Daredevil Message Board

[Mike Murdock]

Brian Michael Bendis's run on Daredevil is coming to an end. I'm definitely looking forward to covering the conclusion.

Daredevil Vol. 2 #76 - The Murdock Papers Part 1

[Dimetre]

I hate to be "that guy," but this story is called "The Murdock Papers." "The Other Murdock Papers" is Christine Hanefalk's cool website about all things Matt Murdock. If you haven't checked it out, you should. http://www.theothermurdockpapers.com/

Brian Michael Bendis could write excellent Kingpin scenes when he put his mind to it. The scene in #46 showing Fisk confronting someone in Bolivia is a perfect example. Because of that, where I would normally find an eight-page scene written by Bendis to be overly long, I instead found it highly enjoyable. Wilson Fisk is cocky, calm and self-assured. He is magnificent.

My only problem is Bendis' insistence on citing Miller's run. I don't think he should do it if he's going to get the story wrong. Elektra didn't impale Ben Urich with her sai in the movie theatre -- she did that to Urich's source who was sitting beside him. That was way back in #179 -- a classic issue with which everyone should be familiar. She throws her sai at Urich at the end of the issue after he gives away his presence with his cough, and it indeed goes right through him, but Alex Maleev repeatedly draws Elektra stabbing Ben Urich through the back of a cinema seat. Get it right, boys.

Maleev did a great job showing Daredevil foiling a robbery. The photo-realism really lent something to the proceedings, making it feel real and kind of frightening. If this was happening on a city street in front of me, it would actually be very scary, and Maleev made me realize that.

A lot of effort has gone into establishing how popular Daredevil is with the public. To Matt's credit, he doesn't seem to care at all about it, even though he seems to appreciate the gratitude shown to him when he stops a crime. To be honest, I don't understand why it matters to Foggy, who earlier in Bendis' run was urging Matt to give up being Daredevil. Now that Daredevil is popular, horny Foggy wants to go out and mack on some women? Charming.

Bendis and Maleev recycle an earlier cliffhanger from when the Daily Globe exposed Matt's secret identity. I don't think this has the same impact. First of all, we knew Fisk was leaving Ben Urich little choice but to write what he wanted him to write. Secondly, this is just going to reaffirm suspicions that are already out there among the public. I don't think this is breaking a new story. The only thing that I found interesting about the cliffhanger was that this was Urich's work. This is huge betrayal to Matt, even though I think Fisk had Urich over a barrel.

Bendis' expert handling of the Kingpin alone makes this worth reading, and Maleev does some of his best work in this issue. I have to admit it, this is one of the team's best issues of Daredevil. I give it a four out of five.

[Mike Murdock]

Yeah, I realized I referred to it as The Other Murdock Papers right before I logged back on right now. Hopefully Christine would be flattered. I've edited it. Anyway, on to the comic:

I think Ben Urich is Bendis's favorite character. At least since Hardcore, Ben has been the go-to character to set a new status quo or act as a POV character. He'll also be the character in Daredevil: The End. I think it makes sense to have him here. I feel Daredevil season three has a bit of an influence from here where a character is specifically requested by the Kingpin as part of his plan to deal with the FBI. The conversation is drawn out, but the pace creates an creepy feel to its benefit. You don't get a good idea what Fisk is doing, but he feels in control like he's toying with everyone else. His apparent luxury while in custody reenforces that notion.

The Daredevil scene early on seems to be just setting up a happy status quo before things come crashing down (or, at least, potentially come crashing down). Then we get Foggy and Matt talking about Daredevil getting good press. There's a chance of Milla and Matt reconciling. Honestly, with that last point, it feels a little sudden. We were more or less on a break from the story during Decalogue, so it doesn't feel like it was that long. But the point is everything is pointing up. So, of course, they do a mirror image of the end of Underboss with Foggy seeing a newspaper headline to drag everything back down.

It's a fun story. I kind of get the impression Bendis has the rough idea of story beats and the ending and the rest is filling for time, but I think it works for the most part. I do think more story should be needed, though. Four Stars.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[macjr33]

So things things off the bat:

1) "The Murdock Papers" is my favorite arc in the Bendis run and, to me represents all the great things Bendis brought to his run.

2) Glad to see that so far the reviews have been positive!

So here we go...

One of the things that I appreciated the most about Bendis' run was his use of supporting characters which is something I will reference quite a bit. I agree with Mike that I do think Ulrich may be Bendis' favorite character and the start with Ulrich is great. I really enjoyed his internal monologue (though a bit incorrect on the flashback which I am willing to forgive). Then when Urlich meets Fisk, the look on Ulrich's face is just excellent work by Maleev.

Speaking of excellent artwork from Maleev it continues with the depiction robbery, just fabulous work here in my opinion. In particular I love the panel where the billy club breaks through the windshield. Matt is celebrated as a hero and you can see that he almost enjoys it, even cracking a bit of smile. You can tell this issue is setting up something as things seem to be going too well for Matt and we all know that can't last long.

The conversation between Fisk and Ulrich is great and really shows Fisk in his element. Agree with Dimetre, that Bendis can do really well in writing Fisk. It's funny as I was re-reading the issue I was imagining D'Onofrio's voice while reading it and it sounded awesome!

Another thing that I really enjoyed about Bendis' run was how he depicted Matt and Foggy's friendship and his use of humor to lighten up what is often a dark and gritty story. I think the interaction between them here is great. I love when Foggy said that he is more popular than Spider-Man and that by meeting women he means whoever is left over after Matt takes his pick. Is it a bit juvenile? Perhaps; however, I found it amusing and helped further build out their friendship. I also see this to as Foggy thinking that things are finally turnaround for Matt as well.

Milla coming back continues the idea that things may be getting better for Matt and then we quickly realize that they are not when we see, in the Daily Bugle that something it about to be revealed about Matt by Fisk. Fun things to come...

5 stars for me!

[Mike Murdock]

^ BTW, I used to make this mistake all the time until the Netflix show, but it's actually Ben Urich, not Ulrich.

Daredevil Vol. 2 #77 - The Murdock Papers Part 2

[Dimetre]

This issue is five conversations. I enjoyed the five conversations, but I'm a little surprised that's all we get in this entire issue.

I suppose I'm not one of these people that criticize Bendis for making everybody sound the same. I, for one, don't think his version of Foggy speaks like his version of Matt. I think one of Bendis' genuine gifts is his ear for dialogue. I've always given him kudos for that. Apparently when he was developing Ultimate Spider-Man he hung out in malls to get the gyst of how teenagers speak. If that's true I have to commend him for his dedication to his craft.

With that being typed, one thing I've always questioned about Bendis was his understanding of the strengths of his chosen medium. He had 21 pages available to him. That's it. Twenty-one. He would have had 22 if not for the recap page. He knew this going into work on this issue. Still, he elected to dedicate six to the scene between Del Toro and the FBI director, four to the scene in the penthouse, three to the Black Widow scene with Maria Hill, another three to the Widow's scene with Foggy, and the remaining six to Milla and Matt.

Listen, I understand that Bendis is not an economical story-teller. He probably doesn't even want to be, and that's his right. But I can't help but feel gypped when the story doesn't move forward at all. And no one can deny that there was no forward momentum here.

The most action you get is Elektra's murder of some businessman who has absolutely nothing to do with this plot. Otherwise, it's the FBI director explaining to Del Toro that he's going after Matt. She quits, which we already heard her say she was going to do during "The Widow" story. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't going to get involved, and I never thought they would. Foggy declares he isn't going to abandon Matt. Milla and Matt are back together, but Elektra shows up at the window. I don't think that should soak up 21 pages.

"Then wait for the trade, Dimetre," I imagine you typing. "Everyone knows that Bendis writes for the trade anyway. His stuff reads better that way." Fair enough. As I've asked before, why did Marvel bother publishing this story in monthly installments? Why not hire a creative team that wrote compelling individual issues?

Still, I'm not going to sit here and try to convince anyone that these five scenes are bad. They were all very good. Every character was distinct, and the dialogue was snappy. I also was impressed with the penthouse scene, and how eerie the red up arrow light was.

However, I'm somewhat disappointed that everyone knows Matt's business except Matt and Milla. The FBI can't find him in a hotel? Neither can Foggy, who knew he was with Milla? As well-done as these five scenes are, that's very hard to buy. Kudos to Elektra for being smart enough to be the first to find him, which just convinces me more that Bendis thinks Black Widow is very stupid.

So yes, these five scenes are five very good scenes, but boy do I feel ripped off. I don't understand how anyone who read these stories in monthly installments couldn't feel ripped off. I haven't read very much Bendis work since he left Daredevil, so I don't know if he developed a sense of economy. I'm guessing not.

I'm giving this a three out of five.

[Mike Murdock]

This is a very dialogue-heavy first couple of pages. There are a lot of panels, but many of those panels just have dead space. It adds to the pacing to give it a slow feel, but I'm not sure why. It does a good job of bringing everything full circle, though. In Underboss, Silke didn't really even get consideration for the name of Murdock (despite letting the cat out of the bag). They wanted a bigger fish. The bigger fish, however, gets a clean slate in exchange for the same thing. I'm not sure it's justified regardless how weak the case is against Fisk. Maybe an agreement to release him, but not immunity for what he did previously.

Despite that slow start, there's actually a fairly frantic pace as everything seems to collide together and the world spins out of control. We're seeing Elektra and Natasha added to the mix. That being said, there isn't really any indication yet that this is worse than the last time. Then the issue basically just ends. It's a good bit of additional build up, but I can't imagine waiting a month for the next issue after this. It feels like half an issue at most.

Three and a Half Stars.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

Not sure what to read next? Check out the Book Club for some ideas!

I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[macjr33]

[Dimetre]

[Mike Murdock]

I apologize for the delay; the holiday has kept me busy.

Daredevil Vol. 2 #78 - The Murdock Papers Part 3

[Dimetre]

There are many arguments in this issue. The FBI director argues with Fisk. Black Widow argues with Elektra. Matt argues with Elektra. Luke Cage argues with the media. I don't think all of these arguments make sense.

First off, I don't completely buy the way Matt reacted to Elektra appearing at his window. He immediately attacked her. I supposed it was because of her history as an assassin, and that he was worried she was going to kill Milla. However, we're never told that's the reason why, and when Elektra showed up earlier in Bendis and Maleev's run, he wasn't worried about his safety or think she was going to kill anyone. His reaction didn't seem natural; it felt like an excuse for Maleev to draw a naked fight.

Secondly, I didn't understand why everybody felt suddenly silent during that argument between Fisk and the FBI director. Fisk suggests he knows something about the FBI director, but the director didn't seem concerned about that. Instead of acting fearful of being exposed, he again demands that Fisk tell him the identities of the people who know about the Murdock papers. That's when everything goes silent. Does Fisk lean in and whisper? If so, couldn't we have gotten a word bubble indicating an unintelligible whisper? I'm not sure what happened, but the FBI director just walks away. It was all very unclear.

Thirdly, Black Widow seems to hate Elektra. Yet that earlier appearance of Elektra's during Bendis and Maleev's run was arranged by none other than Natasha. I don't know what Natasha is doing here, since she doesn't know anything, other then to allow Maleev to draw her butt.

The thing that bothered me the most about this issue was that Elektra said she helped Kingpin assemble the Murdock papers after he found out Matt's secret identity. We all know that happened at the beginning of "Born Again," and as far as Fisk knew, Elektra was long dead at that point. She was his assassin for a very brief period before Bullseye killed her, and Fisk had no idea who Daredevil was at that time. Even a casual Frank Miller fan should know that. I can't believe Bendis would make such an easily avoidable mistake, or that editor Axel Alonso wouldn't have pointed something out. I can't help but think of the amount of arrogance required to disregard even the most basic of continuity established before your arrival on a title. It drives me crazy to think of the incredibly long leash Marvel gave him for years.

I don't think this is a good issue. It's a tremendous amount of talking, and the arguments seem to be unnaturally heated. I give this a 2.5 out of 5.

[Mike Murdock]

The issue begins by making it clear the Feds are taking the deal. That part I'm fine with. But I thought the fight was a bit much. Matt's reaction seemed harsh and over the top. On the other hand, the splash page where they team up is a nice one - especially since it's a complete surprise (there's no dialogue between the characters agreeing to team up).

There's another conflict between Natasha and Elektra that feels like stalling. It just feels like a fake dilemma. Elektra's reasons for going to Matt don't seem to make a ton of sense, but Natasha's hostility isn't much better. Still, there are some nice little moments. The reveal at the end of the other person who knows is a good one and works for a dramatic cliffhanger.

I'll go Three and a Half Stars. There's a bit of exciting beginning, exciting cliffhanger, and not much else, but there are some good story beats that make the middle somewhat worthwhile.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

Not sure what to read next? Check out the Book Club for some ideas!

I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[Mike Murdock]

Daredevil Vol. 2 #79 - The Murdock Papers Part 4

[Dimetre]

The majority of this issue is a big fight scene involving Bullseye. He's fighting Daredevil, Elektra, or the both of them. It's savagely violent, as one would expect from any fight scene involving Bullseye. The classic fight with Bullseye in #181 has got to be one of the best fight scenes in comic history. This one doesn't work nearly as well for me.

I've often typed that I think Maleev creates his artwork based on photographs of models. Many people are impressed with his artwork, but I think this approach, if I'm right, limits him, and his fight scenes are a good example. Daredevil is one of the more graceful and agile fighters in the entire Marvel Universe, but during the Bendis and Maleev era, he was relegated to just some kicks and some punches. Where are the flips? Why isn't he balancing on a tight rope? There are so many possibilities when it comes to staging a fight between these two enemies, but I never thought Bendis and Maleev skimmed far past the surface. This fight consists of, as usual, kicks and jabs and not much more.

Secondly, a big part of what makes a fight in a comic thrilling is how it flows from panel to panel. For me, this fight was just awkwardly laid out. In one panel we see Bullseye's motorcycle careening towards a water tower. The next couple of panels focus on something else, and then we get a panel of the motorbike actually crashing into the water tower, and then nothing is done with all the water soaking everything.

Elektra fights Bullseye in a kitchen, and gets hold of his ankle, causing him pain. The next panel has him kicking her in the face with one of his feet on the ground. How is that possible? She had hold of one of his feet. If her were to kick her, it would have been with no feet on the ground. Things like that take me out of the fight.

The worst moment for me had to be when Bullseye was flinging shards of glass at Daredevil. That was a tense moment promising plenty of danger, but the next panel showed Bullseye flying out of a window. We didn't see what caused that. That's something I need. I need to see someone hit Bullseye so I know why he's traveling out the window.

I also found the choice to have him run away was out of character, and the choice to have him hit by a truck anti-climactic.

Even though I never read this issue before, I was aware that Daredevil was shot in this issue. I still have problems with that. Helicopters are noisy, and we can see that Daredevil's senses are still operating at peak efficiency. Is it possible he's distracted? Sure, but I think he shouldn't have been hit. Yes, it's Paladin, and he's a very good mercenary, but I always have a problem when Daredevil gets shot too easily, whether Bendis does it or Zdarsky.

Finally, the revelation that there are no Murdock Papers. I've already complained about Elektra's background with them. However, we all know that the Kingpin has known Daredevil's secrety identity for a long time now. In a way, he has been in possession of metaphorical Murdock papers for years. He asserts he would have used them over and over if he actually had them, but we all know that he guards the secret as his personal treasure for only him to make use of. This entire scheme doesn't seem like one Fisk would ever pull.

The Kingpin is also banking a lot on the FBI director's lack of scruples. Now he's threatening Ben Urich's family right in front of everybody, and he's expecting no repercussions? This is getting hard to believe. Yes, the FBI director is angry at Matt, but he's still the director of the FBI. I don't expect him to lose all perspective when dealing with Fisk.

I found Matt's actions with Agent Del Toro went too far. Couldn't he just have knocked her out with pressure points?

Also, it's not explained to us why Bullseye is here. We can assume that Fisk hired him to guard the Murdock Papers, but they also don't exist. So Fisk hired Bullseye to fight Daredevil, providing proof that Matt is Daredevil. I think this would be so easy to debunk.

I think the best thing this comic has going for it is the intensity of the fight, but there are so many little things that took me out of it. I give this issue a 2.5 out of 5.

[Mike Murdock]

Ever since the creation of the recap page, the opening splash page has pretty much gone away. However, to Bendis and Maleev's credit, this is a pretty good one. There's a very chaotic feel to the whole thing with Bullseye smack in the center flying in dynamically (although I hate his costume change). It sets the tone for the next couple of pages, which breeze by very quickly because Bendis has pretty much no dialogue.

The big appeal here is Bullseye vs. Elektra. I didn't read the first Elektra ongoing series (no idea if Bendis did either). A rematch between the characters is hard to resist so I imagine it was done before, but it's very cool to see it in a Daredevil book. I hate that Matt just pushed out Natasha (let alone Del Toro) because it makes their additions last issue feel completely pointless. Still, the fight is really cool. We see Daredevil and Elektra teaming up, which gives the edge that Elektra didn't have by herself. That being said, Bendis can't resist ending on a climax by having Bullseye get hit by a truck.

The elephant in the room is the twist - that the Murdock Papers never existed. On the one hand, I think that's a good thing. Nothing about them made a ton of sense. On the other hand, nothing about the whole thing makes any sense. It's one thing for Kingpin to tell his underlings (which I don't think he would have since the whole point of Underboss is the Kingpin didn't know his underlings knew), but how does Elektra fit in? She seemed to have genuine knowledge of it. Is she a Skrull at this point? Frankly, a Skrull trying to act like she knows what she's talking about makes about as much sense as anything else. That being said, there's a genuine sickening feeling as we see that Fisk manipulated Ben Urich into choosing between Daredevil and his family/own freedom. It's a good ending to the issue.

Overall, I liked the faster pace and more action. There are some flaws, though, so I'm going Four Stars.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

Not sure what to read next? Check out the Book Club for some ideas!

I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons