Marissa Reads Marvel: Part 1

Hello, Faithful Reader, and welcome to the first (official) Marissa Reads Marvel installment!

This will cover the first few series I read when I started using Marvel Unlimited: Daredevil, Hawkeye, and a few other bits and bobs and limited-run series. (Though, a note: Not everything I read will wind up in these blog posts. It depends on whether or not had "interesting"-enough reactions to things, really.)

Enjoy!

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Daredevil 

I started with Daredevil comics because, around the time I signed up for Marvel Unlimited, I also finished the Netflix "Daredevil" series - and immediately sniffled, "But why is there no more Daredevil??" I remedied that with comics! (Well played, Marvel.)

This is all from the recent Waid/Rivera and Waid/Samnee run.

• Matt's hair is sooooooo red, holy moly. (And by "red," I mean "orange." We're talking Weasley family levels, here.) Why hasn't this translated to screen yet?

• Matt owns his townhouse?!? ... But. It's so pretty. And nice. And spacious. ... I hate him. (#NYCproblems)

• Apparently, Matt's former wife, Milla, never could figure out how to make "hospital corners" when making the bed. Which means I need to apologize to my mom, because, when I was a kid, I was so certain she was making that term up when teaching me how to make my own bed. Sorry, Mom.
• Also: Daredevil and I make our beds the same way - hospital corners and all. We even have the same number of pillows, laid out the same way.

• I had no idea Daredevil and Spider-Man work together sometimes. I mean, I know that everyone in the Marvel universe eventually works with everyone else at some point, but Daredevil and Spider-Man actually seem to be friends? Neat!
• Also, any time Spider-Man shows up in Daredevil's comic, he steals the comic right out from under Matt's feet, which really is quite impressive.
• Example:

  

  Spider-Man!! I love everything about this panel. Including you. You're the best. 

  But wait. You're upset that Black Cat is flirting with Daredevil? Isn't she a criminal? I realize - belatedly - that you two dated and all, and maybe Felicia is cool, but... Isn't Black Cat a criminal? I think you can do better than that, right? Right.

  ... Good talk, Spidey.

• I want to take a minute to appreciate Kirsten McDuffie. She's fabulous. Put her in the Netflix show please and thank you?
• ... But wait until I'm cool enough to play her? Just, like, another season or two? Please and thank you again?
• She legit saved Daredevil's butt a couple of times, putting her own life in danger to do so - and she did it without any superpowers, or training, or anything like that. Just quick thinking and courage. She's so cool.
• And in case being an everyday badass wasn't enough, she's also cheeky and hilarious. You go, Kirsten - you mischievous, dastardly genius, you.

I love that she was like, "Okay, I see your wacky Christmas sweater, and raise you a bra. What else have you got?"

• Speaking of that "I'm not Daredevil" Christmas sweater: everyone on the Internet has already made note of this, but it is truly a thing of beauty.
• As is his candy-cane-cane - with mistletoe hanging off the top, of course. As you do. At least, as he does. 

Foggy, meanwhile, looks so utterly nonplussed.

• I've been kind of silly about things so far, but, I have to say.... Matt. Oh man. You have a rough life. I don't know what kind of vengeance demon you angered, but dang. But - at least in this run, where you're coming out the other side of much of the worst of it (until more bad stuff happens, naturally, I'm sure) - you handle it all really, really well. And, mostly, alone, which sucks, but you do it anyway. Frankly, you're kind of amazing. And not enough people tell you that, I don't think. (Certainly not in this run, they don't.) So, I'm telling you that. You're amazing. :)

Okay, now that I've finished 3-dozen-odd Daredevil comics and another dozen episodes of his Netflix show... Dear "Daredevil" movie people from back in 2003: Look at this guy (Matt Murdock). If this guy is anything, he is charming. So, I ask you, how did you manage to make him so forgettable?! I remember nothing of your movie - but look at what you had to work with! How did you fail to make him memorable?! How!? You were handed gold - how did you turn it into poop!? What kind of wacky reverse-alchemy were you using!?

Hawkeye

And then I went to Hawkeye - the recent Fraction/Aja run, specifically - because everyone has been saying it was amazing. Everyone was right.

• Nooooo I totally didn't Google Map the intersection Clint gave the cab driver to get him back to his apartment in Brooklyn, nooooo not at all. And I totally didn't learn that it's a real place where two real streets, really intersect. Why would I be curious as to how much of my neighbor Hawkeye is? That would be silly. Heh. Heh. Silly.
• I'm lying. That's exactly what I did. He's not as much of my neighbor as I'd hoped. :(

• I want to live in the apartment building Clint Barton owns. Not only does it seem like a really cool place, with really cool fellow tenants - but also, bonus: when something goes wrong in my apartment, and I need to call the landlord, it's Hawkeye who comes by to fix the problem. How great is that!? (I mean, it's off-duty Hawkeye - so, just Clint Barton - but still.) 
• Bonus bonus: I might be able to convince him to bring his dog with him! (Pizza Dog is so precious. Clint, since we're almost-kinda neighbors, please call me if you ever need a dog sitter!)
• Downside: This building is in the middle of nowhere. So far away from the subway! Why, Hawkeye? Do you never need to leave Brooklyn?? (More #NYCproblems)

• Once, just once, I want MCU-Hawkeye to say, "Okay... This looks bad." And/or to wince when someone says, "Bro." 
• Seriously. Bro. Bro. Seriously.

• The more I read, the more I like Kate Bishop. She's great! I want to be her when I grow up, and she's younger than me.
• Also, this. I don't know why it made me laugh so much, but it did. I do think it does a good job of capturing her irreverent, snarky sense of humor, though.

  

  He was shirtless a panel ago. She's chastising him.

Miscellaneous:

• In the "Marvel: 1602" series (Gaiman/Kubert - Neil Gaiman, guys!!), Matt Murdock is a bard from Ireland, with floppy bright-red hair and a very impressive beard. So, to recap: he sings, in an Irish brogue to boot, one would assume. Everyone who is not Matt Murdock can go home now. He wins the game.

• From the "Battle Scars" series (Yost/Bunn/Fraction/Eaton): Coulson!! You showed up! That's cool. Hi! But... Why are you like, 6 inches taller than usual? Have you since shrunk? (... You're not that old...) Why are you suddenly, like, 6 inches wider than usual? Is your hair a different color? Most importantly, why is your nickname suddenly "Cheese"?? ... I just have so many questions. Most of them start with "why."
• "You met Captain America!? (censored). Did you get his autograph?" Hah. Well, at least that hasn't changed! (Woooo #TeamCap!)
• But really, what is this? 

  

  I don't care how gigantic you are - you cannot possibly expect me to take you seriously when your name is "Cheese." Not gonna happen, Coulson.

• Why, oh why, did I think it was a good idea to read some post-"Civil War" comics on the subway?? (I'd read the main "Civil War" series a while ago, but never the aftermath.) ... I'm fine. I'm fine. It was just... uh... onions. Onion ninjas! Yeah, that's it. The Hand stopped by, armed with onions. On the subway. Nefarious plot, really.
• Sad Spider-Man is the hardest thing to read, guys. I just want to give him a hug.
• "It wasn't worth it." Oh, Tony.
• Also, YOU'RE (very censored) RIGHT IT WASN'T WORTH IT.
• Cleary I'm not sure if I want to punch Tony or hug him right about here. Which, actually, is not very different to how I usually how I feel about Tony Stark.
• Side-note: Did you know that Tony Stark once met King Arthur? Because apparently that's a thing.

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Well, Faithful Reader, you've made it to the end of Part 1! Congratulations! Stay tuned for Part 2, at some point in the not-too-distant future - join me as I revisit my childhood by reading Spider-Man comics!