The War of the Realms: Spider-Man/Daredevil

The War of the Realms

by Sean Ryan, Jason Aaron, Nico Leon (Illustrator)

Collects War of the Realms: Spider-Man & The League of the Realms #1-3 and material from War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1-3.

War on two fronts! To win the War of the Realms, Earth needs the League of Realms! And who better to serve as the legendary team’s new leader (and Midgardian member) than…Spider-Man?! The wall-crawler joins Screwbeard the Dwarf, Ud the Troll, Ro Bloodroot the Wizard, Sir Ivory Honeyshot the Light Elf and Titanya the Mountain Giant! But who will represent Asgard as the members of the League fight for their lives (and all of existence) against former member Kurse? Then, from Jason Aaron, the architect of WAR OF THE REALMS, comes a Daredevil story like no other! Gifted the incredible sight of the Bifrost, will Daredevil watch Midgard burn — or can the defender of Hell’s Kitchen guard an entire Earth turned to Hell?

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Spider Man, Superheroes, Comic Book, Mythology

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2019

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daredevil is the God Without Fear! Spidey leads a multi-Realm team to strike at the heart of the invaders' territories. The Daredevil story is pretty interesting, but a huge leap for a street hero which sort of overstretched credibility... in how he handles the transition? Or maybe I'm wrong and a street hero would handle it better? This is worth reading for the event. - 8 out of 12

Spidey and his mixed bag of Realm representatives gives the reader some wider insight to the Realms, especially for non-Thor readers like me; the actual story is quite average though, in my opinion. - 6 out of 12. Overall 7 out of 12.

2019 read

[Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate Spider-man-child. Spider-man used to be one of my favourite characters. He used to be a veteran seasoned superhero. He was a seasoned respected fighter, yes he saved people over stopping the bad guys getting away, that is what heroes do. He was chosen for missions out of respect of his abilities like intelligence, or his achievements not because he is the most child like. The only thing that did give me some hope is issues 3 he acted like a leader, he still could not fight. Just so people remember Spider-man (before brand new day) fought the Hulk and the Juggernaut. Thanks to his Spider-sense they could not lay blow on him, this version seem to walk into punches. Rant over.

The Daredevil arc the God without fear was great that would have got 4 stars from me. I like the fact that he remembers the first time he saw Thor and how Thor's existence went against his catholic beliefs. The narration story and action is great. Even Wilson Fisk played his part perfectly. You can't have s bad story with Daredevil Vs Fisk.

A book of two halves. Out of six issues the first two staring Spider-man-child, Spider-man make an appearance in issue three. The three good issues of Daredevil with Matt trying to come to terms with his new powers and perspective. All in all an ok book many in between War of the Realms issue 4 and 5.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are actually two separate stories here, a Spider-Man one where he teams up with the League of Realms and a Daredevil one where he deals with receiving Heimdall's powers. I would read the Daredevil one first even though it's printed second as it does affect the Spider-Man story. Neither story is that great and the art in both feels rushed and subpar compared to what I've seen from both Andrea Sorrentino and Nico Leon before.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another of the Marvel constructs that they presented without proper background or context or warning that you had to read a number of other books in order to figure out what's going on in this one. It includes two stories, one featuring Spider-Man and the other one Daredevil; the Spider-Man is printed first but is obviously set after the other, so perhaps the editor who packaged the book didn't get around to sorting out the whole mess either. Spidey rides around with a group of Norse characters and they fight a bunch of other Norse characters except when they fight each other. I didn't think it was very well written or drawn. Next Daredevil fights Norse characters and Kingpin in New York and has a lot of religious questions and interior monologues. I thought it was pretty well written and excellently drawn, but it was colored in a very faded, washed-out fashion that detracted a lot. Irving Forbush would have been disappointed.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

While neither of the stories collected here are blessed with great artwork, the tales themselves are well worth your time.

The Daredevil story, which I recommend reading first because events in this one have an impact on the Spidey story, is really rather powerful and deals with DD’s role as the God Without Fear after being endowed with Heimdall’s powers and responsibilities. How becoming a Norse god gels with Matt’s Catholicism is explored here and it’s very interesting. I hope it’s not just ignored in DD’s own book.

The Spidey story sees Pete charged with leading the League of Realms (Marvel’s own Fellowship of the Ring) into Africa to challenge the armies of Heven (not a typo). They get more than they bargained for when they end up facing down with Kurse who, as readers of Thor will know, is an ensorcelled ex-member of the League. It’s interesting that Spidey seems to be the only Marvel hero (apart from the pacifist Wonder Man over in Journey Into Mystery) who hasn’t abandoned his ‘no killing’ rule during the WOTR; everybody else seems to be slaughtering the enemy without any qualms.

There are major events in both these stories which affect the main WOTR book, so I definitely don’t advise skipping this one.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spider-Man joins the League of Realms in a story that brings him into conflict with Kurse and the Angels of Heven in this trade's lead story. I like that writer Sean Ryan leans into the continuity of the League, and having them face off against Kurse when she's actually a corrupted member of the previous League is a great idea, but I don't think the emotional beats will land for anyone that hasn't read the rest of Jason Aaron's Thor stuff. Spidey's role works well, as there are few characters who could literally talk someone out of killing him and instead team-up with him instead, but then Ryan is no stranger to writing the webhead.

Nico Leon's art is okay, but it feels rushed and less detailed than usual. He's usually great for all the little details in the background (see Ms. Marvel for examples), but this definitely doesn't feel like he had the time to put in his usual effort.

The Daredevil story that follows up is the only Aaron-penned tie-in to War Of The Realms (not counting the ongoing Thor series), which pits a god-powered Daredevil against the Kingpin. It's kind of too short to do much, but it has some well-written inner monologues for both characters, and I'll read anything with Andrea Sorrentino art (although I wish he'd go back to Marcelo Maiolo on colours).

Not a bad War Of The Realms collection, but not exactly essential either. Grab it if you're a fan of either character, otherwise you can safely look elsewhere.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another War of the Realms tie in that is just so so.
Spider-Man has witty banter and lots of characters from the other realms.
Daredevil is pretentious and literally holier than thou with Daredevil being the loser with a gods sword.
I was hoping for better from both stories collected here.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

What my rating says.. It was ok!

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

COLLECTS WAR OF THE REALMS: SPIDER-MAN & LEAGUE OF REALMS ISSUES #1-3 AND MATERIAL FROM WAR OF THE REALMS: WAR SCROLLS ISSUES 1-3 (THE DAREDEVIL STORY)

Sean Ryan writes the Spider-Man story and Jason Aaron wrote the Daredevil story. I skimmed through a lot of this, and I think I'm realizing that I wasn't that into the 2019 Marvel event, "War of the Realms."

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked seeing Spider-man lead a disparate group of heroes from various realms. It made for some very good party dynamics.

Daredevil is a blind mortal with super senses that becomes a blind god who's all-seeing. Some fascinating questions & situations are brought up.

[William Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ryan does his best Jim Zub/‘Skullkickers’ impersonation but with too much exposition.

Grade: D

And then Jason Aaron and Andrea Sorrentino do some pretty rad stuff with Daredevil. Artwork is amazing. Story is some of the best Aaron has done in the recent years (Avengers? Gross).

Grade: A

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed the Daredevil back-ups more than the full 3 issue Spider-man entry for War of the Realms. It just seemed very disjointed and hard to follow without the main series.

[Oneirosophos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spider-Man: master of LOL!

[The Wintermute System · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but I’m glad it’s done and I can read books I enjoy more now!

[RND · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed how this was very much a Spidey story, in terms of showing who Spidey is and why he's special. I liked Leon's art; sometimes it's a little flat and too little detail, but he draws faces well. Some of the emotional turns of characters come a little too fast and rushed, but overall it's a good little spin-off companion piece to WotR. I liked the suicidal people finding common ground. The DD story is nice too, giving a different angle to the classic Murdock/Fisk rivalry.

[Lucas Savio · Rating 4 out of 5]

gsotei muito da arte e das histórias por mais indiferente que seja da saga principal divertiu bastante.

[Silas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather than a tale featuring Spider-Man and Daredevil together, this just collects a three issue Spider-Man tale and a three issue Daredevil one. I enjoyed the Spider-Man one more, but I tend to enjoy Spider-Man comics more than I enjoy Daredevil ones, so that's not terribly surprising. I can understand the frustration other reviewers feel at Spider-Man being somewhat childish at times, but I found that despite that, he was also shown as a competent leader, which is not a role he normally fills, and showcased his heart in a very gritty setting (for Spider-Man).

The Daredevil stories were different. It showed Daredevil grappling with the philosophical and theological implications of his wielding the power of Heimdall, and what that meant in regards to his Catholic beliefs (including a flashback of him being mad at Thor for calling himself a god upon their first meeting). I found that kind of inconsistent, but at least an interesting thought experiment. The art in this one took me out of it a bit, though, because it featured some very awkward flips with a sword that looked like bad animation in a video game, and not any natural way one might hold a sword while flipping. Kingpin looked pretty weird at times, as well, but it wasn't completely awful, just maybe in need of a bit of refinement.

As War of the Realms tie-ins go, this was above average, and I enjoyed it.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 5 out of 5]

These tie-in comics for big multi-title events are rarely the best things in the world, but I honestly feel like they did something really good with the two mini-series collected in this volume. The common thread between Spider-Man and Daredevil is how both tend to be more street-level heroes and hardly the big focus for cosmic-level conflicts like the War of the Realms.

The Spider-Man series hinged on him being himself - a hero who tries to see the best in others. Instead of joining the League of the Realms in wanton violence against Maleketh and those forces allied with his Dark Elves, he instead still tries to be himself and finds a different path in facing a detachment of angels from Heven.

The Daredevil book follows Murdock at that interesting point when he has gained the abilities of Heimdall and has become the blind God Without Fear who somehow still sees all. It is a clever examination of what it's like to give a hero like him tremendous power that is well out of his range of experience. But again, he shines through by fighting in a manner that is consistent with his principles and beliefs.

Again, just some very solid writing that celebrated their respective characters of focus and gave us a story worth reading.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spider-Man and the League of Realms #1-3 ~ Well, to be fair, I’m coming into this basically having read NOTHING else about this crossover event, War of the Realms, so I’m … lost. Now, the story is, I suppose, relatively self-contained. But it’s kind of a mess. I feel like it was intended as at least 4-issues and it got truncated into 3 (who knows why). Between the second and third chapters it definitely felt like something was missing (2/5).

Material from War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1-3 ~ So the Man Without Fear is now the God Without Fear? Hmm. Nope. Doesn’t work for me. Seriously? I just don’t even get this at all. The whole Kingpin and Daredevil slugfest as godlike empowered entities just makes lowers all the poignant and powerful street level pathos that works so well with the character. Not terrible, but pretty darn awful (2/5).

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

With all event storylines, come the dreaded side storylines. The artwork is a noticeable step down in quality from the central book and the biggest question is why are these worth reading. The Spider Man storylines are a lot of fun but the Daredevil stories aren't overly exciting. War of the Realms has a strong premise and these are little side quests to keep the money flowing in.

Why the 2.5?

It's not essential but it has connections to the larger storyline. Obviously another writer and artist was going to feel out of place and the Spider Man storyline is my main recommendation for reading this volume. When you see the size of this volume vs the central book, you just know this is going to be quick and uneventful.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better WotR tie-ins. The first half focuses on Spidey leading a team of warriors from across the realms against an army of Angels from Heven. There was some good fun here, but where the book excelled was in emphasising Spidey’s moral core. His goodness helped to avoid bloodshed, and it was great to read. Kudos to Sean Ryan on a fine script.

The second half is written by Jason Aaron and zeroes in on Daredevil. There’s a fun fight to be had with Kingpin, and some great DD moments, but like all the major beats of this book, it felt a bit rushed. Still plenty to like, though.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Spider-Man book was . . . perfectly fine. It was just more league of realms or whoever they are.

The Daredevil book had some real promise. I don't think I've seen a Daredevil with cosmic powers before. But then how could Kingpin fool Malekith? Isn't Malekith much smarter and more experienced? All the big bads are strategic geniuses up until the second issue of the event, am I right?

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a harmless War Of The Realms tie-in that shows how great Spidey can be in almost any situation. The book was rushed and a character's change in perspective was too fast, the book was fine if unnecessary. The best part of the book was the Daredevil story written by Jason Aaron. Even in the end of days, Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk will always be fighting. The art was good throughout. Overall, there is nothing groundbreaking here but this Spider-Man and Daredevil were very good.

[Crazed8J8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spidey leads a rag-tag group of warriors on a special mission, and learns life lessons along the way. A fun, short read that ties into the War of the Realms.
Daredevil, the God without fear completes the second half of this collection. Also a decent story, but darker and more violent.
All in all, both are decent and might be better than the main story... definitely better than the Venom story.

[Maxoel Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vi muita gente reclamando do Demolidor - O Deus sem Medo, mas achei legal o desenvolvimento, mesmo com o clichês básicos, em relação aos dilemas religiosos do personagem.
Homem-Aranha e a Liga dos Reinos também é legalzinha, embora não acrescente muito.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope we see more of Fernand.

[Robert Greenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spider-Man half gets a 4
Daredevil half gets a 3

[Iris Nevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Read in single issues]

Spider-Man talking to a horse.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book had pretty good art, the second half faltered in the art department. Teh story line suffered an equal fate.

[Derek Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Spidey stuff is...fine. The Daredevil stuff is awesome. Call it three and a half.