What I Bought 9/24/2024

I've been having a hard time all week keeping track of days. I wrote and submitted something Tuesday, and it was hours before I realized I intended to submit it Monday. Fortunately the schedule was self-imposed, so no harm, no foul beyond my disliking being late. Wednesday afternoon I kept catching myself thinking it was Thursday. Although I did leave a little early on Wednesday. Splitting headache, maybe that threw me.

At least the week is over now, and the local store had both the comics out this week I wanted. Haven't seen a copy of Bronze Faces #5 or last week's Runaways anywhere, but we'll get to them eventually, I imagine.

Black Cat #2, by G. Willow Wilson (writer), Gleb Melnikov (artist), Brian Reber (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - MJ's thinking, "Point those things somewhere else, Felicia." Also, when did Jonah go to a basic training haircut?

The Black Cat's first attempt at do-gooding (minus all those times she did hero stuff in the past) involves two young mafia guys who are essentially, fencing really old shit for vampires. I guess the actual crime is they're ripping off the vampires, since they describe themselves as, 'hustling the undead.' This seems like the sort of problem which inevitably solves itself, but Felicia warns/asks them to stop. 

When she sees them unloading another box from their van that night, she does the avenger of the night bit. Except the package is a coffin, with a very pale and hairless, but well-dressed and snotty, vampire inside. Daredevil shows up to help, though I can't see him being much use with a vampire. Unless he's going to win via the power of Catholicism. Or is one of those heroes who figures vampires don't count on a no killing vow and stakes him with the billy club.

It's irrelevant, because the vamp gets bothered by Felicia flirting with DD - me too, she should know better than to go anywhere near that romantic radioactive spill - and vanishes in a poof of smoke. Literally, the sound effect is POOF! Cops show up, Felicia makes a little speech about how New Yorkers have to work together to make their city safer, it gets viral, and that gets Jonah's attention.

It's definitely not noticeable when Melnikov draws Felicia, but there's a fair bit of Romita Jr. is both Jonah and Daredevil. Lines aren't as heavy, but the square jaw on DD and the nose on Jonah are definitely JRJR-style. I don't see it as much in the one page where Tombstone shows up, but maybe I was too distracted by him saying he has the, 'first little throb of a plan.' Throb? Plans are throbbing now? I didn't agree to that!

The Thing #5, by Tony Fleecs (writer), Justin Mason (artist), Alex Sinclair (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) -  There's Diamondback again, prominently featured among the defeated villains, when she never went anywhere near the Thing. Does Nick Bradshaw have something against Captain America's best girlfriend?

Ben gets Sara to her mother, after Sara's eruption apparently drove off Viper and her goons. Unfortunately, Marty's there, too. Unfortunate, because he's the one who handed Sara off to Hammerhead in the first place, trying to make some cash letting them "scrape" powers from kids. This seems like the sort of plan that would result in the X-Men blowing shit up, which seems like more smoke than the Kingpin wants, but oh well.

Hammerhead shows up, still having not figured out this is a plan better abandoned. Sara's power flares up again, this time directed at Marty, but Ben stops her from roasting the guy, telling her it's wrong what her uncle did, but strong people don't pick on weaker ones, and that it's about knowing when it's the right time to use your strength. That time? You guessed it. Clobberin' Time.

Hammerhead gets pummeled, which is good. Ben tells Sara's mom to call if she needs any help or has questions, and then he takes Marty to visit the Kingpin. Interestingly, Mason draws Ben as significantly smaller than Fisk. I know that's how it used to be, Ben was just a regular height guy (albeit shorter than Reed), who was made of rocks, but I've gotten used to him being drawn as a really big dude. After a little shouting and desk tossing, Ben leaves, telling Fisk to tell his stories to the cops. Which Fisk dismisses as he "owns the cops."

I dunno, the Thing isn't Daredevil or Spider-Man. He's actually, by Marvel Universe standards, pretty beloved and respected. I think if he goes to the cops, especially if he does it publicly, they'd have to actually dig into Fisk, because it's the Fantastic Four saying this. The group that saves the world from big purple planet-eating dudes twice a year. Fisk probably still has enough distance and clout to make Hammerhead take the fall, but I don't think this is something he'd dismiss lightly.