Saturday, May 13, 2006

As Marvel Goes Back To The Well

Firstly, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but I'd like to congratulate Civil War #1 on getting through its first issue with only one penciler and inker each. Bravo! Moving on.

It's posts like this that make me wish I had a scanner. I don't know why, I don't have either of the comics I'm talking about with me, but if I did, this would be much easier. Screw it, let's rock.

Civil War #1. The heroes are bickering, when Daredevil speaks up. Putting aside for a moment the fact that no one questions who he is, let's notice his demeanor (see how a scanner would help?). Leaned casually against the wall, speaking about the upcoming conflict with what seems like eagerness, and that freaking quarter. Moving it back and forth between the fingers on his right (left?) hand, that was what reminded me of something.

Namely this, Daredevil #284. DD is somewhat out of sorts in this issue, having recently escaped from Hell(?!) with the Inhumans. He ends up in a fight with some gangster wannabes, and starts having flashbacks. He decides the best way to escape the violence is to stop fighting. So of course the thugs pummel him. Except there's a guy across the street, couple of stories up, sitting on a flagpole, or window sill. Between each of the fingers on his right hand? Quarters. Which he throws, from across the street, hitting the gangsters in nerve clusters in their shoulders, which makes them panic and run.

Quarter-Dude then unmasks Daredevil and gets a good laugh at his being Matt Murdock.

The coin thing makes me think it's the same guy, but not owning any of the subsequent issues I had no idea who he was. We see his face at the end, and he looks kind of like Murdock, only bigger, but the reddish hair. Looking online, I found a site that listed the cast for the issue as containing Jack (amnesiac) Murdock, so my first thought was "But Matt's dad is dead!" Apparently what it meant was, DD made himself forget everything, including who he was, so he called himself Jack. As for the man with the coins? Bullseye, who then began wearing a Daredevil costume, while "Jack" Murdock became some bum.

Now Matt's in jail, and there's another Daredevil, who acts a bit odd. Even Millar isn't so terrible as to write Matt Murdock the way he wrote Daredevil in that issue, and I can't really see Iron Fist acting like that either {Edit: Guess I was wrong.}. Besides, it'd be just like Marvel to go back and reuse an old storyline. Would be cooler if it was I don't know, Bucky, or Marc Spector, just for the sheer "What the?" effect. Nobody would see that coming.

4 comments:

Marc Burkhardt said...

That was my guess as well (as I blurted in a comment yesterday.)

Bullseye is supposed to be in jail right now, but doesn't mean he didn't bust out in time for Civil War.

Of course, I'll only find out if you're right second-hand since I've dropped Marvel for now.

It isn't so much because of Civil War, which I do think is pretty good, but because I'm less than thrilled with what Quesada and co. have done with my favorite characters.

It's been ages since I've bought a Spidey comic, or Avengers (even before Bendis) or Fantastic Four or any of their core titles.

I just think the whole "real world" and "everything is grey" approach makes for dreary reading.

The Marvel universe is based on flawed heroes, but these days there are too many flaws and too few heroes.

Conversely, DC's heroes do seem re-energized OYL (except for Nightwing for whatever reason), and I can live with darker villains if it serves to provide greater contrast wto brighter heroes.

Whew... I'm getting long-winded in my old age.

CalvinPitt said...

fortress keeper: Yeah, I was quite flustered when you guessed my guess yesterday.

As for the marvel heroes, yeah, things do seem kind of unhappy these days. The less core titles seem to be doing better. Exiles has had death but it doesn't seem horribly depressing somehow. Ms. Marvel has been kind of fun. Ditto Spider-Girl.

It's probably that old story about the most fun/creativity coming with the characters the bosses don't care about (ala Claremont/Byrne X-Men), so you can tell whatever you want..

Anonymous said...

We've been screaming 'Hawkeye' at work.
But then again, we could be wrong.

Randy said...

I"m starting to lean towards Clint Barton in the DD costume in Civil War, though I would have no inkling as to why since they never really umm....teamed up? or even met?