Comic of the Day 11/4: "Daredevil" #5

The Chinatown story line draws to a close here, and shows once more the high quality standard set by the most recent Daredevil volume. And it's not even "The Man Without Fear" that is front and center here. 

Even more than in previous issues, Blindspot and "his" Chinatown act as the story's focal point, as it becomes apparent that it has to be him to save his home and people from The Hand and Tenfingers (who is only a bit too much of your cliche cult leader). A good possible sidekick for future Daredevil, I still feel he needs a bit of polish and development, especially in action scenes.

Is it still necessary to mention how good this comic is looking? Ron Garney does an excellent job of giving every single panel a very distinct Daredevil feeling, as everything is soaked in gritty red and black. The pacing of the action is simply astonishing, giving the comic a smooth and effortless flow. Hopefully Soule, Garney and Milla continue their run at Daredevil, as I cannot wait of more like this to come.

Comic of the Day 9/4: "Star Wars: Darth Vader" #18

Darth Vader #18 is a huge disappointment, adding more misery to a series that is dwindling down fast. The story is thin and confusing and Kieron Gillen does nothing whatsoever with Vader's character. Instead, the Sith Lord continues to be simply a collection of grim and "menacing" remarks, while none of the potential in his conflicting character is explored.

The overall impression is that Darth Vader has become indifferent to what it has to offer. Stories hardly progress, the art is mere routine and Darth Vader only a caricature of himself. 

And then there's Beetee and Triple-Zero. Being a fun addition in the beginning, they now seem to repeat the same old joke over and over again ("You know what, I love humans...when they are dead, blah blah blah"). 

Darth Vader is in serious need of a revamp, with a team that actually cares about the characters and the story it wants to tell. At least, it can hardly be any worse than this...