule and Daredevil is one of the great comic symbioses at the moment, and so it was only logical to see him also taking on this crossover with "The Punisher". And the stakes are even a bit higher this time, as the Daredevil/Punisher dynamic was one of the sole highlight of a more than mediocre second season of Netflix' Daredevil.

But what we get here is an almost flawless experience. Soule shines again with his ability to write dialogues that are both witty and nuanced, and his depiction of the Daredevil/Punisher relationship finds the perfect balance between adverseness and mutual respect. It's only the Punisher's reliance on a vast array of gadgets that feels slightly out of place in the overall context.

Artist Szymon Kudranski really knows how to stage a super hero, as it's particularly the transformation from Murdock to Daredevil that strikes with its sheer visual power and dynamic. His execution of the car chase sequence is simply breathtaking, while Jim Charalampidis' impressive grey color schemes lend the comic a sombre and threatening atmosphere. 

Daredevil/The Punisher #1 is an amazing achievement throughout, made possible by great contributions by the whole team behind it. 

9/10

Further links:

The Punisher #1
Daredevil #6

Comic of the Day 11/5: "Deadpool: Masacre" #1

It didn't take too long for Marvel to re-release an English translation of their Masacre one-shot for all of us who are not exactly fluent in Spanish. And good thing they did, as the "Mexican Deadpool" is as enjoyable as his gringo counterpart. 

Rather than taking the original English script for Masacre #1, Shannon Andrews translated the Spanish version back into English, while largely maintaining the rhythm and grammar of Spanish. The result is a hilariously unique feel to the comic, as Andrews manages to walk the thin line of making it sound bad but never unintelligible. 

Seasoned Deadpool writer Gerry Duggan, this time teaming up with Brian Posehn, makes sure all of the proven Deadpool ingredients are here: over-the-top humor with brilliant one-liners, relentless bloodshed, pop culture and comic references (the Commissioner Gordon one is just hilarious), eccentric villains and Scott Adsit (Wait! Adsit is not in this one?! Heresy!). 

While most comic series would feel worn-out by this point, Deadpool continues to feel fresh with every issue. And that's because they a) have found a niche that they master and b) they never aim too high, offering pure unadulterated fun that's never too daring or complex.

Go, Deadpool (Masacre), go!

7/10

Comic of the Day 10/5: "Detective Comics" #52

With the DC rebirth less than a month away and Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo ending their impressive run at Batman, we're all a bit tired of the James Gordon Bunny-Ear-Batbot by now. And judging by "Detective Comics" #52, the writers are as well. While the first part of "Our Gordon at War" had its moments, the wheels have completely come off on this one. Quite possible DC didn't want to waste any good stories before the Rebirth any more.

To put it bluntly, everything about this comic stinks. James Gordon is weirdly out of character throughout the story and writer Peter J. Tomasi and penciller Fernando Pasarin do the Commissioner a huge disservice when showing him in some of the comic's larger hand-to-hand battles. The Gordon of the Marines and that of the GCPD seem two completely different characters, denying any coherence with earlier titles. 

Clearly a central issue for Tomasi is to emphasize the loyalty and unity among Gordon and the Marines, but he does so by only using a succession of pathetic and clichéd phrases. Branded for some reason as a horror story ("Horrors from the Crypt!"), the only thing that really scares is the quality of Tomasi's writing. The action is lame and predictable; and Amun-Set and hic cult is the same cheap Mola Ram copy that we have seen in so many movies over the last 3 decades.

Detective Comics #52 is a disappointment on every level with a story that seems pure filler material so close to DC Universe's Rebirth.

2/10

Further links:

Detective Comics #51

Comic of the Day 9/5: "The Punisher" #1

The Punisher, so it seems, is omnipresent right now. Jon Bernthal made him the outstanding character in Netflix' second season of Daredevil and an upcoming standalone series is in production. So it's no surprise that Marvel is going for a "Punisher" comic reboot right now.

And for fans of hard-boiled urban police thrillers with all the classic ingredients (drugs, weapons, brutes, dirty jokes, a sadistically creepy henchman, the mysterious boss), this may be right up their street. Unfortunately, though, Becky Cloonan's solid and highly entertaining story is somewhat diminished by Steve Dillon's largely disappointing art. Faces are unnaturally waxy and motionless, Frank Castle looks like a complete moron, action scenes feel sterile and static and the blood and gore elements have a worrying B movie splatter aesthetic.

There is not much hope Steve Dillon drastically changes his approach in ensuing issues, but as long as Becky Cloonan pens a story that cleverly ticks so many boxes, it should remain a worthwhile read.

7/10

Comic of the Day 8/5: "Star Wars: Droids" #1

Celebrating "Star Wars Day" 2016, Marvel has reprinted this 1986 inaugural issue of the relatively short-lived "Droids", based on the relatively short-lived TV show of the same name. Although not overly convincing, as it proves that writers and artists often confuse "for children" with "less effort needed", it certainly does its job as a children's comic or a 1980's nostalgia trip it.

Written by Dave Manak and somewhat surprisingly drawn by industry legend John Romita, many things about it look and feel like a generic 80's cartoon, bearing only occasionally resemblance to the Star Wars universe with your odd blaster or spaceship. Its innocent slapstick humor is largely based on C-3PO and R2-D2 constantly falling over each other; but at least both sound true to their movie counterparts.

But it was "Star Wars Day", and I don't want to go too hard on a comic that might not have a lot of pure quality, but definitely some charm and joy going for it. For younger readers, it can still serve as an ideal entry into the larger Star Wars universe.

5/10

Further links:

"Star Wars: C-3PO" #1

Comic of the Day 7/5: "Black Widow" #3

It's terrific to see "Black Widow" returning to dense storytelling through art alone; a formula that made #1 so exceptional earlier this year. Especially when dialogues are not Chris Samnee's and Mark Waid 's forte here, with the very few verbal interactions feeling stiff and artificial. 

Whereas the first two issues mainly centered around sequences of relentless action, the focus shifted noticeably here. Samnee proves that his art is equally able to tell Natasha's more emotional and haunting backstory. He understands how to make her stand out on every single panel, with her lines drawn always a nuance sharper than those of her environment. Matthew Wilson's bright colors enhance this notion, while is overall choice of a brownish color palette adds some valuable grit. 

All this, paired with a first class cliffhanger and a full page panel that captures Widow's symbioses of ballet and assassin skill like nothing before, makes "Black Widow" #3 another outstanding read.

8/10

Further links:

"Black Widow" #2 Review