MARVEL KNIGHTS #15

By: Arnold T. Blumberg
Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2001

I only just discovered this wonderful tribute to the good old days of the massive Marvel Universe team-ups of the '70s, and now we have to bid farewell. As most of you no doubt know by now particularly if you've been following our coverage of the situation, and if not, shame on you MARVEL KNIGHTS is going on a hiatus while DOUBLE-SHOT arrives to take its place. But unlike the free-for-all, single saga featuring all of these Marvel icons in one sprawling adventure that MARVEL KNIGHTS has presented, DOUBLE-SHOT will be a two-star an issue anthology. When KNIGHTS does return, it will be a team book and might not be quite the same as it was. So let's raise a glass to this tribute to days gone by and see where things wrap up as KNIGHTS draws down the curtain on its current tale.

When we last left the team, things were pretty grim. Dagger and Black Widow were surrounded by evil Life Model Decoys (robots) on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier hovering over New York (note the fleeting shot of the WTC towers still standing, the sort of detail that we wouldn't have noticed at all a few short weeks ago). They're going to have a tough time fighting their way out of this mess, but they're not the only ones with problems. The rest of the group is splitting up considering most of these heroes are loner types, that's not too surprising. Cage and Shang Chi chat over fast food while Punisher and Vermin track Daredevil across the grimy city rooftops. Shang is determined to leave town before his father, an incarnation of evil, discovers him and threatens others. The Punisher has his hands full with the Man Without Fear, and back on the helicarrier, our two female adventurers have met Celine, a S.H.I.E.L.D. security A.I. who may be at the heart of this whole robot revolution. OK, so they're not the closest team in the world. And before it's over, Daredevil will realize that trying to manage a group of strong-willed individuals in a hunt for the Marvel Universe's most dangerous vigilante may not be a good idea after all.

The all too short saga comes to an end with this tightly scripted installment. Daredevil sees his coalition against the Punisher scatter and one last confrontation fails to settle matters. It's not an ending where things are tied up neatly in a bow even in the land of superheroes, sometimes realism in storytelling can be far more appropriate. These characters ring true and their actions have consequences. There's even a poignant final moment that touches on the tragedy of caring for a superhero while simultaneously bidding farewell to those fans who stuck with the series from the beginning. MARVEL KNIGHTS is dead. Love live MARVEL KNIGHTS!.

MARVEL KNIGHTS

Grade: A

Issue: No. 15

Author(s): Chuck Dixon, Ed Barreto, Nelson

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $2.99