GHOST WRITES

Tag: daredevil

  • Amalgam-Tober Day 6: The Knight Without Fear

    Amalgam-Tober Day 6: The Knight Without Fear

    I made a promise to myself when I started this project that I’d try to include as many “new” characters as possible in these amalgams. I wanted to focus on those that didn’t even exist yet when the original Amalgam Universe was born. What I didn’t realize was that I was going to include characters this new. But after reading the freshly released “One Cold Day In Hell” by Charles Soule and Steve Mcniven, the inspiration was hard to ignore. 

    I have been really struggling with Amalgamizing (is that a word? It is now!) Batman and Daredevil. The two just belong together, they just… fit. They are pieces of the same puzzle. You’ve probably seen the many posts comparing the two and how they should swap names since bats are blind and use echo location similar to Daredevil and Batman is just a guy jumping around rooftops so he should be a Daredevil yadda yadda yadda – and no matter how baseline that idea might be, it is kind of fun to explore. But it all just felt a little too obvious. I needed an angle, and after reading “One Cold Day In Hell”, I had my angle.

    “CDIH” – as I will now be referring to it as – is a Dark Knight Returns pastiche. The old hero returns for a final outing, inspiring the next generation alongside a young girl. There is obviously more to either story but it boils down to the same thing and both books do it very well. So, as an homage to an homage, I pushed together two of the most iconic pieces of Frank Miller imagery and Steve McNiven’s tweaked Daredevil design and created today’s AmalgamTober entry.

    I started off the design with a much more frail looking figure akin to Matt’s appearance in “CDIH” but quickly realized that I was just drawing Daredevil with a bat on his chest. Thus I switched to that more bulky and square Old Man Bruce design, it needed an extra element to drive home that this is Matt and Bruce together and not just a weird Daredevil design. An unintentional comparison that this color scheme and design evokes is that of the original Batman designs drawn up by Bob Kane, who shared a similar red suit and big belt. Now I’m not a big fan of Bob Kane, so don’t take this as an endorsement, but I did sort of lean into it as a fun nod.

    Finally I also added the blindfold around his eyes. I always enjoy a Daredevil design that forgoes the eyes on his helmet, it adds to the whole blind justice angle that makes the character interesting as well as making him just generally stand out among his many, MANY, peers. It adds a level of fluidity to the piece that I like, not to mention that I couldn’t get the angle of the eyes right and just kind of gave up!

    I hope you enjoy today’s piece and I hope you check out “Daredevil: Cold Day In Hell” – which I assume will be collected early next year in trade?

  • Brand New Day Could be Adapting The Craziest Punisher Story Ever

    Brand New Day Could be Adapting The Craziest Punisher Story Ever

    After many months of delays, rewrites and speculations it seems that “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is finally starting production, and with it a load of new theories about what this fourth solo-Spidey film could entail. Even though more and more set photos leak, castings are announced and Twitter leakers continue to flap their gums, the story of the MCU’s latest Spider-Man film is not becoming any clearer. So far we know shockingly little about the film besides some official casting (which have quite frankly only made this entire thing more confusing) and unofficial rumors. Truly one of the only things we know for sure is the inclusion of Frank Castle, who will be starring alongside Peter Parker in this adventure, though to what his role in the story may be remains to be seen. Yet, what if I said I had an idea – a theory that, though based on set pictures and credible rumors, seems so implausibly plausible that I couldn’t even decide if I should keep it to myself or not. A theory that, if true, could create one of the most controversial takes on these characters we’ve ever seen. Let me explain.

    This theory popped into my head like lightning. I was scrolling on Twitter reading about the leaks that were happening because of the beginning of “Brand New Day’s” shoot when the idea just appeared – it hit me like a truck… or a tank. See there had been a picture taken of this big tank, set to rampage through the fake New York City streets – and on it we see a red devil logo, adding a menacing touch to the already imposing vehicle. Many assumed that this devil is a connection to Martin Li, better known as Mister Negative, who fans have been waiting to see in live action for a while now. Following this a lot of people ran with that assumption, speculating about how and why Martin Li could be involved in the story. Yet, as plausible as that is, scooper DanielRPK did also tease that Punisher will be the one driving the vehicle – it is after all not really the style of Li and his goons to drive a huge tank like that. So why would Frank drive a tank branded by the Inner Demons? That’s the question I posed myself when I realized it.. what if it’s not Mr. Negative, what if it’s not the inner demons or anything even remotely associated with that – what if it’s The Hand!

    Do you guys remember The Hand, of course you do. The bad guys from “Daredevil” season 2 and then “The Defenders” and I guess they were also in a bunch of Iron Fist episodes. The Hand were a big deal in the MCU for a while (during the Netflix era of the MCU that is, the canon of it all still remains a little vague but I’m pretty sure it’s all MCU now… right?) so why not bring them back? “Because it doesn’t make any sense!” I hear you say – to which I can only say: “Yeah! That’s what I thought too, but maybe it does make sense!”. For starters, there is precedent in the comics for it. It was only a few years ago when Jason Aaron launched his Punisher series, in which Frank got recruited by the Hand to serve as “The Fist of The Beast” – so there is precedent to have The Hand return – this time in Frank’s world instead of Matt’s. Sure, This was a pretty controversial time for the character, loved by one half of the audience and despised by the other half, so I understand it might not seem like the most obvious of stories to adapt but there is more evidence that this whole thing could be happening. 

    We know the street level side of the MCU has up until this point been almost exclusively explored in “Daredevil: Born Again”. The show has largely been inspired by Charles Soule’s time writing the Daredevil comics but – with its season finale – is steadily morphing into something more akin to Chip Zdarsky’s books. It is during his tenure on Daredevil that Jason Aaron started writing his Punisher book, leading to a lot of crossover between the two stories. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think the creatives behind “Born Again” and this new street level saga in the MCU have read those Punisher books as well – maybe they even liked them so much they’re planning on adapting it in some way – and where better to start than a highly anticipated Spider-Man film?!

    Obviously it would also end up tying into Daredevil, but It’s not like it doesn’t fit into the narrative “Born Again” has been building. Frank obviously escapes Fisk’s detainment and I’m sure revenge is at the forefront of his mind right now but with Fisk’s mayoral influence spreading and the Anti-Vigilante task force growing in strength, Frank needs a serious upgrade to get that payback he so craves. The Hand could be that payback. He gains a serious boost in strength and abilities during his time with them – upgrades Matt’s little army cannot possible grant him. On top of that we also know Frank is not too keen on Matt’s way of doing things, so joining his Vigilante team isn’t in the cards either. Yet joining The Hand would only fuel the ferocity of his ways, he’d become the unstoppable crime-destroying force he could never be before – now aided by an unstoppable ninja army as a bonus. 

    This would need to be explored in both the second season of Born Again as well as the Punisher special Bernthal is currently filming – and from set photos and videos it doesn’t seem like mysticism is all that involved yet BUT, there is some more evidence pointing towards a return of The Hand in the near future. Look, it is quite a stretch but Elodie Yung, who portrayed Elektra in Season 2 of “Daredevil” and then returned for “The Defenders” series as well, did post an instagram picture that could hint towards a Daredevil return… really it’s only because she used a devil emoji in her caption but a lead is a lead and as a real Geek-tective I have to take into account every lead I get. “Born Again” Producer Sana Amanat also stated a desire to have the character return when the first season debuted earlier this year, saying; “One hundred percent it’s in the back of our heads. Eventually, we’ll try to figure out a bit more with that.” So we know this is something they’ve been thinking about, who knows how quickly they figured it out. 

    It could also be that the idea stemmed from the “BND” team instead, realizing Frank and The Hand neatly slotted into what they were already building. We’ve heard two substantial rumors over the course of BND’s pre-production; first off, the film would be street level, featuring many lower class villains for Peter to face off against over the course of the film. On top of that rumors indicated that Silver Samurai and Viper could also be making an appearance as a more bigger looming threat, possibly orchestrating whatever scheme Peter finds himself in. If both of these leaks turn out to be true it would serve as the metaphorical glue holding these two sides of the theory together given that the Silver Samurai and The Hand are both major players in Marvel’s Japanese organized crime world.

    I imagine it going something like this – Silver Samurai and Viper are concocting some sort of plan, I say they’re supplying the New York underworld with weapons, and Spider-Man catches wind of that some way or another. Let’s say he runs into a couple of villains like Boomerang and Scorpion sporting crazy upgraded weaponry which sets him on a path to finding out where they’re getting it from. It’s on that path that he crosses The Hand, being led by Frank. The Hand is on a crusade to rid the city of these weapons as well but classic comic book confusion will get in the way of an initial team-up (like it always does) as Punisher and Spider-Man face off against each other – both under the assumption that the other one is orchestrating this weapons-business. Obviously after a big fight breaks out (possibly the one we’re witnessing being filmed right now) the two characters team-up to thwart Silver Samurai and Viper (A team-up is something the synopsis released earlier this week backs up). 

    Who knows, this could even lead to a fun post-credits-sequence that sees Matt visiting Peter while on his friendly-neighborhood-patrol, warning him that Frank is dangerous, that his methods are wrong and that any friend of the Hand is an enemy of Daredevil – a very organic way of having the two characters meet up finally. It could even be a great slow-burn problem for Matt which he has to put on the backburner while dealing with Fisk in season 2, a problem that grows stronger and stronger everyday they are not put in their place. Zdarsky’s book actually features a ton of animosity between Frank and Matt, a dynamic I’d love to see recreated by Cox and Bernthal given just how well they’ve adapted that butting-heads relationship before.

    Now truth be told, this all doesn’t fit in together as neatly as I would like, there are still so many loose ends that need to be tied up to make this all make sense. Why is Hulk involved for instance? And where do all those other villains fit in? Or what about Jon Bernthal, he’s producing the Punisher special and I do not think he’s completely down to go in such a mystical route (even though this could be explained away by just depowering Frank compared to his comic counterpart) – let alone the fans, how would they react to such a wild departure from the Frank they know and love. Many questions still remain but I can’t deny that I kind of love this idea. I’m one of those people who appreciated what Aaron did with his Punisher book and seeing that play out in the MCU would be cool. You can’t tell me that a Sword wielding unstoppable Punisher doesn’t sound like a hell of a good time!?

    What do you think? Am I making sense? And let me know if you have any good theories about Brand New Day that you’d like to talk about. As always, give me a follow wherever you can and make sure to stick around for more articles about Marvel, Spider-Man and comics in general!

  • What To Read: Daredevil: Born Again

    What To Read: Daredevil: Born Again

    We live in a day and age filled with comic book adaptations. Movies starring our favorite superheroes, villains, anti-heroes and pulpy characters seem to pop up every month, tv shows adapting cult classic independent books are released so fast you can barely keep up with it and every now and again they even try to adapt the books we love for the stage (to middling success). Yet the stories that inspire these films and shows often get overlooked. The books that breathe life and color into these – often inferior – adaptations are sometimes completely ignored when a major studio gets their claws into them, a trend that frustrates me endlessly. That’s why I’m starting this series, where we look at upcoming comic book adaptations and discuss the books that inspired them, so you know what to pick up next time you’re in your local comic book shop.

    Today we will be looking at Marvel Studios’ latest straight-to-streaming series “Daredevil: Born Again”, a continuation of the original Netflix show that released in 2015. With the episodes that have released so far we know a little of what to expect, but for those who want to know more, this list is for you. 

    Spoilers for the first 3 episodes of “Daredevil Born Again” from here on out!

    Daredevil by Charles Soule

    If you want to be prepared for “Born Again”, you need to start here. Charles Soule’s time on the Daredevil title is without a doubt the foundation on which this new season is built, not only introducing you to new-comers like Muse, but it’s also the book that kick-started Wilson Fisk’s reign over New York City, a storyline which will slowly make its way into the MCU in Born Again.

    Charles Soule’s run is quite wonderful; After Mark Waid’s took Matt into a lighter and more colorful direction in his critically lauded run on the character, Soule proceeds to rip Matt back into darkness, into the shadows of Hell’s Kitchen all the while sporting an amazing black suit and a gritty new personality. Especially that last part seems to have inspired “Born Again” at least a little, as we know Matt is going to go through some rough shit at the start of the season, dictating his personality for the entire rest of the show. 

    But it’s not just Matt’s MCU path laid out by Soule’s time on the book, it seems like Wilson Fisk might just be inspired by Soule as well. Soule took Fisk and his dirty operations out from the city’s seedy underbelly and brought him to new levels of power by making The Kingpin of New York City its newest mayor. We obviously saw Fisk becoming the Mayor of New York in the show’s first episode and I’m excited to see how the show tackles his new rise to power. One of my favorite moments from Soule’s time on the book (that I will refrain from spoiling) happens after he’s appointed as New York’s mayor so I truly hope the MCU will do this storyline justice.

    The most obvious hint towards a possible Soule adaptation though is Muse’s inclusion in the show. The artistic serial killer introduced by Soule and Ron Garney is making his on-screen debut in the new show, setting the stage for what I can only assume to be some gore-y mayhem.

    Soule’s time on the character is a wonderful return to tone, perfect for anyone who loves the Netflix Daredevil series and wants more of that gritty feel. Soule brings a unique flavor to the book with his background as a real lawyer, perfectly balancing the work of Matt and the work of Daredevil into an exciting saga filled with amazing art by a stellar line-up of artists.

    Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky

    Unlike most of these lists I write, this is mostly a pretty chronological list of books I’m recommending. After Soule quit his time on the Daredevil title came Zdarsky, taking over the saga of Matt Murdock and running with it in a new yet familiar direction. Zdarsky’s Matt is still gritty, still that catholic boy grown up wracked with guilt and anger, but he’s also just sort of beaten down. He’s tired, hurt and broken. All of which catches up to him in a major way when he faces a gang of low-tier street thugs and makes a mistake he can’t turn back. Trailers for Born Again have suggested that Matt will make a similar mistake early on in the show which is where the similarities between these two takes on the character start. 

    While Soule started Fisk’s reign over New York as Mayor, Zdarsky is the one who fledges it out into the same territory I expect from the MCU. While this might not be super important yet, I can’t imagine this stuff won’t be touched upon later in the show. Maybe that’s in the show’s next season set to release next year or it could be touched upon in other shows / movies as the street-level saga of the MCU starts to take shape. 

    Zdarsky’s time on the character spans multiple books making it a little bit more difficult to read the entire thing in one go. Essentially, this story is split up over 3 parts; starting with Daredevil (2019) issue #1 which ends and leads into “Devil’s Reign” – the 7 issue event with plethora of tie-in issues that connect to it- and finally ending with 2022’s Daredevil run. Those first two parts are most important for those who wanna get ready for “Born Again” and the future of the MCU. Many of these similar lists will tell you to skip that last part of Zdarsky’s saga as its magical “Hand” focused story might put off those looking for a gritty crime drama, but personally I have to disagree. If you wanna experience Zdarsky’s voice for Matt to its fullest, you need that last stretch to fully make it all make sense, it brings the entire thing together and wraps up one of the most satisfying runs the character has ever had. 

    The show also includes a bunch of minor characters from Zdarsky’s run; We know we’ll see Cole North in the show, a rough and tough cop who comes after Daredevil in Zdarsky’s run but quickly learns the importance of his role as the Devil Of Hell’s Kitchen. The show’s version of Bullseye seems inspired by Zdarsky’s run as well, with Poindexter donning a suit inspired by Checchetto’s design and newly introduced character Daniel Blake reminds me a lot of Zdarsky creation Butch Farris.

    Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis

    Now we skip back in time to the early 2000s, way before either Zdarsky or Soule took over on the Daredevil title, before the character had appeared on Netflix and even before Ben Affleck donned the red leather on the big screen. Before all of that we had Brian Michael Bendis’ phenomenal run on the character. 

    The Bendis era is amazing. It’s Bendis at his best as he effortlessly seemed to create a narrative that spanned 50+ issues without ever taking a breather or having a fill-in issue to pad for time. He draws in from all corners of the Marvel Universe – which he seemed to be running during the early 2000s – to create his own little cohesive street-level world within this larger universe of capes and tights.

    The only reason this series isn’t higher on this list is because I just don’t see that much of it factoring in during the MCU’s“Born Again”. Some of Bendis’ storylines might be adapted later on (though I expect that to be more-so a season 3 or 4 story than a season 2 plot) but for now not all of his 50+ issues are exactly important if you want to immerse yourself in the world of the MCU show. What is important to read though is the White Tiger arc, a storyline the show has taken major inspiration from in episode 2 and 3. Sure, there are some differences the show has made that fans might not be entirely agreeing with, but if you want a glimpse at the story of Hector Ayala in the comics, this is the book to pick up.

    Nobody does the grit, the angst and the violence of Daredevil better than Bendis, leaving his mark on the character forever, infusing any adaptation off the character with that little extra something that makes Daredevil stand out from the rest of the Marvel universe. 

    Honorable Mentions

    Since the Man Without Fear has such an incredible track record in comics, with an unrivaled amount of classic and critically acclaimed runs under his name, I think it best if I give you all a little run down off other amazing Daredevil stories you should check out, even if they might not tie in with the new show’s story as much as the previous entries have. 

    Obviously the show takes its title from the seminal “Born Again” arc by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, which might be one of Daredevil’s greatest and most classic stories ever told. Yet the show and the book truly don’t bear any resemblance to each other, with the story instead being the main inspiration for the Netflix show’s third season. Still, picking up “Born Again” cannot do you any harm, it is a truly astounding read and I dare you not to fall in love with Miller and Mazzuccchelli’s work instantly. 

    Since I put Bendis’ run on here I do also feel like checking out Brubaker’s follow up run is a good idea. Not only do the two stories directly lead into each other, but the book also features the death of Foggy Nelson, a major plot point in the MCU show as we’ve come to learn. If the rest off the book is adapted into the show as well remains to be seen, but no matter what the book is still very solid and the perfect supplement to Bendis’ time on the title. 

    One of the show’s newest additions to the Daredevil world is that of Kristen McDuffie, whom Matt decides to set up a law-firm with in the show after Foggy’s supposed passing. Kirsten is heavily featured in Mark Waid’s run on Daredevil which – and I understand I am repeating myself here, but Daredevil just has this many hits under his belt – is another modern day classic run on the character. 

    There are many more incredible Daredevil titles for you to revel in, and I certainly hope you do check out more once you’ve gotten through this list, but for now these are all the books I think you’ll want to read as you dive in Matt’s return to the small screen. Are there any titles you think I’ve missed? And how are you liking the MCU show so far? Let me know in the comments or on my socials and be sure to follow us as to not miss any Daredevil coverage (and believe me, there is more on the way)

  • Marvel Premier Format: Why Change A Winning Formula?

    Marvel Premier Format: Why Change A Winning Formula?

    Last year DC comics decided to launch a new printing initiative focused on reprinting their most iconic stories in smaller formats more akin to that of a regular Manga Volume. The much talked about launch was met with wide appraisal and stunning sales that seemed to prove what many consumers had been saying for years; Cheaper and smaller comics will sell better when you put them in more convenient places to buy. It was truly a breath of fresh air in the comics industry, after years of seemingly unresponsive initiatives from publishers it seemed like audiences were finally being listened to and in return DC made a shitload of money. The Compact Comics Initiative seemed to be a win-win for DC and comics as a whole. 

    Later on, Marvel decided that they too were going to jump on this bandwagon with their own line of smaller sized collections of some of their most iconic stories. The first wave of which is releasing this week, including the seminal Daredevil book “Born Again” and the first few issues of Ta Nehisi Coates’ run on Black Panther. Yet, while DC’s compact Comics Launch was hotly anticipated, it seems Marvel’s version isn’t off to such a hot start. I haven’t heard a single person mention these books coming out and I follow a sickening amount of people from the industry. No writer, nor artist, nor editor or journalist that I follow seems to be all that amped up for these books and quite honestly… I can understand why. 

    DC’s Compact Comics were a clear success. Their biggest and best stories for a good price of around 10 bucks and in a size that anyone can take along with them on trips or on their commute to work. It’s genius. Sure, It’s simple. But it’s genius. Yet a formula this simple seems like too much for Marvel Comics to wrap their head around, as they have seemingly decided to not learn a thing from their competitors’ success and instead just do their own baffling thing. 

    First off, Marvel has increased the price of these editions with 5 bucks, making their version of these Compact Comics a much steeper 15 bucks. This increase might not seem like a lot, but you’ll quickly figure out that every cent counts (especially these days) and that the increase seems to be for no logical reason at all. No, instead the price hike seems to be the result of an even dumber change made in sizing. DC’s format sports a nice 5.5” by 8.5” format similar to that of your standard paper novel, while Marvel’s version sports a much taller and wider size of 6” by 9”. That might not seem like much, but those half inches count for a lot. 

    People want to take this with them on the go. You want any random person, if they’re a comic fan or not, to see a book like this on the shelf and pick it up. Size and price are huge factors in this case, they might just be the most important factors. So I truly cannot imagine why Marvel ever assumed hiking both of these aspects up was such a good idea. Now your local 11 year old isn’t going to buy your Black Panther book anymore, he only got 10 bucks of allowance this month, thankfully there is a cool Batman book he can get for that price on the next shelf over. His Mom isn’t picking up your Daredevil book now either because it just doesn’t fit in her purse like her normal novels do. Luckily for her there’s a nicely sized Wonder Woman title on the shelf next to Marvel’s that does fit in her purse. These changes matter. 

    I’m obviously being a little silly here but my point is still clear. The Compact Comics had two huge selling points and Marvel has decided to just sort of ignore that in favor of something worse. Some might say that the price increase isn’t just because of the bigger format, since the book does also include quite some bonus material inside like Mazzucchelli pencils and Miller’s script for the Born Again book. While I’m really glad those extra pages are in there (The fact that Compact Comics got rid of such bonus material bugged me slightly) I don’t believe it should’ve had any real impact on the price. The Compact Watchmen edition included the entire 12 issue run, more than 400 pages, for the same 10 dollar price point as any other Compact edition while Born Again is 5 bucks more yet only has 300 pages. It just does not make sense, no matter how much bonus material is in there. 

    Yet my issues do not just end with the terrible price and size changes, I also think Marvel dropped the ball on their design choices here, mainly those hideous covers. Compact Comics have a very clear look. It’s color coded, sleek and stands out. The bright impact-like font pops out at you when it’s on the shelves and even the spines are eye-catching enough. Marvel opted for a different route. A very boring one. I do not know what the thought process behind the covers is, I imagine it’s an attempt to look more sophisticated since these books are “Premier”, but the end result looks more like a bland textbook you’d carry around in high school. Nothing screams excitement to me, there’s no action on display, no popping colors or iconic covers. Nothing about it is eye-catching. The stark white design and the badly faded out original covers slapped onto the front of the books are ugly and confusing. The thick red border at the bottom is plain and straight up boring to look at as it only highlights the confusing amount of different fonts thrown into your face. The spines are not nearly as striking as its competitors’ version, coming across as the more timid and scared little cousin of DC’s initiative. The cherry on top of this terrible cake is that horrible new Marvel Comics logo (Feige you will rue the day you started striving for brand synergy). 

    I get that Marvel is trying to hone in on a new sort of audience with these books, but I think they’ve forgotten that they’re still a comic book publisher. You can dress up the exterior as clean as possible, but once you crack open that book you will still see men in tights fighting evil villains and their henchmen. It’s okay to be a comic book, it’s okay to exude that fun energy that’s inside these books, that’s what they’re here for. If you’re trying to trick a different audience into buying your book this entire thing is gonna misfire in your face and you’ll be stuck with a few hundred boxes of “Premier” collections instead of the absolute success of the Compact line.

    A big issue with this idea for Marvel is also the type of books they have. DC just has a better library when it comes to stand alone minis that make for great material for these sorts of Collections. Marvel doesn’t really have their own version of “Batman Year One” or “Watchmen”. They have iconic, long running story arcs that you can’t squeeze into a format like this. The general audience outside of comics have always had this belief that Comics are this impenetrable web of continuity while that really isn’t the case, but showcasing them the first few issues of a 25 issue long run isn’t gonna calm their fears on that front. 

    I get that this isn’t the fault of the format. It’s really nobody’s fault. But it is a shame that Marvel didn’t even try to find more than one stand alone book at launch. Born Again is a great pick for an initiative like this. It’s singular, it’s popular and it’s coming out at a time when the words “Daredevil: Born Again” are plastered on posters across the entire globe. That’s smart marketing, and something DC doesn’t have to benefit from – not yet at least. Marvel truly has the characters to rival DC. Yes, they might have Batman and Superman – characters who’s name will forever be ingrained into our collective consciousness – but ever since the MCU, Marvel has really made some minor characters into household names. An Iron Man Premier edition would sell just as well as one of Batman’s compact editions, trust me on that, you just have to pick the right Iron Man story.

    Do I think this is gonna do well? Not particularly. Do I hope it’s gonna do well? Obviously. I love comics, the entire reason I started this page was to hopefully get some new people riled up about this industry the way I am, so if this initiative sticks I’d be happy to swallow my words. It’s not like everything is terrible about these books, the quality of the paper is really nice. The printing is wonderful and really does justice to Mazzucchelli and Scheele’s original coloring. Again, putting bonus material in there is lovely and a great way to get people familiar with the artists making this stuff behind the scenes, as they can often be overlooked by the general audience. I just hope Marvel manages to course correct over the next few months and have a nicer, more affordable set of books available come Christmas time.  

    What do you think of this new initiative? And are you planning on checking out any of the releases this week? Let us know on the socials and be sure to follow us as we’ll be delving into the future of Marvel’s Premier Collection and trying to find which books deserve to be published in this format as well.