Scott's Take: Secret Warriors Vol. 1: Nick Fury, Agent of Nothing by Brian Michael Bendis and Jonathan Hickman

Secret Warriors Vol. 1: Nick Fury, Agent of Nothing by Brian Michael Bendis and Jonathan Hickman is the first volume in a series set after the comic book event Secret Invasion. This read follows Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors. The Secret Warriors are powered individuals that he recruited originally to fight the Skrulls. Nick Fury now has them in hiding after S.H.I.E.L.D was disbanded and publicly blamed for the Skrull invasion. S.H.I.E.L.D was replaced by HAMMER led by Norman Osborn aka the Green Goblin. Nick Fury knows that HYDRA infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D and is sure they have infiltrated HAMMER as well. So, Daisy Johnson aka Quake and others are being trained to take down HYDRA while trying to not get caught by HAMMER.

Featuring great art, the usual Hickman complicated graphs, and organization plans. HYDRA is a well-developed evil organization with multiple leaders. Nick Fury is his usual shady self while being a jerk to everyone one. He’s one of the good guys, but not one of the nice guys. This is a fun beginning to this series. I look forward to reading volume 2.

 

My reading copy came by way of the Libby/Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Scott's Take: Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington

Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington is a hunt to recover stolen loot. The Riddler has stolen a Faberge Egg on behalf of the immortal Vandal Savage. Batman’s quest to recover the egg from The Riddler and his allies will require Batman to enlist the help of Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and others. As part of his quest, he must uncover the secrets of the Faberge Egg and that means he has to learn more about the original owner, the legendary gunslinger, Jonah Hex. Batman will travel across space and time to places such as Thanagar, Dinosaur Island (an island full of dinosaurs that exists in the DC universe), Gorilla City (a city ruled by super advanced Gorillas), and more.

There is plenty of action, mystery, and humor to be found in this book. As Batman moves forward in his quest, Alfred makes various witty observations with his usual sarcasm. The artwork is very colorful and varied and is a visual treat to look at as one reads Batman Universe.

My one criticism about this book applies to everything Bendis writes is that he writes dialogue in his own unique way of talking. For example, Character 1 “What is?” Character 2 “Bendis speak?” Character 1 “Yes, tell me about Bendis speak.” Character 2 “Bendis speak is when one person talks in short clipped sentences…” Character 1 “With interruptions that are supposed to.” Character 2 “Normal conversations.” Character 1 “That People have in real…” Character 2 “Life.” This can make some of the dialogue clunky and unnatural sounding. Hopefully, I did a good job of explaining the way Bendis writes. His dialogue is not for everyone, but this is one of his better books dialogue wise.

If you are looking for a fun Batman book that does not require one to be up to date on the status quo of the current Batman books this is the one for you. Batman Universe by Brian Michael Bendis and Nick Derington is perfect for new readers as well as long term Batman readers. 

My reading copy came from the Grauwyler Park Branch of the Dallas Library System and was picked up thanks to “Curbside to Go.”

Scott A. Alexander ©2020

Scott's Take: Daredevil End of Days by Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack

Daredevil End of Days by Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack is a tale of a possible future in the Marvel Universe. The story is told from the perspective of reporter Ben Urich who is investigating the murder of Matt Murdoch aka Daredevil. That investigation by Ben Urich draws in many supporting characters of the Daredevil world such as friends Spiderman, the Punisher, Nick Fury as well as enemies such as the Kingpin, Bullseye, The Owl, Bullet and The Purple Man. Not only is the legacy of Daredevil as hero considered, so too is the private life and his romantic relationships with Elektra, Black Widow, Typhoid Mary, and others.  There is a lot of introspection in to the character of Daredevil and Matt Murdock on who he is. Why did he do what he did?

The Punisher has some great moments in the latter half of the book that I enjoyed a lot. Spiderman gets his moments and the villains have their moments too. Black Widow has a great moment that one cannot go into detail without ruining the main twist. Someone could easily write a sequel to this book based on that off camera moment that is referenced in the story.

There is a lot of action, violence, ninjas and it is a very good mystery. What happens flows well and makes a lot of sense for each of the characters. This is a very mature story with a lot of violent death so this is not for kids. Readers should keep in mind that Matt Murdock got around a lot so a lot of implied sex scenes and dialogue. The artwork is good if a little dark, but fits the story. 

People who are new to Daredevil could be confused on why some characters are important since a book like this really needs some kind of chart or biography of various characters to explain why they matter. This book is not very new reader friendly and needs a backstory explanation in regards to various characters.  It is a great story, but is not new reader friendly.  Strongly recommended to readers familiar with the Daredevil series. 

Daredevil End of Days

Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack

Marvel

https://www.marvel.com

July 2013

ISBN #978-0-7851-2420-7

Hardback (also available in digital format)

My review copy came from the Park Forest Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

Scott A. Tipple ©2019

Scott's Take: Superman Action Comics Vol 1: Invisible Mafia by Brian Michael Bendis

Superman Action Comics Vol 1: Invisible Mafia by Brian Michael Bendis is a spin off from the Man of Steel miniseries also by this author. Superman is dealing with the gossip at work about why is wife left while dealing with the fact someone is setting fires across Metropolis. This is the work of a new group of villains called the Invisible Mafia. Their plan had been to get away with stuff while working by not drawing attention.

Instead, they have been dropping bodies because of the actions of “Red Cloud.” She is a meta-human who is young, arrogant, and believes she is powerful and smart enough to hang with Superman. She thinks she can fight and beat Superman because she can turn into a red toxic cloud. She also now has the attention of Lex Luthor.

This means Red Cloud and her origination, Invisible Mafia, have the attention of the two powerful people of Metropolis. Before now, neither dealt with them because they never noticed and never cared about them. They now do. Instead of leaving town, they double down on the stupid and start covering up what they are doing. That just makes their situation worse.

In addition to the great artwork, there are a lot of little jokes throughout the story. One example is when as Superman investigates a crime; his clue is that a bad guy who is bald did it. Some he checks his multi-page catalog listing of bald bad guy villains and does so with this oh so serious look on his face. Another funny moment is when he is question one criminal who claims he barely knows the other criminal he is with. The other guy shouts out about how the two are cousins. 

A lot of new characters are introduced in this book and most of them will most likely be ignored by future writers because there just not that interesting and kind of stupid. One of the better parts of this story is Perry White, the Daily Planet Editor, who points out why people are stupid throughout the read. This is especially true in regards to the rumors the Invisible Mafia is trying to spread about Superman. They are pushing the story that Superman killed somebody though Superman has a perfect and very public alibi. At the time in question, Superman along with several other heroes, were fighting an alien invasion in Seattle and the whole deal was broadcast on live television. This was going on at the same time he supposedly was killing a low level criminal. Instead of killing Lex Luthor, Darkseid, Brainaic, and other powerful villians, he allegedly killed some random low level criminal. Yeah that makes sense… Lol.  

This story is a good place to start for new readers and is fairly enjoyable. Red Cloud has the ability to turn in to a toxic red cloud and she thinks she can beat Superman who is busy shattering asteroids and stops an alien invasion from space. She seriously over estimates her abilities. What does not work so well is the fact that Lois makes some questionable parenting decisions that Superman is very cool with for some reason. While I can’t go into it without giving spoilers, it is clear to this reader that she is a pretty bad parent.

Despite the flaws, Superman Action Comics Vol 1: Invisible Mafia by Brian Michael Bendis is a funny story with original villains and interesting plot. This Superman story is not the best, but it is enjoyable and fun.

Superman Action Comics Vol 1: Invisible Mafia  

Brian Michael Bendis

DC Comics

https://www.dccomics.com

April 2019

ISBN# 978-1-4012-8872-3

Hardback (also available in paperback and digital formats)

160 Pages  

$24.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System. My copy came from the Dallas Martin Luther King JR Branch.

Scott A. Tipple ©2019

Scott's Take: Superman Vol 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth by Brian Michael Bendis

Superman Vol 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth by Brian Michael Bendis is a spinoff from the miniseries Man of Steel. The main things one needs to know from Man of Steel are spoilers, but you need to know them before reading this book. One such deal is the fact that Lois and Superboy, aka Jonathan Kent, left with Jor-El, Superman’s father (who is now alive as he was brought back by a cosmic god to test Superman so that they would remain safe. Another is the fact that the miniseries introduced a new villain called Rogal Zar who was an alien that claimed he killed Krypton and everyone on it. Rogal Zar destroyed the Fortress of Solitude, destroyed Kandour killing everyone in it, and wanted to kill everyone on Earth. Ultimately Superman and Supergirl were able to defeat him by throwing him into the Phantom Zone.  Supergirl then left to investigate Rogal Zar’s claims and what really happened to Krypton. Superman sent Krypto along with her to protect her on her space trip. This leaves Superman alone on Earth and since the communication device he had to talk to Lois and the others was destroyed, he has no way to know if his family is safe or where they are. He is alone.

Superman Vol 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth helps establish the new status quo for Superman in that he misses his family and has to create a new headquarters to replace the Fortress of Solitude. He has to do that while dealing with problems that only he can handle. One such problem is that the Earth was thrown into the Phantom Zone and the people of Earth are being poisoned by the atmosphere of the Phantom Zone. The bigger problem is that Rogal Zar has taken control of the Phantom Zone which housed the worst criminal Krpyton ever faced. Now, Rogal Zar is marshalling them under his leadership and in intends to use them to kill everyone on Earth. Luckily Superman has help in the form of various members of The Justice League such as The Flash, Martian Manhunter, The Atom, and more.

Overall the action is impressive and the story is pretty good. There are scenes that struck me as funny though I am not sure they are actually intended to be funny. For example, the scene where Batman reports he is too busy throwing up from the poison air came across as funny to me.

At times the dialogue seems a little off. For example, in a scene where Superman confesses to his son that he has a love/ hate relationship with Batman, Superboy says that it is just like his relationship with Lois. There are two ways to take the scene depending on how you wish to read the dialogue. Clearly, one way would be to see it as that Superman likes Batman in a romantic way and Superboy is asking his Dad if he is gay. I don’t think the writer intended that, but the way the dialogue is written, one could easily come up with that belief.

Bendis has a good understanding of Superman, however I still don’t think Rogal Zar is that great of a new villain for Superman’s Rogues Gallery. The author tries to hype him up. This is especially true in regards to how strong and smart he is and yet the grand attack plan is to lead a cavalry of flying charging monsters at the Earth while Superman stands in front of the charge. Rogal Zar is supposed to be considered stronger than almost any foe Superman has faced, but considering what Superman has faced in the past, it is hard to understand why he would be scared of Rogal Zar. It is also hard to understand why Superman tries to be merciful to him throughout it all despite the fact that Rogal Zar has threatened to kill his son and wife. In the previous stories where Superman’s family has been threatened, Superman has not responded this gently. The fact that Superman bends over backward to be merciful somewhat diminishes the idea that Rogal Zar is a match for him.

Despite these flaws, Superman Vol 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth by Brian Michael Bendis is enjoyable and a good place to start reading Superman. One should probably read Man of Steel first, but one could start here easily enough.

Superman Vol 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth

Brian Michael Bendis

DC Comics

https://www.dccomics.com

March 2019

ISBN# 978-1-4012-8819-8

Hardback (also available in paperback and digital formats)

168 Pages  

$24.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System. My copy came from the Dallas West Branch.

Scott A. Tipple ©2019