Monday, January 30, 2012

UnnecessaryLand, and the Four Poorsmen.

Awful isn't a strong enough word.
True story. I could have pitched this exact story given three things: a word processor, a guidebook to some of Marvel's least lights, and a rage fired sense of irony to prove that Marvel crossover stories are garbage. If I had, and it'd been accepted, I'd have dropped comics then and there. Instead, I paid a very small sum (probably the $15 Amazon seems to want)to read someone else do more or less the job I'd have done. Andy Diggle, this one's for you.
Set up required for this story is simple: Daredevil has been given control of the hand, and believes he's turning them good. Turns out he has it wrong. Marvel's street level heroes get upset and plan to take him out - if possible.

Throw in an obligatory death or two (in this case Bullseye and DD himself - sort of) and you have the genesis of the kind of idea any cheesed off fanboy can come up with. So what's wrong with that, apart from publishing it? That the way it's done, the Marvel Heroes are complicit in DD's mad shenanigans. They all hear things about people going missing, and they all suspect something's of. But they wait until after DD has flipped out and killed Bullseye (which, PS, any sane person would have done decades ago) before stepping into action. And it's not just the crazies like Moonknight and Wolverine. It's Spider-man. And Iron Fist. And Luke Cage. As well as Cap, Iron Man, and Thor agreeing with that course of actions. So Spider-man who, for the record, ought to have killed Norman Osborne decades ago is willing to give DD the benefit of the very slender doubt? BS! Even crazy angry Spidey from the mid 90s would have done something. So, no, I didn't like the story. And that MAtt Murdock is already back to being DD just ices this cake.

The art was fine. Nothing spectacular, but fine. Billy Tan is a solid artist, and doesn't deserve to be tipped on in this review.

Overall I'd pass on this. It's an irrelevant and unnecessary story that muddies the waters on a number of characters, and really just paved the way for the Kingpin to return to the top of the criminal world in Marvel's New York.

Remember those things Black Adam killed?
Not so much.
And with such a short review, I'll give you another book to avoid: 52 Aftermath - The Four Horsemen. If you have $20 that you really don't need, please, let me know about it, and don't buy this book. This book is  meant to follow up on the end of 52 to deal with the Four Horsemen coming back. This time, rather than a supremely pissed off Black Adam, it's up to Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman to tackle the four horsemen. As usual, Batman has a plan, and as usual, he's not sharing. Problem is, that while he's in the "not sharing" part of the plan, he just seems idiotic and petulant. Which doesn't really sit right with me.
Pat Olliffe's art is serviceable, and at no time transcends that. Keith Giffen's script is lamentable, and seems phoned in.
Any number of moments ought to be questioned, and any o them ought to have been reworked. Asking people to pay for this is insulting.

Overall I'd pass on this too. It's unnecessary, added nothing to the characters or universe, and dealt with villains that weren't ever going to become popular enough to see much use, and had already been killed. On top of that, I'm not sure if this even happened in the current DC Universe. I'm trying to work out some of the continuity there, and think it may already be a little wonky.

So next time.... something massive?
I used to have free time, like you.
Then I took The New 52 Omnibus to the knee.

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