That’s true followers on Wednesday, meaning it’s time for another edition of Marvel’s Rundown. Again, the Beat writers team will be looking at this week’s Marvel Book release. In our main review, we’ll be looking at Daredevil: A Cold Day in Hell: A Cold Day Marvel Story by Charles Saul and Steve McNiven. Plus, check out Miles Morales, Spider-Man, The Immortal Thor and X-Men for this week’s Rapid Rundown!
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Art by Steve McNiven
Daredevil: A Cold Day in Hell #1
Author: Charles Saul
Co-writer/artist: Steve McNiven
Letter: VC’s Claytown Cowles
A few years ago, a complete blip on the comic’s social media “controversy” and people on the internet were pissed off by artist Steve McNiven. McNiven posted Wolverine as weapon X-art that captured the appearance of the legendary author and artist Barry Windsor-Smith, the legendary writer and artist behind that legendary story. For some reason, some people became MacNen Drew, who was upset in the style of Windsor Smith, and accused him of torn him up. But those who actually see those images are those who understand that McNiven clearly respects one of Comic’s great artists, while clearly his work, and two dear Lords who knew that Steve McNiven could paint like Barry Windsor-Smith,
Since then, McNiven has continued his quest for this style. He completed the story with Conan One Shot, seeking the appearance of the Windsor-Smith Conan Story. He made a series of covers on Moon Night in honor of various 90’s artists, including Todd McFarlane, Jer Lee and of course Stephen Pratt. Seeing McNiven from a hyperrealist he was in a book like the Civil War, the stylistic copycat he has been around for recently is the artist’s exciting development. He is incredible feet when he sees him get lost while he explores the work of other artists.
Art by Steve McNiven
Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell In Hell is a book that McNiven co-authored and fully artistic duties with his former Darvdevil Scribe Charles Soule. No one will be surprised, but this is clearly a homage to MacNen’s Frank Miller. Yes, this can be read as Daredevil, the equivalent of Miller’s Landmark Batman story. The Dark Knight is back. The helpless Matt Murdoch runs the soup kitchen and a refugee shelter. The Kingpin is dead. There was a massive war that was torn apart in New York. Heroes are not seen anywhere.
But this, like McNiven’s other visual homage, is a love letter to the creator, and clearly means something big for him. Like its landmark work, Daredevil: The Cold Days of Hell works as a showcase for the artist’s considerable skills. Buck Matter helps the authors Soule and MacNien decide to become the complete Marvel way of the book. Especially among superhero books at Marvel, writers rarely give his artistic and storytelling collaborators complete artistic freedom. That soule is generous enough, trusting mcniven to deliver the goods and speaking a lot about them as a collaborator.
Art by Steve McNiven
Therefore, McNiven accepts some of Miller’s storytelling ticks here. He uses the flexibility that 16 panel page layouts give him. He knows when to be crazy (there are some really impressive action sequences in this), get quiet (the gloomy opening page), and when to go for maximum impact. When Matt Murdoch regains his powers astounding, he visually communicates (beautifully supported by Clayton Cowles lettering). Here are layout and storytelling commands that other Marvel artists really should study.
Art by Steve McNiven
Daredevil: A Cold Day in Hell features perhaps the best visuals of Steve McNiven’s career. Dean White deals with colours on two issues, but McNiven deals with all his artistic duties here. The book features several extraordinary characters, from Matt Murdoch’s frail moves on the opening page to the way the characters bounce around the page after regaining their power. It’s a bit surprising that he won’t try to emulate Miller’s first Daredevil run with the collaboration inker Klaus Jansson. Its beautiful ink, delicate feather weight lines, thick brush strokes and endless negative space do not fit the story he tells in this opening issue, at least until its final page. Instead, he is looking for visuals with more inspiration from two other mirror works. Ligne Claire from Europe meets the Japanese slash burn line of exquisite color palettes by Ronin and Lynn Varley at Elektra Lives. The result is one of the most visually impressive and confident manga Marvel has released.
Art by Steve McNiven
Daredevil: A Cold Day in Hell #1 is Steve McNen’s Artist Showcase. Marvel has certainly done some alternative future books for them over the past few years, but this certainly ranks as one of the best or at least the most memorable. This may be the best job of his career. If there are cases where a company should go back to the old Marvel way with trusted artists, then this is it.
Verdict: Purchase
A quick rundown!
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32 Mile went to Wakanda to find his vampire cure and came back as Spider God Anansi avatar wasn’t on my bingo card, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the direction that writer Cody Ziggler has our young web sling. Little by little, Ziglar is a few more miles away from the other man’s trajectory, supporting his issues, cast, Rogues gallery, and building a relationship with how he moves in the Greater Marvel Universe. And now, in this new God’s war arc, Miles finds himself in the midst of war, older than human civilization, as the war god of Olympia has come for Anansi. Ares forced to join two individuals in the war with Anansi and his avatar, but Anansi spun his web of stories to bring the godly Avengers Thor and Hercules to the avatar’s help. In the artwork that looks like a fast animation cell, the bright color palette of artist Marco Renna and color artist Brian Valenza jumps out of the page, emitting the energy to find a way to be young and edgy like Team Anansi and Team Ares Square’s young heroes. – GC3
Immortal Thor #22 After a hot start, I’m slowly cooling down with Immortal Thor, the ongoing Marvel Epic of writer Al Ewing. The book lost steam after the original artist left. Jan Bazaldua, who took over as the artist of the series, isn’t bad, but his scratchy style and thick face are not quite suitable for Ewing’s grand tone of words. Still, the thrust of the story was fascinating. Especially the last two issues when Ewing enters his endgame. Issue 22 is a fun, interactive story that invites readers to play together and get lost in endless interactions where Thor and his companions find themselves trapped in themselves. It took me a while to wrap my head around the storytelling gimmicks at the heart of the premise of the problem, but once I did it, I was constantly flipping over to not wanting to cheate my path, although I was frustrated by my destiny. The gimmick is certainly that, but it’s interesting, hammering the motif of the wheel of life and death, a never-ending cycle at the heart of Ewing’s entire run. It makes us feel frustrated and despair that Thor has been caught up in. Bazarudua’s art is clean and easy to read. The highlight is how she renders an endless staircase and Labyrinthin claustrophobic Mc Escher-style background. Matt Hollingsworth does color, and they are sick, faded greens that take life from the page as characters step in between things like life and death. Joe Sabino’s lettering is the key to keeping the sloop lines of different stories together. It’s fun to see how writers and artists attract individual pages while inviting us to a bigger story. Ewing plays with the boundaries between storytellers and those who are told the story, and the meaning created between the interactions from the beginning brings it to your mind. Whether the superstar artist on his side or not, you should not bet on Al-Ewing from Superhero Comic Chop. Immortal Thor found the voice again. – Tr
X-Men #14 X-Manhunt is over and the team is fine. In fact, little mention of the recent crossover that has promised to change everything about the X-Men. That’s strange. It’s like the crossover was in a hurry to fit Hickman’s Imperial plan. Anyway, X-Men #14 is the next chapter in the overall 3K arc that has been built since the release of the series by author Jed Mackay. It also features the return of the series’ primary penciler Ryan Stegman. This issue feels like you’re setting something big. The issue begins with a search for Pipercob who has disappeared in the Alaska wilderness. However, it soon becomes clear that something is ongoing as 3K is running the X-Men. Mackay’s writing here rises on this occasion. I’m beginning to feel like there’s a real reward for plot threads laid out to this point. It’s great to see Stegman return to the book, but there are moments of rigidity in the character model, Cyclops. This may come from the fact that Stegman isn’t the only one who appears in the question. He does a great job with JP Mayer enough, but the two Ink guys give this book a little more chunky look. The layout and actions are still well structured and look great. Not as good as you would expect from Stegman. It should also be noted that this issue introduces the new X-Villain, Wyre. So, um, important issue alerts. His designs are interesting and the scene is intended to be a big, flashy show, but he looks like Sabertooth, with more junk to him. It obscures the power to reveal. Who knows, maybe we bring home the Sabertooth clone? Either way, the X-Men #14 is a solid start to a new arc that promises to pay for this 3K arc. I recommend checking out, especially for X-Men fans. -jj
Go back next week, seek out other reviews, look at the archives and read past reviews from the Rundown team!
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