Which brings me to my personal flagship title, Daredevil. Alas, I'm pretty bored with the story and art, which to me reads like a low-end Chichester tale from the '90s. I think the sidekick could be interesting but there's little in the first three issues to make me care one way or the other.. and also, three issues in I think it's time for a few answers to be delivered- where's Kirsten, why are we back in NY, how's the identity back in the bag (it seems Secret Wars didn't put it there..). Soule has done work I've liked, so I'm hoping this improves.
Still reading Soule's Daredevil? I'm beginning to think Soule has demoted Daredevil back to D-list character with this first Tenfinger arc. What a laughable villain. Are they not going to explain how everyone forgot Daredevil's identity? Are we going to actually see Murdock performing DA prosecutor duties? Where is Foggy? Where is Matt's personal life? His social circle?
And does Ron Garney not know how guns work? Why would a six-shooter (revolver) need ten triggers?
The editor and Soule seem to be phoning this in. Waid and Samnee are sorely missed.
Yes, I am, and yes, it's depressing. And yes, I stick to my "low-end Chichester" comparison.
I'm not missing Waid- for the record, his lows on the title were pretty bad IMO and in the end not even Samnee could save him. The end of his run was pretty poor. Waid had some good arcs- but that's just my take on it. But Soule has been so much better than this. Tenfingers is the most boring villain I've seen in any comic in some time.
I'll quote myself, from what I posted on another board, because- Tenfingers just doesn't deserve the energy from me to paraphrase my thoughts on him.
There were no stakes given to the reader as to what he was doing, what his motivations may be, his congregation was totally undeveloped so I had no reason to care about their being in danger due to following Tenfingers. The Blindspot subplot with his mother, etc.- again, we didn't get enough background on him to care that he essentially lost his mom to Tenfingers. Someone pointed out that she could be a cool villain- I agree. Way more compelling than Tenfingers, for sure. But it wouldn't take much.
Piled upon all of that, the ten trigger gun didn't help. I might have thought it amusing if I was in any way interested in TF.
It would be OK to draw out the ongoing mysteries that you mentioned, if we had something interesting to hook us in this arc. We did not.
Call me a blind fanboy, but it HAS to get better from here. Again, Soule is better than this.. right???!?
Call me a blind fanboy, but it HAS to get better from here. Again, Soule is better than this.. right???!?
I was excited with Soule's legal background that he would impress even more than he did on She-Hulk, but I don't think he's found the voice yet and we're 5 issues in.
Could it be that Marvel is stretching Soule thin? Isn't he currently writing Civil War, All-New Inhumans, Obi-Wan & Anakin, and Poe Dameron, in addition to Daredevil? (Not to mention Letter 44 from Oni).
Hard to tell, but on paper it sure seems like a full dance card. He is writing Uncanny Inhumans too.
I really liked his She-Hulk run too, and I remember he said in interviews how much of a DD fan he was even back then, when he had DD appear in the Shulkie title.
Hard to tell, but on paper it sure seems like a full dance card. He is writing Uncanny Inhumans too.
I really liked his She-Hulk run too, and I remember he said in interviews how much of a DD fan he was even back then, when he had DD appear in the Shulkie title.
Yes, you're right. Too bad this has been such a misfire.
Waid and the artists he worked with made me a Daredevil fan. Soule unmade me one in a single issue. But I'm looking forward to becoming a Black Widow fan now.
I definitely expected more after that She-Hulk run.
I'm not current on Daredevil, but is there a chance, given that all the MU books took an 8 months later (or whatever amount of time it was) jump from before Secret Wars to after, that the story of what put public identity back in the bottle (again) happened during that time gap, and will later be explained?
I feel like several books I am reading are playing that same game that DC's One Year Later did-- that you meet a new, changed status quo, but it isn't until the second story arc or so that those changes get explained. (For example, something big happened with Cyclops and the Inhumans during the gap time. The first few issues of different current X-titles I have read put out there that something happened, but haven't said how yet). Again, I am not reading DD at the moment, but I wonder whether they want you to have that 'Hey, how did...' question about the secret identity being back, and they will later tell the story that explains it?
I am not reading DD at the moment, but I wonder whether they want you to have that 'Hey, how did...' question about the secret identity being back, and they will later tell the story that explains it?
I believe they should have begun with a more engaging and compelling storyline to keep readers around. I'm not sticking with this title.
I'm not current on Daredevil, but is there a chance, given that all the MU books took an 8 months later (or whatever amount of time it was) jump from before Secret Wars to after, that the story of what put public identity back in the bottle (again) happened during that time gap, and will later be explained?
I feel like several books I am reading are playing that same game that DC's One Year Later did-- that you meet a new, changed status quo, but it isn't until the second story arc or so that those changes get explained. (For example, something big happened with Cyclops and the Inhumans during the gap time. The first few issues of different current X-titles I have read put out there that something happened, but haven't said how yet). Again, I am not reading DD at the moment, but I wonder whether they want you to have that 'Hey, how did...' question about the secret identity being back, and they will later tell the story that explains it?
You may very well be correct, but in my opinion, the omissions of any answers to these questions in DD would not be so glaring had the first arc not been a misfire. Dangling plot threads and ongoing mysteries can be great to ramp things up in a book, but if the main plot isn't compelling, then IMO it becomes a problem. Essentially the things that HAVEN'T been told in the ANAD DD are more compelling to readers than what HAS been told.
For example, I'm reading Doctor Strange and loving it.. I don't have any clue as to how Strange is alive after what happened to him in Secret Wars. And it's OK to me for that to be revealed in due time. The book so far has been awesome.
I'm not current on Daredevil, but is there a chance, given that all the MU books took an 8 months later (or whatever amount of time it was) jump from before Secret Wars to after, that the story of what put public identity back in the bottle (again) happened during that time gap, and will later be explained?
I feel like several books I am reading are playing that same game that DC's One Year Later did-- that you meet a new, changed status quo, but it isn't until the second story arc or so that those changes get explained. (For example, something big happened with Cyclops and the Inhumans during the gap time. The first few issues of different current X-titles I have read put out there that something happened, but haven't said how yet). Again, I am not reading DD at the moment, but I wonder whether they want you to have that 'Hey, how did...' question about the secret identity being back, and they will later tell the story that explains it?
You may very well be correct, but in my opinion, the omissions of any answers to these questions in DD would not be so glaring had the first arc not been a misfire. Dangling plot threads and ongoing mysteries can be great to ramp things up in a book, but if the main plot isn't compelling, then IMO it becomes a problem. Essentially the things that HAVEN'T been told in the ANAD DD are more compelling to readers than what HAS been told.
For example, I'm reading Doctor Strange and loving it.. I don't have any clue as to how Strange is alive after what happened to him in Secret Wars. And it's OK to me for that to be revealed in due time. The book so far has been awesome.
I get what you're saying. And I am not reading it, so I can't speak to quality. And of course, ultimately, no choice works if the execution is not good. I was only bringing up the time gap to say that there are a number of post-SW books playing with big status quo changes during the time gap, so it is not like they forgot or were going to never explain or justify the changes. But, again, saying there is precedent for that choice is not the same as saying it is working for you as a reader.
I get what you're saying. And I am not reading it, so I can't speak to quality. And of course, ultimately, no choice works if the execution is not good. I was only bringing up the time gap to say that there are a number of post-SW books playing with big status quo changes during the time gap, so it is not like they forgot or were going to never explain or justify the changes. But, again, saying there is precedent for that choice is not the same as saying it is working for you as a reader.
Sure- I always thought (and still do think) that everything will be explained at some point. And I can think of other titles that suspended a mystery after a time jump or status quo change, where things worked well. But all of those titles offered up some sizzle in the "here and now" main plot too, revealing interesting things about the status quo on the way to eventually revealing the answers to ongoing mysteries.
So we'll see what happens here, I'm continuing on with DD as he's my favorite character.. Yes, it's bad, but not yet approaching the worst I've seen over the years- the last time I actually dropped the book was in the 90s. Since then, it has never been bad for very long. If Soule gets things going, great, if not, Marvel will just relaunch anyway.
I don’t think DD is bad really, just boring. I was going to give it till the end of the first arc, but there are so many other Marvel books (much less non-Marvel books) coming out I find much more entertaining, I dropped it after issue #4.
On the other hand, I just read Vision #6 last night, and it's the polar opposite of DD. Rather than a boring book with lots of big fights, it's a completely engaging book despite having had only one extremely short fight.
Black Panther is off to a great start. There are no wow! moments, but the first issue was good, solid storytelling and smoothly laid the foundation for the series to build on. Despite the number of plot elements and new characters being introduced, it didn’t feel choppy or rushed. This looks to be a very interesting series.
I just finished issue one, and I'm in the same boat. It seems interesting and smart. I'll stick with it for a while in digital.
Black Panther is off to a great start. There are no wow! moments, but the first issue was good, solid storytelling and smoothly laid the foundation for the series to build on. Despite the number of plot elements and new characters being introduced, it didn’t feel choppy or rushed. This looks to be a very interesting series.
I just finished issue one, and I'm in the same boat. It seems interesting and smart. I'll stick with it for a while in digital.
Lots and lots of EXPOSITION... Hopefully it will be more refined by the second arc, but for a first issue, well, nothing happened. A first issue's number one job is to grab readers, and this one did not do that, for me.
Black Panther is off to a great start. There are no wow! moments, but the first issue was good, solid storytelling and smoothly laid the foundation for the series to build on. Despite the number of plot elements and new characters being introduced, it didn’t feel choppy or rushed. This looks to be a very interesting series.
I just finished issue one, and I'm in the same boat. It seems interesting and smart. I'll stick with it for a while in digital.
Lots and lots of EXPOSITION... Hopefully it will be more refined by the second arc, but for a first issue, well, nothing happened. A first issue's number one job is to grab readers, and this one did not do that, for me.
If I hadn't been on board with Priest's Black Panther, I probably would be out. Coates Panther seems to be the same character & world as the 1998 series. Hopefully the action will fire up and the near Shooter Era level of exposition will be cut back.
I'm hopeful We might actually get a good Panther book for the first time in decade of solidly mediocre to bad series. It's been a while since I've felt this way.
Black Panther is off to a great start. There are no wow! moments, but the first issue was good, solid storytelling and smoothly laid the foundation for the series to build on. Despite the number of plot elements and new characters being introduced, it didn’t feel choppy or rushed. This looks to be a very interesting series.
I just finished issue one, and I'm in the same boat. It seems interesting and smart. I'll stick with it for a while in digital.
Lots and lots of EXPOSITION... Hopefully it will be more refined by the second arc, but for a first issue, well, nothing happened. A first issue's number one job is to grab readers, and this one did not do that, for me.
If I hadn't been on board with Priest's Black Panther, I probably would be out. Coates Panther seems to be the same character & world as the 1998 series. Hopefully the action will fire up and the near Shooter Era level of exposition will be cut back.
I'm hopeful We might actually get a good Panther book for the first time in decade of solidly mediocre to bad series. It's been a while since I've felt this way.
Well, I look at the sales numbers, and I hear the anecdotes from shops, and I think it's safe to say that there are a lot of new-to-comics, or at least not-overly-familiar-with-comics readers who bought this first issue, mainly based on Coates’ name. I think this issue was specifically written with those people in mind to introduce them to all the major players, the basic state of affairs of Wakanda, and the tone of the series going forward. Maybe it wasn’t the best way to grab those readers, maybe it was—it probably will vary from reader to reader. Either way, I hope those readers stick around a while. I know I will.
Yep. We need a good Black Panther book and I'm sure Coates will improve as a comic book writer since he's an award-winning author. The creative team's pedigree seems tailor-made for this character, so it's understandable why people want to give this comic the benefit of the doubt. In a way, it also represents the ongoing effort to include characters and creators in Marvel’s universe who aren't the same old white guys.
But in spite of the fact that Black Panther #1 received a lot of pre-sale hype and deals with serious topics of race, feminism, and sexual diversity, I don't think most fans buy comic books for the politics or political correctness. I actually doubt many comic fans really care who writes or draws the funny books as long as the story and art are engaging. And for me, a five-dollar super hero comic should be engaging, and fun - not mediocre.
While first issue sales numbers at Marvel aren't always solid indicators of long term performance, Coates and Stelfreeze still have ten more issues to bring it to a crescendo and stick the landing. I'm guessing they want this book to be important, so maybe the steady approach is the right approach. In the meantime, I'll probably wait for the trade on this one and hope it improves. Glad you guys enjoyed it.
...I don't think most fans buy comic books for the politics or political correctness. I actually doubt many comic fans really care who writes or draws the funny books as long as the story and art are engaging.
For the typical comic book fans of DC and Marvel, this is absolutely correct. But the new readers Coates is drawing in are being drawn in because of him, and I think most of them are expecting politics to be part of the storyline. Actually, I think politics is the wrong word to use here, and political correctness definitely is the wrong term (and is a term that has taken on negative connotations that frankly would belittle Coates’ work). They (and I) are expecting a socially conscious book. And I believe, given the plot threads set up in this first issue, that the excitement level will escalate pretty quickly, and we'll hopefully get a ripping good yarn that you'll wish you had stuck with. And at the very least we'll have some beautful Stelfreeze artwork to goggle over.
Al Ewing has really picked up the post-Secret Wars ball and ran with it in Ultimates, New Avengers and Contest of Champions. This week's Ultimates is the most direct follow up to the end of Secret Wars yet, as cosmic level characters ponder the nature of the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe.
So we get to issue #2 and I'm wondering if this book could use an audience surrogate. T’Challa has somewhat of a distancing persona, add-in the central Africa setting which distances the story a bit further and it's still not doing much for me.
And if not an audience surrogate, maybe bring in some familiar villains from the Marvel U?
So we get to issue #2 and I'm wondering if this book could use an audience surrogate. T’Challa has somewhat of a distancing persona, add-in the central Africa setting which distances the story a bit further and it's still not doing much for me.
And if not an audience surrogate, maybe bring in some familiar villains from the Marvel U?
No and No. It's a great comic as is. The setting, politics and deft handling of multiple characters' plotlines set it apart from the crowd.
So we get to issue #2 and I'm wondering if this book could use an audience surrogate. T’Challa has somewhat of a distancing persona, add-in the central Africa setting which distances the story a bit further and it's still not doing much for me.
And if not an audience surrogate, maybe bring in some familiar villains from the Marvel U?
No and No. It's a great comic as is. The setting, politics and deft handling of multiple characters' plotlines set it apart from the crowd.
I'm speaking for myself, so yeah, that's my take. It's clearly being written with the trade in mind, but I'm just not interested in a story of political intrigue. Your mileage may vary but T'Challa has always seemed very distant in his persona. Not connecting with me.
So we get to issue #2 and I'm wondering if this book could use an audience surrogate. T’Challa has somewhat of a distancing persona, add-in the central Africa setting which distances the story a bit further and it's still not doing much for me.
And if not an audience surrogate, maybe bring in some familiar villains from the Marvel U?
No and No. It's a great comic as is. The setting, politics and deft handling of multiple characters' plotlines set it apart from the crowd.
I'm speaking for myself, so yeah, that's my take. It's clearly being written with the trade in mind, but I'm just not interested in a story of political intrigue. Your mileage may vary but T'Challa has always seemed very distant in his persona. Not connecting with me.
Always felt that way about T'Challa. Not every character is for everyone, no matter how well they are written.
Just wrapped up the latest issue, and final instalment of the story arc for the new Power Man & Iron Fist title. When I got to the last page of the book, I was relieved to see there will be a next issue. I was on the fence about picking this up when it was released... so glad I did.
I'm sick to my stomach over what Nick Spencer is doing to Steve Rogers (Captain America). Of course, he may have forgotten that the character was created by two Jewish men during WW2.
So before you read Captain America #1, it will help to forget that this scrawny kid, moved to Brooklyn, joined the Army, fought Nazis, turned down being the President, killed Red Skull 9 times, and spent 20 years in Dimension Z fighting Zola's Hydra-based creations, because...
None of that matters anymore.. Then again, this IS comic books, so who knows what final page reveals actually mean or how long-lasting the repercussions are, but after blaming Hydra recruitment on high-unemployment, Spencer has proven he isn't beyond using Cap to play politics. We'll see.
I'm sick to my stomach over what Nick Spencer is doing to Steve Rogers (Captain America). Of course, he may have forgotten that the character was created by two Jewish men during WW2.
So before you read Captain America #1, it will help to forget that this scrawny kid, moved to Brooklyn, joined the Army, fought Nazis, turned down being the President, killed Red Skull 9 times, and spent 20 years in Dimension Z fighting Zola's Hydra-based creations, because...
None of that matters anymore.. Then again, this IS comic books, so who knows what final page reveals actually mean or how long-lasting the repercussions are, but after blaming Hydra recruitment on high-unemployment, Spencer has proven he isn't beyond using Cap to play politics. We'll see.
I haven't gotten my copy, but only ordered issue #1. Sounds like that's a good thing. I really have no interest when creators use their political views in their works; whether I agree or not.
Comments
He could solve the whole thing with a cut away diagram explaining how they work ;)
I'm not missing Waid- for the record, his lows on the title were pretty bad IMO and in the end not even Samnee could save him. The end of his run was pretty poor. Waid had some good arcs- but that's just my take on it. But Soule has been so much better than this. Tenfingers is the most boring villain I've seen in any comic in some time.
I'll quote myself, from what I posted on another board, because- Tenfingers just doesn't deserve the energy from me to paraphrase my thoughts on him.
There were no stakes given to the reader as to what he was doing, what his motivations may be, his congregation was totally undeveloped so I had no reason to care about their being in danger due to following Tenfingers. The Blindspot subplot with his mother, etc.- again, we didn't get enough background on him to care that he essentially lost his mom to Tenfingers. Someone pointed out that she could be a cool villain- I agree. Way more compelling than Tenfingers, for sure. But it wouldn't take much.
Piled upon all of that, the ten trigger gun didn't help. I might have thought it amusing if I was in any way interested in TF.
It would be OK to draw out the ongoing mysteries that you mentioned, if we had something interesting to hook us in this arc. We did not.
Call me a blind fanboy, but it HAS to get better from here. Again, Soule is better than this.. right???!?
Could it be that Marvel is stretching Soule thin? Isn't he currently writing Civil War, All-New Inhumans, Obi-Wan & Anakin, and Poe Dameron, in addition to Daredevil? (Not to mention Letter 44 from Oni).
I really liked his She-Hulk run too, and I remember he said in interviews how much of a DD fan he was even back then, when he had DD appear in the Shulkie title.
I definitely expected more after that She-Hulk run.
This actually, apparently, changed nothing.
I feel like several books I am reading are playing that same game that DC's One Year Later did-- that you meet a new, changed status quo, but it isn't until the second story arc or so that those changes get explained. (For example, something big happened with Cyclops and the Inhumans during the gap time. The first few issues of different current X-titles I have read put out there that something happened, but haven't said how yet). Again, I am not reading DD at the moment, but I wonder whether they want you to have that 'Hey, how did...' question about the secret identity being back, and they will later tell the story that explains it?
For example, I'm reading Doctor Strange and loving it.. I don't have any clue as to how Strange is alive after what happened to him in Secret Wars. And it's OK to me for that to be revealed in due time. The book so far has been awesome.
So we'll see what happens here, I'm continuing on with DD as he's my favorite character.. Yes, it's bad, but not yet approaching the worst I've seen over the years- the last time I actually dropped the book was in the 90s. Since then, it has never been bad for very long. If Soule gets things going, great, if not, Marvel will just relaunch anyway.
On the other hand, I just read Vision #6 last night, and it's the polar opposite of DD. Rather than a boring book with lots of big fights, it's a completely engaging book despite having had only one extremely short fight.
I'm hopeful We might actually get a good Panther book for the first time in decade of solidly mediocre to bad series. It's been a while since I've felt this way.
But in spite of the fact that Black Panther #1 received a lot of pre-sale hype and deals with serious topics of race, feminism, and sexual diversity, I don't think most fans buy comic books for the politics or political correctness. I actually doubt many comic fans really care who writes or draws the funny books as long as the story and art are engaging. And for me, a five-dollar super hero comic should be engaging, and fun - not mediocre.
While first issue sales numbers at Marvel aren't always solid indicators of long term performance, Coates and Stelfreeze still have ten more issues to bring it to a crescendo and stick the landing. I'm guessing they want this book to be important, so maybe the steady approach is the right approach. In the meantime, I'll probably wait for the trade on this one and hope it improves. Glad you guys enjoyed it.
Borrow.
And if not an audience surrogate, maybe bring in some familiar villains from the Marvel U?
I was on the fence about picking this up when it was released... so glad I did.
So before you read Captain America #1, it will help to forget that this scrawny kid, moved to Brooklyn, joined the Army, fought Nazis, turned down being the President, killed Red Skull 9 times, and spent 20 years in Dimension Z fighting Zola's Hydra-based creations, because...
None of that matters anymore.. Then again, this IS comic books, so who knows what final page reveals actually mean or how long-lasting the repercussions are, but after blaming Hydra recruitment on high-unemployment, Spencer has proven he isn't beyond using Cap to play politics. We'll see.
M