Erik's Marvel Comics Reviews: CAPTAIN AMERICA #2, DAREDEVIL #2, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #626, FEAR ITSELF: DEADPOOL #3, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #507

This week Captain America makes two appearances, Iron Man gets drunk with dwarves, Deadpool is overexposed, Loki consorts with demons, and Daredevil...lawyers.

Captain America #2

Written By Ed Brubaker
Art by Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten, Dexter Vines, and Justin Ponsor
Cover Art by Steve McNiven and Justin Ponsor
Edited by Tom Brevoort and Lauren Sankovitch
22 Pages
$3.99
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Brubaker's new run with Steve Rogers back in the stars and stripes started explosively, with an intriguing hook that had all the readers, myself included, asking questions.  With the second issue, we're already starting to get answers to some, like what happened when Code Name Bravo disappeared back in 1944, who is Jimmy Jupiter and what does he have to do with it, and where did the high-tech equipment that the Hydra thugs had come from?  Satisfyingly, Brubaker wastes no time in the second issue giving us the answers to a lot of those questions.  We get an infodump about Jupiter's involvement with Cap in World War II, including speculation that he might have been an early mutant at the beginning of the comic, just after a sort of confusing opening sequence(it makes sense if you go back and reread it, I promise), and then Cap, Sharon Carter, Nick Fury, and Dum Dum Dugan manage to find the clues to some of the other mysteries themselves in a way that feels very organic.

What I like about the issue is that Brubaker is able to keep his style with Cap as a character, whether it's Steve Rogers or Bucky Barnes in the suit.  Once he's explained, I also really enjoy Jimmy Jupiter, and the Little Nemo feel that he brings to the whole thing. I also enjoy that espionage/superhero thing that Brubaker has perfected over the years, and, although the Ameridroid shown at the end is somewhat ridiculous, it poses a threat big enough(no pun intended) to provide an interesting hook for the next issue.
As with just about everything I've seen by him, McNiven does a fantastic job on the pencils for the book, and Leisten and Vines do a good job with inks without going overboard on the whole thing. Ponsor provides the whole thing with a splash of color that doesn't diminish the additions by the rest of the art staff, and altogether the effect is enough to compliment the story without seeming overbearing.

In Captain America #2, we have a nice, well-rounded package that forwards the story and keeps readers interested. This is an exemplary comic, if I've ever seen one.

Daredevil #2

Written By Mark Waid
Art by Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera, Javier Rodriguez
Edited by Stephen Wacker and Ellie Pyle
22 pages
$2.99
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Daredevil's new series left us with a bit of a cliffhanger last issue, but this issue picks up the exact second that the last one left off, which is nice. When we left our hero, he was being attacked on a rooftop by an assailant who was revealed to be Captain America by the last panel. In the fight that ensues in issue 2, while Daredevil may not be the better fighter, he's at least able to keep from being trounced by Captain America, although the fact that Steve Rogers is back in the Captain America costume coupled with the fact that this book does not even mention the events of Fear Itself, a question is raised about when this book takes place. This disregard for continuity is a little bit troubling if you let it get to you, but if you're able to brush it aside, what you'll find is a fun read with some unexpected turns, especially the reveal of the bad guy at the end.

I like that Waid seems to pay particular attention to the fact that Matt Murdock is a lawyer at heart, where past writers have looked at the character as a lawyer who's trying to hide the fact that he's Daredevil and Daredevil apparently forgetting that he has a law degree. It makes more sense that Matt Murdock would use some of his skills as a lawyer when he's patrolling as Daredevil, and it leads him to more trouble than he was bargaining for. As always, Daredevil's supporting cast is pretty interesting, with a brief shot of Foggy Nelson working with the Assistant D.A. that Matt met last issue.

Rivera's layouts in the book are fairly minimalistic and utilize every sound effect to full potential, and even overstate some of the louder ones. If you think about it, this makes the comic as a whole operate on a very different level, as it allows us to effectively see the world through the eyes of Daredevil himself. Speaking of seeing the world through Daredevil's eyes, I particularly enjoy Rivera's radar sense panels. While it's not mind-blowing, the book as a whole serves to keep readers interested enough to buy the next issue.

Journey Into Mystery #626

Written By Kieron Gillen
Art by Doug Braithwaite, Ulises Arreola, and Andy Troy
Cover Art by Stephanie Hans
Edited by Ralph Macchio, Charlie Beckerman, and Josh Denning
22 Pages
$2.99
On Sale Now!

I first became familiar with Gillen through his work on Thor, in between Straczynski and Fraction, but Gillen soon distinguished himself as more than just a fill-in writer between two giant names, and his brief run on Thor is one of the most memorable of recent memory for me. It came as no surprise then, that I found myself greatly enjoying young Loki's stories in Journey Into Mystery. The story centers around a surprisingly heroic Loki moving players around the board in an impossible scheme to save Asgard and the Asgardians from the Serpent, as a tie-in to Fear Itself. Each issue has some fantastic “wow” moments, and also makes the whole scheme a little more complex, adding more players and calling back elements that Gillen set up in his initial Thor run. I can't wait to see how Gillen resolves everything, and each issue has me a little more excited to read the next one.

Gillen really writes Loki as more of a trickster and less of an unspeakably evil character, which I believe is how the character should be portrayed. You really learn to feel for Loki, understanding that the task he has to undertake is enormous, and that only with the help of all the people he's assembled, whether through truth or through trickery, can he accomplish that task. He consorts with two rulers of the underworld: a Hel-wolf & fire demon Surtur and the soul-consuming Disir, but all for a task that proves that sometimes the ends can justify the means. At least, I hope that's where he's going with this.

For the art, everything has a suitably epic feel, with each panel coming across as a painted scene worthy of an art gallery. The color work lends to this feel even more than the sometimes panoramic pencils, and the artists are not afraid to mess around with the layouts to help convey the sense of action that they need to get across. Journey Into Mystery is just so much fun to read that it's a shame if you miss it.

Fear Itself: Deadpool #3

Written By Christopher Hastings
Art by Bong Dazo, Joe Pimentel, Matt Milla
Cover Art by Stegman, Babinski, and Rauch
Edited by Nick Lowe and Jordan D. White
22 Pages
$2.99
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I used to be a fan of Deadpool. I thought the combination of the smart mouth of Spider-Man, the healing factor of Wolverine, and the business acumen of Luke Cage was a unique combination. Lately, though, Wade Wilson has become a little overexposed, and nowhere is that more evident that with this: the latest attempt to try and shoehorn the Merc with the Mouth into Marvel's latest event. The story only has the loosest connection to Fear Itself, in that Juggernaut makes a very brief appearance in the first issue, and then Deadpool decides that hammers are a way he can make money. So, he takes the hammer that he finds to the Walrus, a Z-list villain, and tricks him into attacking a small town in New Mexico. This, the final issue of the story, sees 'Pool in over his head as he's up against the Walrus and his healing factor-negating hammer as well as the threat of a gang of werewolves.

So, how does the story go? Well, Deadpool gets beaten around for a few pages, gives up and leaves only to be convinced to return to try and stop the Walrus again. Eventually Deadpool tricks the Walrus into leaving himself powerless and finally beats him, but it all seems like an exercise in futility. There's no real reason to read this comic, even if you're a gigantic Deadpool fan. Nothing really matters and the only noticeable difference between the beginning of the comic and the end is that now Deadpool is in New Mexico.

The only redeeming factor of the book is the art. Dazo manages to make every panel something dynamic and interesting to look at, even if he did forget Deadpool's trademark mask flap. I'd say that you can safely skip all three issues of this title and not miss out on anything, whether you're trying to catch all of Fear Itself or just love Deadpool.

Invincible Iron Man #507

Written By Matt Fraction
Art by Salvador Larroca, Frank D'Armata
Edited by Alejandro Arbona and Tom Brevoort
24 Pages
$3.99
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Unlike the Deadpool issue discussed above, as far as tie-ins are concerned, it doesn't get any better than Invincible Iron Man. With both Matt Fraction and Tony Stark very connected to the Fear Itself storyline, it's no real surprise that this title has as much to do with the main story. Since Fear Itself started, this title has focused mainly on the Grey Gargoyle terrorizing France with his hammer, with first Tony and now Pepper Potts and Sasha Hammer trying to stop him. Tony has gone to the World Tree and convinced Odin to allow him to make weapons in Svartalfheim to use against the Worthy and the Serpent. This issue reveals a hidden threat against Tony, being aided by a dwarf that he humiliated in the last issue.

Fraction has always written Tony Stark very well, and this is no exception. In a few issues, he's undone one of the most important character arcs for Tony in having him regress into alcoholic tendencies, but while it may be an easy move to make with the character, it's only easy because it's something that can happen to alcoholics. Readers are comforted in knowing that Tony has a reason behind his initial relapse(it's for the greater good), but finds himself allowing his regression to go even further. It feels real, though. Once Tony has the justification, it's all he really needs to continue on the self-destructive path he put himself on.

Larroca is a superb artist, managing to make each and every dwarf distinctive, and even giving a different tone to the art in the other segments of the book, set in New York and France, as well as the Stark Resilient headquarters. I especially like the amount of detail he puts into the scenes depicting the news footage. In spite of the fact that it could be argued that the meat of this story can be followed in the Fear Itself event, this is definitely a title to watch out for as it comes out.