What I Bought 8/4/2014 - Part 2

I'm sure I've said this before, but I hate commercials where there's a number to call, and they just keep repeating the number. I understand the reason, but as someone who is never interested in whatever they're selling, it just makes it that much more likely I would never buy. Also, it makes me want to strangle the person talking. Or rip out their throat entirely, depending on my mood.

Daredevil #17, by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid (storytellers), Matthew Wilson (colorist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - I had my doubts about that look, but Samnee makes Matt look like he can pull it off. I still find it a little odd he cut his hair short once he stopped wearing the cowl, since it seems that would have been more useful when he had his old costume. Hair should probably interfere with how well those costumes sit, right?

With all the fighting between Matt, the Shroud, and Jubula, none of them end up with Julia. Instead Fisk's men do, and when Matt confronts Tubby, he learns Ikari brought Foggy and Kirsten there too. See, Fisk was very amused by Matt's offer, and is also amused by the idea of having Matt under his thumb, but isn't going either route. Instead, he's going to use Matt's friends to get him to die. Not in the figurative sense that Matt proposed, he wants Matt to literally be killed by Ikari, and if Matt refuses, one of Foggy or Kirsten dies, because Fisk only needs one of them to keep Matt in check. Matt struggles to stay alive while racking his brain for a solution, and right about the time he comes up with something, the Shroud appears, unceremoniously stabs Ikari with his shadow-stuff, and throws him off the building. Sorry, Matt.

I'm curious as to what Waid and Samnee are driving at with this story. Matt's taken his "keep a positive outlook" strategy to the point of being completely open. It's like he's tying to confront his demons out in plain view, thinking they'll lose their power in the light. Now here's Fisk telling him that's a stupid idea, he's left himself vulnerable. Which doesn't entirely hold up, because the people who are hurting him - Fisk himself, the Shroud through the Owl - either knew Matt was Daredevil already, or would have found out quickly. So I don't know.

I'm not sure how Fisk's guys caught Julia. As she pointed out when she kicked Jubula, she used to be Spider-Woman. How did stupid goons in suits with handguns catch her? Sure, she doesn't seem to want anything to do with Shroud, but I can't quite picture her quietly going along with guys she doesn't know who try to hustle her into a car.

I like the panel on page 19 of the shadow hand hurling Ikari off the roof. We haven't really seen the Shroud use his shadow powers to make distinct forms, so it's a nice change. Reaching up like a hand from Hell and casting Matt's plans into ruin. The distance is an interesting choice. The page before, we see Ikari pierced from fairly close up, then Samnee pulls way back for this one. Maybe it emphasizes it's over, there's not going to be any last minute rescue of the villain by the hero, or how small and inconsequential it all is. One life, or two lives if you count whichever of Matt's friends Fisk will kill, doesn't seem like much compared to even the number of people in that building Ikari just got thrown off. And even though this book isn't tying in, the specter of Secret Wars is still there, entire universes getting wiped out, but with no real weight to them. A perspective thing?

Master of Kung-Fu #3, Haden Blackman (writer), Dalibor Talajic (penciler), Goran Sudzuka (inker), Miroslav Mrva (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - I feel dodging one's way between banners is not effective training for a martial arts tournament. Dodging between Banners would be another story.

The tournament begins, Shang-Chi arrives, and his father puts him through the wringer. Making him fight every other opponent. Which frankly, doesn't seem like much of a tournament. Shouldn't some of the others be fighting each other while Shang fights his battles? Each fight is one-on-one, are the others just wandering around in the stupid caverns waiting to stumble into Shang-Chi? I know Zheng is manipulating the order, but at least maintain some semblance of a tournament that isn't rigged. As much as you can in a circumstance where the champ doesn't have to fight until the final round. My Tenkaichi Budokai from Dragonball loving self is appalled. Anyway, Shang beats everyone because he's the only one who can beat his father, which is the sort of thing I'd roll my eyes at, except for the fact none of the others have managed it yet, so maybe he has a point. But he's pretty thrashed, and here comes Rand-K'ai, the Iron Fist, still looking for payback.

I wonder if the two guys making bets in the background throughout Zheng's speech, and Shang's arrival are supposed to be anyone in particular, or just representative of the average citizen's view on the whole thing. It would be pretty funny, given the importance all these masters place on winning and taking control of the city, if it ends up meaning nothing at all. The city runs itself, nothing changes. The person on the ground doesn't give a hoot who sits on the throne and all that.

I'm also waiting to see what Red Sai does. She was standing behind Rand on the last page. She could stab him, she could take out Shang if he wins against Rand, or aid either of them against Zheng. The legend goes the Red Sai is the Emperor's right hand, but that the first master also saved the life of the Iron Fist of that time. Could go a lot of ways. Maybe kill them all, take the throne herself. I feel there has to be something significant to the fact we never see Red Sai's face, or the Emperor's for that matter. Something the two of them are hiding. Good thing the last issue comes out this week, then.