Daredevil Message Board

[Mike Murdock]

[Foggy's Pal]

I pretty much echo everyone's comments here about the story and art. Yes, that double page spread of Stick and Matt running over the roof tops is gorgeous. I am not a big fan of current Romita art in regards to his faces and figures, but he is amazing with his movement. He knows how to get great movement out of his panels. For me, this is his best work.
The thing that stood out for me was the exposition. It's interesting that we read this after Mack. Mack's exposition is metaphorical, cerebral, and poetic while Miller is matter of fact. Two very different, but effective approaches. I love Stick. it's makes sense that Matt would have a mentor to become what he becomes; the mystery about Stick is a cool layer to the story. Issue #1, like most of Miller DD, is fantastic.

[Mike Murdock]

I mentioned it briefly, but it was nice seeing a third person narrator again. That's a comic book trope that has gone away, mostly due to the work of Frank Miller. Obviously, there's no thought bubbles, though, Miller makes the narrator omniscient to tell Matt's thoughts. The narrator does move things at a brisk pace and is very matter of fact. But I think it helps the story and keeps it moving. Like I said, there is a lot to squeeze into each issue.
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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

[Dimetre]

I haven't read this in quite a while, and never one issue at a time.

I forgot that Miller still possessed greatness at this point in the 90s. Today, Miller has turned himself into a punchline, but in 1993 he was still one of the best writers working in the medium. Matt Murdock always brought the best out of him.

Much of what has been discussed so far on this thread are issues Miller introduced in his initial run on Daredevil (158-191): Matt's decision to study law, Stick.... In this first issue, Miller hasn't decided to deal with anything too differently... yet. Stick is still a very harsh teacher. As for Matt's decision to study law, I never had a problem with it. I'm actually surprised anyone does have a problem with it. It's kind of how many kid's minds work. They'll forgive their father, especially if it's an isolated incident, but it will change how they look at everything.

And yes, this is, by far, the best work I have ever seen from John Romita Jr. I don't really enjoy his more recent art, but here he has clearly invested effort.

My one quibble with this issue is Maggie's visit. I suppose Matt could have told her about his senses, but what would be her motivation for telling him to keep them a secret, especially from Jack? That didn't make any sense to me.

Overall, this issue was great. 4.5 out of 5.

After this, well, it's the 1990s, so we get some craziness.

[james castle]

Just a couple points:

1. Whoever said that Kevin Smith was responsible for confirming the fact that Maggie was Matt's mom was wrong. Clearly, Miller does it here.

2. I love the fact that Miller uses the exact same dialogue in the hospital scene that he did in Born Again. I don't know why I think that's so cool. Maybe it's because it makes it feel like an actual event that really happened. Really cool.

3. I have always considered Man Without Fear to be Miller Daredevil Canon. Sort of like his Batman (Year One, Dark Knight, Dark Knight Strikes Again, All-Star Batman). It's sort of a mini-canon within the broader canon. Of course, it's sort of funny because even Miller's DD isn't super consistent. Elektra in MWF is definitely mentally ill in a way that she isn't in his initial run. But then she is pretty bonkers in Elektra Assassin but seems to be bonkers in a different way. In any case what is and isn't canon is completely made up anyway so it doesn't really matter.

4. The Daredevil/Deadpool annual is an abomination.
_________________
JC

So why can't you see the funny side?
Why aren't you laughing?

[admiralpetty]

[Mike Murdock]

[Mike Murdock]

OK, next up:

The Man Without Fear - Issue 2


Due Jan. 17

For those following along in Graphic Novel form (as I am), this one begins with Matt at the morgue and ends with Matt's face on the left side of the panel with a falling woman on the right side. Hopefully I've made it clear in a spoiler-free way (although that's probably not necessary since I think everyone's read this story before).
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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

[Dragonbat]

Argh! Man Without Fear is no longer up at Marvel Unlimited! Guess I'll have to buy it on Comixology...

[Dimetre]

Another issue reminding me of Miller's former greatness.

I liked Miller and Romita's choice to slow down the action when Matt punched Slade with the roll of pennies. Using three panels to show the one punch was a very innovative choice.

I loved the page showing Matt lying on his bed, trying to rationalize why he can't sleep. First he blames it on the TV, then he tries to blame it on Foggy's snoring.

I found it very interesting that the Chaste could only find two adepts born in that generation. If there were only two, and Elektra was deemed to be a lost cause, does it make any sense for Stick to give up on Matt after that night chasing down his father's killers? Giving up on Matt would basically be ceding victory to the Hand, right? But, I guess the narrative necessitates Stick disappearing from Matt's life -- at least for a while.

It was kind of odd for Matt to turn down that girl for the study date. I hardly think that a study date would involve the same level of emotion as fighting in a melee and accidentally knocking a woman through a window to her death. But maybe we're supposed to see how cautious Matt is around a "normal" girl.

Romita is better than ever in this issue. His depiction of Matt leaping around in the night is fantastic. I love the way he draws shoes.

One last quibble: When Matt puts the bat through the windshield of the car containing the Fixer, he causes the car to crash into the railing of a subway entrance. Matt should have been prepared for that happening, yet he is thrown from the car and his head strikes the pavement. I suppose I could chalk this up to Matt's inexperience at this point in his life, even though he has been trained by Stick as much as he was ever going to be, but I really would have expected Matt to jump from the car as opposed to being flung from it upon impact with the railing.

Overall, another great issue from Miller and Romita. I thought this issue was going to be crazier, but I think I was thinking of the next one.

[Dragonbat]

I continue to be in awe of Miller's pacing. Very tight narrative, little padding. Having read Batman Year One years before reading MWOF, I can see a couple of similarities: first night out the hero is in disguise, but not the costume we know. Thing go wrong... presence of a cat... hookers...

Loving the art, although it would be nice if the colorist had made Matt's hair redder. It's been reddish-blond and blond quite a bit but I note some panels where the red is nonexistent and Matt's more of a sandy-brown. Minor quibble, though.

4.5 stars from me.

[Mike Murdock]

It's consistent with the color it was during Miller's run (both original and Born Again) and Noccenti's run with Romita. Honestly, I was confused with everyone insisting his hair was red because, for a long time, I was used to this color. However, I do agree that they didn't make the color entirely consistent from panel to panel, which is problematic in its own right.

My review:

Right away, this version is far more violent than versions in the past (although probably not as violent as today's comics). When I first read the story, it was a nice satisfying revenge for what just happened. However, starting the issue after a break with his response, I'm sensing a bit more ambiguity. He had two mentors in his life - Stick and his dad - and both of them clearly disapprove. Matt here isn't even really getting revenge for his dad's death, he's getting revenge for the schoolyard bullies as well. It's a release of violence that's built up for years. Although this dual identity is something that's always been played with, I don't think it's quite as clear as here. The biggest change is that it doesn't end with Fixer's accidental heart attack (a bit of a cop out in the original story but allows an eye for an eye). Instead, it ends with collateral damage. Miller is not glorifying violence here at all, even in a story that has traditionally allowed for it in pursuit of justice for his father's death.

The duality of stoic Matt vs. energetic emotional Daredevil continues to be expored when he goes to College (I'll note here and also point it out again that I think Frank Miller is the first person to finally realize that you have to go to college for four years and then law school for three in order to become a lawyer. Stan Lee just had him go to "state college" and that was it. He still studies law (probably more accurate as pre-law), which is fine but is also not really necessary). A girl tries to hit on him, but he avoids it in order to stay detached (fearing emotion could lead to a repeat of the situation with the dead woman). On the other hand, he first breaks his rule to help out Foggy (teaching someone a lesson). Then he goes jumping on the rooftops.

This story was my first introduction to Elektra. I have to say it is still my favorite version of their meeting (an improvement on the original story). There's something tantalizing about the chase between them that makes them seem like real equals. On the other hand, you see really early on that her recklessness is enough to make Matt break his composure (and possibly break his rules). Obviously, Miller makes this explicit. When he's tempted to fight off the cops (breaking those rules), he's reminded of the dead woman. Likewise, at the end, when Elektra jumps, he's again reminded of her. Still, this guilting that forces him to stay as good, stoic Matthew Murdock is arguably unnecessary. Instead, it should be the other figure lost to his past that is normally seen as holding him back - his dad. I wonder if this dead woman overshadows that a bit or if they complement each other and it's just a reminder of the same thing?

Good exploration of themes leading to a more cohesive story. I'll go Five Stars.
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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

[DesignDevil]

MWOF issue 2 is another almost flawless treasure from Miller and Romita Jr. The only real problem I've ever seen in this story comes in the next issue, so obviously I'll wait on that.

As mentioned it is a little weird how Stick abandons Matt so easily if he and Elektra are so important, but I think that gets addressed well enough later, so again I'll wait until the later issues are being discussed.

I love how Miller makes Matt and Elektra's attraction so primal. He portrays Matt as a man constantly holding back "the fire" but his willpower just melts away when he catches Elektra's scent while leaping through the night. And Miller and Romita aren't subtle during their little cat and mouse chase with the constant references to her scent luring Matt along until we get to a panel of her panties hanging from a branch barely inches away from Matt's nose. Not subtle at all.

I love the panel of Matt shattering the knee of a man 3 times his size. One thing the movie got right was Matt going for the kneecaps on Kingpin.

As mentioned also Matt's changing hair color in this series. In the 90s his hair color was all over the map. The problem with the coloring here is that its all over the map in this series from page to page sometimes which can stand out, but is a minor quibble to me.

[admiralpetty]

Another awesome issue. I would agree that the violence is really heightened in this story. What I like about that is that it obviously isn't done for gratuitous effect, but rather to show the pent up rage that is really coming to the fore with Matt. It makes sense to me that he would have these kind of issues with the frustration he had as a bullied kid(who really could have done more to defend himself) who has also lost the only family he had at that point. The three panels of him continually beating Slade, that whole scene really, shows us just how much anger he had been keeping in.

Additionally, I thought the scene of him getting knocked from the car was effective because of the sheer amount of rage that had overtaken Matt, it really had gone behind simple justice to the point of blind and furious vengeance(otherwise he would have easily hopped from the car before the crash). Of course this is followed by the tragic scene showing the dire consequences of such reckless violence, something that would no doubt shape the rest of Matt's career as a costumed vigilante. Also, as a side point, am I the only one who thought that Stone's silhouette in the scene with Stick looked quite a bit like Blanka from the Street Fighter games?

I also loved the college scenes and how they showed Matt's attempts to rein his dangerous side in, however its still clear how much he hates bullies(understandably so). The way he deals with Foggy's persecutor, while humorous, shows how much he not only enjoys putting bullies in their place, but humiliating them as well.

Of course the sequences with Elektra are strong as well, much more interesting than Miller's original telling of their first meeting in his first Daredevil run. It's understandable to see how Matt would be almost inexorably attracted to the danger that Elektra represents, the part of himself that he so desperately wants to let loose, free from the chains of society. Conversely this only seems to deepen the contradictions that Matt struggles with in his own personality, showcasing some of the things that make Daredevil such a fascinating character(and why such a person might be drawn to violent costumed vigilantism). Its no wonder that so many DD writers since Miller have incorporated more and more of this story into the main series' canon.

Of course the art is amazing as usual(in this series that is, not Romita Jr's whole career), you can really tell that Miller and Romita Jr were feeding off of each other during the writing of this story. I easily give this issue 5 out of 5 stars.

[Mike Murdock]

All that being said, while I generally really like Romita's art, I don't like how Elektra is drawn (and I didn't like it the first time). She was drawn much better originally. It might be the crazy big hair that I don't like.
_________________
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