Marvel Knights 2099 TPB (Marvel Heroes)

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: Anyone remember Marvel's 2099 line back in the 90's? It all started with legendary Hulk scribe Peter David scripting Spider-Man 2099, followed by various futuristic updates of popular Marvel characters, including X-Men, Doom, Ravage, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Hulk, Daredevil, and Fantastic Four. Recently, in celebration of Marvel's fifth year anniversary of the launch of the Marvel Knights line, Captain America and Walking Dead scribe Robert Kirkman was enlisted to write five one-shots, based on the Marvel Knights in the 2099 era. Because they are one-shots, they do feel a bit rushed and there isn't much room for character development, leaving Marvel Knights 2099 a mixed bag. The best story is the new take on Daredevil 2099 in which a descendant of the Kingpin dons a technologicaly advanced Daredevil costume to fight crime, a tale that ends with a delicious twist. The same goes for Black Panther 2099 which finds a new warrior donning the Black Panther costume to oppose Doom and the forces of Latveria. The new take on Punisher 2099 (a daughter of Frank Castle and Elektra, yes you read that right) is so-so, while Inhumans 2099 manages to pack a punch. Mutant 2099 is by far the weakest, featuring a young mutant taking on a hero role under the tutelage of the brain of Reed Richards who is trapped in a robotic construct of the Thing. The art varies by each book, the best being done by Fray artist Karl Moline (on Daredevil) and Man-Thing and Hood artist Kyle Hotz (Black Panther). All in all, this is worth a look for Marvel afficiondos and old time fans of the 2099 line, but it's nothing too special.