Daredevil Season 2

Wow! LONG time, no update!

I've been active in social media, but neglecting my little-read blog. Now, however, is the perfect time to update. The comic book world is exciting and ever-growing; the multimedia aspect of it is at an all-time high and... Daredevil's second season hit last week. Like many, I've done my binging and done it right. What follows is a completely spoiler-less review. No easter eggs, just a bit of thought about the second season without any specifics whatsoever.

Basically, it's me rambling. Like I'm doing now...

I do not expect direct adaptations of comics. As a matter of fact, I kind of like a different spin on things. That way, as someone that's possibly read the source material, I don't know exactly what to expect. If I'm not familiar with the source, then when I do read it, I can get a little more out of it. I do, however, expect for adaptations to, at the very least, be true to the spirit of the work/characters being adapted. Like The Flash, Daredevil is fairly close to my heart and after finishing up Season 2 of the Netflix series, I can happily say all involved successfully captured the very essence of the characters and the overall depth of the world they live in. I've said before that the show pulls from Frank Miller's DD run and Garth Ennis' Punisher, but despite the inherent brilliance there (and I LOVE both), that thought actually shortchanges how well the show carves its own path. This is not Frank Miller's Daredevil, this is Marvel's Daredevil, capturing multiple eras and voices, condensing it into a clear, coherent vision all its own... and what a brilliant vision it is.

The Splash Page's 2014 Favorites!

I find most end-of-year lists pretty darn pretentious. Who am I to proclaim the "BEST OF 2014" when I am absolutely insignificant in the scheme of things?!

So, I'm just gonna tell you my personal favorites of the year. I'm gonna skip the "WORST OF" as well. I don't want to bring negativity to this blog.

Favorite Marvel Comics of 2014

I can't help it. I default to Marvel Comics no matter what. As I've said in previous posts, I grew up on Marvel, but branched out into DC later in life. I love them both, but here's where I'll start.

Ms. Marvel

There was a bit of controversy surrounding this book at the beginning; a Muslim super hero!? HOW DARE THEY!?

Well, they dared. And it worked. Author G. Willow Wilson has brought an entirely new and original character to Marvel that's both a positive view of Muslims (in a political climate that's often anything but) and a positive, not trashy female hero.

There's been a noticeable glut of new characters with staying power. Hell, old characters have a hard time keeping a solo book, but the new kid on the block? That's rare for a company like Marvel. But Wilson's created a funny, often heartwarming character that's an everyman... woman... person.

Also, dig that cover. It's an homage to Peter David's awesome 90's Supergirl book.

Captain Marvel

There isn't anything good I can say here that hasn't been said somewhere else. Kelly Sue DeConnick is amazing. There's action, there's comedy and there's badass: Carol Danvers. There are quite a few great standout female Marvel characters (Ms. Marvel above, being one), but if I were to make a comparison for just a second...

Captain Marvel is Marvel Comics' Wonder Woman.

There... I said it. Tell me I'm wrong.

With a movie on the horizon, the Carol Corps is about to get even bigger!

Daredevil

Mark Waid and Chris Samnee (and Javier Rodriguez during the Original Sin tie-in) have done an amazing, bang-up job on my favorite Marvel character. Yeah, my favorite. I'm biased here... it's my blog.

As was the last volume, this is a considerable step away from the darkness of the Marvel Knights version of the book. I hate to compare it to the relatively uneven quality of the 70's material, but the swashbuckling, fun hero is central. If this tells you anything: if he shared the title with Black Widow, I'd be okay with that.

Sadly, Waid and Samnee's run is coming to an end soon.

She-Hulk

Charles Soule has become Marvel's go-to guy for the big stuff recently. Inhuman and Death of Wolverine immediately coming to mind.

BUT, this was his book I most enjoyed. It was an underdog in the world of X-Men, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man titles, of course, but wow it was a consistent, funny and smart title. I suppose people that wanted nothing more than to see Jennifer Walters smash things probably didn't get what they wanted, but in the history of this character, comedy has almost always been the focus.

That's what it was here, with a few extras: character development, a little action here and there, and lots of lawyering. She is a lawyer, after all. So is Charles Soule, so the legal element was interesting when applied to the world of superheroes. Compelling, almost. But not compelling enough, it seems.

I'd say it was on the chopping block, but Marvel's already chopped it. Cancelled. Done.

For now, at least.


Favorite DC Comics of 2014

Without bringing negativity to this post, I'll just say that DC's New 52 hasn't been my bag. Much like, I'm sure, the post-Crisis DCU wasn't the DC those pre-Crisis people loved. It is what it is. I find much of my DC reading comes from the past and, wow, there's plenty of great stuff out there.

However, there have been a couple of books I've been enjoying lately.

Justice League 3000

Very new to my "read pile" is this book. I'm a huge fan of the "Bwa-ha-ha" era of the Justice League, so once I heard the pre-New 52 Blue Beetle and Booster Gold were making their way here, I began picking it up. Definitely confusing at first, but I've snagged the entire run and have thus far enjoyed it immensely.

J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen are helming the book, so the "Bwa-ha-ha" style pioneered by them is still there. Looking forward to where it's going!

Green Arrow

Also new to my "read pile" is Green Arrow. I absolutely love Arrow, so when I heard two of the show's writers, Andrew Kreisberg and Ben Sokolowski, were taking over the title, I was immediately in. I'm a fan of Mike Grell's Green Arrow run from the late 80's and the show takes a lot of inspiration from that, so I'm hoping that will influence the title. It's weird, I hope the show that's based on a book, re-influences the book. Yeah...

I'm only a couple of issues in, but I'm digging the style, which is slick like Arrow, but within the confines of the comic book world that's been established for him.


Other Favorites

Instead of breaking down the rest into companies, we'll just roll with this.

Tooth & Claw

Definitely new to the pile, but holy crap wow... that was a first issue!! The second issue? Also great!

The book's artist, Benjamin Dewey, is absolutely amazing! He has crafted a living, breathing world of anthropomorphic animals of all species. This guy is so talented, his work makes my eyes bleed with joy!

And then there's the writer, some new guy by the name of Kurt Busiek. I'm not sure what, if anything, he's done before, but he seems okay.

(Busiek's always been a favorite of mine and I'd be hard pressed to tell you anything of his I didn't love!)

Rasputin

When I heard Riley Rossmo and Alex Grecian, the creative team of one of my all-time favorite books, Proof, were reuniting for a new project, I pooped my pants. And yours.

If spinning a tale about the infamous Grigori Rasputin wasn't enough to catch my interest, their involvement was. But, obviously, it was the other way around.

We're early in the run, but so far, so good.


Honorable Mentions

Other stuff I'm loving!

- Southern Bastards (Image Comics)
- Silver Surfer (Marvel Comics)
- Thor (Marvel Comics)
- Black Science (Image Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
- Spider-Man 2099 (Marvel Comics)
- All-New X-Factor (RIP) (Marvel Comics)

Old Stuff That's New to Me!

Obviously I'm running out of headings here. Much of my comic book reading is going back and rediscovering old runs or titles that either I skipped when it came out or haven't previously had an interest in.

- Legion of Super-Heroes - This is the big one for me this year. Like I attempted to describe in a previous blog post, in my feeble handle of the English language, I have been intrigued with LOSH for a long time, but ultimately intimidated by the plethora of continuity and characters. But I made the plunge this year and haven't looked back. Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen's work on this title in the early 80's is fantastic. The way in which they handle all these characters is masterful.

And those covers. Damn, I love those covers...

I've definitely loved 2014. Lots of excellent books, many of which I'm sure I've forgotten I've read, but I'm optimistic about what 2015 might bring!

Happy New Year!

Twelve Days of Comic Book Christmas: Day Twelve!

First, Merry Christmas!!!!

Second, this, the final entry into Splash Page's inaugural Twelve Days of Comic Book Christmas, features my favorite Christmas themed story to ever grace the pages of comics! I read this as a reprint in the early 90's and immediately fell in love. It's a light-hearted, classic team-up between two great Marvel characters.

Of course, it's only appropriate that it's...

Marvel Team-Up #1

"Have Yourself a Sandman Little Christmas!"

March 1972

Writer: Roy Thomas

Artist: Ross Andru

Inker: Mike Esposito

Letters: Artie Simek

This issue starts out with Peter Parker on assignment for the Daily Bugle at the beach on a cold Christmas Eve. He's there to snap a few pics of the cold-weather-lovin' Polar Bear Clan. 

The PBC run and jump in the frigid waters, but are startled when something emerges on the beach.

It's classic Marvel villain and sometimes good guy, Sandman!

The local beach security force, sans Hasslehoff, attempt to bring Sandy to justice, but find it a lot harder than expected. So, Spidey swings in to save the day, but even he is unsuccessful. When he offhandedly mentions it's Christmas Eve, it seems to shock Sandman, whose sole interest suddenly becomes getting away instead of sparring with the Webhead!

Sandman gets away and Spidey's not entirely phased by the whole ordeal. He's got a date with Gwen he doesn't want to break, so he figures since Sandman's not just HIS villain, he might be able to enlist the help of some other heroes: the Fantastic Four!

He travels to the Baxter Building, but finds only one of the FF there: Johnny Storm, the Human Torch!

He gives Johnny the scoop on the Sandman and the two put their heads together to figure out where he might be. They realize they've both tussled with him at the George Washington Bridge, so they figure to start there. He's not there, so they head into New Jersey and, along the way, stop a burglary and a runaway truck!

They finally spot Sandy and engage him. He gets the best of them and ties them up, leaving them to drown in a water tower. Naturally the fellas escape and catch up with Sandman as he's entering an apartment building.

Turns out this is Sandy's mom's place and he comes to visit every Christmas Eve. He pleads with Spidey and Torch to let him see her. She has no clue about his criminal ways, so he asks they leave him be for the time being and he'll turn himself over to them as soon as he's done! The guys agree, but Spidey doesn't let him see her without giving him the gift he was going to give Gwen Stacy on their date. He tells him to give it to his mom.

Well, naturally, Sandman gives them the slip after seeing his dear old mom. Spidey and the ztorch aren't too upset, though, and feel like they've done a good deed regardless after seeing Sandman's mom sleeping peacefully with the gift she was given. 

This ones ends on a happy note. I still remember the first time I read it and how it made me feel: warm. To see these two guys, friends and rivals, coming together and actually helping a mutual villain was a great and almost unusual sight for the time I began really reading super hero comics. Back then everything was grim and gritty; big guns, over-the-top art and occasionally vapid stories. Here, though, from a bygone era, we had excellent writing and downright fantastic art.

There've been a million great things said about Roy Thomas and I agree with them all. Ross Andru, unless you're familiar with this era of Marvel and Spider-Man in particular, can be something of a forgotten legend. He was the artist on Amazing Spider-Man for five years, working with Gerry Conway for much of it and co-creating the Punisher. When people talk about Spidey artists, you always hear Ditko and Romita, but I'm telling you, Andru's name shouldn't be lost in that breath. Amazing artist.

That's it for this year's Twelve Days of Comic Book Christmas. It's my intent to make this an annual event, featuring a rotating roster of comics. I'm just happy I made it twelve consecutive days, which is THE record for this blog. I hope that my three readers enjoyed my synopses and occasional stupid observations. I'll be taking a couple days off to truly enjoy the holidays, but I've some more stuff coming up!

Hope everyone's holidays are wonderful!

See you soon!

Twelve Days of Comic Book Christmas: Day Eleven

Closer, my friends! Closer!

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #7

"Jingle Bombs!"

March 1973

Writer: Steve Englehart

Artist: George Tuska

 

This is another oddball Christmas story from Marvel.

 

Basically, Luke Cage encounters and fights three different bad guys, each of which loosely represents the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. They all turn out to be one guy and all he wanted was to find one decent person in the world and it turns out to be our favorite 70's jive-talker, Luke Cage.

 

So, dressed as Santa Claus, he knocks Luke out and kidnaps him. Later, at the secret hideout, it turns out the villain managed to steal a computer and an atomic bomb from the U.S. Army. He hates the current world and wants to decimate it, so this is how he's gonna do it!

 

Our villain, whose name I don't even know, gloats and gloats and gloats until a sound is heard from the chimney behind him! Who is it? Santa? It doesn't matter because it gives Luke just enough time to attack the distracted idiot and take him down.

 

So, no really, who was in the chimney?

 

Oh, just some criminal that got stuck up there while trying to case the joint for burglary. We end the story with Luke having destroyed the computer controlling the bomb, beaten up the villain and watching the sunrise with the chimney burglar.

 

I love Steve Englehart's work and George Tuska's art is great, but this one doesn't hold up entirely well if you don't enjoy it on its level as a product of its era. Luke Cage has become a well-loved character, but these are his comic book roots. He's a street level hero, like Daredevil, whose book initially struggled to justify its existence. Fortunately, it went on to join with Iron Fist and things were great after that, but this is just a weird Christmas tale, but cool enough to make it to my list!

Note: I've had to jump through hoops to get scans onto this blog. For some reason I'm having issues with blogger AND my scanner. I'll post better pics when possible.

 

 

 

Let's Help Norm Breyfogle!

If you're a comic book fan that keeps up with the news, then you've no doubt heard that artist extraordinaire, Norm Breyfogle, suffered a stroke last week. He's a left-handed artist that's, tragically, now paralyzed on his left side. Hopefully, with the help of therapy, he'll be back to his talented, amazing self soon enough.

Unfortunately, he has no health insurance and mounting bills. Fortunately, however, the three of you that read this blog might be interested to know you can donate to Mr. Breyfogle's Medical Stroke Fund and get steady updates HERE!

Let's all do our part to help out someone that's contributed so much to our favorite medium!

Twelve Days of Comic Book Christmas: Day Ten

Only a couple more days until the BIG day. I hope everyone's holidays are going well so far.

Now, on to today's entry!

Superman #64

"Metropolis Mailbag"

February 1992

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Jackson Guide

This issue begins with Superman meeting Lois Lane at the Metropolis Post Office. Also there are two postal employees that guide Superman to a rather large room. The world's biggest boy scout is visibly dismayed, despite the Christmas season, as he walks with the others. Lois is there to document today's events, which are an annual occurrence. It's become such a big deal that the large room they're going to was specially set aside. Inside is a metric ton of mail, all addressed to the big man himself.

  

 

You see, every year around Christmas, Superman comes to this post office to answer and read mail addressed to him and, in some cases, even lend a hand. Sounds great, doesn't it? So, why's Supes so upset? 

Easy, this guy's got the world on his shoulders. He feels obligated to help as much as possible and some people's needs are great; some are within his power; some are get rich schemes. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It's all within the letters.

The first letter he's able to actually help with he sets off to reunite two long lost sisters, separated during World War II. He flies the sister living in the United States to a rest home in Germany where the sisters see each other for the first time in decades. 

The next letter he responds to is a bit different. A child asks Superman to remove a tumor from his dad's brain. He decides to visit the child and tell him that he's unable to. Upon arriving he finds the boy's mother, who tells him the father has just passed. The boy eventually sees Superman and is mad at him for not helping.

While Superman is talking to the child, a nurse comes by and asks if the father was a donor. He wasn't, but Superman convinces the wife to make him one. He does this and takes the heart to a patient in need of one that had written him earlier. It was long shot the donor heart would match the patient, but miraculously it does!

Superman goes back to the post office and speaks more with Lois, who asks him to help out at the Daily Planet's Christmas party for disadvantaged children. There's a strike and no Santas are available, but Superman has an idea.

He visits Professor Emil Hamilton, who whips up a quick invention to help. Superman jets over to the Metropolis Zoo to gather a couple more things and we cut to the Christmas Eve party where the children are being led to the rooftop of the Daily Planet.

That's Supes in a black suit, carrying Emil, a sleigh and deer! He wants to make the evening more about the children and Santa than about himself, so once he drops the sleigh off, he disappears out of sight and has a brief moment with Lois. Shortly after, he heads back to his apartment where he finds an invitation to the wedding of Lana Lang and Pete Ross!!

The End.

I wouldn't exactly call this one a tearjerker, but it's pretty close. Seeing Superman go out of his way to help your average citizen is a great thing. It's a peek into his world; his frustrations, his joy; his sadness that even the Man of Steel can't do everything.

Dan Jurgens, you're the man. Jackson Guice? Amazing!

There's a sequel to this story in Superman #76, also written by Dan Jurgens. It's post-Death of Superman, so his allies fill in the void. It's also awesome!

Find these in your back issue bins!

Twelve Days of Comic Book Christmas: Day Nine

Not a lot of crotches in tonight's entry, but a good one nonetheless. This one comes from Tom DeFalco and Paul Ryan's underrated run on Fantastic Four!

Fantastic Four #361

"Miracle on Yancy Street"

February 1992

Writer: Tom DeFalco

Artist: Paul Ryan

We begin this story with the ever-lovin' Thing, Benjamin J. Grimm, getting fitted for an oversized cast on his arm by Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic. After the fitting, Ben gets a visit at the Baxter Building from a friend from the old neighborhood, William "Slugger" Sokolowski.

Slugger's got a problem: his son, Jimmy, might be on drugs. He's hoping a pep talk from the blue-eyed Benji will set him on the right path. Thing says he'll give it a shot and sets out for Yancy Street.

And speaking of, while Ben's on his way, we meet up with a kid on Yancy Street that just might be Jimmy. He's being followed by some weird dude, so he cuts into an alley to lose him, but is cut off. Up above the alley, a weird drummer guy starts playing the roof...

Ben makes it to the old neighborhood and is immediately assaulted with a snowball. He chases his attacker into an alley and stumbles upon a gang of ruffians: it's the new Yancy Street Gang! We've got the vocabulary hip, Dictionary Dawson. The big guy, Little Larry Lee. Smooth Manny Merengues, who is... smooth, I guess... and the rooftop drummer from before, Rhythm Ruiz. The self-described getaway driver, Lugwrench Lubowski and short tough gal, Two-Fisted Tommie Boyd round out the crew.

Very cheesy, but definitely an homage to the Simon and Kirby Newsboy Legion, so it's given a pass. Ben tells 'em he's looking for Jimmy and they eventually give up the info that Rhythm Ruiz saw him being kidnapped. The Yancy Street Gang, along with Thing, take off for an abandoned warehouse where they think Jimmy's being held.

They're confronted by the same guys Jimmy was kidnapped by and during a short battle it's revealed they're robots! It's not long before the big bad reveals himself:

 

It's really not a surprise since he's on the cover and I REALLY love the cover, but it could have been a surprise. Anyway, Doctor Doom reveals he's actually trying to cure drug dependance, which sounds great, but it turns out some of the people he's tried to cure have died as a result. Jimmy Sokolowski's his most recent addition, though still alive, but Ben and the Yancy Street Gang's interference has cause Doom to lose interest in this endeavor. So, he outright blames Ben for what could have been a great cure and just leaves.

Doom, being Doom, rigs the warehouse to explode, but our gang makes it out just in time.

"Slugger" Sokolowski shows up and Ben hands Jimmy over to him. After a heartwarming reunion, Ben tells the Yancy Street Gang they're all right. Of course, they pull a little something...

Ben makes it back to the Baxter Building in a foul mood after finding the sign taped to his back. Fortunately, this being a family book, the rest of the FF and Alicia, his former girlfriend, bring Ben around to the Christmas spirit and the book ends on a humorous and fun note.

I liked this story and, like many of the writers that have graced this countdown, I'm a big fan of Tom DeFalco. Unfortunately, his and Paul Ryan's run on this book is generally not favored by fans. It has its ups and downs like any run, but I'm a fan. It's worth a look if you've not read it before. Also, pretty easy to come by, which makes it cheap and I love that.

Until tomorrow!