Spider-Man vs Punisher, a Bat-family brawl and battle of the Goblins!
Greetings, action fans! Every week I'll review the new selection of comics and do my best to pick out the best battles to grace the panels. Yes, I usually say it's a good week for fights, but I really, really loved the action scenes in this week's new releases. It was a tough time narrowing it down to just three, but I'm pretty confident with my selections and hopefully you also loved the encounters.
"Wait a second... a fight I like isn't in here! What gives?!"
Excellent question, random reader! You see, I don't have the luxury (or the bank account) to read every single new comic, so it's entirely possible a cool fight or two will elude my eyes. So, give the fight some love and post about it. And if possible, share scans!
It's hard to believe Frank Castle technically made his debut as a (misunderstood) Spider-Man villain. His excellent training allowed him to tag with wall-crawler with mercy bullets back in the day and, believe it or not, even throw down with him in close range. But let's be honest here, a determined Spider-Man should make short work of Castle. Swing and a miss!Despite all of his training, Spider-Man is too physically advanced for Frank. He's extraordinarily faster, stronger, more agile and has vastly superior reflexes. I've always said Frank would need to resort to more dangerous weapons if he wants to give Pete a challenge, and it's nice to see writer Greg Rucka agrees with me. His short battle between the two almost word for word represents how I think it should go down. Bow before the might of Spider-Man's jawline. One thing that made me extremely happy was Parker letting Frank get in a few hits. We're talking about a character that is regularly smashed through buildings and takes strikes from superhumans -- so it's incredibly questionable when Spider-Man gets stunned by a strike from someone with human stats (Chameleon for example). At the end of the day, Parker is far more durable than a lot of people give him credit for... and it's nice to see Rucka recognizing this. "Cheater," says the man with superhuman stats fighting a human.The thought of Punisher eluding and possibly besting the Avengers is an absurd one, but if each encounter is treated this well, I have full faith that PUNISHER: WAR ZONE will be an excellent read and become a regular in this weekly segment.
SO. MANY. ARROWS. Seriously, I can't handle the overabundance of awesome arrow usage. Whether it's violently impaling through a shoulder, wrist or hand, each panel was painfully stellar. The premise was simple: Batman Inc and allies invade a building full of League of Assassin characters. How could such an issue not make this list? No, I won't make a Skyrim joke here."Wingman" has a grand set of panels. He struts like a boss (the arrogance is so fitting for the character in the armor, too) and hilariously dispatches two assailants. You might not catch it right away, but the final panel has quite a cringe inducing footstep. I sincerely hope Mr. Red Pants is wearing a cup.The entire issue was just a whole lot of fun. The party doesn't even technically begin until the Bat family shows up. Once they kill the lights, it's more than transparent the LOA isn't going to be walking away from this one. A few hilarious panels of the members getting humiliated later and we have a clear outcome. Talia, maybe you next time you'll bring bigger guns like Deathstroke or Bane. Just a suggestion. What a warm "welcome back" for Mad Dog & Shrike!Finally, I have so much respect for Gaucho after this issue. So much. "I've had worse."
Don't get too cozy in that costume, Phil, because the original Hobgoblin is back in town and looking to take back what's his. Roderick doesn't mind Phil killing his brother... what truly ticks him off is Phil flying around pretending to be him and using all of his advanced gear. It doesn't help matters that Roderick thinks Phil is a total moron and a disgrace to the name as well. It goes without saying that a fight between these two is something to get excited about and Kingpin's response to the chaos is... amusing.Give the big man some popcorn. Despite his arrogance, Phil is actually a very formidable combatant. The lunatic laugh is absurdly effective, the flame sword is frightening and he has some pretty impressive physical stats. Luckily for Roderick, he's also sporting superhuman stats and his own variety of gear. Needless to say, a fight between these two should prove entertaining and fairly balanced. Thankfully, that's exactly how Dan Slott writes it. "FSSASSH!"As the two duke it out in the sky and everyone enjoys the show, a third party decides to ruin the fun. Party pooper Peter Parker interferes, landing a pretty remarkable shot which makes the duo come crashing down. It's a shame the fight was so brief, but I have a feeling we're going to see plenty more action from the twin Hobgoblins. Eat it, Bullseye.Honorable Mentions:Cyclops vs Inmates, Red Lanterns vs Third Army, Valkyrie vs Lady Deathstrike
Well, those are my top 3 this week. What are yours?Gregg Katzman is a freelance writer for Comic Vine and IGN Entertainment. Don't let anyone know, but he rooted for the League of Assassins.
