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My big concern is that they are going to swap bullseye and punisher in regards to Elektra.

I’m afraid I’ve had my fill of Bullseye, Kingpin, Elektra, Punisher and Ninjas. I read that stuff in the Frank Miller days (early ’80s) and I still have those issues and cherish them. But I don’t want to read or watch rehashes in 2016.

Mark Waid had the right idea — clearing away some of the darkness and angst, and getting back to the fun of the Stan Lee-Gene Colan days. Ant-Man and Guardians showed there’s an audience for lighter takes on superhero tales. Why can’t it work on TV?

“the television rendering of this character, while very well-acted by Jon Bernthal, fails to match the ferocity and depth of his comic book incarnation.”

Who the hell cares? Since when has the comic character been interesting? Why does the show have to be like the comic?

Is the show, and the character on the show, in and of themselves, worth a damn?

I’d say the Ennis and Aaron versions of the Punisher are very compelling. Even his appearance in Brubaker’s Daredevil was a highlight.

elektra looks like the old bazooka joe bubble gum character, mort, that would pull his red turtleneck over the lower part of his face.

It looks to me like they borrowed Elektra’s costume from Silk. I’m okay with that.

Meh. Donning the costume was, weirdly, the low point for season 1. It was too dramatic and awkward a tonal shift from what had come before. Season 2 will essentially be a completely different show in terms of tone.

NO ONE likes that costume design. I”m honestly shocked they didn’t listen to the fans and update it before season two…

Well, since the one is streaming and the other will be in theaters, I didn’t see it as much of a showdown in the first place.

Andrew, you’re right. And factor in that many, many more folks will watch the DCU film than will actually watch the second season of Daredevil.

Frank is allowed to have any and all opinions about his own creation that he wishes to express. I was in the room when he created her. He knew what he was getting into and he had a plan. Some of that plan came to fruition. True, promises were made. But the ownership of Marvel changed, Frank moved on to DC, etc. Things changed.

I have a personal attachment to Elektra, too. I provided her last name. I helped conceptualize her costume. I was there.

Time and commercialization march on. Frank — and every other commenter on the internet — has an opinion about it. Fine. Bring it. You’re allowed.

Well, I don’t understand the usefulness of this paper. I thought at one point that Miller would have added why he doesn’t like the TV version of Elektra. But no, nothing.

Of course, we can enjoy whatever we want, I agree on that but was an article (this long) needed ?

Elektra is my top, most favourite comic book character. I give Mr. Miller his due and I always will. However, excusing dismissive comments that affect real people (the actors themselves, other creatives given control of the character) is never going to happen with me. What he said wasn’t very nice and saying so isn’t an opinion, simply stating what should be obvious.

Him being Elektra’s “father” and all, you’d think he’d have her best interests at heart and let her go. Us simply folk are capable of seeing the character in different stories, in different universes, and still be able to determine who the “real” Elektra is. Having the character participate in an incredibly successful show is a good thing. Throwing shade on it is not just sour grapes, but immature and weirdly possessive. Elektra belongs to Marvel, not Mr. Miller. All due respect, of course.

Miller did create Elektra! And that gives him protective rights all the way. No creator is required to love an adaptation of their work, whether it’s deliberate (creator controlled work) or via the work for hire framework of mainstream comics.

I don’t know if you intend “work-for-hire” to mean that Miller created Elektra on a freelance basis for Marvel. But Miller doesn’t appear to have been a freelancer when he was writing and drawing Daredevil in the early 1980s. He was working for Marvel between 1979 and 1982 under contract. While I haven’t seen his specific agreement, there are enough Marvel creator contracts from that period in the public record for me to feel fairly certain he was in fact a staff employee. Perhaps Laurie Sutton can clarify this. But even if Miller was working for Marvel on a freelance basis, the paperwork for that would have clearly spelled out that the company owned and controlled everything he did for them

Marvel had agreed not to bring back Elektra without Miller’s approval, a very rare concession to the creator that was made while Marvel was still a privately owned company and the stakes of multi media aren’t what they are now.

I’m not sure about this, either. There doesn’t seem to have been any written agreement between Marvel and Miller to that effect. There’s just a claim that an editor made a promise to him. The editor, namely Ralph Macchio, doesn’t appear to have corroborated that claim. As such, it appears to be just a rumor.

But even if Macchio had promised that, it should have been understood that Macchio meant that it was for only as long as it was Macchio’s decision to make. I would think Miller was savvy enough to know that unless Marvel was willing to contractually grant him project approval, Macchio’s promise was not binding on the company.

When I met Miller at a signing for the first Sin City collection in early ’93, I asked him if he had any kind of agreement in place regarding use of Elektra by others. (Elektra Lives Again was a year or two old at that point. Marvel had not yet brought back Elektra, but they had brought back Bullseye, which negated the entire book, and it seemed like the writing was on the wall.)

Miller told me that, no, he had no agreement at all.

Now it may well have been that he just did not want to discuss his private business arrangements publicly (to some random nobody), and it may have been more complicated than he made out, but his answer to me (random nobody) at the time was straightforward enough.

I remarked “I’m surprised that we haven’t already seen “Elektra #1″ written by Tom DeFalco out there.” He responded “Well, when you do, do me a favor and don’t buy it,” which seems to me that he saw the same writing on the wall…

Comics fans, or at least those who post comments online, seem unique among fan groups in their disdain for creators who express displeasure over their treatment by the big companies.

I’m not aware that Frank Miller, or anyone else, has ever claimed that Miller had a “written agreement” with Marvel, re: Elektra. And I don’t think Miller, or anyone else, has ever challenged Marvel’s legal right to do with Elektra as it pleases.

What I HAVE heard/read Miller say is that the company promised him something and then broke that promise, and that he is unhappy about that. Which is a perfectly legitimate and understandable reaction. And yet it always seems to provoke the tired old “he should have known what we was doing” finger-wagging comments from fans.

My biggest week so far…I grabbed Daredevil, Spidey, Hulk, Guardians of the Infinity, and Red Wolf.
As far as Red Wolf goes (and as much as I enjoy this column) I’m choosing to ignore critiques from this site because I can’t picture that anything Edmondson writes will get a fair review. It would almost seem hypocritical to have articles about things he’s been accused of and then turn around and give his book a glowing review. At this point, the Internet has either found him guilty or chooses to ignore the stories. I chose to check the book out because I liked Black Widow and Deathlok. If any definitive proof ever comes out that backs up the articles that have come out against Edmondson, then I have no problem taking a pass on any project that he’s involved in.

Shawn, thanks for your comment. To take a moment to speak candidly, at least in regards to my review on Red Wolf #1, I’ve done all within my power to review the book objectively as a work of fiction, separate from any drama around Edmondson. While I think it would be disingenuous not to mention the controversy surrounding him in relation to the book’s production, my distaste for the title came solely from it, rather than from any feelings I may or may not have about the writer.

To be quite frank, I’ve defended Edmondson, to the detriment of others’ opinion on my own character, a number of times in the past. Not necessarily because I don’t believe that there’s fire somewhere within all the smoke, but because I don’t believe that mudracking articles without evidence constitutes journalism worthy of acceptance as fact.

Personally, I do not think it would be hypocritical to give a stellar book review to a title written by any author, even if I had a grudge against him/her/them. Conversely, books written by people I like will not necessarily receive good reviews either. Politics between the comic publishing industry and comics journalism are one of the biggest things that undermine our credibility, so I and the writers at the Beat are doing our best to rise above that.

I’m not asking you to trust us, or anyone, blindly. You can and should be examining everything you read from as many angles as possible. I’m simply trying to say that when I write, I write with the intent to criticize the art, not the artist. When I say that I do not like a comic, it is not because of the creative team behind it, but rather because of the work itself.

I appreciate your response and I appreciate that The Beat handled the article fairly, in my opinion, because I felt The Beat’s article was more about the issues of comics journalism than a slam piece on Nathan Edmondson. But many people on the internet decided to be judge and jury when there is nothing concrete except accusations. I tend to lean right (more libertarian actually) politically and I feel that people with conservative views can be made to feel unwelcome by a very liberal industry/online community. My favorite creators are pretty liberal but I can put aside our different beliefs because I enjoy their work.

I mean no personal slight to The Beat because this is the most informative site on comics that I go to because you don’t pander to Marvel and DC and you’re not overly snarky. I tend to take reviews with a grain of salt anyway because of different tastes. I’ve very much enjoyed Alexander Jones reviews of the new Marvel and DC books lately because I’ve found them to be very informative and they’ve even made me take a second look at books I may have passed on Wednesday. I do enjoy the site and I try to respectfully disagree in the comments section when I have an opinion contrary to things that are written so I hope that I don’t come across as a troll.

2 keepers out of this bunch: Totally Awesome Hulk and Daredevil.

46 of these #1s and I’m left with 8. That’s half as much as I was getting pre-Secret Wars. I like the titles I’m getting from them but I think the relaunch is going to wind up being a jumping off point in the end.

All that being said, the review focused on the visuals and neither reviewer nor commenter commented specifically on the writing.

“All new Marvel Universe?” Is there yet another reboot that I’ve missed?

“Given the acclaim and awards for the previous Aja/Wu look…”
Jesus Christ, Heidi, I know “mainstream” comics are SO BENEATH YOU, but if you can’t even be bothered to tell the difference between Daredevil and Hawkeye, you might want to let someone else write these kinds of articles.

Sounds like a simple screwup, Mark. Take it easy!

I feel that the Frank Miller-inspired Elektra/Bullseye/Kingpin stuff has been done to death, in comics and in a 2003 movie. I’d be more excited if they went back to the lighthearted Stan Lee/Gene Colan comics of the late ’60s. Bring back Mike Murdock, Stilt-Man and Leap-Frog, and I’d be happy.

“Ritter will be joined by Mike Colter as Nick Cage, whose own series will follow Jessica Jones.”

I can not wait for that show. The bees!

So they took Nicholas Cage and made him black? And muscular? And bald?
Boy, this “diversity” thing at Marvel is getting out of hand!

Sometimes, the typos make the story *better*

Luke Cage is a bartender and Purple Man isn’t purple?

They aren’t paying these people are they? That seems like a terrible idea that would open a huge can of worms for Marvel. Such a bad idea.

Sarah Jean Maefs and Kevin Spooner look a lot alike in the pictures above.

Considering that the whole “Disney Princess” merchandise juggernaut began when a Disney exec saw girls in their homemade costumes and realized there was money to be made, how long before these people get slapped with C&Ds and Disney starts its own Marvel costume line?

This reminds me of how much I used to love the old Sandman Mystery Theatre covers from the 90’s. Or that old Ray ad from back in the day that looked like a bad FOX pilot waiting to happen.

Great idea.

Ms Marvel and Spider-Gwen FTW

I like that not every one of these is perfect, showing you don’t have to have a fortune or body builder body to have fun cosplaying. Cosplayers make cons a lot better with their presence and this feels like a nice celebration of that.

Amazing that it took them this long to pursue this idea. On the other hand, I’ve seen better costumes. I wonder how they came to select these particular photos.

A fun idea, though some of the costumes *do* look a bit on the droopy side. And as for a couple of the poses, would someone please get Doc Strange those two drinks he’s ordering.

Now Captain Marvel on the other hand — she wears her uniform with the right attitude!

Actually Jessica Jones should be a detective show second and a superhero show third!

He also plays a good “dick” character and comic fans will remember him from Walking Dead, where he played an unlikeable character. That works when Daredevil is supposed to be the hero you cheer for when these two match up.

Yeah, I haven’t seen DD yet, but I can see where this could kinda mirror the Shane/Rick relationship.

I hope Miller is getting a check from all of this.

I’m surprised how well received this show was. With the binge format it amplified things that grated on me. Namely anything with Fisk just irritated me to no end. D’ Nofrio’s performance seemed to me very forced with an unnecessary husk to his voice.
Plus they need to retire the phrase ‘this city.’

Son of Satan!

Daredevil giving a nod to the property damage caused by superhero battles also made me think a Damage Control series could be workable if Marvel ever wanted to give a more light-hearted live-action project a shot.

Also, if Marvel isn’t interested in doing Young Avengers because of the legacy aspect, why not Avengers Academy as super-powered teen high-school drama?

And I know it’ll never happen due to rights issues, but I’d maim for an Alpha Flight series. Hudson’s immolation as the last shot of the first season would be so sweet.

The people have spoken. We want Punisher.

Adam Warlock deserves a mention here. Some part of the franchise needs to introduce him so he can make an appearance in the Infinity War movies.

Ghost Rider could be very good on netflix could do tie ins with Dare Devil as Daredevil and Ghost Rider have battled before Punisher could also be brought in for a few episodes so many possibilities and so many new characters could be introduced.

Eddie Brock? What kind of noob wrote this? Flash Thompson would make for a 10x better Venom show.

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz better be better then then DD been sleeping thru it.

Given Wilson Fisk’s involvement with Damage Control, I may have to revise my prognostication…

I think, that given the huge amount of property damage in Age of Ultron, that there will be a credit cookie referencing Damage Control. (I base this on the fact that the Howard the Duck omnibus sold out after GotG, and that there is a DC omnibus scheduled for this summer.)

Flash Venom has better possibilities. Have John Jameson return from the Moon (after a brief credit cookie in Inhumans showing the shadowy symbiote in the Kree ruins). Showcase an episode of SHIELD where they have to subdue the creature. Then it’s weaponized via Flash Thompson, war hero.

Damage Control is easy: steal the Six Feet Under model.
Cold open: hero and villain cameo, causing destruction. (Fans are happy… “Did you see Stiltman?!”)
Episode story is DC dealing with the repair.
Season has a larger arc.
Season finale ends with a lawsuit. As they enter the conference room, the final shot is of Jennifer Walters as She-Hulk. Internet explodes. Second season arc deals with the lawsuit ramifications.

She-Hulk, Super Hero Law is then spun off as a separate series. Even more cameos.

#4? Man-Thing/Exiles.
Half of the series is strange stuff that happens in the Florida swamps (that is, “Marvel Horror”).
Other half is the outcasts dealing with visitors from alternate realities, and visiting alternate realities themselves.
Maybe you spin off the series with “Tales From the Marvel Universe”, where the popular alt-characters get their own episode. Like the “Plastic (Iron) Man” from Earth-314159? Okay, let’s give him his own episode!

I list this list… but it’s not 90s *enough* for me. I think it needs more Nightwatch. Or maybe some Midnight Sons. Or, dare I say, some Over The Edge?

#5?
Lessee… Defenders is “Naked City”.
GotG is space opera.
Ant-Man is a heist movie.
Thor is epic fantasy.
Captain America is war/thriller.
Doctor Strange is mystical/horror.
She-Hulk is Ally McBeal.
Exiles is horror/weird science.

Hmmm… is there a “meddling kids” trope in Marvel? Why not make that “New Warriors”? Or do we reserve that for Runaways?
New Warriors should be Avengers Academy, post Civil War.
(And I’m hoping that Disney Animation lays claim to all of the teen characters in the Marvel Universe! Power Pack, Ultra Girl, Runaways… but I digress…)

So… TV genres… why not westerns? That segment of the Marvel timeline is a bit barren. (HA!) The cost is minimal, except for a bit of steampunkery. It’s “Wild Wild West” meets “SHIELD”. It’s the American Monomyth! Heck…Disney has their own ranch for filming! (Golden Oak Ranch)

What I want to see is a series or movie dedicated to a within-Marvel crossover. This would allow for more character exploration through interaction. A good example would be Punisher/Daredevil. Each protagonist would be in conflict with their own desires, the bad guys, and the other protagonist.

the reason why Daredevil works well on netflix is because it makes financial sense from a production POV. it takes little to no CGI effort, which costs a ton of money. Other than The Punisher, I don’t see the others carrying over to Netflix. Unless of course, they don’t focus too much on CGI powers but than it becomes a low tier comic adaptation.

Shang-Chi master of Kung Fu!

C’mon Marvel, you’re making tons of money, you have Disney money, pay the Sax Rohmer estate and let’s get this series going. It’s got:
• lead hero is raised by thes most evil man in the word
• hero turns on his father, classic father vs. son storyline.
• REAL espionage and spy characters and stories (not like that crap on the SHIELD show)
• an awesome lineup of villains and maniacal madmen
• tragic love triangle.
• an asian lead with an asian, british cast
AND
all of this may finally allow Marvel to reprint Essential or Omnibus collections of MOKF

Yes, Master of Kung Fu (with or without Fu Manchu; don’t know if the Sax Rohmer estate would go for it).
Man-Thing.
Werewolf by Night.
And MOON KNIGHT! MOON KNIGHT! MOON KNIGHT!
Also: Marvel had a short-lived hero in its black & white horror magazines of the ’70s: Gabriel, Devil Hunter. The character would be perfect for TV.

Their handling of Foggy is my biggest complaint. I always saw Foggy as a lovable and warm hearted oaf, a person who needs and deserves a protector of bullies, not the angry, snarky nerd the show gave us.

Still, if my biggest gripe is the personality of a supporting character in the show, it must be pretty good.

Its going to hurt seeing this Karen go from plucky secretary to the worst decision of Matt’s life.

Brilliant, wonderful show! Got the tone just right in my opinion. Really hoping we get more seasons!

I was keeping my eyes peeled for any shot in the opening scene showing some of the waste oozing down a drain, but was out of luck…

I loved the logic of the setup, building on the existing MCU not just in the notion of cheaper rent but the wider view of a New York where the chaos and destruction of “The Incident” created opportunities for the devious and unscrupulous to take advantage of, leading to the kind of environment that needs Nelson, Murdock and a man in a mask.