So Much Unresolved! Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic Is Unsatisfying.

The Good: Great start, Decent artwork
The Bad: No time for reflection or genuine character development, Three incomplete stories (and a villain origin story!)
The Basics: Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic starts to tell an intriguing and solid story before diverging into two other, completely unresolved, side-narratives!


Recently, I have begun enjoying Daredevil books again and it is interesting to me to catch back up with the vigilante. The whole Marvel Now! reboot of Daredevil was fraught with problems and it was somewhat unsurprising to me when I picked up Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 1 - Chinatown (reviewed here!) and discovered that Matt Murdock (Daredevil) was being returned to New York City and his secret identity was restored. In other words, the writers over the last decade pretty much wrote Daredevil into a corner and lacked a sustainable model for continuing the book. So, following Chinatown, I was actually eager to pick up and read Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic.

Not being overly familiar with a wide variety of titles, I am not sure if Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic marks Elektra's return to Marvel Comics in the new Marvel Now! framework, or if it is merely her first appearance in Daredevil since the reboot. But, fans of the long arcs of the Daredevil character will no-doubt be psyched then Elektra pops right up in Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic. Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic is a trade paperback anthology that compiles four issues (6 - 9) and the Annual #1. Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic is very easy to pick up and read, though readers have to know going in that the Daredevil storyline has been reset so only Foggy Nelson knows that Daredevil is Matt Murdock (so Elektra, in this incarnation, would not know Daredevil is blind). Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic is essentially three stories, with no real connection between them, which is frustrating especially considering where the first story ends!

At 2 A.M. in Hell's Kitchen, Daredevil is waiting for Elektra on a buildingtop when she appears, more violently than Matt expected. Daredevil was expecting Elektra because she appeared in a night court case that Murdock was working in his capacity as A.D.A. and Elektra and Matt went out for a drink afterward, so he is surprised when she attacks him. Daredevil is saved from being murdered by Elektra when Blindspot comes to his rescue, but he sends his apprentice away. Once alone, Elektra reveals that she is searching for her daughter and is convinced Daredevil knows where she is.

Elektra gives Daredevil a phone, supposedly with a video on it, that shows Elektra's daughter Iona, being trained by The Hand, while Daredevil watches. When Matt takes the phone to Foggy (the only person around who still knows his dual identity), Foggy tells him the phone is empty, which makes Matt suspect Elektra is playing him. When Daredevil reveals that the phone was empty to Elektra, she chases down the person who gave her the phone and is triggered with a simple phrase. Daredevil believes he knows who is behind programming Elektra. Abruptly, though, Elektra is out and Daredevil heads to Macau to recover a briefcase that Black Cat is trying to sell on the black market there. Aided by Spider-Man, Daredevil fights through gamblers and thugs from New York to Hong Kong to recover the case . . . only to have Spider-Man extort him for information once it is in their possession! The book climaxes with Echo rushing to aid Daredevil when she is at a concert where the audience is transformed into creatures through the use of sound waves. Preventing Daredevil's superhuman hearing from picking it up, Echo learns from the veteran hero that this is probably the work of Ulysses Klaw and they set about to stopping his latest attempt at propagation.

Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic is intensely unsastisfying, not only because the book is capped off with a pointless backstory for Melvin Potter (where Daredevil is barely present as a tangent character!) and an adventure with Echo where she completely dominates the narrative and Daredevil might as well not even be in it, largely because the set-up for the book is so good . . . then abruptly dropped. The Elektra and Daredevil story is completely a set-up story and it is an intriguing one. Elektra has been programmed by someone with the express purpose of hurting the assassin and rattling Daredevil. Great! Daredevil thinks he knows who the culprit is, so the next logical step in the story should have been for him to hunt down his suspect and get to the bottom of why Elektra was being used as a pawn. No such luck for readers of Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic changes to a completely different story.

The climax of that story - spoiler alert! - puts Daredevil in a position to take out a number of significant villains in the street-level criminal world of the Marvel Universe. So, readers are prepared to see how Daredevil takes out Tombstone, Wilson Fisk and Black Cat (among others), but when they turn the page, Echo is on a date! Seriously?! After one strong set-up and one set-up at the end of a winding, pointless narrative, the book ends with Daredevil as a guest star in his own book and it's not even truly worth reading.

On the plus side, in addition to the return of Elektra, Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic marked the first time I recall that the Night Nurse, Linda Carter, popped up in a Daredevil book I had read. Between that an a reference to Black Cat, my slowly-growing knowledge of the Marvel Universe is finally coming in handy!

Beyond that, the only real positive aspect of Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic is the artwork. All of the characters are recognizable and there is a decent sense of movement panel to panel, especially in the fight scenes. Elektra looks amazing, as expected, and that helps her story pop. Macau and Hong Kong make for interesting settings for the second story and they look good as well. Echo's portion of the book has a different visual style and that helps characterize it and K.L.A.W. nicely. It might not be the most compelling story, but it is rendered in a visually distinct way.

Ultimately, though, it is not enough to save Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic. Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 2 - Supersonic is far more frustrating a read than it is intriguing or well-developed.

For other works by Charles Soule, please check out my reviews of:
Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis
Inhuman Volume 2: Axis
Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage
She-Hulk: Law And Disorder
She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct

3.5/10

For other graphic novel reviews, please check out my Graphic Novel Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Return To Form: Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 1 - Chinatown Is Solid, But Predictable!

The Good: Interesting new dynamic with Blindspot, Familiar feel, Good story, Much of the artwork
The Bad: Some of the artwork undermines the writing, Predictable reversals, Somewhat generic resolution with the villain.
The Basics: Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 1 - Chinatown puts Daredevil back in New York City with a sidekick and a new enemy and a very familiar format!


Apparently, during my hiatus from Daredevil comics, Marvel Now's reboot of the title went south and the writers had to do a course correction. Moving Matt Murdock to the West Coast turned out to be a mistake for a book that used the setting of Hell's Kitchen as a de facto character. So, Daredevil was returned to New York City and readers like me who lapsed and then pick up Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 1 - Chinatown are in for a return to form, as opposed to more adventures of Matt Murdock and his family in California.

Daredevil: Chinatown establishes the premise of the latest reboot incredibly quickly. Matt Murdock has found a way to erase everyone's memory of his tie to Daredevil, so only Foggy Nelson remains with his memories intact. The result is that Daredevil is back to a very pure form as a vigilante hero, while Matt Murdock is once again able to practice the law unencumbered by his celebrity - or the liabilities that come with using extralegal methods to dispense justice. Daredevil: Chinatown has a very familiar feel to it and writer Charles Soule does a decent job of re-establishing the character and patter, though the somewhat generic quality of the villain's resolution makes the book feel a bit too familiar for those looking for a solid read.

Daredevil takes a leap off the Manhattan Bridge into the water after Billy Li, who is being killed by lackeys working for Tenfingers. After rescuing Li from the East River, Daredevil confronts the Church Of The Tenfingers and only survives with the aid of Blindspot. Daredevil brings Li to Nelson's apartment to keep him alive and the next morning, Matt Murdock goes to work at the District Attorney's office. Murdock has to convince Li to testify against Tenfingers and when he is successful, Tenfingers charges his minions with killing Li and Murdock right in the courtroom. Samuel Chung is given the contract, but converts Li by taking some of his fingers (raising his position in the Church), which destroys Murdock's attempt to prosecute it.

But when Daredevil and Blindspot drop in on Tenfingers's lair, Daredevil instantly recognizes the power the cult leader is using as the power utilized by The Hand. The Hand's members come to take back their power, but they are repelled by Tenfingers, who comes to visit Matt Murdock at the office and make the argument that he is not a villain. Murdock is shaken by that idea and turns to Steve Rogers, who uses Daredevil to take out a neighborhood bombmaker. While Murdock fails to get the absolution he wants from Rogers, Samuel Chung confronts his mother about her place in Tenfingers's Church which is right when The Hand attacks again! As Tenfingers confronts The Fist, Daredevil and Blindspot must work to save as many people as possible!

Daredevil: Chinatown is distinct for its truly creepy cult of Tenfingers. The Church Of The Sheltering Hands is disturbing for the way its practitioners lose, give and gain fingers. Despite the minimal amount of time actually explicitly constructing the Church Of The Sheltering Hands, Charles Soule makes the organization clear and distinct in a way very few comic book cults ever become. By the time Tenfingers is shown with ten fingers on his right hand, the reader knows something truly unsettling is going on in his cult and is ready for something weird and monstrous.

At the other end of the spectrum is Blindspot. Blindspot is a new super hero, who is very smart and had an invisibility suit powered by D batteries, which is both clever and subtly hilarious. Blindspot enters the narrative in his super hero apprentice form and Soule unfortunately telegraphs his mundane identity very early on in the book (more than by the rendering of the artwork, which is very much not clear right away) by giving a very specific name to only one other recurring character in the narrative. That robs the book of some of the shock value of the revelation, but on the plus side, Soule does not drag out the "hidden identity" thing and put a number of red herrings in the reader's way. Instead, Blindspot is given a decent and compelling backstory that sets him up as a guardian of Chinatown and gives him a potential recurring villain of his own that might well lead to some serious character conflicts.

The artwork in Daredevil: Chinatown is somewhat problematic. First, the stylized artwork makes many important things very unclear. Foremost among these is the use of Daredevil's billy-club. Daredevil throws his billy-club at a number of adversaries in Daredevil: Chinatown and the way the artwork is rendered with the club hitting a person's face with lines of force at the point of impact that resemble blood splatters makes it look like Matt Murdock is dispensing with his adversaries using lethal force; putting his weapon right through his enemy's skulls. Similarly, the artwork does not reveal to neophytes who Tenfingers is . . . the end of the first chapter makes it appear as though the revelation will inform readers (outside simply counting fingers), but it just appears to be a melodramatic way to introduced the much-alluded to villain.

Beyond that, the artwork undermines the story long before the final battle. The positive mechanism of control (the carrot) Tenfingers has over his followers is that he promises to keep his people safe and he appears to make good on that promise. Despite that, the artwork in the battle with the ninjas of The Hand shows things like a guy (from the Church) getting a sword through the neck. Despite things like that where it is entirely implausible the victim would survive, there is no crisis of faith among the followers of the Church; they continue to believe Tenfingers can keep them safe. It undermines both Tenfingers and The Hand as the only way the book may be rationally interpreted by the text is that Tenfingers successfully repelled The Hand with no casualties on his side. That is a somewhat absurd premise.

As for Daredevil himself, Daredevil: Chinatown does a good job of reinventing Matt Murdock effectively. Murdock is essentially on his own again and that has, in the past, made for some of the most moody Daredevil books. Daredevil: Chinatown gets away from the moody by giving Daredevil Blindspot and it works very effectively. Blindspot and Daredevil's use of him as an apprentice also takes the theological aspect out of the book and that works well. Instead of Matt Murdock whining about God periodically, he channels his energies into making sure the fight for right outlives him. That is a very effective transition for Matt Murdock and the Daredevil graphic novels.

Ultimately, Daredevil: Back In Black Volume 1 - Chinatown is a strong start that reboots the very old hero quite well . . . even if it fails to address how Steve Rogers is now 90 years old, but Matt Murdock is still in fairly youthful fighting shape!

For other Daredevil books, please check out my reviews of:
The Essential Daredevil Volume 1
Daredevil Vs. Bullseye
Daredevil: Visionaries Volume 1 - Frank Miller
Marked For Death
Born Again
Typhoid Mary
Guardian Devil
Parts Of A Hole
Daredevil: Yellow
Daredevil: Father
Batman/Daredevil - King of New York
Daredevil Noir
Daredevil: Golden Age
The Devil: Inside And Out, Volume 1
The Devil: Inside And Out, Volume 2
Daredevil: Hell To Pay - Volume 1
Daredevil: Hell To Pay - Volume 2
Lady Bullseye
Return Of The King
Daredevil: Shadowland
Shadowland
Daredevil Reborn
Daredevil (Volume 3)
West-Case Scenario
Daredevil: The Official Comic Adaptation

6.5/10

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Finish Big! Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage Makes Inhumans Interesting!

The Good: Decent artwork, Good plot progression, Moments of character
The Bad: Plot-heavy, Some unfortunately inconsistent transitions, Minimal thematic statement
The Basics: Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage finally exposes Lineage as an adversary to Medusa's Inhumans as his master plan takes shape.


When it comes to graphic novels, I can very clearly see the influence of television and movie works to increase readership. Indeed, I cannot conceive of a time I would have read the Inhumans graphic novels had I not felt like I was falling behind the curve on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. But, alas, as I have pretty consistently watched the show and the television series has trumped the creation of an Inhumans movie, I decided to use some of my time over the summer new television hiatus to read some Inhumans graphic novels (or, more accurately, trade paperback anthologies). The final volume of my brief study of the Inhumans was Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage.

Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage is a short anthology that resolves the dangling plotline left from Inhuman Volume 2: Axis (reviewed here!). As a resolving book, it is impossible to discuss Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage without referencing where the story has been before, leading into this final volume. The anthology includes the three chapters of Inhuman comic books and a fourth chapter, which was originally published as the somewhat longer Annual issue. Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage progresses the story from Axis and pushes the Inhumans storyline to as much of a conclusion as one can expect . . . or at least the next major Marvel Comics crossover event that included the Inhumans.

Opening with New Attilan under attack by soldiers of the Ennilux Corporation, Naja, Inferno, Flint and Frank McGee find themselves cornered and losing the main gate when Black Bolt appears. While Black Bolt turns the tide, the Capo of Ennilux is determined to capture Iso, who remains protected within the city. Black Bolt destroys the Ennilux air ship right before Medusa returns and the search for survivors under the rubble of the damaged portions of New Attilan begins. After Black Bolt (silently) pledges to protect Iso, he and Medusa retreat to the throne room, where Black Bolt cedes to Medusa's authority.

While the NuHumans and Gabby enjoy a night out while Inferno plays a club, Lineage visits Eldrac. Lineage offers the giant teleporting head a deal and Eldrac appears to consent to his terms. Lineage then approaches Medusa and informs the Queen of a Kree laboratory that Black Bolt destroyed. He is surprised when Medusa informs him that she wants him to accompany her to the lab and when Eldrac teleports the Inhuman team to their destination, Lineage is immediately returned. Unfortunately, the others visiting New York City, find themselves in crisis when Inferno unexpectedly erupts while drumming, leaving them diminished when they return to New Attilan to discover the Queen gone. When Gorgon confronts Lineage, recognizing that he has the Inhuman Codex, the Nuhuman shoots the Queen's right hand man. While Medusa's team fights Lash's forces in the Carpathian Mountains where they were teleported, Lineage makes good on his promise to Eldrac and gives the teleporting head a body. Lineage soon makes his plan clear as he consumes the Capo to learn how to manipulate the Codex, which puts the Capo in After Life with the long-dead Inhuman, Karnak!

Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage culminates with the inclusion of the longer chapter (the Annual) which brings together the disparate elements and storylines in a big battle conclusion. Lineage uses the Codex to transmit a message to all Inhumans, new and old, declaring the Earth the dominion of the Inhumans. While Lineage causes the human population of Jersey City to turn on one another, Medusa and her team fight with Lash's forces until they are rescued (twice) from the least-likely of sources who turn on Lineage!

Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage has little redeeming literary value beyond completing the story already begun in the earlier books. The volume lacks much in the way of a statement, save beyond making the occasionally worthwhile point that every population has jerks within it. This is a concept that tends to work better in other corners of the Marvel Comics Universe given that - especially in the Inhuman renditions of Inhumans books - so many of the characters are victims, transformed without their consent into people who are ostracized and hunted by mundane humans. So, for sure, even some victims of crimes (which is what the analogy for the transformative nature of the Inhumans) might be jerks and use their victimization as a stepping stone to become victimizers themselves, the idea plays poorly in Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage. As it develops, Lineage simply develops into an unfortunately typical comic book villain.

Medusa comes back in full force in Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage. There is something very refreshing about Medusa asserting authority over New Attilan and not simply giving it back up because Black Bolt bothered to reappear. While there is a weird discontinuity between Medusa in the prior book and this volume, within Lineage, she is characterized as an effective leader who wants nothing more than to save her people. The artwork for Medusa is weird, though. In the final chapter, she suddenly appears in armor that she did not have panels before. Perhaps it is my ignorance of the Inhumans section of the Marvel Universe, but within Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage, it is presented inorganically.

Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage is fleshed out with underdeveloped characters that most readers will still not care about. The Nuhumans - outside Lineage - are presented in such an inconsequential and generic way that they only start to feel truly important as Medusa loses more of her close lieutenants and the Nuhumans get more panel space. Gabby's child is born and there is something predictable about the final panel of the book; the lack of surprise there makes for an underwhelming end to this stage of the Inhumans Saga.

For the bulk of the book, Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage features decent artwork. The colors are homogeneously bright and well-rendered. The artwork is impressive in that the more mundane Inhumans end up hanging out in several scenes and are still each recognizable.

Ultimately, Inhuman Volume 3: Lineage is very average; it is a decent end to a somewhat mediocre mutant-esque story that feels far from the center of the essential Marvel Comics universe.

For other Marvel graphic novels, please check out my reviews of:
Civil War: Marvel Universe
Deadpool Classics, Volume 1
She-Hulk: Jaded

5/10

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Middle Act Without The Motivation: Inhuman Volume 2: Axis Underwhelms

The Good: Generally good artwork, Mirroring of two characters
The Bad: Terrible transitions, Fidelity to issues instead of story, Lack of character development and plot resolution
The Basics: Inhuman Volume 2: Axis is a mess of a middle act in a larger story and it is missing far too much to make it a worthwhile book on its own.


Last month was a pretty DC Comics-intensive month for me and September, leading into October, is looking like a pretty Marvel Comics heavy month. September will mark the return of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Netflix is capping off the month with the release of the first season of Luke Cage. Last month, I finally got around to reviewing the whole of season three of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (reviewed here!) and the emphasis on Inhumans led me to finally start reading some of the source material. I picked up Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis (reviewed here!) and was not overly impressed. Regardless, I decided to continue with the series and I picked up Inhuman Volume 2: Axis.

Inhuman Volume 2: Axis picks up right where Genesis left off and it is hard to pick the book up on its own and care about the story one finds themselves in the middle of. After all, Genesis was often preoccupied with the idea that Black Bolt, the king of the Inhumans, had disappeared (presumed dead). Inhuman Volume 2: Axis picks up immediately with Black Bolt's story and without understanding the magnitude of what is going on in the (Marvel Comics) world in Black Bolt's absence, it is pretty hard to care. Inhuman Volume 2: Axis is a compilation of only five comic books and it is a middle act of a larger story, but within its own narrative, it is missing key plot and character elements.

Opening with Black Bolt, a prisoner of his brother Prince Maximus, being held in check by the knowledge that he will destroy quite a bit around him if he speak, Queen Medusa dispatches her two best guards to try to find her King, whom she believes is still alive. Auran and her partner, Frank McGee track Maximus fairly easily to Manhattan - very close to New Attilan where the Inhumans have taken refuge and begun building a society for themselves - where Maximus has Black Bolt captive. Frank McGee manages to make it back to Medusa to report on Maximus and Black Bolt, which leads him to take up Auran's dying wish of McGee saving Black Bolt. While Naja comforts Dante's human sister, Gabby, as her pregnancy advances, Inferno suits up to join Gorgon in going to stop Maximus. Gorgon, Inferno and McGee teleport to the Himalayas where they confront Maximus and witness Black Bolt recovering the Inhuman Codex.

Around the same time, Reader and Xiaoyi are tracked across Turkey by a group of people (and an Inhuman) who want to do them harm. They manage to thwart the attempt to take Xiaoyi, while back in New Attilan, a funeral is held for Vinatos. Medusa arrives and very tersely disposes of Vinatos's body, much to the shock of her subjects. Shortly thereafter, a very aggressive Medusa expells U.N. inspectors from the city. Reader brings Xiaoyi to Ennilux, where she meets Capo and he attempts to implant his mind into her body. On New Attilan, Medusa abruptly decides to teach humans a lesson in respect by declaring war and attacking Manhattan, against the advice of her counselors. Medusa visits the U.N., but her declarations to the General Assembly are interrupted by Spider-Man. In the fight, she learns that one of her own people called upon the Avengers and after calling out her counselors, she abandons New Attilan, just before the city is attacked by those pursuing Reader.

Inhuman Volume 2: Axis is a problematic anthology book because it pays fidelity to the issues, as opposed to fidelity to the storyline. Apparently, there was a Marvel Comics crossover event that the Inhumans were a part of (Axis). Something happened to Medusa in that volume that left her transformed. In Inhuman Volume 2: Axis this takes the very abrupt and awkward transition where Medusa appears in chapter two of the book in her familiar form and then as an almost completely different character in the third chapter. Medusa does not pop back up simply with braided hair; she completely alters her view on how she wants the Inhumans to interface with the rest of the Earth. Given the lack of in-text reason for this (there is an editor's note alluding to issue #3 of Axis), the sudden alteration of Medusa makes absolutely no sense within the book. Medusa goes from caring about her people, she then appears differently and there are oblique references to Genosha, then she goes off in a completely different direction. This is disappointing within Inhuman Volume 2: Axis.

Having read nothing before Inhuman Volume 2: Axis with Black Bolt as a character, the impact of Black Bolt was very well revealed in the book. Black Bolt has a voice that a single syllable (or letter, apparently, on the page) can blow out a whole floor of a building. That makes Black Bolt an initially impressive character and that Inhuman Volume 2: Axis begins with only his sense of ethics retraining him from speaking is a very cool statement that defines the character to newbies very well.

Maximus is characterized in Inhuman Volume 2: Axis like Kilgrave from another corner of the Marvel Universe. That easy comparison makes it very easy to reduce the Marvel Comics world to three groups: Humans and humans who were altered to become superheroes/villains (Iron Man, Luke Cage, the Winter Soldier), mutants (X-Men), and alien-created mutants (the Inhumans). In other words, the moment Maximus comes into the narrative and his powers are made explicit by Medusa in chapter two, it is tough not to feel like the Inhuman corner of the Marvel Universe is just a very cheap retread of the more popular elements from Marvel Comics. Inhuman Volume 2: Axis does little to contradict that notion.

Ultimately, very little actually happens in Inhuman Volume 2: Axis. There are three fights in the book, but the only character that really has anything remotely close to character development is Reader. Reader has an epiphany about the nature of Ennilux, but he barely has time to outrun the forces of the corporation he has been working for, much less grow from his understanding of being an unwitting slaver of Inhumans. Medusa is entirely erratic in the book and the final chapter of Inhuman Volume 2: Axis leaves the reader wondering if she has had a psychotic break or if Maximus somehow managed to survive the events of the second chapter. Regardless, this is not a character-driven graphic novel.

In a similar fashion, Inhuman Volume 2: Axis is entirely underwhelming as it lacks any larger thematic statement. The X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe has often been likened to an analogy for gays, Jews and others who have been treated as outsider and they tend to be written with a larger theme of acceptance and the importance of diversity. The Inhumans section of the Marvel Comics universe often seems to be similar, with the additional element of survivors. Most of the Inhumans - especially the NuHumans from Inhuman - were transformed into Inhumans by external forces, many without their consent, so they band together to survive the ravages of the outside world. Inhuman Volume 2: Axis lacks any sort of thematic unity or statement that would make its stories relevant in any metaphorical context.

All Inhuman Volume 2: Axis truly has going for it is the artwork and a mildly interesting play involving two unrelated Inhumans. One Inhuman generally embraces his humanity and life before his transformation, rejecting the name that he is given at New Attilan; by contrast one of the Inhumans finds some sense of belonging among the Inhumans and has to correct Reader about her new, true, name. That is a mildly interesting dichotomy.

It is, however, not nearly enough to save or recommend Inhuman Volume 2: Axis.

For other Marvel graphic novels, please check out my reviews of:
Secret Invasion
Daredevil: West-Case Scenario
She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct

3/10

For other Graphic Novel reviews, please check out my Graphic Novel Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Captain America Hijacks She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct!

The Good: Moments of concept and character
The Bad: Unremarkable artwork, Story has little to do with She-Hulk, Abrupt resolution
The Basics: Jennifer Walters resolves her cases after a brief, pointless adventure in She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct.


Recently, I picked up and read, She-Hulk: Law And Disorder (reviewed here!) and I was generally pleased with the new direction of She-Hulk's storyline. The general quality of that book was what encouraged me to pick up She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct. Unfortunately, She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct seems an odd combination of random and rushed. The afterward in the trade paperback anthology confirms what one reading of She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct suggests: writer Charles Soule was leaving the title after a year of writing She-Hulk and needed to wrap up his time on the book.

She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct reads like a book that was randomly going forth right before it abruptly comes into sharp focus. The book is comprised of three adventures that feature Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk and they continue the basic format from Law And Disorder with Jennifer Walters running her own law firm, using Hellcat for undercover work and employing Angie and her pet monkey as a paralegal.

Opening with Jennifer Walters witnessing a new form of miniaturization technology, She-Hulk and Hellcat are drawn into a case between two scientists feuding with one another about selling the miniaturization technology they have developed. One of the scientists has miniaturized himself in an attempt to keep their work from being sold by the other partner. Jennifer and Patsy track down Hank Pym and enlist his aid in recovering the missing inventor in an attempt to keep the unstable miniaturization technology from causing serious damage to other people!

Jennifer returns to the office to discover that Steve Rogers needs legal representation. He is being sued out in California for Wrongful Death thanks to a deathbed confession from someone who knew him ninety years ago. As Jennifer prepares the case, she is dismayed to discover that Captain America does not want to fight the case on a technicality. Instead, the legal team has to fight the case on its merits and as the case goes to trial, Walters discovers her adversary in the courtroom will be none other than Matt Murdock! Following the trip to California, the Blue File resurfaces and Walters, Hellcat, and Angie encounter a villain who altered the nature of reality, including She-Hulk's memory!

She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct is a very basic book without much in the way of genuine character development and little real spark. From the moment Steve Rogers appears in She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct, his case monopolizes the storyline and much of that section of the book is retelling stories set in the distant past and it kills what little momentum the book developed. As well, the Hank Pym story starts the book as a complete non-sequitor and Hank Pym and the gimmick of miniaturization dominate the book.

That said, despite the lack of character development in She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct, the volume ends well by revisiting the Blue File. The mystery behind the altered memories of various heroes interviewed in the prior book is revealed in a generally interesting way.

The best that can be said of the book's climax is "generally interesting" because of the artwork. The art in She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct is largely simplistic and the flow of the panels is awkward. The fight, for example, with Titania is laid out in an inorganic way and the artwork depicting the truth of the events in the Blue File is not of a quality that actually tells the story using both the language and visual mediums effectively.

The result is that She-Hulk: Disorderly Conduct feels like a collection of comic books more than a single, quality, anthologized story and it is one of the books that fans can afford to pass by.

For other She-Hulk books, please visit my reviews of:
The Sensational She-Hulk
Single Green Female
The Avengers: The Search For She-Hulk
Superhuman Law
Time Trials
Laws Of Attraction
She-Hulk: Planet Without A Hulk
Fall Of The Hulks: The Savage She-Hulks
Red She-Hulk, Volume 2: Route 616
Marvel Her-oes

3/10

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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About Average Set-Up: Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis Fails To Sell The Franchise!

The Good: General sense of ethics, Good coloring
The Bad: Erratic artwork, Uninteresting characters, Fairly banal plot
The Basics: In an effort to understand Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., I pick up Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis and find myself underwhelmed.


As I went through my latest viewing of the third season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., my wife turned to me and commented of the Inhumans on the show, "They're like Mutants from X-Men, right?" While that led to an abbreviated discussion of Marvel and its licensing rights for various franchises from the comic book series's, I was generally at a loss to describe the differences between Mutants and Inhumans, within the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, outside of what was in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. That inspired me to pick up some Inhumans graphic novels and in starting with Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis, it is very hard not to feel like The Inhumans truly is a cheap retread of X-Men.

After all, in Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis, there is a benevolent leader of the Inhumans (Medusa), who is set upon by a fanatic who believes he knows what is best for the Inhuman race (Lash) and they feel very similar to the movie versions of Charles Xavier and Magneto. Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis is essentially a rebuilding story as The Inhumans are brought into the Marvel Now! reboot and it acts as a new start which introduces several new characters, while feeling like it is a continuation of a much larger story.

Black Bolt was the King Of The Inhumans, working in his city in the sky, Attilan, when he set off a bomb of terrigen, setting off a cloud of Terrigen Mist that traveled over the Atlantic. As people in Europe start to transform as inert Inhuman genes within them are activated, many are hunted by Lash, an Inhuman who believes that the Terrigen bomb is creating far too many Inhumans. In the ruins of Attilan, in the Hudson River, Queen Medusa tries to offer safe haven to new Inhumans, including Dante, a young man whose power is to create and harness fire. Dante wants to save his pregnant sister, but needs training, which Gorgon (Medusa's loyal Inhuman follower) provides.

While Lash takes in a young man whose power seems to be to manipulate rock, Medusa launches an attack on Orrolan, the city where Lash is bringing his new Inhumans. Medusa rescues some of the new Inhumans and threatens Lash because it seems Black Bolt had a plan that required Inhumans to save the world. Shortly after Medusa makes New Attilan into a safe harbor for Inhumans, she is visited by The Unspoken, an Inhuman who was once king, who knows where there are more Terrigen crystals in the ruins and wants them in order to stage a coup!

Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis is a mix of (apparently) established characters like Medusa, Gorgon, and Lash, and the NuHumans - Dante, Jason and Naja - and the balance is hardly exceptional. Medusa's powers within the book are unclear - she has incredibly long hair that seems to be fire-resistant and able to move on its own (to do things like whip out windows) - and the limitations of characters like Gorgon and Lash are equally un-explicit within Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis. Their somewhat nebulous natures are contrasted by very clear skills for Dante (Inferno) and Naja (who looks very much like a flying squirrel). Medusa and Lash's philosophical differences do not seem exceptional - Lash's solution to the problem Black Bolt created is lethal, while Medusa's is based in compassion, but both seem to want Inhumans to be safe from humans.

The artwork in Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis is hardly great; few panels have a decent sense of movement to them and the fight scenes in the later chapters are particularly opaque. The characters are generally recognizable, which allows for several lazy panels that just feature outlines of Medusa in front of people she is speaking to with her hair wild behind her. Despite the erratic artwork, the coloring is homogeneously good throughout the book.

But Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis does not go far and, as a newcomer, it is hard to get invested in this particular corner of the Marvel Comics universe as none of the characters "pop" and the story's "beginning" is burdened with the weight of past events. The magnitude of those events and the characters involved has ramifications within Inhuman Volume 1: Genesis, but they fail to make the reader care about the past or future of the Inhumans.

For other Marvel graphic novels, please check out my reviews of:
Avengers Vs. X-Men: It's Coming
Daredevil: West-Case Scenario
She-Hulk: Law And Disorder

4/10

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Entertaining, But Not Enlightening: She-Hulk: Law And Disorder!

The Good: A fast read, Funny, Engaging characters
The Bad: Simplistic, Poor artwork for a big chunk of the book!
The Basics: She-Hulk: Law And Disorder is a fun comic book anthology, but it lacks the weight of genuine significance or complicated characters.


Both Marvel Comics and DC Comics have undergone reboots in the last few years, which has altered continuity of some of their major franchises. As a reader and reviewer, that has left me a bit wary of continuing with many of the beloved characters I've enjoyed from Marvel and DC. Still, with the latest Marvel Now! She-Hulk books suddenly coming my way, I figured it was worth it to check in on one of the Marvel characters I had devoted a year to. Ironically, with picking up and reading She-Hulk: Law And Disorder, I was treated to the Marvel Now! versions of two of my prior characters: She-Hulk and Daredevil!

Despite the reboots, She-Hulk: Law And Disorder depicts She-Hulk as remarkably unchanged by things like M-Day, changes to the Fantastic Four, and whatever other major events have recently befallen the Marvel Comic Book Universe continuity. She-Hulk tends to be a title that blends fun and humor with engaging stories, most of which blend super heroes and legal matters and She-Hulk: Law And Disorder maintains that trend.

Jennifer Walters has been working for the law firm of Paine & Luckberg for a year when she is called in for her annual evaluation. Expecting a big bonus based on her billable hours, she is shocked when she is hit with bad news of how the partners believe she is underperforming (based on her not bringing any business in from her super hero billionaire friends). Seeing her future at the firm limited, she quits, goes out to a lawyer bar and runs into a woman who has been hitting up every lawyer in the place, trying to get justice for her dead husband. Walters takes the case when she sees it is against Tony Stark and she thinks with a single conversation she can resolve the matter. Unfortunately for her, she is mired in a conflict with Stark's "Legal" (the representative of Stark's empire who is essentially a slimy lawyer who acts as a gatekeeper for Stark). When Jennifer gets evidence that Stark's people did steal her client's repulsor technology, she cuts a deal with Tony Stark and the resulting payment from her client allows her to open up shop in an undesireable part of Brooklyn that she can afford.

After hiring Angie, a strange woman with a monkey who seems to have the abilities of a Pusher, Jennifer goes out for a drink and runs into Patsy Walker (Hellcat), who is having a pretty bad go of things. Patsy gets drunk and she and Walters go out an knock over a little A.I.M. lab before Walters hires Patsy to be her private investigator for the firm. Soon, they have a case when Kristoff Vernard arrives and wants to defect from Latveria, where his father (Victor Von Doom) is forcing him to become the country's absolute ruler. Walters protects her client long enough to get him to a hearing, but then discovers that protecting him from Doctor Doom is a bigger task than just a legal matter. After that, Walters begins looking into the sole file she took with her from Paine & Luckberg; the blue file, which is a lawsuit in which she is named. When Walters, Angie, and Walker start looking into the content of the case, they uncover a bizarre mind-control trigger that leaves Walters questioning what has happened to her in the past and what has been removed from her memory!

Jennifer Walters remains a consistent character, regardless of the apparent reboot of other big events in the Marvel Comic Book Universe. She is a smart lawyer and her creativity with the law is shown a little bit in Law And Disorder. Beyond that, she is wry and delightfully sarcastic. Writer Charles Soule plays that well with Walters and makes her well-rounded between her professional and super-hero lives.

Soule also deserves a lot of credit for writing Angie so effectively. Without explicitly stating it in Law And Disorder, there is something seriously off about Angie. People do what she tells them to and the "pusher" aspect to her sets up an interesting potential for subsequent volumes. And the relationship between Angie and Hei Hei - her monkey - is just weird . . . in a good way.

The art in Law And Disorder is fine for a few of the chapters, but then degenerates quickly. The last two issues that are part of the anthology are absolute shit for lines and perspective. They look like one of my drawings and I once had a traveling art exhibition called "An Argument For A Novelist To Stick To Writing!" Even the quality of the coloring takes a dive in the latter part of the book, which is a severe disappointment, given how bold the colors are at the book's outset.

Ultimately, Law And Disorder is entertaining, but does not have an enduring quality to it. While Kristoff's section clearly makes a statement that even being forced to rule a country is inhibiting freedom, it is not the most powerful example of a human rights violation. The result is a volume that is entertaining at best.

For other She-Hulk books, please visit my reviews of:
The Sensational She-Hulk
Single Green Female
The Avengers: The Search For She-Hulk
Superhuman Law
Time Trials
Laws Of Attraction
She-Hulk: Planet Without A Hulk
Fall Of The Hulks: The Savage She-Hulks
Red She-Hulk, Volume 2: Route 616
Marvel Her-oes

6/10

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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