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Heroes for Hire (2006) (Collected Editions) #0
Daughters of the Dragon: Samurai Bullets
Bounty hunters Misty Knight and Colleen Wing star in this sexy action thriller, the latest project from writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti - an entertaining mix of gritty action, biting comedy and sharp visuals provided by talented newcomer Khari Evans. When four less-than "super" villains - Whirlwind, 8-Ball, Humbug and Freezer Burn - skip bail and team up to rob the penthouse apartment of a wealthy publisher, they get more than they bargained for. Misty Knight and Colleen Wing are on the case. Unfortunately, so are a host of villains and assassins looking to recover what was stolen. Collects Daughters of the Dragon #1-6.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2006
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236 people want to read
About the author
Justin Gray
741 books80 followersJustin currently writes Novels, Graphic Novels, Video Games, Screenplays.
He has held various jobs including, fossil hunting, microphotography of 20 million year old insects and plants trapped in amber, seminars and exhibitions on the cleaning, mining and identification of prehistoric insects for the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian. He traveled to the mountains of the Dominican Republic and mined amber.
He has also worked as a victim advocate for Victims Assistance of Westchester, a not-for-profit organization that helps victims of crime.
He has held various jobs including, fossil hunting, microphotography of 20 million year old insects and plants trapped in amber, seminars and exhibitions on the cleaning, mining and identification of prehistoric insects for the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian. He traveled to the mountains of the Dominican Republic and mined amber.
He has also worked as a victim advocate for Victims Assistance of Westchester, a not-for-profit organization that helps victims of crime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 14, 2018
1.5 stars
The .5 is for the 2 seconds of emotional conflict in this book before we're right back to tits and ass shots. Jesus fucking christ. This is one of those comics that makes me hate boobs for a moment and that really sucks because boobs are amazing, okay?
I wish I could track down this artist and tell him porn is free. He doesn't have to draw women like this and create his own masturbatory material. It's out there and it's readily available. Why anyone thought this art was acceptable, I'll never know. I couldn't even focus on the plot because it was so goddamn atrocious. Misty and Colleen are contorted and twisted into such impossible positions for the sole purposes of showing as much tits and ass as possible. There's a cover where I swear I saw the outline of Colleen's clitoris.
Oh! Almost forgot, there's a shower scene and then Misty has to fight in a thigh length bathrobe. This is a plot from a porn; it does not belong in your comic, Mr. Gray.
On top of that, I'm wondering if this guy has ever seen a pair of breasts in real life because he doesn't seem to understand how boobs work? There are several panels where Colleen and Misty's breasts seem to have their own gravitational orbit. It's confusing because I didn't know they had that mutant ability.
Ugh, I'll try to move on. So, there's a female villain here (and I got to know her breasts before I really got to know her). She appears romantically interested in Colleen and I'm sure that's here just so the artist had something else to add to his porn fantasy.
I wondered if the writer didn't like Misty because in this book, she's portrayed as angry and... angry. Aside from the brief foray into emotional depth, she hits people and yells at people and slaps everyone except Colleen. So, yay, the angry black woman trope. Thanks for this bullshit.
It's hard for me to say Iron Fist shows up because of a well intentioned idea to bring the old gang back together or if he's here because Gray didn't think it probable for the women to save themselves. Considering his treatment of women in this book, I think it's the latter.
So, this was fucking awful. The few moments of levity between Colleen and Misty can't save it. It's just sexualized, poorly written, offensive in its representation of black women and it's just boring. It's definitely not a recommend from me.
It's a bummer because I can see what a female writer like Gail Simone could have done with this book. Or, since Marvel hates hiring women, someone like David F Walker probably could've done something pretty cool with it, too.
Jesus Christ, Marvel: hire me to write your female led books. This is fucking embarrassing.
The .5 is for the 2 seconds of emotional conflict in this book before we're right back to tits and ass shots. Jesus fucking christ. This is one of those comics that makes me hate boobs for a moment and that really sucks because boobs are amazing, okay?
I wish I could track down this artist and tell him porn is free. He doesn't have to draw women like this and create his own masturbatory material. It's out there and it's readily available. Why anyone thought this art was acceptable, I'll never know. I couldn't even focus on the plot because it was so goddamn atrocious. Misty and Colleen are contorted and twisted into such impossible positions for the sole purposes of showing as much tits and ass as possible. There's a cover where I swear I saw the outline of Colleen's clitoris.
Oh! Almost forgot, there's a shower scene and then Misty has to fight in a thigh length bathrobe. This is a plot from a porn; it does not belong in your comic, Mr. Gray.
On top of that, I'm wondering if this guy has ever seen a pair of breasts in real life because he doesn't seem to understand how boobs work? There are several panels where Colleen and Misty's breasts seem to have their own gravitational orbit. It's confusing because I didn't know they had that mutant ability.
Ugh, I'll try to move on. So, there's a female villain here (and I got to know her breasts before I really got to know her). She appears romantically interested in Colleen and I'm sure that's here just so the artist had something else to add to his porn fantasy.
I wondered if the writer didn't like Misty because in this book, she's portrayed as angry and... angry. Aside from the brief foray into emotional depth, she hits people and yells at people and slaps everyone except Colleen. So, yay, the angry black woman trope. Thanks for this bullshit.
It's hard for me to say Iron Fist shows up because of a well intentioned idea to bring the old gang back together or if he's here because Gray didn't think it probable for the women to save themselves. Considering his treatment of women in this book, I think it's the latter.
So, this was fucking awful. The few moments of levity between Colleen and Misty can't save it. It's just sexualized, poorly written, offensive in its representation of black women and it's just boring. It's definitely not a recommend from me.
It's a bummer because I can see what a female writer like Gail Simone could have done with this book. Or, since Marvel hates hiring women, someone like David F Walker probably could've done something pretty cool with it, too.
Jesus Christ, Marvel: hire me to write your female led books. This is fucking embarrassing.
December 31, 2017
What kind of frat bro sex fantasy was this
March 7, 2018
2/5 because I adore Misty Knight, but those characters were so horrendously objectified that I can't ignore it this time. Colleen had nips showing a solid 85% of the story, and Misty's chest was swinging alllllll over. These women deserve bras. Please. Do not draw female superheroes like they aren't wearing bras. You are a terrible artist if you think that's a good idea.
July 29, 2017
This was epic levels of dreadful. Shame too because I do enjoy Misty and Colleen, but this was just a lot of T&A and no substance.
October 13, 2016
well this was rlly disappointing because i adore misty but the whole thing was fanservice for The Straight Male Audience
November 24, 2024
Love Colleen and Misty, especially as a duo, and this is a fun romp, though the art is definitely... a choice. Overall, I enjoyed it.
August 24, 2015
Well, looks like Palmiotti and Gray's idea of girl power is prominent nipples, crushing a cop's testicles with a bionic arm, skin-tight outfits over ginormous floppy boobs and gratuitous bath undressing.
I expect more from 21st-century comics featuring two independent, self-determined women running their own bail bondsperson business.
But I guess I can't expect too much from the man-children Palmiotti and Gray who seem threatened enough by the premise that they'll hungrily race down the exploitation path in seemingly direct reaction to it.
That this comic passes the Bechdel test is almost a happy accident.
That this comic includes casual slurs like "[second-string villain] isn't much more than a glorified mugger in drag" is no surprise, now that I've got P+G's number.
I can understand their joy in working on the Power Girl book - boob window chief among their pleasures - but dressing Misty Knight's partner in a zip-up jacket, zipped down to her belly button, and not wearing even an undershirt or camisole underneath? Yeah, that nearly-topless look is great for an era before the Internet brought porn to the masses. Here is just screams lazy pencils (as do the Greg Land-worthy stream of behind-the-butt camera shots).
To 'wit':
Jesus boys, I count four homosexual slurs, two drag references, at least eight unnecessary occasions where Mr. Gray added ink to highlight the nipples on one or both of the heroes...
...and yet another gratuitous naked-in-the-shower scene... and I wasn't even done with issue 3!
Hell, in issue 5 the master samurai feels it necessary to drop her top to distract her opponent...with a suggestive zzzzziiiiip. Well done boys. Plus *another* reference to transvestites? Doctor, I think what we have here is a textbook case of sublimated self-hatred and transference. Comics as therapy (when it's this poorly done - unlike Garth Ennis) are generally better for the creator than the audience. And boy do these man-children need it.
This book has all sorts of wasted potential. Street fighters? Women kicking ass? Secret villains with mysterious motives? Guest help from other street-level heroes? Cool cars even. The writers should be ashamed of themselves. This was barely fun, punctuated by an arresting and frequent array of distasteful neanderthalic lazy writers' tics.
Sadly, the art ain't much better than the writing. Face models are rubbery, no one looks the same from panel to panel (unless they're just copies of the same pose), though I must admit the colouring is good.
Truly sad though, is that when presented with a crotch shot of Iron Fist, the artists didn't attend nearly as much lavish detail to Danny's primary sex characteristic. He looks like a Ken doll. Where's the artistic integrity?
I expect more from 21st-century comics featuring two independent, self-determined women running their own bail bondsperson business.
But I guess I can't expect too much from the man-children Palmiotti and Gray who seem threatened enough by the premise that they'll hungrily race down the exploitation path in seemingly direct reaction to it.
That this comic passes the Bechdel test is almost a happy accident.
That this comic includes casual slurs like "[second-string villain] isn't much more than a glorified mugger in drag" is no surprise, now that I've got P+G's number.
I can understand their joy in working on the Power Girl book - boob window chief among their pleasures - but dressing Misty Knight's partner in a zip-up jacket, zipped down to her belly button, and not wearing even an undershirt or camisole underneath? Yeah, that nearly-topless look is great for an era before the Internet brought porn to the masses. Here is just screams lazy pencils (as do the Greg Land-worthy stream of behind-the-butt camera shots).
To 'wit':
Jesus boys, I count four homosexual slurs, two drag references, at least eight unnecessary occasions where Mr. Gray added ink to highlight the nipples on one or both of the heroes...
...and yet another gratuitous naked-in-the-shower scene... and I wasn't even done with issue 3!
Hell, in issue 5 the master samurai feels it necessary to drop her top to distract her opponent...with a suggestive zzzzziiiiip. Well done boys. Plus *another* reference to transvestites? Doctor, I think what we have here is a textbook case of sublimated self-hatred and transference. Comics as therapy (when it's this poorly done - unlike Garth Ennis) are generally better for the creator than the audience. And boy do these man-children need it.
This book has all sorts of wasted potential. Street fighters? Women kicking ass? Secret villains with mysterious motives? Guest help from other street-level heroes? Cool cars even. The writers should be ashamed of themselves. This was barely fun, punctuated by an arresting and frequent array of distasteful neanderthalic lazy writers' tics.
Sadly, the art ain't much better than the writing. Face models are rubbery, no one looks the same from panel to panel (unless they're just copies of the same pose), though I must admit the colouring is good.
Truly sad though, is that when presented with a crotch shot of Iron Fist, the artists didn't attend nearly as much lavish detail to Danny's primary sex characteristic. He looks like a Ken doll. Where's the artistic integrity?
April 30, 2020
Horribly sexist. Looks like softporn whilst degrading women. Couldn't even concentrate on the story as I was distracted by trying not to accidentally flash myself with some private part of the protagonists I don't wanna see.
November 15, 2010
While the art in this book is a bit obvious with the objectifying of women, the characters and the story more than make up for it. Misty Knight has quickly become a favorite after this one.
October 4, 2016
-1 star for nipples, nipples, nipples. Jeez.
February 8, 2021
Believe it or not, this was as bad as it was pervy.
January 2, 2024
Es difícil superar ese escollo que ha envejecido TAN mal de esa hiper sexualización a cargo del primer encargo en La Casa de las Ideas de Khari Evans al dibujo (que me imagino que en el año de publicación también avergonzarían incluso estando los cómics de The Top Cow en su apogeo). Con el pretexto de los autores de poder afincarse en el tono más "blaxoplotation" y de acción grindhouse. Tenemos a Misty Knight y Colleen Wing desafiando las posibilidades de sus monos hiper ajustados y de "aberturas" adecuadamente dispuestas para el acalore de cualquier representante mononeural del sexo masculino, mientras lidian con las amenazas anexas a su labor de cazarrecompensas independientes. Todo esto confundiendo el "empoderamiento" femenino con que para apalizar a maleantes sin ayuda de otros superhéroes (que ni se aguantan a los últimos capítulos para que aparezca el Iron Fist), los personajes deban de verse lo más "divinas" posible a costa de su integridad física y dignidad de cara a la galería. Y es una pena, porque la historia de esta miniserie, logra conjugar buenos elementos para quien guste de disfrutar de las tramas callejeras y del sub mundo criminal de 3º regional del Universo Marvel, como a mí. Tenemos a unos super maleantes robando a quien no deben y llevándose algo muy por encima de sus pretensiones de venta de joyas robadas. A esta "Queenping" a punto de celebrar una subasta para las más pérfidas organizaciones delictivas del universo Marvel y a las Hijas del Dragón inmiscuidas para poder llegar a fin de mes. El núcleo de Cuerpo a Cuerpo, desde luego está fetén, no tanto el modo en que Jimmy Palmiotti y Justin Gray lo plasman de verdad en el guion del que hasta tienen tiempo de hacer guasas de "Travestís" y "transexuales" caducadas nada más teclearse.
La verdad es que me acojo bastante al lograr centrarme todo lo que me permitió el dibujo en las situaciones del apartado criminal de la trama y la acción cuando Khari Evans lograba no tener que enseñar más de lo que se debe para uno de los contados cómics de la compañía que deben tener a dos mujeres de protagonistas hasta que la situación requiera que se pasen a los Héroes de Alquiler.
La verdad es que me acojo bastante al lograr centrarme todo lo que me permitió el dibujo en las situaciones del apartado criminal de la trama y la acción cuando Khari Evans lograba no tener que enseñar más de lo que se debe para uno de los contados cómics de la compañía que deben tener a dos mujeres de protagonistas hasta que la situación requiera que se pasen a los Héroes de Alquiler.
June 14, 2017
I really want to fight the artist for the oversexualization he did of Misty and Colleen. It really makes no sense for nipples to be present on every other page on every single outfit. I was surprised to see that Danny Rand did have an exposed chest for his Iron Fist costume, but it's not like it hugged his nuts and showed it on every single page he was featured in. There's a crotch shot, but why aren't we accentuating it like how it's done to the ladies? *rolls eyes* I can only hope that the artist's style has evolved over the 10+ years that this book came out.
The story was okay. I could've used a little more backstory for the villain, but I understand the was a limited run series. I did love the flashbacks showing how Misty lost her arm. It's very fitting given the point of the story where we see it. What I didn't like was the slight "angry black woman" trope they tried to insert as if Misty didn't deserve to feel the way she did and like it was unwarranted anger. I hope this writer's style has evolved and he watches the kind of jokes he chooses to use. My face soured up at the use of both homophobic and transphobic slurs.
Overall, this was just okay for me, but expresses exactly why representation matters and why more black women should be hired as writers and artists for these companies.
The story was okay. I could've used a little more backstory for the villain, but I understand the was a limited run series. I did love the flashbacks showing how Misty lost her arm. It's very fitting given the point of the story where we see it. What I didn't like was the slight "angry black woman" trope they tried to insert as if Misty didn't deserve to feel the way she did and like it was unwarranted anger. I hope this writer's style has evolved and he watches the kind of jokes he chooses to use. My face soured up at the use of both homophobic and transphobic slurs.
Overall, this was just okay for me, but expresses exactly why representation matters and why more black women should be hired as writers and artists for these companies.
September 16, 2025
I came to find I had this graphic novel while I was watching Marvel's Defenders shows from Netflix (now on D+) and I was extremely excited. Maybe I'm just dumb or really gay but I didn't realize A) how over sexualized these women were going to be and B) how these women were written by white dudes. Behaving basically NOTHING like their live-action counterparts is not usually a deterrent for me! I mean I sat through several seasons of Riverdale as a HUGE Archie Comics nerd. Mistakes were made! While Riverdale and Archie Comics had the reverse effect, I absolutely hated this graphic novel. The only AND I MEAN ONLY reason I was excited for it in the first place is because of Simone and Jessica's amazing portrayals. That being said, I though the idea of Otis and Orka getting together was cute. But I very much hated the misogyny, over-sexualization, and racist caricatures woven throughout. Maybe if women who were the actual races of the characters were at the helm, this could have been good. If I find myself looking for Misty Knight and Colleen Wing content, I will be turning to other authors and artists.
February 6, 2024
Men drawing women issues aside (because let's face it, it's just a thing in comics), I had a lot of fun with this! I got a lot about who Misty and Colleen are as individuals and as a partnership. Ricadonna as a villain was great because she embraced her bimbo-ism and created a high stakes challenge for our girls. And normally I get upset when they just throw in one of the bigger named male characters just to have them, but Tony Stark, The Punisher and Iron Fist actually served purposes and didn't take away from Misty and Colleen's adventure.
November 21, 2021
The sexing up of the main characters would not be so bad if it had the MAX label on it, although the supervillain being a fashion-tycoon-exhibitionist-lesbian-diva is just too trashy-macho-obvious-stupid even for porn. It is a pity that the authors of a comic book with strong female characters decide that their biggest strength is their sex appeal too male public. this looks more like a Manara book than a Marvel production and it is definitely not appropriate for a young audience.
January 6, 2023
I love Misty and Colleen together (I'm giving this an extra star just for them), and while this was mostly fun for the time, the preposterous art with all those contorted sexy poses and anti-gravity boobs on basically every page definitely took me out of it and got old really fast. I'm glad for any Daughters of the Dragon solo story but I just wish this one wasn't quite so shallow, both plot-wise and visually.
June 18, 2021
okay... OKAY... THIS!!! I genuinely loved this. The dynamic of Colleen and Misty was pretty much my favorite part of the Marvel Netflix shows and I was so sad we never really saw the Daughters of the Dragon or Nightwing Restorations or anything on the screen. So I had to read this. I love their dynamic. The banter, the action, and the complete baddassery.
July 17, 2017
really good three-parter than got bloated to 6 issues. also, for some reason neither Misty nor Colleen wear a bra the entire run and the artist is really focussed in exploring that fact in every page.
January 9, 2021
There were two shower scenes. The run is 5-6 issues long. Why? Not sure. This oversexed Misty Knight and Colleen Wing run is ridiculous, preposterous and dull. If there were just a few more shower scenes it would’ve been soooo much better.
June 11, 2021
Love the characters of Misty Knight & Colleen Wing and bought this graphic novel after the Netflix series, the tone in writing intentionally blaxploitation, but that's no excuse for the objectification and over-sexualization of the 2 leads. Less would have been more.
January 11, 2018
Loved the characters and the blaxpoition vibes of it.
November 23, 2019
Plot wise pretty boring, however the jokes were funny and this comic was oddly sexual. Decent read for those missing Marvel's Netflix shows.
October 18, 2025
Kind of feels like a Marvel comic but with a Zenescope/Aspen reskin. I'm not sure where the "biting humor" that the jacket blurb described, it seemed mostly trying to channel sexploitation flick vibes. The bodysuit/LEOtards aren't out of place for the average comic book, but the occasions of the peanut gallery ogling the leads made it stick out more for me.
June 11, 2007
Initially, I thought this collection would revolve around another group of low-tier Marvel characters given a blase' plot written and drawn by some half-assed creators that would last about 6 issues and then plummet, eventually being cancelled.
However, I did not realize that these third-tier characters were being rejuvenated by some of the better illustrators and writers employed by Marvel.
The Matrix-like Kung Fu action along with cameos by some of the more eccentric Marvel characters made this one of the best reads I've come across in a while. 8-Ball, Humbug, Rhino, RazorFist, Iron Fist, and Orka were some of my favorite characters back in 1990 when they were regularly-used villains/heroes. Bringing them back into the fold as weird, functioning citizens with their own, believable personality flaws was really entertaining: Orka has a bad rep because he just gets cranky when he's out of water for a while (which doesn't explain why he started the Atlantean Wars against the world back in Avengers comics circa 1989, but we're still reading a lot of fun here). And the detail going into each characters design is incredible. Colleen Wing does the 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' routine as she flies over New York City in her Puma jumpsuit.
It is disappointing that the on-going series of the same name, featuring the same characters (and even some more!) is so mundane. The art has been been relegated to some less-talented illustrators and the writing has been sub-par.
However, I did not realize that these third-tier characters were being rejuvenated by some of the better illustrators and writers employed by Marvel.
The Matrix-like Kung Fu action along with cameos by some of the more eccentric Marvel characters made this one of the best reads I've come across in a while. 8-Ball, Humbug, Rhino, RazorFist, Iron Fist, and Orka were some of my favorite characters back in 1990 when they were regularly-used villains/heroes. Bringing them back into the fold as weird, functioning citizens with their own, believable personality flaws was really entertaining: Orka has a bad rep because he just gets cranky when he's out of water for a while (which doesn't explain why he started the Atlantean Wars against the world back in Avengers comics circa 1989, but we're still reading a lot of fun here). And the detail going into each characters design is incredible. Colleen Wing does the 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' routine as she flies over New York City in her Puma jumpsuit.
It is disappointing that the on-going series of the same name, featuring the same characters (and even some more!) is so mundane. The art has been been relegated to some less-talented illustrators and the writing has been sub-par.
May 31, 2012
This story was done in the spirit of say Kill Bill. It's very tongue & cheek and you would definitely enjoy it. Misty Knight and Colleen Wing are two of the best kept secrets of non-comic book regulars. Best friends, practically sisters, and both heroines of color.
And that's something that was refreshing to see. Two extraordinary POCs handled with nuance.
Misty Knight is a bionic Foxy Brown from Harlem and Wing, who is of Asian descent, holds it down as an honorable samurai. Both are martial arts masters but what really shines is their relationship. They're best friends who have known each other most of their lives and they are tighter than sisters and occasionally bicker like sisters too. We're talking two powerful butt-kicking females doing their thing and doing it well.
And that's something that was refreshing to see. Two extraordinary POCs handled with nuance.
Misty Knight is a bionic Foxy Brown from Harlem and Wing, who is of Asian descent, holds it down as an honorable samurai. Both are martial arts masters but what really shines is their relationship. They're best friends who have known each other most of their lives and they are tighter than sisters and occasionally bicker like sisters too. We're talking two powerful butt-kicking females doing their thing and doing it well.
March 20, 2009
This was... really not very good, sadly. Though Colleen Wing and Misty Knight are fabulous characters, this book constantly dipped to the lowest common denominator of cheesecake art (does Misty REALLY need to have a window cut out of her costume over her butt crack? can't Colleen zip up her costume to a functional level?) and gay jokes, and all of the interesting subjects the book brought up -- like Misty's psychology, and the difference between heroes and villains -- were completely dropped by the end, with no resolution. Bits of this are fun, especially the cameos, but I can't in good faith say I'd recommend it.
June 10, 2016
I have to agree with the other criticisms, the art has serious issues to the point of being distracting and there were a few really lazy jokes that made me knock a star off what was otherwise a really fun comic with two characters I really love. Still recommended though if you have even the slightest interest in Misty I really think that this is well worth picking up. Think of how IT Crowd has problems but is still worth watching, that's this book.
March 7, 2011
This would make a great movie. The movie Charlies Angels should have been or a great vehicle for an actress like Jada Pinket Smith. Beyond that this is great eye candy that never forgets that at its core it is pulpy fun and a chance for two underused members of the Marvel Universe to spread their wings.
October 9, 2014
Subtracting a star because while this was fun and gory and had good cameos and badass BFF WOC superheroes and also I adore Misty Knight so MUCH, the artwork was super uncomfortably sexist in lots of places and also for that time they described Misty as "erotic" mid fight-scene, ugh. BUT lots to enjoy, so.
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