As we’re going through December, I’ve got some solid reads this week for you from the house of ideas.
First thing, this week sees a big ComiXology sale devoted to The Man Without Fear, Daredevil. There are lots of great titles featured, including classic runs from Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Waid, but if you’ve already got their books in your collection, I highly recommend grabbing the current run that’s being written by Chip Zdarsky. I’m playing catch-up here, but after reading the first two volumes, I immediately went and picked up the next three. Like the best DD writers, Zdarsky is putting Matt Murdoch threw his paces, both in and out of the costume. The best Daredevil stories are a mix of crime and costumes, and that’s what Zdarsky and his cavalcade of artists deliver in volumes one to five. You can check out the sale here, or head over to the Marvel App where you can make your purchases there.
Meanwhile, we’ve also got tie-ins going for The Death of Doctor Strange, including the two most recent ones, featuring White Fox and the Amazing Spider-Man, respectively. The White Fox story is not bad at all, as it finds this magical character coming into conflict with some of the monsters that have been freed following Doctor Strange’s demise. I’m totally unfamiliar with White Fox (as I’m guessing like many other readers are), and Alyssa Wong does a good job of establishing the character’s backstory. As a tie-in to the overall Death of Doctor Strange storyline, I’d suggest the book isn’t essential; however, it does serve as a fun standalone story and introduction to White Fox, highlighted by excellent artwork from Andie Tong and Luciano Vecchio.
The other recent tie-in features the Amazing Spider-Man, but it’s not Peter Parker under the mask, but the infamous clone, Ben Reilly. If you haven’t been reading the recent Amazing Spider-Man run (as I haven’t), writer Jed McKay does a great job of quickly catching the reader up as to where Peter is and what Ben is doing as Spidey. In this issue, Ben works with Black Cat on a series of tasks Doctor Strange had left for Spider-Man in the event of the doc’s demise. While there’s lots of mystical creatures to take on, which artist Marcelo Ferreira ably delivers, it’s the final moments and encounter with a simple, hardworking janitor that really captures Doctor Strange’s humanity in a smart, thoughtful way. To the book’s credit, it also made me want to go pick up the Amazing Spider-Man right now.
That’s the sign of a good story.
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