I really like the art style of this, but the storytelling and information design is very poor. Many of the stories are essentially all but the same. Some come back and build on what’s happened before, but they’re very straight forward, very tropey spy fiction things that don’t get more complex or nuanced. Usually they involve women being assets that end up being murdered, same as it ever was. Nothing innovative.

This is just really great, though very gruesome and intense, visual storytelling. It is extremely cinematic and gives the illustrator room to show off; which he does, often. I think the less you know going in, the better. Basically, a seemingly average guy may or may not be a killer, takes a job for a hit. When he gets there though, things go sideways. And not in the way you’d think.

This continues pretty much every issue, subverting expectations. There’s a lot of blood and violence, but it is punctuated with human moments that do a lot for character building. The story spans years but it is also myopic in what it’s about. There is a laser intensity and not much, though some, thematic discourse provoked. It’s really meant to be just a wild ride. And wild it is.

I am very glad I waited for the oversized hardcover too. The art is just impeccable and the addition of the script in the back is always a nice extra. The best feature for any comic is seeing the bones of something you love, I think.

I dug the character arcs in this quite a bit, even if I know it subsequently becomes very derivative with the next contained arc, whatever that was called. With Matt’s fake brother being real dumb and the same old same old characters playing out beyond that. But I am here to see what comes of the Elektra DD team-up, at least.

This negotiates to interesting territory. Meaning, some novel threads are being pulled at last. daredevil being imprisoned has been done but the struggles inside being confronted with characters who show how facile falling on his sword is, when compared to actual injustice, was quite welcome. Also, while the weird symbiotic thing must have been some kind of event? There are a few fun things that make Elektra more interesting as her new role or Daredevil. As long as it continues to negotiate to novel territory, that’s really all i can reasonably hope for.

This was just alright. An actual synopsis, I think would be in spoiler territory because Wonder Woman is basically completely in the dark. But what is clear is it’s a dystopia in the future and all heroes seem to be dead except her. She has no memory of how she woke up in this future, and the place is overrun with creatures.

The answers to these questions were… okay, and mostly feel on par with a silly pulp SFF story. It’s not thematically deep and there a lot of conceits that you have to take in stride, and which feel included for shock value. I don’t know that this is meant for the typical comic reader, but more of people who like these nostalgic, pseudo gritty throwbacks, kitbashed into a super hero aesthetic.

What I did like quite a bit, though, is the recounting of WW’s story and how she is built, along with her mythic upbringing. She’s “cool” in this, assigning her some more masculine traits and aesthetics than typical, and I actually thought that aspect was interesting. There’s just not enough substance to make it more than something I continued to turn the pages of to the end.

In the future, after a pseudo WW3, in which America was in a war with China, but their technology betrayed them (presumably because it was infiltrated/manufactured by them?), everyone uses a thing called Veils, a hybrid reality that allows people to apply filters to the world. There is no working class, just robots that do labour, and the super rich. Otherwise, just people squeaking by, unable—unwilling—to see the world for what it is. Sam is a detective who uses the “clear” filter, allowing him to see the world for what it is. Typically, he investigates men cheating on their wives. Beyond the usual, veils make it so a variety of cheating on partners exists.When his ex turns up dead, however, he begins to infiltrate a conspiracy that goes to the heart of Veils, and what they are capable of in society.

There’s some cool worldbuilding and a good, pseudo noir style narration, given Sam’s profession. There are some really great moments but the ending undermines some of the moments, as a couple a bit too incredulous for me, given the reveal around them later on. The artwork is great, it’s cyberpunk, really being about stratification of class and high tech, low life.

Considering I created a tabletop role-playing called The Veil, also about hybrid reality, also cyberpunk, you could say Clear was always going to be really appealing to me, and so it is. I find hybrid reality fascinating and the themes of cyberpunk some of the most compelling. I also tend to like noir stories. If not for the kind of clunky late reveals, this absolutely would have been a 5 star read, for me.

This is a pretty strange volume. Half of it is really excellent. Elektra’s POV as to what’s going on with her and Matt, the stuff with her backstory—all of that is more interesting than the actual DD run right now, for me. The other half is filled with random Elektra stories, which is a weird decision. The lead up to Devil’s Reign, something I thought was extremely derivative, was better than the story itself. Why this is contained in volume before the main DD & Elektra, maybe they just wanted a clear start? It’s a shame it wasn’t half as long, easily a five star read without the other crap.

It’s not marked as such, it looks like, but this has some YA vibes I wasn’t expecting, given how dark the Batman books tend to be. It wound up being a really nice change of pace though. It’s endearing, very good at knowing the character and tapping into what makes them that kind of specific hero, and then just repeatedly hitting that vein.

It builds on who he is very well, sprinkled in backstory, but the highlight is the larger arc plot reveal that manages to define his backstory even better, making it make more sense, while world building. It’s excellent. Plus, the visual aspects are superb, especially nailing the emotional beats exceedingly well. Couldn’t as for more, really. I can see why it made the Eisners Best Continuing Series. And this is just volume 1. (Miles better than the other contenders so far though, I’ll add)

This worked for me. I don’t remember the first one that well, so I’m glad it was too much of a direct connection. I also don’t know that much about Jungian analysis, so a story in which a well to-do lawyer being put under such a lens was captivating for me. I think it is very much a book where you have to be interested in the subject matter though, because the character, though well drawn and a study in the typical, modern man, does not present a particularly likeable character. Nor, because it is necessarily solipsistic, told from the lawyer’s perspective, recounting his past or present to the analyst, do you really get too much time with any other particular character to say they are well developed.

He explains why he thinks he is seeking help and what are his problems, but of course he’s wrong about nearly everything. It works pretty well in addition because as the analyst picks up on things and brings them up, in her own time, the reader also notices things. Being pitted against the narrator is always an engaging exercise I find, and it isn’t unreliable for the sake of shock and awe or gotcha moments, so I liked it even more. Basically, I think by the end of the first chapter you will know of the book is for you. The framing either works or it doesn’t.

This was alright. I remain unconvinced that this is one of the best ongoing series, despite some pretty great volumes. Devil’s Reign was really derivative and this one was fun, but already off the rails. I like that it attempts to counter the macro perspective of DD’s run, because from that perspective (as most super hero arcs do now) it makes very little sense and has multiple same arcs play out. The new villain kind of tries to make how melodramatic and wild this character is make some sense, but I don’t know pointing to helps navigate it better. Time will tell.

As for the rest of it… it’s cool? Ninjas and this weird Matt loving two women thing at the same time feels, again, very melodramatic, but it gets by. Certainly not blowing me away though.

This volume may be one of the first with the art being consistent and not changing hands multiple times though; I appreciated that a great deal.