Daredevil Message Board

[Mike Murdock]

There's a lot I don't like about the opening, but I do like the shift in the power dynamic. Hammerhead's not all that interesting of a character, maybe the Jackal will be better (although I wish he was drawn better). I do like that he arranged maximum security prison as a safehouse of sorts, where the Punisher can't get to him. That's at least somewhat clever writing. And it does seem like desperate times are calling for desperate measures. Not being able to get in doesn't stop the Punisher and the body count is starting to rise. I like the attempts at a psychological drama. It makes for a nice change of pace from the usual action scenes so far. Even the action scene was about whether the Punisher has snapped (well, snapped more than usual, I guess). This time, a bystander gets shot and it's clearly his fault. I guess that's an interesting question, what would make the Punisher snap here more than usual? Is it Daredevil, perhaps?

The story of the kid with the gun is going how you expect it to go. But it seems bad for his family right about now.

It's an alright story, but my heart isn't in it. Three and a Half Stars.
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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 kind of wish Lapham used the same caption boxes for both Punisher and Daredevil's narration in this issue. On one page we see Punisher outside the prison with his monologue, then we turn the page. If you didn't notice the caption boxes had turned yellow, you would still think it was the Punisher describing the flow of information from the prison. So when you turn the page again, it would have been more surprising to find that it was Daredevil trailing this one woman from the prison. But I thought that scene was very cool nevertheless, and what he told her was equally shocking. What he says to her about the Punisher really makes it seem that he's more over-the-edge than usual.

The Bugle headline and article a few pages later hit equally hard.

But I agree that the scene with the Bastellis plays out exactly as you would expect, and as such it probably doesn't warrant the amount of pages it occupies. Nobody in the family has interacted with either Daredevil or the Punisher for a few issues now.

Lapham is an okay artist, but some panels seem rushed. There's a panel in which Daredevil dives off a roof while a detective tells him they have cocoa. Look at his body position and proportions. They make no sense.

But I like the way Lapham depicts the battle between Daredevil and the Punisher. I like how Daredevil seems always one step ahead, and the grudging respect he has for his abilities. I like how deadset Daredevil is against everything the Punisher represents.

This, however, is the fourth issue. It seems, now, that we're repeating story beats without moving the story forward much at all. Daredevil and Punisher battle once again. Billy's family gets threatened once again. Daredevil questions an informant once again. There's still two more issues and it feels like we should be much further along. Having said that, this mini-series came out during the Bendis years, and we all know what his decompression is like. Because of that, I probably appreciated Lapham's pacing more than I should have at the time.

[Mike Murdock]

Daredevil vs. Punisher #5: The Unraveling



Due 5/9
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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

[Dimetre]

I think this was the best issue so far. All the plots have finally come together in issue #5.

I think it's cool that everything Daredevil does in this issue ends up helping the Punisher in some way. Saving the 250 pound man (an incredible feat, considering that he carried him twelve blocks in the rain) alleviated the Punisher's guilt, allowing him to return to his mission. I also liked that Daredevil ended up being naive about Thomas Wynn's innocence. That doesn't justify Punisher's actions, but that's a notch against Daredevil, and one for Punisher, if we're keeping score.

The Punisher is written especially well in this issue. I very much liked his soliliquy when he enters the hospital in disguise. He knows how dangerous it is to check on the innocent man he shot, but he has to know he's okay. "Turn around and go. Why do you have to know?" It's a nice monologue, and it shows how Frank doesn't really respect himself, and is impatient with himself. I doubt somebody who does what the Punisher does could like themselves.

Unlike much of the Daredevil stories published around this time, Matt in this mini-series seems, by contrast to Frank, more comfortable with his role in the world as well as inside his own skin. This Daredevil believes in what he does, and takes very decisive action against his opposition.

Most of Lapham's artwork in this issue is strong, although there is a page near the end where you wonder where someone could have possibly been hiding. But, overall, this is a very good issue, and perfectly sets us up for the big finale.

[Acerbus]

Good issue. Very strong, cliffhanger ending.

I still feel, five issues in, that the decision to have Punisher's voice in first-person and Daredevil's in third makes this entire mini-series feel more like a Punisher story than a Daredevil one. It's really not just that, either, I feel like if I took a page count, there would be many more pages devoted to Frank Castle than to Daredevil. To date, we've seen civilian Matt Murdock just twice... and Frank Castle a half-dozen. Definitely feels like Lapham has more to say about one character than the other.

Lapham's art has grown on me, though I remember reading this in '06 and thinking it seemed rather dated and '70s. I dig that Punisher has the full-blown white gloves / white boots / skull outfit ensemble he so rarely rocks in contemporary Marvel.

I do have to echo what others have said: Pacing feels like something of an issue.

You can see the "Don't mess around with guns, children!" subplot coming a mile away, but it really should have been paid off in one issue, rather than three. That moment where the kid scares a thug off with a gun and 'gets the girl' feels like redundant narrative padding, at the end of the day.

[Mike Murdock]

Sorry guys for taking so long for a review, but good things come to those who wait, right? And, it's ... actually much better.

The title of this one is the Unraveling and the teaser in the beginning sells that. The Punisher wakes up and, for a second, is still in his life before. That poor kid with the gun seems to have had his entire family wiped out. And Daredevil is racing to save the life of one man shot by the Punisher. It's weird that the stakes got this high in this particular case, but I think it's a good setup.

There's a nice moment that's a good commment on both the Punisher's state of mind and the news. They talk over and over about the corrupt DA he killed, but he just wants them to talk about the innocent man. To him, that's the bigger story and he'd rather the whole city hear about his shame). But, of course, from the public's perspective, a homeless man isn't as important as a District Attorney. From the Punisher's perspective, the lives of criminals are worthless and that includes that one.

Throughout, Frank Castle is a much more broken man. It helps build some sympathy to him when he really hasn't been all that sympathetic so far. In the end, he's taking on a more Daredevil-esque role of actually protecting someone. I won't say all is forgiven, but you kinda hope the two of them can take a timeout and reach towards a common goal at the end. The tension in the last quarter of the book is impressive as well.

Four and a Half Stars.
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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]

Sorry for the late posting, was away all weekend. Last one.

Daredevil vs. Punisher #6: The Second Chance...



Due 5/16
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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

[Dimetre]

I think the highlight for me from this issue is the page with Frank's first-person captions accompanied by Daredevil's lecturing. For instance, in one panel Daredevil says, "I've given you a lot of leeway over the years. Think somehow, in your own way, you did some good." Meanwhile, Frank is thinking to himself, "Watched you treat (evil) with a Band-Aid and hope around feeling proud of yourself." That page puts the mindsets of both characters on full and clear display. It's skilfully done.

This issue features the most savage battle between Daredevil and Punisher we'll probably ever see.

Many of you will find the fate of young Martin extremely predictable, and you're right. And there is probably too much room given to the tragic moment with Frank Castle became the Punisher (a moment with which we're already very familiar). Of all this series' issues, this one feels like the one the Punisher dominates the most, and he already was taking more than his fair share of space.

After a very strong fifth issue, this issue brings the series to it's natural and inevitable close, however in a gloriously blood-soaked fashion. It's pretty good, even if Daredevil feels relegated to second billing.

[Mike Murdock]

I definitely think Frank Castle is the star of this story. There's nothing wrong with that; it's handled well. But it does make for an awkward Book Club recommendation. I like the dialogue in the beginning with their different philosophies in front. Daredevil is explaining how he's let Punisher get away with too much, while Punisher is saying exactly the same thing (I had to read it twice, though, because I kept combining their lines to the point I wasn't sure who was saying what). It goes to set up what this series has featured in spades - yet another fight scene between the two of them. Granted, I'm a bit tired of them, but this one is pretty brutal with the Punisher getting in some good hits.

Seeing Jackal in prison enjoying his life helps to sell the Punisher's side of things. It's an interesting contrast to earlier where innocent people were getting gunned down in a firefight.

The thing with the bad guys coming in with the kid with a gun made for an interesting contrast (although somewhat hackneyed). Daredevil and Punisher flipped on a dime to join the same side when the situation called for it. It made for a nice ambiguous ending, a bit of sadness, a bit of optimism. You can never end up knowing who is right and who isn't. But, for a story that is a Punisher story, it ended with an appropriate ending. Frank Castle in prison beating up the prisoners (and finally getting to the Jackal) is good enough for him.

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