Daredevil Message Board

[Darkdevil]

I still find it hard to take Nuke with any form of seriousness. This was, and still remains, my only major reading appearance of him so I know next to nothing concerning him other than he appears to be a Rambo on adrenaline hyped up on steroids. (For that matter, what exactly do those pills do for him? Red amps him up, white calms him down? And the blue?)

As for his politics, yes, I can where his views can still be prevalent in our country today. The erosion of free choice, the corruption of capitalism, gov't interference and influence, not to mention the lack of support for 'our boys' in uniform. This is a firm reminder of how the possibility of American POWs still in Vietnam was such a hot button topic back then. Of course, Nuke takes it to the extreme, with the flag painted on his face (and they let him board a civilian plane like that?) to his drinking only beer made in America.

I had to laugh over Kingpin's staged scene to win Nuke over to go after Matt. What a performance! From his speech to the layout and decor of the office, it was priceless. Very well done.

Mazz continues to shine by using symmetry in his layouts, as he done throughout this arc. The opening shot of Matt and Karen embracing is similar in pose to the shot last issue of their embracing, but here it's more visceral. Look at how emancipated Karen is, she looks barely strong enough to hold onto Matt, and tying into the narration, how she is sucking on Matt's arm as she does so. Love it.

Matt, born again anew, freed from his old life, seemingly more content in his new one, helping Karen recover, together the two of them begin rebuilding their lives from the wrecks of their old ones. I actually like the idea of Matt as a cook, and how he's able to time the perfect cooking of the food.

I think that I'm starting to agree with the rest of you, Ben is the unsung hero of this arc. Despite the violence he has witnessed, he remains resolute in finding and helping Matt, even if Foggy isn't. Which is something that I'm having trouble wrapping my head around. Foggy knows the troubles that Matt is suffering from yet we've seen little action from him throughout in trying to find or help him. Yes, he's started new facets of his life and he's even ready to help Matt with any appeals to his case, but I just find it odd that he's done hardly anything to help find his best friend.

The jail scene, wonderfully executed. The most chilling (and surreal) part was Glori calmly snapping pics throughout.

But I do have a quibble though, and maybe it's just an error in dialogue. But when Ben & Glori visit the jail, Blanders is one of the cops protecting Ben. He then kills Lois and his own partner before being beaten by Ben. But later on, at the diner, Ben refers to his new cop protection as Blanders. Twin brother or dialogue slip-up?

Overall, 4.5 stars, we're racing to the finish line with a bang as that final page shot (one of the best ever) shows.

[Mike Murdock]

Daredevil Vol. 1 #233 - Armageddon

[Dimetre]

The final issue of my favourite arc in comics history.

While this is still an amazing issue, it feels a little haphazard and rushed in comparison to the previous ones.

Daredevil's fight with Nuke is fantastic. The soldier seems unbeatable. Matt's meeting with Captain America was pretty cool. In fact, I really enjoyed Miller's treatment of Captain America. It's too bad he never did anything more with him.

However, I did make a point of seeing where Ben Urich's state of mind ended up in this issue, and I honestly don't know. He seems fine, I guess. He was really put through the wringer in this story, but this issue just sees him getting a good story about Nuke printed in the Bugle. He pretty much ruins Wilson Fisk, but there doesn't seem to be anything beyond that. That's disappointing, since he was a large focus throughout this run.

There are other smaller things. I can't believe that Foggy wouldn't notice Matt at the church. They have been friends for decades. I can understand that Matt is avoiding Foggy, but Foggy isn't the one who's blind. I know Foggy was focused on Glorianna, but still....

For a long time, I have been able to rationalize Matt blowing up the helicopter with the driver inside. I still can. He was killing countless people as long as Matt allowed him to remain behind the controls. Daredevil had to do something, and he didn't have many options. However, could he have rendered the driver of the copter unconscious with a toss of his billy club, and carried him out of the helicopter to safety. I think he probably could. I'm no longer sure blowing up the copter was absolutely necessary. I understand that was Miller's choice, and I get it. However, I find it sad that people in the following decades use this instance as evidence that Daredevil is okay with killing. They have used it justify his murder of Bullseye in Shadowland. And that is very damaging to the character. I don't think Miller is saying that about Matt with this issue, and I don't think he's responsible for the ignorance of these readers. But this is still problematic.

But this is still an excellent issue by Miller and Mazzucchelli. I love the homage to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan on the final page. Again, this is my favourite arc in the entire history of comics, but I'm giving this particular issue a four out of five, simply for the rushed feeling.

[Mike Murdock]

This issue starts with a bang (uh, no pun intended). Like with the end of the last one, it's the descriptions that make it work - it's the sound of people getting killed by Nuke. The consequences are real here, Miller isn't pulling his punches. In this fight, Daredevil is up against a supersoldier. He's fighting desperately (and strategically), but each punch hurts him more than it hurts his opponent. Meanwhile, the Kingpin is savagely enjoying every moment. He's clearly unraveled, but that doesn't make it better for anyone else. Towards the end, Ben Urich gets involved in the crossfire and reports on the whole thing.

Suddenly, it's my favorite moment of the issue. Out of nowhere they appear. A soldier with a voice that could command a God - and does." There's something both relieving and alien about the whole thing. The pouring rain, the description of the hum of Iron Man's circuitry. Reading this with a week's pause has definitely made me see it slightly different. My memory was that Iron Man was the last shot of the previous issue. I'm not sure if I like it better or worse this way. It certainly made the first act one hell of a fun ride.

This story focuses heavily on Captain America. It's an interesting choice, but one that makes a lot of sense for the time (where this wasn't the final part in an epic saga, but simply the next Frank Miller issue of Volume one of Daredevil). He does such a good job with Cap that it's a shame he's no longer the same writer he once was. This Frank Miller is one I'd trust with Captain America. And Nuke makes for a nice foil - the anti-Cap. One who hols the rhetoric of America, but none of its spirit. One who is jaded by Vietnam. At the same time, he's the victim of corrupt politicians and the Kingpin.

One of my complaints is Daredevil driving a cab. In fairness, he's not doing it well, but that's still pretty good. Still, it leads to a fitting conclusion that wraps up this saga very satisfactorily. It's a new birth. The Kingpin is sullied but not out. Matt is reborn but not a lawyer. But he's still the protector of Hell's Kitchen.

Honestly, I was expecting the final two issues to be a step down since it isn't the same story. But I liked this one just as much. It fulfilled everything that had been building throughout Born Again and was a fun two-parter on top of that. I'm giving it Five 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

[DesignDevil]

Daredevil 233. Apocalypse.

I'll just repeat myself again. Another masterpiece from Miller and Mazzuchelli. Magnificently paced and wonderfully written.

"Give the man his due. He wearing the tights. He's DAREDEVIL. The man without fear."
Damn right. Urich continues to be great in this issue. Karen and Foggy take a backseat for the most part.

Lets just start with the elephant in the room. I'm gonna rant, and I know some will disagree, this is just my opinion. Matt killing the pilot and trying to kill Nuke is 100% justified. There is a Grand Canyon sized grey area between never, ever killing no matter what and becoming the Punisher. The biggest flaw in Daredevil's stories over the decades is that other writers don't get this. Executing a defeated enemy is 100% wrong. Going after someone with the intent of killing them is 100% wrong. Wanting to kill is wrong. Killing someone who is threatening innocent lives to save those innocent lives is 100% justified. Killing someone in self defense who is actively trying to kill you is 100% justified. Matt Murdock should be willing to take a life if there is no other choice. He should feel enormous guilt when he does, like in this moment: "Forgive me." Shooting the helicopter pilot was the right thing to do. Dropping Nuke on the power lines, which for all Matt knew could have killed him, was the right thing to do. I'll reference another Miller masterpiece. Killing Larks to save Mickie was the right thing to do. Killing the men at the docks in order to get to Larks to save Mickie was the right thing to do. The Netflix guys got this. Matt wanting to kill Fisk was wrong. Matt killing Nobu in self defense was unfortunate and unintentional, but you didn't see Matt crying and moping around after it happened.

Miller's portal of The Avengers as others have said is masterful. It is truly a shame that the sane Frank Miller of the 1980s never wrote a Captain America story. I think it would have been something special. Of course the juxtaposition of Rogers and Simpson is still relevant today. A good soldier doesn't want to go to war and does not enjoy taking life.

The final page. I've always loved that this story ends on such a simple, triumphant, and hopeful note. Most of Miller's stories did back in the day. Writers who followed Miller on Daredevil, Batman, and those inspired by his work, applying it to other characters tend to forget that. They copy the "grim and gritty" of Frank Miller, but forget that Miller would have his heroes come out on top. Miller gets a lot of flak for starting the "dark and gritty" era of comics which is still felt today, but its not his fault other creators missed the point of his stories.

I like that Miller does not allow Matt a rematch with Fisk here in his story as most writers probably would have.

4.5/5 like the last issue, some of the art feels rushed and not as crisp as Mazzuchelli's previous. Still masterful storytelling though.

Hands down, best Daredevil story ever. Nothing else is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath.

[The Overlord]

[Darkdevil]

Matt killing the helicopter pilot, perhaps the most infamous moment in this arc. In this instance, I think Matt is wholly justified in committing this act. Yes, given the time and choice, he probably could have disarmed the pilot in a non-lethal way, but by this point, it was far too late. Miller's descriptions of how Matt sensed all the pain and death that Nuke caused enforced how serious and rapidly dangerous this situation was becoming. (Wasn't there even a quote about how every time Nuke fired a shot, someone died?)

Matt took the only option available to him, blowing up the copter. What further re-enforces the idea that Matt is no wanton killer to begin with, is the simple two-word narration box in that scene, "Forgive me". He hated doing it, but had no other option to bring this insane chaos to an end.

The whole fight with Nuke was very well done, but showcases an element prevalent throughout this issue, in that, while Matt may be a superb fighter in his own right, here, he is outclassed by nearly everyone. Nuke is a super-solider, Thor a thunder god, Iron Man with the power to level a city block himself, and then there's Cap himself. In the scene where Cap tracks Matt down, I love the descriptions, of how Cap is simply more agile, faster, stronger than Matt and easily gets ahead of him. Yet this is also a shining example of how, faced with such power, Matt still refuses to quit or give in.

I did like how Miller handled Cap here, the dichotomy between his views and Nuke's outlook, but more his reflections on the past versus the present. For example, Cap's thoughts on the differences between planes and helicopters as he raced to the roof carrying Nuke. It's something that we perhaps would never take notice of, but that was an interesting character angle to show for Cap in that moment. So yeah, a shame we never saw more of a Miller Cap back then.

The cracks in the Kingpin's facade continue to grow. Ben's article dampens Kingpin's efforts to be viewed as legitimate, but again it's the underlings having the nerve and gusto to question this unknown vendetta against a disbarred lawyer. Kingpin has to kill another one to prove a point and there's the telling line near the end where, while Kingpin's orders are still followed, they are being so much slower now.

Foggy's actions here are again symptomatic of an issue I have with this arc. I can understand it if Matt were trying to avoid Foggy, but Foggy bumps into him. How do you not recognize your best friend? This is another sign that, for me, Foggy never does enough throughout this story to truly help Matt, which I find odd.

Love Matt's 'sneaky' idea of rebuilding the diner through stealing money from the Kingpin's operations. The final scene was very touching, especially the last line of dialogue. 'I protect Hell's Kitchen and that's about all you need to know'.

Wonderful ending to an outstanding story.