Daredevil Message Board

[Kuljit Mithra]

DAREDEVIL #12 by Soule, Garney and Milla ships October 12th, and here's a preview



http://www.manwithoutfear.com/gallery/Daredevil-V5-012

Please use thread for all discussion!
_________________
Kuljit Mithra
www.manwithoutfear.com

[Mike Murdock]

Muse is creepy. Not just his art, but him. And he's pretty intimidating as well. Glad it didn't end in a fight as most of Soule's stories seem to do after the first meetup. There's too much left to tell to weaken it. Just having him break the billy club stands out.

As someone who reads Inhumans, it's very weird to see quite so much description and backstory. That being said, I'm not necessarily the target audience. I like how simultaneously cynical and over his head Daredevil sounds when he describes it. That's not his world. He's looking at everything as an outsider used to fighting the Kingpin. That helps bridge the tone when he describes it to us.

I'll also say, as someone who reads Inhumans, it's great to see Frank McGee. He's awesome.
It's great seeing a different art style for the Inhumans - particularly the Tron-like investigators and guards. With the color style, they stand out. Same with Medusa, she's far and away the most brightly colored thing in this book so pops completely off the page.

I'm glad Daredevil and Karnak reference their history from the Ann Nocenti days. And I got a chill when he realized Daredevil is blind. But even with the minor fight, I like that this issue built up tension more than the resolution. It also built to a satisfying cliffhanger with those final pages.

Four 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

[jriddle]

My thoughts:

Daredevil #12 continues the "Dark Art" storyline, by far writer Charles Soule's best since starting the book. A homicidal artist calling himself Muse is loose in Manhattan and killing people in large numbers to create his "works." His last masterpiece was a series of Manhattanites transformed into Inhumans by a leak of Terrigen mist, which brings in the Inhumans' government.

Soule continues to trade more balanced storytelling for a brisk pace. The last issue ended with DD confronting the killer, just as the mystery surrounding him was starting to cook nicely, which I thought was an example of jumping the gun. This issue proves I was correct: DD's encounter with the killer doesn't go anywhere. Much of this issue focuses on DD's efforts to secure the assistance of the Inhuman royal family in the investigation, which is complicated by the politics of that Terrigen mist leak and its aftermath.

Soule is rarely one to pass up a fight and this time, he has Karnak pick a fight with DD. I've always liked Karnak. He seems a foe who would be damn near unbeatable, if he has enough time to figure out his opponent. He's currently starring in a self-titled miniseries written by the most excellent Warren Ellis (been wanting to check it out but haven't gotten a chance yet). Here, the fight doesn't go as Karnak planned.

Soule maintains his breakneck pace; no sooner is the situation with the Inhumans resolved than Muse is at it again and we're left with yet another cliffhanger.

Overall, this continues to be a pretty good story, albeit one still firmly in that adventure-of-the-month mold Soule has maintained from the beginning.

[Thayrone Ibsen]

Well, I gotta mention: so, DD beats Karnak. That's... interesting.
When I read about this almost crossover I thought that maybe those two would cross horns, but I always thought that if that happened DD would get a royal kick on his ass... So, at least in this aspect Soule seems to respect the character (who had been a punching bag even in ridiculous conditions over the years). Maybe this is a hint of a more centered Daredevil, more focused on his abilities in order (finally) to be more successful in his vigilante actions? This could be nice, if taken seriously...
But nah, that won't happen. Soon he'll be beaten and depressed again.

[jriddle]

[Mike Murdock]

[Dimetre]

It's been a few days since I read this issue, and, while I have some problems with it, I think it's very well written.

I don't find the pace frenetic, like others here do. I think the plot moves ahead at a good pace. I love this villain, even though it's awkward that he has two names, and Daredevil uses both of them. I prefer the name Muse over Vincent Van Gore (which probably should never have been mentioned). He is so delightfully creepy, and is surprisingly powerful. This is the type of new villain Daredevil has needed for a while now -- someone really twisted and scary.

I really liked the fight with Karnak. I'm not overly familiar with him, but I liked how he quickly figured out Daredevil's weakness, but didn't account for the radar. But you had to be worried for Daredevil there for a second. Now that he knows Daredevil is blind, how long until Karnak figures out that Matt Murdock is Daredevil?

The rest of the issue is fine. I like McGee, but I haven't been reading the Inhumans, so I didn't know he already existed as a character. He seems like a good guy with whom Matt can work. The cliffhanger is strong, if somewhat confusing. Shouldn't Matt be at work if Blindspot is? How can Sam keep successfully covering for him?

But my main problem with the issue is this: We were all geared up for a big showdown between the hero and the villain. The opening scene proved to be a taster, and I suppose that's fine; always keep them wanting more.... However, the way we got out of the scene was very unsatisfying for me. The flashbang was only light and sound. That would have temporarily rattled Daredevil, but I think if he put his mind to it, like we saw him do in the past, he could have caught up to Muse. It really shouldn't be this easy to elude Daredevil. He really should be one of the hardest heroes for a criminal to elude. So, really, the conversation with McGee about sharing data, and, consequently, the entire meeting with the Inhumans, shouldn't have been needed, because he really should have caught up with Muse.

The fact that we got those scenes was cool, I guess. They're good scenes. But it seems like we're just putting off the inevitable battle between Daredevil and Muse. It better be good. He seems like a very promising villain. Just don't screw it up by having Blindspot play too big of a role, and we should be fine.

[DesignDevil]

Another stellar issue from Soule. His first arc was a little slow, and that Punisher/DD miniseries was kinds pointless, but ever since issue 6 the main series has been firing on all cylinders. Also the Daredevil/Deadpool/Cage/Iron Fist "crossover" was awesome and hilarious.

I barely care about the grand mystery about his identity. I'm still just enjoying Daredevil acting like Daredevil again.

My only complaint in the issue is what Dimetre already pointed out. It did seem like Muse escaped way too easily from their little confrontation, but I'm willing to let that slide.

4.5

[Daredevil24]

Decent issue, not looking forward to the next Blindspot focused issue. I really don't get why Soule keeps pushing this character, he seems a bit unnecessary.

[Mike Murdock]

When is the next Blindspot focused issue? Is there something in the solicits?
_________________
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

[Rand]

First, a couple of things I liked about this issue:

p11 - The concept of a Terrigen cloud creating new Inhumans all over the place is really cool, in my opinion. (I realize that it's not a new idea -- just one being recapped here -- but I still enjoyed it.)

p16 - I actually had to read the issue a second time to understand how Matt knew that Karnak had realized he was blind: by noticing that Karnak would only be holding his breath and slowing his heartrate if he thought his opponent was relying on super-human hearing. (Thank goodness for that trusty radar sense!)

= = = = =

Now, though, on to my many (minor) complaints:

p1 - What ever happened to "Show, don't tell"? Instead of having Matt wonder to himself "Why don't I hear X anymore?" (or something to that effect), Soule has him just explicitly conclude "THIS GUY'S A BLACK HOLE FOR SENSORY INFO!!"

pp3-4 - If no one else is going to say it, I'm more than happy to do so myself: Muse's costume involves both suspenders and a goddamn beanie. Even if everyone stops calling him "Vincent van Gore" ASAP, there's no undoing this level of silliness.

p5 - If Muse's "grenade" was just a flashbang -- one with "almost no heat" -- then why on earth was the explosion it generated a brilliant yellow (and even orange)? Shouldn't it have been white? (I interpret this as a coloring error.)

p6 - New Attilan security officer: "I've got another one!"

Everyone reading this, please picture "the Tableau" in your mind for a moment: a room notable solely for the several dead Inhumans clearly visible within it. Now, imagine a security officer announcing "I've got another one!"

Dude, her body wasn't hidden beneath the floorboards; it was on display!

[ Edit: Maybe he meant "I've IDed another one", not "I've found another one". (But if so, that's lazy scripting.) ]

p7 - Matt asks Sam who's in charge, so Sam helps his BLIND boss out by pointing a finger and saying "that guy".

p9 - I realize we're in the realm of superheroes, etc, etc, but I can't suspend my disbelief for Frank McGee scanning the entire room (and being able to review it "from any angle") just by firing one beam out of his eyes in one direction.

For one thing, that's not how light works; and for another thing, even pretending it was: FRANK, YOU DIDN'T CLEAR THE ROOM FIRST!! I hope you're proud of the crystal-clear 360-degree brain-scan you took of this crime scene that has half-a-dozen people milling around, obstructing your view of potential evidence, no matter what angle you access!

p10 - Frank McGee (again): "New Attilan has a treaty with New York City, in case you forgot!"

Only the United States, not any particular state -- much less a particular city -- has the power to make treaties! (Could be that Soule is just following some other writer's lead on this one, but it's an embarrassing topic to choose to bring up.)

pp12-13 - *strangled scream* Why is this scene set up this way?

(We're moving directly from not understanding how treaties work to not understanding how royal audiences work...)

WHY WOULD ANY KING OR QUEEN GRANT SOMEONE AN AUDIENCE IF THEY WERE GOING TO IMMEDIATELY SEND THAT PERSON AWAY WITHOUT EVEN HEARING THEIR REQUEST FIRST?? IT MAKES NO SENSE!!

p14 - Are we meant to believe that Karnak knows Daredevil to be such a skilled fighter that he can ward off a strike from a super-human, or are we meant to believe that Karnak is in a state of mind such that he truly intended to paralyze Matt?

p21 - And lastly, skipping ahead to the final page of this issue:

It's common knowledge that no one is allowed to bring a cell phone into a courtroom... right?

(I was honestly more shocked by Sam having snuck in with a phone than I was by Muse having snuck in with a knife!)

= = = = =

Before I close: one further, not-so-minor complaint:

We're now 12 issues into this run. One full year. (And we've received well over a year's worth of stories, when you consider that Soule's also written an annual, a DD guest appearance in "Deadpool", and a four-part DD/Punisher mini...)

WHEN THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO SEE SOME REVEAL AS TO HOW MATT MADE HIS SECRET IDENTITY SECRET AGAIN??

If the explanation is "because Secret Wars, that's why", then fine: that's extremely lame, but Soule/Marvel might as well admit that by now. (I mean, I can't imagine any satisfying answer to the mystery; I really just want it over with!)

The Verdict:

3 (out of 5)

[Ninogredo]

Find an easter egg here.

Matt(from Marvel 1602 universe) once teamed up with Frank McGee(Inhuman name Nur) and Karnak. That happened in Inhumans Attilan Rising during Secret Wars. And Matt and McGee did have an interesting cooperation.

And the crime scene where Matt and McGee met is "1602 East 171st".

And I was happy to see Matt fighting Karnak and he won the fight. I did worry about Matt having his head kicked off while reading, that's quite intense(if you read Karnak's own run you'll know why).

What I really have complaints about this issue is the cover... The cover did just tell what happens directly... Karnak & Matt fights and Medusa's watching... It's a little bit dumb. Oh yes and the reason why Matt & Karnak picked up a fight is so boring and a little childish, although I enjoyed it anyway.

[Francesco]

I should be upset that Matt's secret being back in the bottle hasn't been explained yet, but the story is getting interesting and so it doesn't bother me as much as before when the book didn't have a clear direction yet.

[Darkdevil]

Four stars. An interesting continuation of this mystery though I'm growing weary of Marvel's ongoing push for all things Inhuman.

[Mike Murdock]

I don't think this is Marvel pushing anything at all. To me, it's just the person who writes both tying his work together. You'd see this with Chris Claremont with X-Men and Iron Fist (remember when Colleen Wing and Jean Grey were roommates?). More importantly, you saw it with Ann Nocenti. She wrote Daredevil the same time she wrote an Inhumans Graphic Novel. Therefore, she incorporated Karnak and Gorgon into Daredevil (the fact that they once teamed up is referenced in this issue).

It felt reasonably natural to me, provided you're OK with Daredevil interacting with the wider Marvel Universe.
_________________
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