What I Bought 6/6/2014 - Part 2

Of the two books today, one is a consistent winner, and the other is a book I didn't order, but decided to hold onto anyway, rather than send it back.

Daredevil #3, by Chris Samnee and Mark Waid (storytellers), Javier Rodriguez (color art), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - That's a nice cover. The way Justice's two scales form DD's eyes, with the one slightly tipped and spilling forming a tear.

 So it really is the Owl in San Francisco. I'm just going to assume this takes place after Superior Foes of Spider-Man wraps up. Simpler that way. Matt scuffles a bit with the Shroud, who wanted to build his rep by beating Daredevil so he could draw out the Owl. Matt agrees it isn't a bad plan, but he doesn't trust the Shroud that much. He will, however, still help get at the Owl. By walking up to his estate as Murdock as presenting a subpoena. Which is really a restaurant order, but it keeps the bad guy distracted until the Shroud can slip in and get close. At which point the Owl flips the script by offering to help the Shroud find Julia. Meaning Julia Carpenter, second Spider-Woman. Which gets the Shroud to seemingly switch sides, and Matt, with no helpful cane, is falling into a pit of fire. Got to admire a villain who keeps a trap-door firepit in his office. That's old-school villain, right there. Also, Foggy Nelson dons a disguise to visit Kirsten, who is displeased he came out of hiding. The furious scowl Samnee gives her was outstanding, as was Foggy's disguise. Two legs in casts, the tattered Army jacket, the ridiculous beard. I do wonder where he found thos clothes, though.

I had completely forgotten the Shroud and Julia Carpenter were dating back before Civil War. Remembering that is the thing I mentioned that put me in a bad mood towards Carol Danvers when I picked up Captain Marvel #3 to read right after reading this. Because as you recall, when Julia declined to arrest her boyfriend and they had to go on the run, Carol (along with that loser Wonder Man) tracked them down and attacked them on a crowded freeway, endangering many civilians, which Carol blamed Shroud and Julia for, instead of herself for being so sloppy (or for being such a traitor she arrests her friends). Oh, and that led to the wonderful scene where Julia was arrested and dragged away in front of her daughter. Boo hiss. None of which is relevant to Daredevil #3, it's just something that came flooding back when I was reading this.

You'd think one of the Owl's goons would have inspected the subpoena, but it fits with this take Waid has on him. He's still vicious and murderous, but more calculating, more bent on acquiring information, then leveraging it in the way he sees fit. Given that, and that he killed one of his subordinates for learning Murdock's address, it makes sense none of them are going to risk looking at the subpoena and seeing something he doesn't want them knowing. I definitely prefer this version to the sort of buffoonish sadist in Superior Foes, though it's necessary he be like that in that book. A dope like Boomerang wouldn't have outmaneuvered this Owl.

Deadpool Annual #2, by Christopher Hastings (writer), Jacopo Camagni (artist), Matt Milla (colorist), Joe Sabino (letterer) - I kept it because it wasn't a very big month otherwise, and Hastings and Camagni did the Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe mini-series I enjoyed last winter.

Deadpool is hang-gliding through New York, looking for empty penthouses to sleep in, when he's grabbed by Spider-Man, who is convinced Deadpool isn't Deadpool, and is going to try and stab Spidey. So Deadpool proves who he is by shooting himself. Which calms Spidey down enough to explain that people keep trying to stab him lately, then vanishing. He's sure it's the Chameleon, but he can't catch him, and the threats are so constant, he can't risk sleep. Some maintenance guys come onto the roof and Spidey flees into the building, so he doesn't see that one of them is the Chameleon. Soon enough Spidey's attacking a woman in an office because he saw her change from the Chameleon (though how he got down there to that office first I don't know), and when wade talks Spidey out of doing something drastic, the woman stabs Spidey in the neck with a syringe. Wade attempts sending him splat on the pavement, but the web-slinger's just conscious enough to sling a few webs and prevent that before passing out. With no other option, Wade switches costumes with Spidey to draw out the Chameleon. One odd touch Camagni uses is that when Wade wears the Spidey costume, the mask has that same little bit of fabric sticking up near the back of his head Deadpool's mask normally does. Look at the cover to see what I mean, that little peak in the back. Must be something about the shape of Wade's head.

The plan doesn't entirely work at first, but Deadpool does save a woman from a mugger and delivers him to the cops (sort of). He also stops some ridiculous snake-themed villain who wanted to steal a ray that can turn any matter into mice. So he could feed all of his snakes. That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Fortunately, as Deadpool notes, Spider-Man is a champion against dumb, and settles that guy's hash right off. Well, sort of. First the guy and all the snakes get turned into one giant mouse, but then Wade is able to swing a helicopter into it, causing a disruption that returns them to normal. Which does mean it rains snakes over an intersection for a minute. As Wade enjoys his triumph, the Chameleon sneaks up and stabs him. Then Spidey shows up in Wade's outfit, there's a bit of a struggle (Spidey must still be groggy from that nap if he's having any trouble at all with the Chameleon), then there are two Deadpools, but Wade figures out which is which. Then we learn Peter's still using Octavius' "improved" web fluid, which has an easily-traceable radioactive compound in it. Otto, whatever fictional hell you're hopefully rotting in, I hope you know I'm pointing and laughing.

Camagni really gets expressive with the Spidey mask, which is fine with me. I know it shouldn't probably be that obvious when he's smiling, and the eyeholes probably shouldn't change shape like that, but it's always a style choice I like. I also like that when Wade leaps out of a building and lands on a car, he crushes the roof, rather than landing lightly as Spider-Man usually manages to. Little surprised that didn't pulp his kneecaps, though.

So that's the story. Little slight, and Hastings' Deadpool skews more silly than Posehn and Duggan's, but he has that core of decency (slightly bent, but still there) I always like to see in Deadpool. He may not always make the best decisions, but he usually means well. OK, frequently means well. Sometimes means well.