There’s a great Ben Urich short story in the otherwise lamentable 1989 “Atlantis Attacks” Daredevil annual where he and Bushwacker are attempting to take down the same drug lord, him through the press, Bushwacker through intimidation and murder. It’s well worth the dollar you’d probably pay for if you ever managed to dig it up in a back issue bin.

‘Copy boy die or what?’

This is brilliant stuff. i’ve always thought that the constraint of working within a system can help an artist do great work, as they have to stretch to get their vision across. i think that Miller, given large boundaries with enough freedom, and also with some constraint, produces great work.
Haven’t enjoyed Crazy Miller as much as Restrained Miller.
Just my opinion…
DFTBA

That visual transition always amazed me when I was 18 and it amazes me now. Not only does the expressionism signal a change in Urich, but but it signals a distinct developmental change in Mazzuchelli as an artist. To me, after that sequence his art matured with a dizzying speed. Just in time for Year One and and his Rubber Blanket anthology.

(PS: I hold off making comments here very often because you always seem to make the point I’m hoping to espouse no matter how obscure or far fetched before I can make it to the comments section. Freaky)

The thing that’s great about JJJ is that there are so many levels to his character. He’s cheap. He’s a blowhard. He’ll do what it takes to sell papers. He’s got courage. He has ethics. He can’t be bought or intimidated. He does care about the people around him, even though he can treat them like crap.

Another aspect about it that’s so great is the way Mazzucchelli starts out drawing Urich naturalistically (like the rest of the cast) and then when he hears the nurse on the phone he suddenly draws him in this expressionistic way– all angular and severe.

Also meant to say he pulls the same trick earlier with him in the aftermath of his fingers being broken when Urich says ‘don’t say the name’.

i’ll shut up now.

I think this is one of the few stories that needs to be read in the original format, which means me having to tunnel through the pile of stuff my parents dumped in my old room to get the original issues.

It’s funny you say that because I’ve only ever read Born Again in trade! I bought and read it for the first time back in ’89 when it was one of the few trades Marvel did (in a slightly oversized format if I remember correctly) I only bought and the original issues for the first time last year. I therefore am not sure if I agree if it needs to be read in the original format but I do like seeing the colouring on mando paper (or whatever newsprint Marvel was using in ’86).

Another aspect about it that’s so great is the way Mazzucchelli starts out drawing Urich naturalistically (like the rest of the cast) and then when he hears the nurse on the phone he suddenly draws him in this expressionistic way– all angular and severe. He just elongates his face slightly and makes the lines harsher but it makes an incredible difference. It’s brilliant.

That Born Again story remains one of my favorites.

I think this is one of the few stories that needs to be read in the original format, which means me having to tunnel through the pile of stuff my parents dumped in my old room to get the original issues.

I think this might be my equivalent of wanting vinyl over CDs…

This is one of the saddest and most grueling sequences to read through when you consider that Ben is NOT Matt. Just an average guy who gets caught up in lots of nasty stuff but ends up doing the right thing. Nice take on Jameson by Miller here, btw. And that creepy “plant” with the mop is just as intimidating as the nurse. “Matt Murdock” is the moment where Ben Urich became a hero for me as a kid.

I’m really loving this week’s installments. This is one of the greatest comic stories EVER. I gave away my original copies of these issues decades ago while moving away. I gotta look up the latest trade or hardcover printing right now!