Merry Christmas from Psaras Comics... or whatever

Thoughts on Superior Iron Man - #BeSuperior

I got my hands on Superior Iron Man #001 the first day it became available online, but I haven't read the issue until today. My thoughts on this new beginning are written bellow.

I really thought something was going really wrong with Marvel the last year. The Man Without Fear was becoming more of a "Daredevil: The animated series for pre-school children - The Comic Book" and Tony Stark was not eligible for the title of "The Smartest Pure-Human Alive", because he was supposed to be enhanced by alien technology inside his mother's wound (he was still second to Bruce Wayne, but that's another story).

1. Going into Superior Iron Man #001, we know Tony Stark is indeed a pure human, adopted by Howard A. Stark and his wife, Maria. We read on the prologue that after the fight with the Red Skull, a "more sinister Tony Stark evaded changing back", and we see on the first pages that he is back to alcohol drinking. Yet, he doesn't seem prone to alcoholism like every other time this has happened. Plus, he now has an all-new, symbiote-based armor, which is not actually a live organism, but it just works much like a symbiote. This could be not only an upgrade to the Extremis-based armors he could even store inside his bones and neural system, but also another proof that Tony Stark is now smarter and more of a master of himself than ever.

2. Daredevil is out to protect San Fransisco from the villain Tony Stark, and he is not a superhero from a children's TV show. Of course, it's not Bendis or Brubaker Daredevil, but it's way better than the current ongoing series. The story on Daredevil Vol.4 might be getting darker issue after issue, but the pencils and inks are still like a Saturday morning children's show. Tom Taylor needs many more pages to prove this story will be a good one (and I'm counting on him to do it), but Yildiray Cinar only needs one issue; this one.

3. Tony Stark has not become an anti-hero. He's a villain. A drug-lord. And he's much more of a threat to Daredevil (and the rest of the world) than Kingpin.

Superior Iron Man might become one of the best Marvel stories of the 21st century. For me, and not according to my earlier plans, this is the series I will read with every new issue, alongside the new Batman & Robin (and maybe Green Lantern after Godhead ends and I read it all at once). So, please God, don't let them be another clone/impostor/Skrull/Hush stories.

"I let them all feel perfection. Do you have any idea what they'll do to get that back? I want to watch."

- Tony Stark

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2014-2015 update

Hey all. I just wanted to update you on what is going to happen on PsarasComics until next summer. Well, first of all, I'm reading three ongoing series this year: Batman, Green Lantern and Daredevil, but I am also eager to check out new issues of Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians and Batman '66.
After going back to Bendis' and Brubacker's Daredevil during the last months, the new issues are failing to pleasure me, so you won't be reading a lot about the Man Without Fear on PsarasComics for the months to come. On the other hand, the New 52 Green Lantern might be the best ongoing series DC has to offer at the moment. I have always despised crossovers, because you can't be sure if you want to read all the titles until they end, but the way Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, New Guardians, Red Lantern and now Sinestro are crossing paths once in a while is superb. And why did they discontinue the Gonzo series?
As for Batman... well, he is the goddamn Batman. I tried not to follow month-by-month, and all I got was reading 20-30 issues at once as soon as I went back.

And for a concise comic-book review: I bought Deadpool: Soul Hunter, collecting issues 7-12 from the Marvel NOW Deadpool series. I only did it because I remember those volumes were out for about $15, so I considered myself lucky to find it for 15€ (which is more than $15, but because of import fees, taxes etc, I rarely find comic volumes in prices that low). If you like Spawn and have a sense of Deadpool humor, go buy it. It's the closest we're going to get in a "What if Wade Wilson was Spawn" story. We were doing a lot of Deadpool-Spawn fan fiction with a classmate of mine in high school, so I enjoyed the story.

Until we meet again, folks!

Daredevil: End of Days

It's been more than a month since I got my hands on the #1 New York Times Best Seller and I can't tell you how eager I was to finally have some time to sit down, relax, and read it all at once. I wanted to keep this review spoiler-free, but after time of planning on how to do it, I deceided not to. I just want to praise a book in which Mack and Bendis take their awesome run on the Man Without Fear and end it a most astonishing way. The people behind this book are the amazing team of, of course, Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack on the story, Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkievitz on the pencils, Matt Hollingsworth on most of the coloring, and, who else than David Mack drawing the covers and providing some extra coloring.

In the near future, a future that splits from normal Daredevil continuity somewhere between right after Daredevil Vol.2 #50 and #110 (with and extended use of #51-#81 into the storyline, but I'd say right after #50 to avoid even the slightest trace of a plot-hole), Daredevil has killed the Kingpin and subsequently disappeared (and no, he wasn't in San Fransisco). The story starts with his return to the city, only to be killed by Bullseye after a two-hour long fight. The story of Daredevil's death is assigned by J.Jonah Jameson to Ben Urich, who then goes on a 8-issue long adventure, searching for and talking to Daredevil's and Matt Murdock's old friends and foes, all of them revolving about Matt's last word: "Mapone". The book features appearances by almost everybody from Bendis' run and scrambles the significance of the part each of them plays.

The pros:

- Nick Fury isn't Samuel L. Jackson. I haven't stumbled upon the original Nick Fury for more than a year and a half. All I got for this time was the movies and Nick Fury Jr's cameo in Kaine... oops, I meant Scarlet Spider.

- The simplistic approach to Bullseye's personality. Matt Murdock had two or three reasons to call for his daughter before his death (because he loves his daughter and also because she could have saved him, nevermind leaving a clue for Timothy). Bullseye is, throughout the story, said to have crossed the line and killed Daredevil because of his last words, but Bullseye would actually have done it anytime. He would, if he could. So, there you have it: Bullseye is, plain and simple, a psycho killer.

- The coloring. The battle seems like a gateway to hell. The first 7 issues look like a funeral. The funeral looks like a walk in the park. The last issue looks exactly like the (rare) pages in Daredevil Vol.2 where Matt is feeling good, and from before Frank Miller made him darker.

- That, although the story revolves around Ben Urich, superheroes and villains play a greater role than Matt's friends and ex-girlfriends. This is a reminder that even a man like Matt Murdock can die and be forgotten, but Daredevil is a legend and immortal.

- Turk is now a businessman and not a punching bag.

- The cameos. Uncle Ben is mentioned at least once, Miller Brew Beer, and Mack and Bendis made it on the cover.

 

The cons:

- The pencils and the overuse of plain black shadowing, just like Vol.2.

- The one plot-hole everyone seems to be missing. Did Bullseye shoot himself right in the head or not?

- The fact that Daredevil had a dozen of girlfriends, but chose to impregnate Tony Stark's lapdog.

- The Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel, you can use this pose one time for each of Spider-Man's suits, for the time he had six arms, the Ultimate Spider-Man, the new Ultimate Spider-Man, the Manga Spider-Man, the MC2 Spider-Man, an unpushable X-Men spinoff with a spider mutant you're trying to push, Spider-Woman, Spider-Girl, Silk, Venom, Carnage, Toxin, Spider-Ham, Spider-Spider, but NOT ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS!!

Is it good?

Yes, it is good.

Should you buy it?

Only if you're a Daredevil fan and really in the mood for some more Bendis and Mack. It's definitely not the book to start with if you're not already into the man without fear. I've been revisiting Daredevil Vol.2 for the last months and "Daredevil: End of Days" was a good way to end it and move on to ongoing series again.

Is it the best way to end Daredevil Vol.2?

Absolutely not. Going on to Brubaker's stories and then Shadowland does a lot more justice to the Daredevil universe as it was throughout Vol.2. So, don't forget to check out PsarasComics Essential Shadowland by clicking here.

iOS bookmark Icons

Hi and welcome back from Summer! Just wanted to inform you that from now on, when you add PsarasComics to your iPhone/iPad favorites, bookmarks or home screen, you won't have to cope with an ugly full screen preview of the page or the Blogger logo (which is pretty cool, but you can't tell which blog is which if all of them have the same one). I rescaled and added the logo for iPhone and iPad (Retina display and not). I believe this works for Chrome on Android, too. You're welcome.

Psaras Comics Essential: Eddie Brock as Venom

On almost every comic book that has a double-ID-ed (secret or public) protagonist, we read about three people: The hero, the villain, and the man behind the hero. But there is a man behind a certain villain that has earned the utmost respect by comic book fans: Eddie Brock. Here is an essential collection of Eddie Brock issues and arcs:

1. Web of Spider-Man #18
   Although it has nothing to do with Eddie, I love it when the spider sense doesn't work
2. Amazing Spider-Man #298-#300
3. Amazing Spider-Man #315-#317 
4. Avengers: Deathtrap - The Vault
   also reprinted as Venom: Deathrap - The Vault
5. Spider-Man Special: The Trial of Venom
6. Amazing Spider-Man #374-#375
7. Venom: Lethal Protector
8. Venom: Funeral Pyre
9. Venom: The Madness
10. Venom: The Enemy Within
11. Venom: Nights of Vengeance
12. Spider-Man: The Exile Returns
    which constists of the following issues:
    Web of Spider-Man #118
    Spider-Man #52
    Web of Spider-Man #119
    Spider-Man #53
13. Venom: Separation Anxiety
14. Venom: Carnage Unleashed
15. Venom: Sinner Takes All
16. Venom: Along Came A Spider
17. Venom: The Hunted
18. Venom: The Hunger
19. Venom vs Wolverine: Tooth and Claw
20. Venom on Trial
21. Venom: License to Kill
22. Venom: Sign of the Boss
23. Venom: Finale
24. Spider-Man Family #2
25. Sensational Spider-Man Vol.2 #38-#39
    The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock
26. Venom: Dark Origin
27. 1. That would be all. You can also read Ultimate Spider-Man #33-#39 and Eddie Brock stories after his "Last Temptation", but I won't be doing a PCESS on them anytime soon.
       
       
       Before I say goodbye, I also grab the chance to suggest that you read the underrated "Daredevil: Fall From Grace" storyline, since Eddie appears in it. Goodbye!
     

Psaras Comics Essentials (almost): Ben Reilly

Oh, hi. I was going to do a PCESS for one of the most interesting and "constant" secondary characters of Marvel. To my surprise, Marvel's Clone Saga and Ben Reilly epics collected tradebacks are exactly what I am looking every time I try to study a certain character, reprinting the story to follow Ben Reilly's life and, to my surprise, not by release dates. The tradebacks are "The Complete Clone Saga Epic #1-#5", "The Complete Ben Reilly Epic #1-#6" and there is also "The Original Clone Saga" collecting the clone stories from the 70s. I believe you can get all 12 for less than 250$. PCESS for Ben Reilly is just this:

1. Spider-Man: The Original Clone Saga
2. Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic #1-#5
3. Spider-Man: The Complete Ben Reilly Epic #1-#6

Which leaves me with all the time in the world to focus on other Ben Reilly's appearances like:

1. Marvel vs DC
   Ben Reilly is in this one, and you can watch him hitting on Lois Lane on the second or third issue
2. Spider-Boy from Amalgam Comics
   Because with great power comes great possibilites
3. Marvel What If Vol.1 #30 - What If Spider-Man's Clone Had Lived?
4. Marvel What If Vol.2 #86 - What If Scarlet Spider Killed Spider-Man?
5. Ultimate Spider-Man: Clone Saga (collects issues #97-#105)
   the "ultimates" take on Peter Parker's clones, haven't read it yet but I'm going to soon
6. Scarlet Spider #21
   just cause

Aaaand, that's all. I just wanted this blog post to exist as a tribute to whoever came up with the idea of the Clone Saga and Ben Reilly Epics. Thank you dude (or dudette).

I'll be back with an Eddie Brock PCESS in a few days.

Deadpool VS Carnage: Review

SPOILERS INSIDE

SPOILERS INSIDE

SPOILERS INSIDE

Psaras Comics Essentials: Jason Todd

As I've said, the whole Crisis after Crisis thing on DC comics makes it hard to make PCESS articles for the headline characters, but easier for the secondary ones up until the 2011 reboot. This is the essential collection of Jason Todd, the second Robin who went on to become the villain Red Hood and later took up several other mantles (including being the Batman).

Before you start, I suggest you read "The Man Behind The Red Hood", which was first printed in "Detective Comics Vol.1 #168" and reprinted in several issues and collection afterwards. You can see almost all of them here. I believe the easiest to find are "Batman Archives #8" and "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told" tradeback. There you can see why Jason opted for the Red Hood persona once he came back to business. I will also try to include issues that show us the relationship between Jason and Dick.

This time I didn't make a list of supplementary stories under the PCESS list, I just listed them in smaller, grey letters. I hope this is better.

1. Batman #408-#411
2. Batman #412-#415
3. Batman #416
4. New Teen Titans Vol.2 #25-#26
5. Batman: The Cult
6. Batman #417-#423
7. Batman #424 (how did this get the CCA seal by the way?)
8. Batman #425
9. Batman #426-#429 (A Death in the Family) 
10. Batman #400-#403
11. Detective Comics #569
12. Red Hood: The Lost Days*
13. Batman #608-#619 (Hush)
14. Batman #635-#650 and Batman Annual #25 (Under the Hood)
15. Red Hood: The Lost Days*
16. Teen Titans: Life and Death
17. Nightwing Vol.2 #118-#124 (Brothers in Blood)
18. Countdown to Final Crisis #16-#13 (beware that the Countdown numbers go backwards)
19. Batman: Battle for the Cowl (or you can opt for the whole storyline from Batman RIP to Batman Reborn)
20. Batman and Robin #4-#6 (Revenge of the Red Hood)

Minor note about pre-Crisis and post-Crisis good storylines: If you search for pre-Crisis good storylines, aim for the ones that include Killer Croc. For post-Crisis, read stories that include Two-Face.

*"Red Hood: The Lost Days" is a prequel to "Under the Hood" and "Hush", so it could be read before them. On the other hand, there are certain events in it that take you by surprise. If you are familiar with those three story arcs, read "The Lost Days" before "Hush" and "Under the Hood". If you want the right emotional response, leave "The Lost Days" for the last part.

"Under the Hood" is also adapted to an animated movie called "Batman: Under the Red Hood".

Psaras Comics Essentials: Daredevil

Oh, hi. I figured out that if I want to do something serious, it better had a certain name. This means the "essential story arcs you need to read in order to study certain superheroes (not just to get familiar with them)" I talked about on my first post will be going under the tag-name "Psaras Comics Essentials" (I am so creative when it comes to name-giving). First dude to get a PCESS (pronunced pee-cee-essss with a Dr. Curt Connors hissing at the end) is the man without fear, Daredevil.

1. Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
2. Daredevil Vol.1 #163-#191 (also collected in Daredevil: Visionaries #2 and #3)
3. Daredevil Vol.1 #227-#233 (Born Again and follow-up)
4. Daredevil Vol.1 #319-#325 (Fall from Grace)
5. Daredevil Vol.1 #344-#350 (Matt Murdock has a mental breakdown)
6. Daredevil Vol.2 #1-#8 (Guardian Devil)
7. Daredevil Vol.2 #41-#50 (Lowlife, Hardcore)
8. Daredevil Vol.2 #66-#87 (Golden Age, Decalogue, The Murdock Papers, The Devil Inside and Out)
9. Daredevil Vol.2 #111-#119 and Daredevil #500 (Lady Bullseye, Return of the King)
10. Shadowland*

* My last blog post was about Shadowland and you can read it just by clicking here. You don't have to read the whole Shadowland story, just the "Essential Shadowland" I have listed at the end of the post.

You can also add the following story arcs to the above list:

• Daredevil Visionaries #1 - Right before Daredevil #163 (obviously)
• The "What if" stories of Visionaries #3 - Right after .2 / Right before .5 / At the end
• Daredevil Vol.1 #298-#300 (Last Rites) - Between .3 and .4
• Daredevil Vol.1 #343 - Right before .5 (it is not part of Murdock's metan breakdown story, but it is a pretty good issue leading to it)

 Or read any of those special

• Marvel Color Series: Daredevil: Yellow
• Marvel Noir: Daredevil

And of course, any annual, special or crossover issue, either putting it among my list according to its release date, or at the end of it 

Last note: I will add Volume 3 story arcs as soon as I get a good grip of them. If you liked Daredevil, you can just read all 36 issues of Volume 3 and start enjoying Volume 4, which just came out, month after month. You can also start reading "Black Panther: The Man Without Fear" and subsequenty "Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive" right after Shadowland.

Daredevil: Shadowland

Although I have read the controversial arc of Daredevil called Shadowland three times and I now can just know which issue is next,  I've not seen many reading order lists on the internet. The few I've seen are either the publication date order (which is not the chronological order of the events) and some that didn't make much sense to me. So, here's my reading order list for "DAREDEVIL: SHADOWLAND"

Shadowland #1
Shadowland: Bullseye

Okay, "Shadowland: Bullseye" can go almost anywhere on this list, but I like to read it right after the end of "Shadowland #1". Actually, the best place to put it is right after page 5 of "Daredevil #508".

Daredevil #508
Shadowland: Elektra
Daredevil #509

Again, you could read "Shadowland: Elektra" before #508 and #509, because that's the chronological order of the events. But I like to use "Shadowland: Elektra" as a flashback going only a few hours back after the surprise at the last page of #508. So, just read the three of them at once and if you want to take a break, do it right here after #509.

You'll notice that on the end of #509, it says "To be continued on Shadowland #3. Well, Shadowland #3 picks up right were #2 ended, and you can't understand half of Shadowland #2 without reading "Shadowland: Moon Knight #1". Just like 508-Elektra-509, you should read the three next all at once.

Shadowland: Moon Knight #1
Shadowland #2
Shadowland #3

Here's another opportunity to take a break from reading if you want to. There are a lot of super hero tie-ins before "Blood on the Streets".

Also, all those tie-ins are not as much about Daredevil and The Hand as about the impact of Shadowland on the superheroes they follow, so you can skip them if you're going only for the essentials.

I can't see why everybody is listing "Power Man" after Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. "Shadowland: Power Man" is taking place before "Shadowland #3" and only the last pages of "Shadowland: Power Man #2" are taking place the morning after. I only put it here because it's not as important as the "Shadowland" issues. In conclusion, after "Shadowland #3" you have to finish the "Moon Knight" story and then read the rest of the tie-ins in their relative chronological order*, which is this.

*I'm saying relative, because "Shadownland: Power Man #1" doesn't pick up right where "Shadowland: Moon Knight #3" ends, neither "Shadowland: Spider-Man" does for "Shadowland: Power Man #2". But if a story starts on 1 and ends on 5, it is safe to say that it is before some story that started on 2 and ended on 6, and before a story that started on 2 and also ended on 5. Actually, all of the following tie-ins end up almost at the same point in time (exept Power Man which ends after Shadowland #5), so I list them by their starting points.

Shadowland: Moon Knight #2
Shadowland: Moon Knight #3

Thunderbolts #148
Thunderbolts #149

Shadowland: Power Man #1
Shadowland: Power Man #2
Shadowland: Power Man #3
Shadowland: Power Man #4

Shadowland: Ghost Rider
Shadowland: Spider-Man

Remember what I told you about "relative chronological order"? "Blood on the Streets" starts at the same time as "Shadowland #2", but lasts way more than all of the previous tie-ins.

Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #1
Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #2
Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #3
Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #4

Shadowland: Daughters Of The Shadow #1
Shadowland: Daughters Of The Shadow #2
Shadowland: Daughters Of The Shadow #3

Many order lists I've seen on the internet have Thunderbolts #148 and #149 right here, but it's just doesn't seem right to intervene with the "Power Man" issues. This is why I suggest you read those two right before "Shadowland: Power Man #1".

So, we're ready to go into the main storyline again. Everyone who says the weren't getting bored and skipped or skimmed a few issues, is a liar.

Daredevil #510
Shadowland #4
Daredevil #511
Shadowland #5

Some last note on "Shadowland: Power Man". You could read parts #3 and #4 anywhere between "Daredevil #510 and "Shadowland: After the Fall", but what's the point in interrupting the main story for a tie-in that leads up to a new comic series? The whole Shadowland tie-in subject is all messed up, so you'de better just split Shadowland in two parts and read all the unimportant tie-ins in between.

Daredevil #512
Shadowland: After the Fall

And that's all folks. Below is the list without the comments and the "Essential Shadowland" list, without all the unimportant tie-ins.


SHADOWLAND READING ORDER

1. Shadowland #1
2. Shadowland: Bullseye
3. Daredevil #508
4. Shadowland: Elektra
5. Daredevil #509
6. Shadowland: Moon Knight #1
7. Shadowland #2
8. Shadowland #3
9. Shadowland: Moon Knight #2
10. Shadowland: Moon Knight #3
11. Thunderbolts #148
12. Thunderbolts #149
13. Shadowland: Power Man #1
14. Shadowland: Power Man #2
15. Shadowland: Power Man #3
16. Shadowland: Power Man #4
17. Shadowland: Ghost Rider
18. Shadowland: Spider-Man
19. Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #1
20. Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #2
21. Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #3
22. Shadowland: Blood On The Streets #4
23. Shadowland: Daughters Of The Shadow #1
24. Shadowland: Daughters Of The Shadow #2
25. Shadowland: Daughters Of The Shadow #3
26. Daredevil #510
27. Shadowland #4
28. Daredevil #511
29. Shadowland #5
30. Daredevil #512
31. Shadowland: After the Fall

ESSENTIAL SHADOWLAND

1. Shadowland #1
2. Shadowland: Bullseye
3. Daredevil #508
4. Shadowland: Elektra
5. Daredevil #509
6. Shadowland: Moon Knight #1
7. Shadowland #2
8. Shadowland #3
9. Daredevil #510
10. Shadowland #4
11. Daredevil #511
12. Shadowland #5
13. Daredevil #512
14. Shadowland: After the Fall

And a last tip: If you went for the Essential Shadowland but liked the story and would like to go a bit deeper, after you've finished it, pick up the three issues of "Shadowland: Daughters of the Shadow".

Oh, hi!

Hi there. Average comic fan and mediocre blogger over here. Let me tell you some boring stuff about me and what I will do in this blog.

As you can guess from the title, I will be doing comic-book related stuff. I will try to focus on essential story arcs you need to read in order to study certain superheroes (not just to get familiar with them) and post reading order lists. Mostly DC and Marvel stuff. There will be also some spoiler-free reviews of those arcs and some crossovers, miniseries, limited series and one shots (as much spoiler-free as they could be). Depending on the number of Greeks on my audience, I may do some angry podcast reviews in Greek (not spoiler-free), but I will always write in English.

As for me: I'm a DC fanboy, mostly because of Captain Marvel (now called Shazam), Batman, and Nightwing, and I hate Marvel poster-boy Wolverine and V from V for Vendetta. I got into comics because of Superman and Superman 2 with Christopher Reeves, some random Batman and Thor issues I picked up at a local store when I was a kid, Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine, Phantom Duck (Paperinik/Duck Avenger), some mentions of Hulk in Tsopana Rave's songs, and... wait for it... DC VS MARVEL. Some of my favorite arcs and storylines are "The Trials Of Shazam!", Batman's "RIP" and "Battle for the Cowl" and all the way until "Batman: Reborn", "The Goddamn All Star Batman", Daredevil's "Hardcore" and "Decalogue", the whole Ben Reilly thing in Spider-Man and the Eddie Brock death stuff from "The Sensational Spider-Man Volume II". I believe that Ang Lee's Hulk was the best movie of this century featuring the Hulk, Heath Ledger was a mediocre Joker, I have faith in Ben Affleck as Batman and I respect the Daredevil movie because it is the closest to the comic books made so far. I also love the barfight scenes in '80s Daredevil publications.

I don't think my blog will mirror my love for Detective Comics because I will be writing mostly about Marvel comics. I've tried hard to make essential collections for Marvel superheroes and villains which I will present here, whereas in DC I just read everything there was. Especially on street-level NYC superheroes, there isn't a lot of information on the internet, so my first blog-posts (and many future ones) will be about them.

As for psaras: It means fisherman in Greek, and fishermen carry big packages. Unlike the Wolverine. Deal with it.