CBI Archive
Thoughts on the latest Daredevil arc
- by Brian Cronin
- in Thoughts on
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 3:34 AM EST
Updated: Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 6:31 PM EST
I do not know if the current Daredevil arc is a response to some of the criticisms levied at this title lately, or if it was just a matter of the creative team realizing beforehand where criticism might end up coming,so they decided to address it themselves - either way, the end result is a great arc so far by Ed Brubaker and co-writer, Greg Rucka, where the pair add a bit less dreariness to the life of Matt Murdock.
Throughout the latest issue, various characters all remark on how depressing and dreary Matt’s life has been lately (as he has gone through the wringer, including losing his wife to the machinations of Mr. Fear). As the characters speak, it is almost as if they are teasing the book itself - “Come on, enough with the moping, do something productive!”
And in this storyline, it is about Matt clearing the name of a thug who is on Death Row for decapitating three children, but Matt and Dakota North (who Brubaker has turned from a character only my pal Matt Bib loved to a character most folks, I am sure, have grown fond of) believe he is innocent, of this particular crime, that is (thanks to his senses, Matt probably KNOWS otherwise, but that’s beside the point).
Who is he protecting? Who is working with the bad guys? What are they trying to hide? How do you save a man who wants to die?
All these questions and more are raised in the latest issue, and once you couple it with the routinely excellent artwork of Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano, you have yourself a good comic book. Well worth giving a look see!
9 Comments
wwk5d
June 25, 2008 at 4:09 am
Sounds like a healthy dose of meta commentary?
Eric
June 25, 2008 at 5:20 am
I actually dropped the series midway through the Mr. Fear arc. It was so depressing. Bendis at least seemed to have highs and lows, or at least mix up with drama coming Matt’s ways. If this story is received favorably, maybe I’ll pick it up in trade.
S. Mandrill
June 25, 2008 at 6:48 am
I decided to drop it after Mr. Fear. I bought #107, but the book still feels like it’s missing something important. Something not even Dakota North can make up for.
Matt D
June 25, 2008 at 9:38 am
Needs more Swashbuckling.
CHuck_Brick
June 25, 2008 at 10:54 am
Frankly, it’s about time. The book descended into Milla woe slog.
BizarroBeachHead
June 25, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I was ready to drop the book. It had become incredibly…formulaic. I decided to stick it out to see what Rucka would add to the book. And I’m glad I did. So far, I’ve been enjoying this arc much more than any of the stories from the previous year.
Greg Manuel
June 26, 2008 at 7:38 am
I don’t think I’ve missed an issue of Daredevil yet, since Brubaker signed on…I kinda didn’t mind that Matt was going through so much grief - it seems rather appropriate to the character. Marvel likes to point to Spider-Man as the hard luck hero, but really, Daredevil’s the one who’s more at home getting his life turned upside down all the time. Besides, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Mr. Fear. I feel like he’s gonna turn up again before Brubaker’s finished on the book, and THEN the scales are gonna get balanced as far as the two of them.
BUT, I do like the new arc…I don’t think it was necessarily overdue, but I thought the timing was just right. Besides, I like any reason to watch Matt Murdock get his lawyer on.
Kirk Warren
June 26, 2008 at 10:40 am
I think Rucka is acting like Fraction did on Immortal Iron Fist and helping keep Brubaker on track. It’s the only way I can explain how up and down his run on DD has been compared to how focused and downright enjoyable these first two issues of their collaboration has been.
Alvin
July 16, 2008 at 9:40 am
I like the book, but think Brubaker killed the wrong hero, DareDevil is hands down the hard luck story of the Marvel universe, your talking blinded, murdered father, prison, countless dead girlfriends, where’s his mom?
Jeez! give him a break and kill him already or not, maybe an axe murder will lighten things up better yet kill Foggy , I’ve never liked that guy.