joshgauthier's review
5.0
Continuing Bensis's farewell to the Marvel universe and the characters he has had so much influence on--Defenders vol. 2 more-or-less wraps up the chaos that followed Kingpin's stepping aside from his role of crime lord. With heroes and villains jumping at the chance to take back a bit of control, things get complicated very quickly.
Admittedly, this title doesn't offer the depth of complexity and character that has really made some of Bendis's work stand out in the past. It's fast paced, fun, and does struggle a bit with fitting a large amount of story into a short space. Rather than a slow burn of a climactic final story, it feels more like a celebration of the characters--sending them off with a bang of mayhem, banter, and cameos.
And so, my rating comes not from a critical, objective analysis of this volume. It's simply to say that I had a lot of fun reading this. Some of the cameo appearances are nearly perfect. It is funny and dramatic in equal turns. And ultimately, it showcases the spirit of the Defenders and their little corner of the Marvel universe.
Admittedly, this title doesn't offer the depth of complexity and character that has really made some of Bendis's work stand out in the past. It's fast paced, fun, and does struggle a bit with fitting a large amount of story into a short space. Rather than a slow burn of a climactic final story, it feels more like a celebration of the characters--sending them off with a bang of mayhem, banter, and cameos.
And so, my rating comes not from a critical, objective analysis of this volume. It's simply to say that I had a lot of fun reading this. Some of the cameo appearances are nearly perfect. It is funny and dramatic in equal turns. And ultimately, it showcases the spirit of the Defenders and their little corner of the Marvel universe.
mspris's review
4.0
Not the strongest story I would have hoped for in a "Daredevil reveals his identity", but the inclusion of Deadpool makes everything better. I look forward to the next volume in this series!
adzel's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't really liked the first volume. I just wanted to see the Black Cat again. But this second volume surprised me in a good way!
spiides's review
3.0
3 STARS (?) ||
oh man, with how good volume one was i expected this to be just the same.
the first couple of issues in here were quite great, but definitely went downhill from there. the ending wasn't resolved either, they decided to add another character near the end just to do nothing with them and add more confusion. if there was another issue or two, i think it would've been tied off so nicely.
quite disappointed to see it end like this tbh but i'll read their individual titles to see how it goes.
oh man, with how good volume one was i expected this to be just the same.
the first couple of issues in here were quite great, but definitely went downhill from there. the ending wasn't resolved either, they decided to add another character near the end just to do nothing with them and add more confusion. if there was another issue or two, i think it would've been tied off so nicely.
quite disappointed to see it end like this tbh but i'll read their individual titles to see how it goes.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
4.0
3 1/2 Stars
This is the second, and sadly last, volume in the latest run of the Defenders. It was a fun run while it lasted, with a great introduction and plenty of funny moments (especially in the latest volume). I know the series will come back around sometime, but itās still sad to see it go.
Kingpins of New York is actually a pretty interesting plot, all things considered. The Kingpin plot has been interesting, as was everything else involved with it. Some of the cameos were pretty amazing and/or hilarious this time around too.
With the Kingpin going legit (should I put quotes around that? I feel like I should) that leaves a Kingpin sized vacancy in the city, and itās one that plenty of villains have been hoping to land. The end result is a massive turf war of the top tier villains in Hellās Kitchen, and a lot of mess and destruction for everyone else.
Obviously the Defenders arenāt going to stand for that, and all hell breaks loose. Granted, they probably would have been allowed to sit idly by anyway, what with Diamondback having already targeted them once already.
In many ways this volume was actually funnier in the first. That sounds a little weird to say, since there was a lot of tension and fighting going on as well. I guess they just did a better job balancing out the comic relief this time around.
The Deadpool cameos totally made this volume, not going to lie. I actually wish we had seen more of him in here, but that probably would have changed the tone a little too much. I also enjoyed the interactions between Daredevil, Danny, and Elektra. Theyāre hilarious, but theyāre definitely better if you read them instead of hearing them retold by me.
While reading this, it struck me that the Danny in this series is exactly what I had been hoping for in the Netflix series. Heās funny, charismatic, stubborn as all hell, and gets along with the team. Well, mostly. Theyāre still working things out with Daredevil, but thatās pretty on par for the course, isnāt it? It made me sad to see the wasted potential all over again. Oh well. Hopefully the next season will be more like the Danny in here. One can hope.
Iām sad this series is over, though to be honest I do have to admit that while it was fun it wasnāt really all that groundbreaking either. But does it have to be dramatic and change the rules of the universe every series? No. Sometimes we just want something fun and full of action, and the Defenders can certainly do that much. Regardless, itād be nice to see this series get rebooted sometime.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
This is the second, and sadly last, volume in the latest run of the Defenders. It was a fun run while it lasted, with a great introduction and plenty of funny moments (especially in the latest volume). I know the series will come back around sometime, but itās still sad to see it go.
Kingpins of New York is actually a pretty interesting plot, all things considered. The Kingpin plot has been interesting, as was everything else involved with it. Some of the cameos were pretty amazing and/or hilarious this time around too.
With the Kingpin going legit (should I put quotes around that? I feel like I should) that leaves a Kingpin sized vacancy in the city, and itās one that plenty of villains have been hoping to land. The end result is a massive turf war of the top tier villains in Hellās Kitchen, and a lot of mess and destruction for everyone else.
Obviously the Defenders arenāt going to stand for that, and all hell breaks loose. Granted, they probably would have been allowed to sit idly by anyway, what with Diamondback having already targeted them once already.
In many ways this volume was actually funnier in the first. That sounds a little weird to say, since there was a lot of tension and fighting going on as well. I guess they just did a better job balancing out the comic relief this time around.
The Deadpool cameos totally made this volume, not going to lie. I actually wish we had seen more of him in here, but that probably would have changed the tone a little too much. I also enjoyed the interactions between Daredevil, Danny, and Elektra. Theyāre hilarious, but theyāre definitely better if you read them instead of hearing them retold by me.
While reading this, it struck me that the Danny in this series is exactly what I had been hoping for in the Netflix series. Heās funny, charismatic, stubborn as all hell, and gets along with the team. Well, mostly. Theyāre still working things out with Daredevil, but thatās pretty on par for the course, isnāt it? It made me sad to see the wasted potential all over again. Oh well. Hopefully the next season will be more like the Danny in here. One can hope.
Iām sad this series is over, though to be honest I do have to admit that while it was fun it wasnāt really all that groundbreaking either. But does it have to be dramatic and change the rules of the universe every series? No. Sometimes we just want something fun and full of action, and the Defenders can certainly do that much. Regardless, itād be nice to see this series get rebooted sometime.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
shoshannah's review
One of my favorite things about reading Marvel comics is that when you finish reading all the team-ups and characters that you currently love and you get a reading hangover, there is always a new pocket of the Marvel Universe for you to explore next. I am enjoying this new pocket.
misskrose's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5