AVENGERS versus OLYMPUS GROUP
Gauntlet (Marvel)
Where: Incredible Hercules #128 When: June 2009
Why: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente How: Dietrich Smith

The Story So Far...
Rising to power off the back of a smear campaign against former Director of SHIELD, Tony Stark; Norman Osborn becomes the new lynchpin of an American whose trust in heroes has been replaced by paranoia and fear. Pursuing his own sinister lust for power, Osborn recreates himself as the Iron Pariot to lead a team of Dark Avengers against the very evil he was once, and still is, a part of.

After seizing control of Olympus Group - the corporate identity of the gods - from Zeus; Hera earns the attentions of Osborn, and his agents of HAMMER, with a product called Continuum®. Despite the makings of a perfect match, the two powers are unable to reach a mutually beneficial business agreement, leading their respective groups into a head-long collision!

The events turn Athena, Hercules, and Amadeus Cho into unlikely allies of the Olympus Group, despite Hera's bitter jealousy over a prophecy of Athena's ascension to greatness, and her disdain for Zeus' son. Thus, the great heroes join Olympus Group in a battle against the Dark Avengers!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Sentry 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Iron Patriot 5 (Professor)
Speed: Sentry 6 (Superhuman)
Stamina: Pluto 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Captain Marvel 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting: Ares 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Sentry 7 (Cosmic)


- The Dark Avengers are: Iron Patriot, Ms. Marvel, Ares, Sentry, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Wolverine, and Spider-man.

When several individuals within the superhero community were revealed as Skrull impostors, a battle of paranoia forced heroes previously divided by their own civil war, to battle together against a Secret Invasion. Though the heroes emerged victorious, the mass corruption incurred within SHIELD allowed then Director for the Commission on Superhuman Activities, Norman Osborn, to stage a coup.

After branding Tony Stark a traitor and coward, Osborn set about rearranging his world as a dark reflection of Stark's. His reign quickly began with the disbanding of SHIELD, in favour of his own organization, HAMMER, before attentions were turned to the Avengers. Incorporating members of his Thunderbolts team, Osborn reimagines their public face as palatable identities associated with heroics.

Mac Gargan becomes Spider-man; Daken adopts Wolverine; Bullseye is Hawkeye; Noh-Varr upgrades to Captain Marvel; Moonstone becomes Ms. Marvel; and Osborn himself creates an iconic identity to fill the void typically filled by a symbol, utilizing Stark's armor designs and a motiff inspired by Captain America, to become the Iron Patriot. Existing members of the team, Ares and Sentry, remain on this newly formed incarnation of Dark Avengers.

- The Olympus Group are: Hera, Typhon, Pluto, and Delphyne Gorgon, who are accompanied by Hercules, Amadeus Cho, and Athena.

Founded by Zeus; the Olympus Group was designed to maintain contact between the gods of Olympus, and the human world. The corporation represents a modern redefinition of the power and influence of the gods. Prominent membership is held by Hebe, Huntsman, Typhon, Pluto, and Hera, who usurped control of the corporation upon Zeus' death. She manipulates the group to her own ends, in particular, in pursuit of her son by marriage to Zeus, Hercules.

Hercules is the demigod spawn of king of the Olympian gods, Zeus, and Alcmena; the mortal daughter of the king of Mycenae. Despite a conspiracy perpetrated by Hera and Luciana to prevent the birth; Hercules was born after seven days of labor, to rule those around him, by the decree of Zeus. The mammoth child would indeed traverse many perils to grow into a mighty leader of men, whose strength became the stuff of legends.

Math: Dark Avengers Ranking: The Sentry (#91)

What Went Down...
When the Dark Avengers descend upon the Olympus Group, Hercules and his fellows become unlikely allies to their godly enemies. They have little choice, quickly thrown into the fray against their Dark Avengers counterparts.

Confronted by the on-coming blur of the Sentry, Hercules is quick to enact an offensive-defensive by catching his opponent's cape on the fly-by, only to toss him through the levels above like a blonde olympic hammer!

Ares; half-brother to Hercules and god of war; enters the battle to defeat his brother, disappointed to unexpectedly find Olympus Group alongside his familial nemesis. With promise of reprimand for his deceptive team leader, Ares topples Hercules and Athena with a grenade, unaware of Typhon's looming presence.

The giant clutches Ares by the skull amidst a swarm of serpents.
Remembering his slain brethren from ancient battles waged by Olympus, Typhon vengefully dominates the god of war, driving his head into the Earth beneath.

Meanwhile, Typhon's ally and Olympian god of the Underworld, Pluto, descends upon the impostor Wolverine with a macabre glee. He taunts the clawed mutant with "December 27th," a unique insight into the destined date of Daken's death. In retaliation, he drives his claws through Pluto's body, successful in amusing the immortal god. The dead rise at Pluto's command to join the fight on his behalf.

Pluto's presence stirs a plot in wise Athena, who recognises an opportunity to obtain power to rival Hera in her uncle's absence from the Underworld. While Hercules sends Noh-Varr flying with a left hook, she beckons for a strategic retreat, made difficult by a spray of webbing from the symbiote Spider-man.

While Athena grapples with the tangled goop, Hercules snatches who he believes to be his former ally. Sending his fist toward the web-slinger's face, he soon learns the truth as Venom manifests a familiar toothy gape to catch the punch.

When the Sentry attempts to reenter the fight, the symbiote's unwieldy grip gives the prince of power a convenient weapon to defeat two Avengers with one blow. He clubs the Sentry out of the air, following with a devestating uppercut through Venom's skull to Sentry's!

Across the warehouse, Delphyne Gorgon battles valiantly against the phony Ms. Marvel with a machine gun. The weapon proves useless against the powers of a Kree Moonstone that deflects the bullets and retorts with a powerful energy blast. Concerned for his crush's safety, Amadeus Cho retrieves the enchanted Aegis chestplate from Athena's recently deceased warrior, Trey Rollins.

Descending to finish the job, Ms. Marvel failed to notice Amadeus sneaking up behind her. With the chestplate clasped to her body, the Kree gravity stone causes a massive feedback of energy.

Cho failed to receive the kudos he might have anticipated, but while he and Delphyne are able to share a moment, it's quickly cut short by the arrival of "Hawkeye."

Summoned to retreat by Athena, the boy genius leaves his Amazon girlfriend to fight her own battle. The gorgon succeeds in cutting Bullseye's arrow from the air, finding opportunity for a close quarters exchange with the range marksman.

Outside the warehouse, Hercules continues his battle with Sentry and Venom.
The symbiote chomps the top of his head, while Sentry sends the trio airborne with a flying tackle. Driving Hercules into the ground, he inadvertently frees the prince of power of Venom's mouth whilst doing his damage.

The Olympian enters into a test of wills with Sentry, grappling with "the power of a million exploding suns." Hercules succeeds in breaking the stalemate with a swift knee to Sentry's groin, giving him the edge necessary to toss Sentry into a collision course with the airborne Venom!

Amadeus Cho reconvenes with his partner in adventure, delivering Athena's plan for evacuation to the reticent warrior. Despite his objections, Hercules sees reason in their plan, agreeing to leap into the surrounding waters with the intent of sinking a nearby ship. It is a feat all too easy for the Olympian powerhouse.

In the Olympus Group warehouse, the tides begin to turn when Hera uses her magics to restrain Typhon who is still grappling with her son, Ares. Norman Osborn seizes the opportunity, swooping in to fire Iron Man-esque plasts into the unsuspecting woman's back. Despite impending victory, the cries of innocent citizens draw Osborn's attention, forcing him to live up to the Iron Patriot ID.

In the interest of maintaining their public facade, Iron Patriot orders the other members of his "Avengers" to assemble to rescue the drowning patrons. While the Avengers earn their promotional support, Ares negotiates a truce between the two groups he holds allegiance to. It's an offer Osborn cannot refuse as the god of war threatens to join his mother should the battle continue.

The Hammer...
The only conundrum bigger than deciding what tense I'm writing in, is the question of who emerged victorious in this issue! It gets a little tricky when the context of these reviews becomes about the efforts of a team. Sentry and Venom certainly weren't particularly successful against Hercules, but then, the Avengers did redeem themselves toward the end of the fight.

To avoid complication, I think the best interpretation for our much beloved records is the literal conclusion of a draw.

Despite recently making some ground in our updating deficit, we're once again falling spectacularly behind schedule.
After enthusiastically choosing Incredible Herc' over a couple of other options, I thought we might've been on a role, but on reflection, I suppose there's a comment in these recent delays.

Hercules fell unfortunately under represented in last year's competition, failing to accurately capture the exciting rise of both the character and his titular role as usurper of Incredible Hulk, in 2008.

This late visitation to the series really doesn't adequately represent what made it great in the last year. Ironically, since deviating into more specific storyarcs, the title appears to have lost some of it's fun-loving lustre, pursuing structural concepts that threaten to bog Hercules down in tiresome mythology derivations, over the more accessible format of superhero fisticuffs. I say that with a hint of reserve, not wanting to be mischaracterized as a foam drooling neanderthal interested exclusively in the violence central to the site concept.

I think it could be debated as fact that literal mythology has often dragged superhero comics into low selling ruts. My best guess, there's just something about two rights making a wrong. As any mainstream apologist will gladly tell you, these superheroes we flock to are effectively the modern equivalency of the gods and heroes of ancient civilization. It's a fair comparison given the winding fates of individuals well known for their unique abilities, or iconic dressing.

It's a compromise of knowing irony to celebrate Hercules as a Marvel character, while denouncing the surrounding components of his mythology. Perhaps it's the modern familiarity of the character, through television and cinema, that makes Hercules a more palatable facet of the Greek epics. Or, perhaps, it's the ease through which Hercules makes a natural transition into the [now] traditional, simplistic, modern construction of a "superhero," that makes him more successful than more complex legends associated with higher ideals.

What ever the reason for friction between superheroes and mythology, it certainly feels evident here. Despite their distortion through the conventions of the Marvel universe, the other gods feel somehow generic and under developed in this colourful issue. The real attraction is undoubtedly the first opportunity to get the Dark Avengers onto the Infinite Wars -- something important to 2009!

As many of us anticipated, the Dark Avengers stemmed directly from the same concept that gave us the Thunderbolts. In fact, it wouldn't be unreasonable to describe the group as the last crop of T-bolts ('Faith in Monsters') promoted.

It was in 1997 that we were first introduced to this version of the concept of villains diguised as heroes [Incredible Hulk #449]. It began as a plot hatched by Baron Zemo and the former Masters of Evil, coinciding with the apparent deaths of the Avengers and Fantastic Four (via Heroes Reborn), but ended with success enough to propel several pretenders into legitimate heroic roles, and spawned other reinterpretations of the team and it's duplicitous line-up.

It'd be nice to believe the "Dark Reign" "status quo," introduced line-wide by Marvel comics, might actually have some staying power, but one tends to be validated in feeling jaded toward these gimmick-laden high concepts. Just like Tony Stark's stay at the top was ultimately brief, so too does it seem inevitable than the mentally unhinged lynchpin, Norman Osborn, will be overthrown from his position as supreme commander of international intelligence and heroics.

It's not what I'd call a delicate concept, but it has a simplistic brilliance that makes all of these inevitable guest appearances so delicious. It's wonderful to see how these established characters can react en masse to the introduction of new(ish) concepts more forthcoming in-fiction than Thunderbolts.
Pak and Van Lente clearly aren't given a lot of room to contribute to the building mythology of the Dark Avengers, but they play with some enjoyable moments, particularly Hercules' overstated reaction to the villainous turn of the likes of Spider-man (whose true identity, as already noted, is soon revealed).

It's a much more subdued affair than Pak's epic battle in World War Hulk [#5], but there's also the fanboy moment of another heavyhitter clashing with Sentry. It suffers from the typical symptoms of a corporate shared universe, but it's worthy of note, even if only for the inevitable confusion over exactly where the boundaries of Sentry's powers lie. Unrelated, but similarly abbreviated, is Hercules' brief encounter with Ares, who has been a regular sparring partner not just in recent Marvel appearances, but throughout legend (and Kevin Sorbo).

A critical eye could easily look at this issue as an unnecessary deviation.
Honestly, on-going plot progresses at an absolute minimum, stopping briefly to close out tangential sub-plots connecting Olympus Group to the central premise of HAMMER (and Norman Osborn), and offering brief character beats. The big benefit to Incredible Hercules is a set-up for a trip to the Underworld in the next issue. Personally, I think the roadtrip adventuring that led the series through a fun packed series of character-spots and fights, was actually a strength.

The Dark Avengers might be primed for a catalogue of intrusions into other series over the next few months, but the bigger picture is more forgiving. One of the all too often forgotten joys of modern superhero comics is the indulgence in concepts across multiple stages. While we learn very little about the group in this issue, it's none-the-less valuable in building context for their prevelance. You might call it an exercise in economy of reputation, space, and time.

Writing doesn't feel as fluid as it did under the exclusive scripting of Greg Pak, and the art is decidedly less attractive than the likes of Clayton Henry or Jim Cheung. Never the less, it seems this is still a title worth checking out, even if only to make up your own mind. Upcoming storylines promise to entertain a variety of high concept pitches, including what appears to be a Thor-empowered Hercules.
Sure to be an interesting twist on the old rivalry.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 4

While the Infinite Wars plays catch-up, why not find yourself some reading material to keep you busy between updates? The Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe contains collections featuring most issues reviewed in the Secret Archives, including issues like Incredible Hercules #128, which is too present to be available at the time of this posting. By using purchase links provided anywhere on the site, you help sponsor future entries, whilst benefitting from the price and service associated with the Amazon name. Not quite a Herculean task!

THE THUNDERBOLTS versus JACK FLAG
Faith In Monsters Part 2 (Marvel comics)
Where: Thunderbolts #111 When: April 2007
Why: Warren Ellis How: Mike Deodato Jr.

The story so far...
Under the direction of Norman Osborn, the Thunderbolts have been completely overhauled in the wake of the Civil War. Incorporating existing members of the super-team and former criminals recruited to hunt rogue heroes, the new team is a volatile and untested mess.

Placing Moonstone in the position of leader, Osborn sends the team out on their first mission: Defeat and detain the rogue protégé of Captain America; Jack Flag.

With the press watching will this soft-target be the undoing of a team of reformed and manipulated villains. Or will they unravel live on the air?

Previous Form:
The Thunderbolts [#14]: Moonstone and Songbird were defeated by the Hulk as part of the classic Thunderbolts.
Venom (#63): Venom has a lethal victory over the Space Phantom.
Bullseye (#77): Bullseye has a victory against Daredevil, for two defeats.
Radioactive Man (#110): Radioactive Man was among the team assembled to take down the Anti-Registration Avengers.
Swordsman, Penance: Neither of these characters have been featured previously on the site.
Jack Flag: Jack Flag has not yet been featured on the site.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Moonstone 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Radioactive Man 5 (Professor)
Speed: Speedball/Penance 5 (Super Speed)
Stamina: Moonstone 6 (Generator)
Agility: Speedball/Penance 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Jack Flag 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Radioactive Man 6 (Mass Destruction)

So, as we continue Marvel Ultimate Alliance Mondays, this is supposed to be the Radioactive Man representitive entry. Confession time: Radioactive Man is a pretty insignificant cog in this entry, but I'm not a huge fan of the character, so it's about as good as it gets.

As a character in this situation Radioactive Man is probably more of a second-tier performer, but he brings a great deal to the team. Strength, intelligence and radioactive power being his trifecta of terror.

There seems to have been some confusion about the origins of the Jack Flag character. He's only been on the job since the early nineties, and initially brought very little to the game as an admirer of Captain America.
His skills developed with intensive training and clearly he picked up some points from the Captain himself. It's difficult to tell to what degree it has been retained, but he also gained super human strength after a tussle with Mr. Hyde.

It seems Flag has maybe been scaled down a little from that level, bringing him back to more of a 'roid raging 4 on our stat tape.

Guys like Venom, Radioactive Man and Moonstone all excede his strength level, and Moonstone, Venom and even Songbird have the skills to potentially outmaneuver the earth-bound Flag.

The key to victory for Flag would have to be using the inexperience of some of the characters, and exploiting the lack of preperation they've had as a team. Certainly the volatile nature of many of the characters only stirs the chemicals of dissent and distrust. That said, it's a big ask!

The Math: The Thunderbolts
The Pick: The Thunderbolts

What went down...
The Thunderbolts catch up with Jack Flag in Ohio, where he's been breaking up various criminal activities in defiance of the superhero registration act. Delivering justice without a paycheque or equipment and health benefits... Actually, why wouldn't a two-bit schmuck like Flag be signing up?!

In a scene that would send a film soundtrack platinum, the team struts in unison from their space age plane vehicle. If it were a Mattel the individual credits would go in an order along the lines of; sweet ass Songbird, marvellous Moonstone, radical Radioactive Man, peripherally challenged Penance, voulptuous Venom and the swinging Swordsman!

So, anyway, Moonstone goes about fullfilling her roll as new 'team leader' by orchestrating from the sidelines. With Jack Flag standing tall in the middle of a parking lot, Moonstone orders Radioactive Man to blow the gas tanks, making it appear to the on-looking press as though Flag had rigged the explosions himself.

The explosions put Flag on the back foot, as Moonstone sends in Swordsman and Venom to do the work of soldiers. Unfortunately she doesn't count on the strength and determination of the flag-clad hero, who shatters Swordsman's sword as it hovers above him.

Flag rolls back, booting the airborne sword end into Venom's chest, whilst using the follow throw to knock Swordsman for six.

Though the sword tip doesn't do any permanent damage to the symbiote-clad Mac Gargan, it does send him into a berzerker rage. As Flag stomps on Swordsman's helmet, Venom doubles in size and becomes a veiny mess... Hello!

Flag feels the sting of Venom's taloned fingertips, and finds himself in the grip of a creature that's pretty intent on eating his head. A prospect that would produce a win for the Thunderbolts, to be sure, but probably isn't the kind of press you want on the six O'clock news.

Moonstone plays moderator, calling for the activation of an implant that subdues Venom with an electrical charge. They'll pass it off as a hand-held weapon concealed in Jack Flag's gloves later. Oh, they're sly!

Songbird heads to the sky, but the smoke cover caused by the exploded cars proves to make her influence moot. Flag, freed of Venom's grip, goes about taking possession of something that may or may not be a misproportioned wheel mag.

Recalling the advice of his now deceased mentor, Captain America, he whips the cylindrical shrapnel into the air, ricocheting it off a street sign and lamp post, to strike Songbird directly in the throat. The jolt to her vocals quells her sound-based energy powers, and brings her into a heavy descent atop one of the surviving stationary vehicles.

Moonstone denies Radioactive Man opportunity to step in, instead seeing the opportunity to showcase the newest face on the team - Penance. Formerly Speedball, the massochistic turn he's taken, donning an iron maidenesque outfit, allows him to turn his kinetic powers outward.

With blood trickling from his suit, Penance brims with energy and hurls it into the lot. It stirs already twisted metal into the air, but ultimately finds it's target.

Though he's struck in the back, Flag is able to not only survive the onslaught, but turn it to his advantage as he attempts to make an escape down an alley.

The police cut off his backdoor, and he proves unwilling to fight the drones of the law. Perhaps a misguided mark of respect for the men in uniform and their distance from the 'Civil War', or perhaps the true sign of a hero.

Either way he switches strategy, kicking his way into the lower levels of one of the surrounding buildings. A chance to create a distraction and find his way to his goals. Unfortunately, there was one contingent he didn't count on.
There was one last trump the team didn't display in front of the cameras and the action figure buying children, and that was the scariest one of them all. The one scarier than the alien costume that eats brains, or the bulky Chinese guy who glows green.

Flag feels it before he knows what's happened -- a sai burying deep into his spinal column. The sting of the man called Bullseye, lurking in the shadows to clean up the mess before it spilled completely out of control.
He never misses his target. Flag's cauda equina is the victim, and he will never walk again. All in a day's work for the might Thunderbolts.

The hammer...
Well, with the assist going to the rest of the team, Bullseye scores the victory for the Thunderbolts. Go team!

Y'know, there's a certain level of excitement that occurs when a person says "Warren Ellis" and "Thunderbolts" in the same sentence. Especially when that prospect is said to entail a complete overhaul of the B-list team. Which is a fact that only becomes even more exciting when names like Green Goblin, Venom and Bullseye are getting thrown around!

Unfortunately, the imagination tends to run a little wild with those ingredients, and what actually rests in one's hands is of a flavour more pedestrian, perhaps.
Actually, that accurately describes the tone of the book, as Ellis panders to the 'real world' repercussions of a world where the superheroes have been dubbed outlaws.

There are a handfull of criticisms coming the way of this, and none is more sound than the theory that Bullseye and Mac Gargan could be sold to the public as the good guys. Bullseye, a character we featured just recently, wherein he was dubbed number four on America's Most Wanted list, a hero? [Daredevil #49]

Fair enough, he seems to be lurking shackled to the shadows with armed guards, but Venom is among the public face of the team. His raging "kill!" screaming outburst is dismissed by Moonstone as she fronts the press after the assault, as she assures them Venom is quite incapable of killing, despite a long history of being a known killer and menace in public. Something that dates back even to the days of Eddie Brock [a 'lethal protector'], should there be illusions about who is wearing the symbiote.
Of course, Gargan is the Venom that only a couple of years ago tore buildings down in the streets of New York in an effort to gain the advantage over Spider-man.

I digress, there are some issues to be taken with the details.
What was perhaps most disappointing to me was the subdued nature of the book, and the shadowy psuedo-realistic artwork by Deodato Jr, someone who seems to be being pushed in this sort of street realism capacity; presumably for his photo referenced pencil work.

I think what I hoped for was something a little less covert, exhibiting the unbridled enthusiasm of a Nextwave, or something akin to it. Not necessarily so over-the-top or tongue-in-cheek, but more vibrant, and action packed, and free flowing.

Remove those expectations and there is a good read to be found here.
Some of the conventions and tools are a little obvious, but the first three issues approach facets of the concept with purpose. The first issue reveals the new team, the second issue puts them into action and exposes some problems, and the third issue explains and faces some of the changes, including superficial qualities like Radioactive Man's new suit, or the dramatic changes.

Love it or hate it, it's a decent read, and though seemingly slow paced, as an opening arc it seems to be taking very sure steps forward. Things should hopefully pick up by the second, as team dynamics begin to settle, motivations become clearer, and problems escalate outside of the parade of Z-list heroes.

One can't help but anticipate the in-house problems that will arise with guys like Bullseye on the team. A character who couldn't possibly remain on the team for much longer than a few years, guaranteed.

As for Jack Flag, it's a shame they crippled him. He actually seemed to have come out the end of a revamp looking like a strong prospect for a hero in the post-Captain America world. Maybe that's a little too Death of Superman for some, but I think it might have been nice.

Norman Osborn is looking better than he has in a while too. Hilarious ending!
Songbird apparently got herself a character too, which helps. Albeit, she stole it from Dr. Cameron from TV's House MD, but fair enough...

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5.5

NEXT WEEK: Fin Fang Foom!

BULLSEYE versus DAREDEVIL
Hardcore: Part 4 (Marvel comics)
Where: Daredevil #49 When: September 2003
Why: Brian Michael Bendis How: Alex Maleev

The story so far...
The bad blood between Bullseye and Daredevil is the stuff of legends, and as the Kingpin prepares to launch a final assault on Matt Murdock, Bullseye wants in!

What they don't realise is that Matt Murdock isn't playing the same game anymore, and things are turning around back onto the Kingpin of crime.

This is the big one as DD faces off with the man who has a history of killing his girlfriend, and is sneaking into his apartment home, where his blind wife Milla sleeps. Is it three for three, or has Bullseye missed the mark?

Previous Form:
Bullseye (#70): Bullseye has a victory and a defeat against Daredevil.
Daredevil (#5): Daredevil has victories over Tombstone, Wolverine and Turk.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Trained Athlete)
Intelligence: Bullseye 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Daredevil 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Daredevil 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Daredevil 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Daredevil 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Bullseye 4 (Arsenal)

When you talk about classic comic book rivalries, there probably aren't many that match the quality and longevity of these two. Sometimes we talk about personal or psychological advantages, but really, these two have been duking it out at high stakes for so long, there's probably nothing left in that arena.

While Bullseye would have to be considered the less proficient a fighter of the two, he has his own remarkable skills that have allowed him to go toe-to-toe with the technician that is Daredevil. Not that DD is relying on technical prowess when he fights Bullseye. This is a blood feud!

We've broached the subject of Daredevil's ferocity when fighting [Daredevil #87], but of all the opponents that inspire that rage, Bullseye has to be at the top of the list. Which, in the hands of Daredevil, is actually a good thing.
Unlike other combatants, DD might be less inclined to start making slip-ups when he's fighting with that kind of temperment. If anything, it can become an advantage for him.

Bullseye is always deadly. If it can be thrown, he can make it a weapon.
His accuracy is second to none, and he usually comes equipped with weapons of some kind, even if they're little more than shuriken.

DD's radar-senses give him a one-up on projectile attacks, but like Spider-man's spider-senses, even they can only provide so much. It's still up to the mind and body to work in unison if attacks are going to be avoided.

All of this is really for moot.
I think at the end of the day we've already seen in their previous battles [Daredevil #132, #79] that it can really go either way. More often than not, I guess you have to favour DD, but I don't know how accurate that is...

The Math: Daredevil (Meta Class)
The Pick: Daredevil

What went down...
Sneaking out the skylight, Daredevil says goodnight to his blind girlfriend, Milla, with promise of fancy and fun on a date to Lincoln Center.
Milla stretches out on the bed with a smile, but is startled by the creak of someone walking in the room. Though she can detect their presence, she does not know who it is. "Matt?," she asks, without response.

Emerging from the shadows is Bullseye, delighted at the fact that Milla is blind.
He remarks on his previous affairs with Daredevil's girlfriends, and notes that althought they served their purpose, to get under DD's skin, he was never able to savor them. They always put up a fight, and came in the heat of something else.

As Bullseye begins to make a request of the woman, a red garbed devil hurtles from the ceiling down on top of him. Daredevil grabs his foe in a hammerlock and tosses him out the window. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

The daring Bullseye lands on his feet, like he almost always does, and Daredevil pursues, fearlessly. But not before telling Milla to call the police.

DD spins in the air, swinging his boot into Bullseye's head. The trail of blood sprays faster from his nose and mouth than his own body that follows the path down to the street below.

Bullseye tosses shuriken and insults, but Daredevil expertly deflects both with the a steely star and his trusty billyclub. He retorts, not with words, but with an intentful toss of his hand-weapon.

The skilled assassin snatches the club out of the air, as he has done so many times before. He reminds Daredevil of the death of his favourite girl, Karen Page, as was the result of the last time Bullseye possessed his club.

The two engage each other in combat, Bullseye ducking a blow from the other club, but taking a bloody boot to the face for his trouble.
Daredevil asks of his arch-nemesis, again and again, "Why do you keep coming BACK here??"

With no satisfactory answer, Daredevil calls his foe by his true name. A facet of Bullseye long thought lost to history. DD calls him Lester -- and it rattles him.

Lester lashes out violently with a backhand, that sprays more blood on the road below.
He calls for an audience as Daredevil hits the mat, intent on putting on a show for the people of Hell's Kitchen.

With blood pooring from his mouth, DD grits his teeth and pushes against the Earth as it comes up against him.

"Hey, you think when you die and go to Hell, you'll still get to wear the costume?"

Bullseye looms over the hero with his own billyclub, and prepares to plunge it downward in one operatic final blow, but the Daredevil isn't beaten. He throws his leg out, and bucks his would-be killer across the street.

He follows his kicks with sordid details of Bullseye's previously unrevealed past. Factoids about his name and his prostitute mother. About his pathetic life in high school, and how he doesn't know his daddy.



He takes a mount position and pounds the mercenary again and again, spraying more and more blood still onto the night street.
Bullseye's cheek begins to bruise, and Daredevil challenges him on his identity and his connection to the bullseye symbol he wears on his head.

Pledging each ring to his loved ones, DD uses a rock to carve around the bullseye tattooed on his head. For Elektra and for Karen. He challenges Bullseye to find the courage to do what he won't. To end his miserable life and leave everyone alone.

The FBI arrive as DD looms over Bullseye with the rock, asserting dominance with a hollow threat. He offers to press charges.
Says it's that important, but it isn't necessary for a man who has found his way to fourth on America's list of most wanted criminals.

Agent Driver, an adversary with which Murdock had developed a report, wants to talk to him about Kingpin, but Daredevil's night is over. Daredevil's won.
And Wilson Fisk -- the Kingpin -- is a matter for tomorrow.

The hammer...
Well, in one of the most intense victories of his career, Daredevil emerges victorious on this night!

This was certainly one of the fights that's been easiest to invest in in terms of the summary. I think what makes it so superb is it's relative subtlty. The power of the blows are pretty irrelevent to the kicks and punches. They're just there as expected dressing, but really, what gives this fight such power, is the street-bound humanity of it.

Daredevil, with grit teeth, is really fighting Bullseye on this Hell's Kitchen street, with everyone too frightened in their rooms to dare interrupt the mood. They're irrelevent and it's better that way. It's just about Bullseye and Daredevil and all the bad blood they share. They let it -- literally.
It oozes out of them onto the street, and more still as they exchange the verbal barrage of throat gripping truths. Bullseye has his moment, but Daredevil delivers everything and more on him. He even elaborates on the character's history.

It's rare that I would look to Bendis for a benchmark in canon, but I really like what he reveals about Bullseye here. He's one of those villains who, when it came to getting an origin, has sort of never really comfortably absorbed one take. So you end up with various bits and pieces, and I didn't read the slow-release mini-series Daredevil: Target, so I don't know if that's the source from which Bendis is inspired, but I think what he uses, so very little, is just right.

I like to think of this character on the most base of terms, because that makes him all the more threatening. At the risk of dragging myself into this, in some ways this Bullseye is inspiration for my character The Russian Man, who likewise is a man with a lot of blood on his hands, but with an snivelling past.

Bullseye, like the Joker, kinda shifts between histories of extrapalatory training and mediocrity. I think both characters benefit from the low key non-origins. It makes them all the more frightening and threatening know the only thing that seperates them from us is the will to do terrible things.

Another great aid to the story is the artwork, which is a little stiff around some areas. This isn't the best drawn Daredevil fight sequence, but it's the best emoted. Maleev brings with him an awkwardness that comes with such photo realistic work (presumably built from source), but it brings great benefit to crafting a subdued, emotive hyper-reality about everything.
It's stylized enough to be beautiful, but it's lowkey enough that it feels real.

Bendis gets full credit for the writing here. Some of it plays against Maleev's strengths, but as with most of his work on Daredevil, it makes good use of his work. Which really owes a great deal to colourist -- Matt Hollingsworth.
Maleev's efforts could not have the stylistic weight they do without the brilliance of the mostly muted colour palette.

When I think of the few things I didn't like about the Daredevil movie, one of those things is probably the costume. A minor note throughout the Maleev/Hollingsworth run is undoubtedly the simplicity of the costume, and the vibrant red/black contrast put on it. That is Daredevil, for me.

Perhaps the only glaring problem with this issue, I find, is the fact that it wraps Bullseye up so brilliantly... It feels like he shouldn't be seen again for quite some time, and those of use reading Brubaker/Lark's DD of course know, he's pretty immediately thrust back into the picture.

It isn't a terrible problem, but in the bigger picture it certainly affects the way one should recognise Brubaker's work.
It does, however, highlight one of the issues with Bullseye's roll in the new Thunderbolts series under the pen of Warren Ellis. Highlighted is Bullseye's status on America's Most Wanted list, which uncomfortably rubs up against the idea that Bullseye could be a government trump card.
Not to say the United States hasn't slept with the enemy before, mind you...

We'll probably see more of the Hardcore storyarc in the future, with a couple more great DD battles that come out of it -- including the climactic showdown with Wilson Fisk; aka the Kingpin of Crime.

The Fight: 5.5 The Issue: 6.5

DAREDEVIL versus BULLSEYE
Bullseye Rules Supreme! (Marvel comics)
Where: Daredevil #132 When: April 1976
Why: Marv Wolfman How: Bob Brown & Klaus Janson

The story so far...
There's a deadly new mercenary in town, and he calls himself Bullseye.
His guarantee is that he never misses, and thus far he's lived up to the name.

Looking for publicity and money, Bullseye indulges Daredevil in combat, to enhance his already growing reputation. Thanks to newspapers like the Daily Bugle, Bullseye's reputation is going national.

Having lured Daredevil to the circus, Bullseye plans to make further headlines at the expensive of a certain blind vigilante.

Previous Form:
Daredevil (#4): Daredevil has victories over Wolverine and Bullseye, and has tustled with the Hulk.
Bullseye (#163): Bullseye has suffered defeat at the hands of Daredevil and Elektra, as well as Batman and Robin.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Daredevil 3 (Trained Athlete)
Intelligence: Bullseye 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Daredevil 4 (Olympic Sprinter)
Stamina: Daredevil 5 (Marathon Runner)
Agility: Daredevil 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Daredevil 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: Bullseye 4 (Arsenal)

I think it's always interesting when we feature classic rivalries, particularly the encounters that perhaps are not the best known.
Obviously something like Daredevil #181 is a high profile encounter for these two, known as the issue that killed Elektra.

This meeting is much earlier in the careers of both characters, but lays some of the groundwork for what would eventually become one of the most intereting feuds in comic book history.

Like a lot of rivalries, these two are incredibly well matched.
What Daredevil has in physical ability and enhanced senses, Bullseye makes up for in cunning and skill. They are as different as they are similar, each deadly in their own ways.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about these two is that Bullseye has had the better of DD plenty of times. Bullseye slips through Daredevil's fingers, and even manages to take a couple of his girls, and dish out some punishment to hornhead himself.

We could look at the traits of each character more specifically.
Examine Bullseye's marksmanship, which, in a perfect world makes him unbeatable in the same way DD's ninja stealth might make him the ultimate killer.

Neither scenario is realistic.
Overall, odds favour the hero, and Daredevil is certainly the more apt fighter of the two. Bullseye is a wildcard, but you can only play that so often.

Overall: Daredevil (+1)
The Pick: Daredevil

What went down...
We jump straight into the action -- Bullseye juggling three bowling pins. Daredevil verbalising his situation. Why the hell not?

Bullseye whips pin after pin, DD narrowly avoid each as he nimbly leaps his way to the top of a circus cage. [If you somehow missed it, they're fighting at the circuis. - Ringmaster Mike]

The villain snatches a whip away from one of the nearby animal trainers who is doing jackshit to stop this maniac, whose back is turned -- and uses it to snare DD's leg as he tries to leap to the highwire.

Daredevil tries to maneuver acrobatically to lessen the impact, but he still winds up taking a bellyflop into the dirt below. A fall that wrenches his arm, and generally roughs him up pretty bad.

Bullseye feels somewhat disatisfied with the outcome, as Daredevil lies winded on the dirty circus floor.
Rather than go in for the rather simple kill, he accosts a woman riding an elephant, and rides it in the direction of Daredevil. An attack that is apparently designed to give DD a sporting chance.

Daredevil performs a rather spectacular handspring that propels him out of the path of the rampaging elephant, atop which his nemesis is perched.

Bullseye leaps from the behemoth and heads for the canon, where the human cannonball has apparently been asleep at the post, because he has no idea what's going on; "Hey! Whattaya think you're doin'?"
Clearly didn't notice the RAMPAGING ELEPHANT!

The master marksman takes control of the cannon, and does not disappoint, sending the human ammunition hurtling directly into Daredevil.

This apparently seems like an opportune moment for Bullseye to scale a ladder that leads to the one hundred and twenty foot diving platform.
Daredevil, though injured, follows in hot pirsuit, conscious of the fact that he must hide his injuries from his ruthless enemy.

His injuries prove to be the last of his worries, as Bullseye uses a conveniently unattended bag of rosin as a projectile weapon that promises to suffocate Daredevil as the bag explodes, and the contents within cling to his face.

Bullseye Tarzans it out of there, and DD manages to clear the deadly powder in time to narrowly avoid suffocation, before again taking pirsuit.

Taking one of the cartridges from his hip, Bullseye reveals that they power a special sonic powered gun he uses to fire deadly blasts. A blast he uses to create super heated steam from the 120ft dive pool.

The steam provides sufficient distraction for Bullseye to make an exit, and promise encounters yet to come to Daredevil. The pawn of his enemy, who sought only to put on sufficient enough a spectacle to garner impressive publicity.
Truly a modern villain!

The hammer...
Well, that was a pretty comprehensive win for Bullseye!
Helluva way to start a rivalry.

It's somewhat amusing to look at the stark contrast between this early encounter between the two characters, and more recent versions under the diligent pen of Frank Miller or Brian Michael Bendis.
The arc of the two characters is truly startling.

What reads like an episode of the nineteen sixties Batman series, completely with rampaging elephant and circus bigtop, evolves into the gritty urban drama that we more instantly recognise.

It's interesting to note the vulnerability of the Daredevil charcater, even here. By issue's end he does find retribution by defeating the foe, which is fairly traditional story writing -- but the degree to which he is defeated earlier is a sign of things to eventually come.

Part of what's delayed updates has been progress on my own career as a comics writer, and my own projects.
Something that's been of particular interest to myself and pencilling dynamo Pedro Cruz, is the potential of human frailties and vulnerabilities.

The character I'm writing, the White Ghost, is not unlike a Daredevil.
A relatively normal human being in a costume that fights in urban settings against a psuedo-realistic backdrop. Something I've found, and this was Pedro's observation, is that what we're doing is exploring some of the more base qualities, and doing so with a bit of a sense of humor.

This is perhaps in contrast to Daredevil, which under Miller and Smith and Bendis have really been about pushing a character to the very extremes of angst, and loss, and failure.

To get back to the point, it's just very interesting to even look back at this 1976 issue of Daredevil -- which reeks of a lot of what wasn't spectacular about DD, but still recognise some of these traits that have stamped the character into the minds of comic fans everywhere.

Also interesting to note inks/finishes by Klaus Janson.
Every now and then I forget just how many places he pops up away from Miller.

The Fight: 2.5 The Issue: 3

NEXT: The monthly punch-up, and more on my fledgling comics career! Plus regular features - Quick Fix! Top 5 and more!

DC versus MARVEL
(DC/Marvel)
Where: DC versus Marvel #1/#4, Marvel versus DC #2/#3 When: March/April 1996
Why: Ron Marz/Peter David How: Dan Jurgens/Claudio Castellini

The recap...
- Captain Marvel versus Thor
- Aquaman versus Sub-Mariner
- Flash versus Quicksilver
- Robin versus Jubilee
- Green Lantern versus Silver Surfer
- Catwoman versus Elektra
- Lobo versus Wolverine
- Wonder Woman versus Storm
- Superboy versus Spider-man
- Superman versus Hulk
- Batman versus Captain America

For the past three months Secret Earths has featured the events of the mini-series that broke all the boundaries, and brought DC and Marvel face to face, ten years ago.

Pitted against one another by two cosmic entities; champions from the Marvel and DC universes did battle to save their universe from extinction.
In the end Batman and Captain America would be catalysts for saving both universes, as the young new cosmic hero, Access, merged realities to create the 'Amalgam' universe.

Though this merged universe could not last, in the end, the triumphs and tribulations of the lives lived by Captain America and Batman were enough to save their worlds. In the last moments the two cosmic 'brothers' that waged war with their pawns were satisfied, and spoke for the first time to say, "You've done well!"

Despite officially winning it six-to-five, Marvel and DC, represented by these two cosmic entities, make a rare gesture of sincerity and congratulate each other on a job well done. Which is all good and well, but what about the 'unofficial' fights peppered and alluded to throughout the series?

Superman versus Juggernaut (DC versus Marvel #1)
What originally begins as yet another tussle between the X-Men and Juggernaut, takes a curious twist. As the mighty Juggernaut prepares to deliver a crushing blow to a floored Wolverine, he finds himself among the earliest targets of this cosmic crossover event.
The follow through of the previous punch collides with the side of a building - the Daily Planet - which doesn't make a great first impression.

A streaking blue collides with the helmet of the Juggernaut, and actually manages to floor the unstoppable force! Though this encounter was brief, this is deemed conclusive of a result.
Winner: Superman

Batman & Robin versus Bullseye (DC versus Marvel #1)
What a delicious turn of events. While the Joker was crazy enough not to engage a disaplaced Spider-man - Bullseye is unstable enough to snatch the nearest kid in a cave, and start demanding answers.
Unfortunately for him, one of those answers is "Batman."

With a knife to Robin's throat, Bullseye holds Batman in a stand-off, batarang drawn. The man who doesn't miss teases Batman, cutting at the mask of Robin and speculating his chances of a miss.

The boy wonder, hardly helpless, elbows the fiend in the neck, giving Batman an opening to toss his batarang. However, even stunned, Bullseye is able to snatch the weapon out of the air, and whip it right back at the target.

Much to Bullseye's dismay, however, Batman is able to duck and weave the return attack, and swiftly plant a stiff left on the chin of the Marvel villain.
"You hit... even harder than... than... Daredevil..."
Winner: Batman (w/ Robin)

Wolverine versus Killer Croc (Marvel versus DC #2)
Bursting from the sewers, Killer Croc and Wolverine go at it tooth and nail - literally!
With several on lookers (including Clark Kent and Ben Reilly), the two feral fighters do battle and exchange quips. The two battle their way into the streets, careering into a toy store, as Wolverine takes an apparent offensive.

While no definitive blow is struck on the page, Wolverine is free to accompany Gambit in stealing the Batmobile. Though apparent that Killer Croc is defeated, it is possible he escaped.
Winner: Inconclusive (draw)

Bane versus Captain America (Marvel versus DC #2)
The battle of the serum enhanced super soldiers!
As Cap's shield hurls out of reach, Bane mocks his opponent as he prepares to deliver a back breaking finishing move that will leave the Captain crippled and helpless.

As Bane mocks the Captain's strategy, his full frontal assault turns out to be an error of judgment. Cap's shield, ever a faithful weapon, comes boomerang around right into the back of Bane's skull. Ouch. Schooled by the master!
"Now... No more back talk from you."
Winner: Captain America

Peter Parker versus Scarecrow & Scarecrow (Marvel versus DC #2)
Walking the streets alone can be dangerous, but that goes double when you're Lois Lane - professional damsel in distress!
In a meeting of gimmicks, both the Marvel and DC Scarecrows come up with the genius plan of kidnapping Superman's gal for whatever genius reason that goes unsaid.

Luckily Planet photographer Peter Parker is nearby, and able to unload some mean martial arts skills on the two fear enducing putzes.
Winner: Peter "Ben Reilly" Parker

Hulk & Superman versus Metallo (Marvel versus DC #3)
Beamed to Metropolis, Hulk finds himself dealing with a metallic hulking maniac called Metallo. Using a nearby giant Superman statue, Hulk smashes the 'metal geek' around a bit, until Superman finally shows up.

Confronting each other for their official bout, the two do away with Metallo switfly with a double punch, before being teleported to clearer grounds.
Winners: Superman & Hulk

Dark Claw & Super-Soldier versus Hyena (DC versus Marvel #4)
Dark Claw lurks across the rooftops, pursuing his arch-nemesis the Hyena.
Dark Claw attempts to put an end to the pursuit, hurtling a bomb at his foe, but Hyena is able to rip a chimney from a roof and swat it away toward innocents below.

The intervention of Super-Soldier sees a happy ending for the folks below.
As Hyena thinks he's finally made his get-away, the two heroes loom on the rooftop waiting for him.

Hyena backflips away, and makes his way to the streets below where Access, a character with newly acquired powers, finds himself the target of a hostage situation.

Of course, as Hyena leaps at his potential ticket out, Access creates a portal to someplace unknown, and lets Hyena send himself away.
Access attends to more important business, like seperating the Amalgam universe into the Marvel and DC universe via bits hidden in Captain America and Batman.
Winner: Access (w/ Dark Claw & Super-Soldier)

Hulk & Superman versus Moleman & the Moloids (DC versus Marvel #4)
In the batcave, Hulk emerges to tackle the swarming Moloid masses led by the Moleman. Using a well shined giant penny, Hulk flattens an armada of Moloids, and then tussles it up with the little freaks himself.
The cavalry arrives in the form of Superman, who deflects a blast from the Moloids' "greatest weapon" - a very Kirby laser canon.

Moleman and his Moloids are forced into retreat.
Winners: Superman & Hulk

Superboy versus Kingpin (DC versus Marvel #4)
As Wilson Fisk abuses his powers as owner of the Daily Planet, Spider-man swings in to heckle his long-standing foe.
Having already laid Perry White on his ass, Kingpin doesn't even see the brazen attack from Superboy coming. Some tight pants, a bulky jacket and a little 'tactile telekenisis' later, and Kingpin's getting dumped through a table.
Winner: Superboy

Elektra & Catwoman versus Abomination (DC versus Marvel #4)
Though the battle is sufficiently depicted (and considerably one-sided), in the end the sky turning to blood proves too much of a distraction.
Winner: Inconclusive (draw)

Flash & Quicksilver versus Venom (DC versus Marvel #4)
As the Marvel villains continue to get a good run in the wrap up of this mini-series, Flash and Quicksilver, though much better matched, find themselves sufficiently distracted during their fight.
Winner: Inconclusive (draw)

JLA/Avengers versus Darkseid & Thanos (DC versus Marvel #4)
A collection of heroes from both universes charge in to do battle with the wagering titans, Darkseid and Thanos.
Darkseid takes delight in finding "fire" in the mighty Thor, who deflects deadly eye beams from the ruler of Apokolips. The Silver Surfer and Storm swoop in for attacks on Darkseid, but they prove ineffective, as Darkseid topples Thor with a second eyebeam attack.

Meanwhile Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel fare better with Thanos, drawing first blood.

As the two fights converge, a thumped Wonder Woman hands Thor the mighty Mjolnir, much to his surprise.

As the sky turns to blood, these heroes too are distracted.
Winner: Draw

The hammer...
So, in the end, with these additional fights, who is the true winner?
Well, by Secret Earths standards it was a draw. While the official fights drew a 6-5 finish, additional fights ended in an 8-all draw, with a bunch o' ties and inconclusive results. Bravo to fair conclusions.

All in all this probably wasn't the greatest crossover event. As alluded to by some of these extra fights, there was a lot of fertile ground that went untouched.
That said, it's been a lot of fun taking a look at each battle the past few months, and filling the site with entries based on comics that were just made for a site like this.

Unfortunately, criticms of this mini-series come to mind far quicker than praise.
Perhaps some of the most bitter results are the chances missed. Some of the fights alluded to, but not given enough screen time to make this extras special included: Steel versus Absorbing man, Green Lantern versus Green Goblin, Daredevil versus the Riddler, Batman versus Venom, Captain Marvel versus Dr. Doom, Punisher versus Deathstroke, Etrigan versus Ghost Rider, Thing.Human Torch versus Firestorm/Martian Manhunter, Superman versus Annihilus, Spider-man versus Man-Bat and Nightwing versus Gambit.

If even a fraction of that list could have been given a look in, this series might have even scraped through with obscurity cred. Unfortunately, these just highlight a lot of missed chances, sitting next to a lot of half-done fights listed in this entry, and even in previous 'official' entries.
I would also particularly highlight the absence of big names like the Fantastic Four and the Martian Manhunter, lucky to get even a one-page mention.

Overall, I suppose a lot of this has to be put down to the era.
The writing is not at all intelligent, providing a fairly standard cosmic romp with a lot of quick, vingettes for each fight. The drama and the story of each conflict is completely absent here, and that's a shame.

Visually the book is also lacking. Castellini and Jurgens appear as somewhat unusual choices for a project so huge in the context of comics history.
For a one-time situation, it's disappointing that more range and variety couldn't have been offered up.

Personally I'd love to see another effort, with contemporary talents and characters spreading the event across several mini-series and one-shots. Guys like Brian Bendis and Ed Brubaker with Michael Lark on Daredevil/Batman.
Characters like the JSA, the JLA and the Avengers all interacting. There really are endless possibilities.

Never the less, it was a very fun series, and great to see what we did.

Next month, as voted by poll, Monday madness will feature fights starring the Hulk! Hope you enjoyed revisiting Marvel versus DC, I know I did (even if it is 2am!)!

NEXT: Another special event! Celebrating the release of X3, Wolverine takes on a bitter foe in a whole other medium! Stay tuned!

BULLSEYE versus DAREDEVIL & ELEKTRA"The Murdock Papers"
Where: Daredevil #79 When: January 2006
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Alex Maleev

The story so far...
Two years ago Matt Murdock was attacked by his enemies, just like he'd been attacked by his enemies time and time before. This time, however, the toll of all those previous fights had been take, and this time, Matt Murdock intended to end it.

Having been humiliated and utterly defeated at the hands of Daredevil, the Kingpin finally made a move to use the information of Daredevil's secret identity.

Setting up all the pawns, Kingpin negotiates his way to a better life abroad, while manipulating the federal investigation forces into hunting his nemesis down.

The assassin Elektra returns to help prevent the Kingpin's "Murdock Papers" falling into the wrong hands, as one of only three people who know they existed. The other two people being the Kingpin himself, and the man who once killed Elektra, the Kingpin's other prized assassin.

Bullseye is back.

Tale of the tape...
Technically we're featuring the rematch before the kick-off, but these characters are so familiar with each other, I don't think showing fights out of sequence is going to affect things too drastically.

The X-factor in this particular fight is common to all three characters involved, and that's history. Elektra's as cool as they come, but it has to do something to even the best of us, knowing you're fighting a guy who's killed you. Especially the way Bullseye was able to do it, with her own weapon.

Energy powers: 4 (Arsenal)

The energy powers is a difficult category, but here the four is to represent Bullseye's incredible accuracy skills. Essentially he has access to an arsenal, making anything he can throw a weapon.

Agility: 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting ability: 5 (Martial artist)

Obviously having the agility to avoid Bullseye's attacks, or the associated hand-eye coordination to even counter them, is a tremendous advantage. Both Elektra and Daredevil each share the same rating for agility, as do they share fighting ability.

Against a marksman like Bullseye, their greatest advantage is to try to out maneuver his attacks, and then out fight him with a superior fighting discipline.
Of course, against a character as psychologically offensive as Bullseye, that might be easier said than done.

That said, on paper, the Daredevil and Elektra team would be hard to bet against.

What went down...
At the beginning of last issue, Daredevil posed a question, and got an answer when he caught a razor tipped ace of spades in mid-air -- right infront of Elektra's neck.

The story resumes with Bullseye flying onto the rooftop straddling a motorcycle, while throwing razor cards at Daredevil, Elektra, Black Widow and former special agent Angela Del Toro (the new White Tiger).

As DD looks to protect Del Toro, Elektra shows no hesitation where confronting Bullseye is concerned. She charges him, forcing them off the side of the rooftop, and down through a skylight into an office block.

Elektra continues to battle Bullseye through an eating area, avoiding a projectile hot coffee pot, while Daredevil tries to keep Del Toro out of harms way.
Though in posession of the White Tiger's amulet, DD is certain she lacks the skill necessary to fight a man as deadly as Bullseye. He proves his point, snatching the amulet away, and kicking Del Toro off the roof into a garbage laden alley below. She brakes her arm, but lives.

DD charges Black Widow with the task of protecting his wife Milla, before he joins the fray.

Inside the offices, Bullseye manages to get the jump on Elektra, and snatches one of her sai away. Pressed up against a wall, it all looks horribly familiar for Elektra, but before Bullseye can deliver the finishing blow a red billy-club hurtles into his throat.

Elektra cracks her fist against Bullseye's face, and DD makes his landing count, coming through the skylight onto Bullseye.
Bullseye is able to use it to his advantage though, turning the broken shards of glass into lethal projectiles.

Bullseye gets tossed out the window, landing on a buss in the street, but the damage is done. An innocent with a shard of glass in her throat passes. Daredevil will not let it go lightly.

On the street, DD emplores people to clear the area as he and Elektra each hurl one of their weapons at Bullseye. He's able to catch them both, and defend himself against Elektra's attack. It leaves him open to Daredevil, who slams him into the street, and catches Elektra's sai as Bullseye tosses it.

The fight goes to close quarter, Bullseye pulling Elektra into defend himself from a Daredevil punch, before getting a boot in the face. Elektra fights back, and Daredevil gathers himself, driving his fist into his arch-nemesis' face.
The nose busts. Blood sprays.

With his ass in his hands, Bullseye makes a run for it, but doesn't see a truck coming at the T-junction.

His body whips around, leaving him motionless in the middle of the street. Elektra checks for signs of life, and Daredevil tells her his legs are broken, and a rib is shattered, but like always, he still lives.

Elektra seeks vengeance, but despite the evils Bullseye has committed against him, this time the Catholic Murdock shows mercy for his deadly foe.

Before he can retrieve the papers he fought so hard for, a shot is fired, taking his shoulder. A sniper shot from so far away, not even Daredevil's keen radar senses could pick it up. Of course, that's a whole other story.

The hammer...
I think it's pretty safe to say that by the end of the fight, Elektra and Daredevil emerged the victors. Unless of course you consider Bullseye's broken leg predicament to be another notch on the Daredevil belt for championing disabilities.

It's probably noteworthy that despite being one of the biggest writers in comics today, Brian Michael Bendis has not been featured on Secret Earths prior to this. That is largely because of two things -- coincidence that other titles have grabbed my attentions sooner, and also because I am often a critic of his more recent works.

Regardless of my opinion of his work as a whole, I have to undoubtedly acknowledge his Daredevil as a truly impressive comic. Not only due to the fantastic art provided by Alex Maleev, but also because of the overall atmosphere, and Bendis' ability to take Frank Miller's contribution, and continue it.
That fact is also cause for critique, but overall Daredevil has been one of the most fantastic runs of his career. I'm sorry to see it end, but the Murdock Papers has been a worthy send-off!

The Fight: 7 The Issue: 7

NEXT WEEK: A fight that actually leaps off the page! Be here in seven!