Daredevil Message Board

[Dimetre]

[Mike Murdock]

First off, I like the cover, although I like it better in the image I posted than in my collected edition (the posted version is red-tinted throughout, which adds a nice effect to it). The issue starts with a talkey Milla scene, which I'm fine with because that story needs to continue and giving her some time before we meet Matt is a good thing (even if it categorically fails the Bechdel Test). Then we move to a talkey scene with MGH. I'm cool with MGH existing and as an illegal street drug, but I don't quite get how it gets marketed as a party drug. That never really made sense to me. But it leads to two panels of Daredevil doing something weird with his teeth, so there's that.

I do like the confrontation with the Owl. It's an ultimately fruitless scene and it doesn't do the Owl any favors to essentially be led around by his nose. But it plays the long-game. Matt isn't powerless to stop the Owl because the Owl is that good, he's powerless because he's trapped in a box and everything he does makes his lawsuit less tenable. I do like that tension.

Finally, there's the final scene with the newspaper guy. The blues in the scene are beautiful, I have to give credit for that. Judging on its own, it's a little long, but the slow burn mixed with silence works very well. Regardless, slow burn mixed with silence feels like it sums up this issue quite well where not a lot of things happen. Three and a Half Stars.

Commenting on everyone's comments so far:

Dimetre, I agree with almost everything you wrote. I'll defend the joke, though, because I laughed. I also think calling Daredevil "Murdock" makes a lot of sense in the desire to create a clausterphobic feeling that he's trapped by his identity being revealed.

The Overlord, I agree that the Kingpin shot is probably the best of the issue.

Regarding Waid's handling of the Owl, he always came off as kind of tame, which fits Waid's DD a bit more so that's OK. I enjoyed when he swooped down and ate that rat, though.
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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

[The Overlord]

[Mike Murdock]

Happy Super Bowl everybody!

Daredevil Vol. 2 # 43 - Lowlife Part 3

[The Overlord]

Now this is where this story suffers from typical Bendis problems, the last issue seems positively moving at lighting speed compared to this issue.

This issue spends too much time on long conversations that do not advance the plot, Owl doesn't even bother appearing in this issue and he is the central antagonist of the story.

So what happens: the police talk to the lawyer representing the owner of the Globe about his murder, Matt talks to Milla, where she flirts and he denies being DD, Matt talks to Foggy again about the dangers of being DD after getting outed by the press and about the problems posed by the Owl's takeover, DD takes out some random drug dealers and then Matt is charged with the murder of the Globe's owner.

The conversations between Milla and Matt are fine, the stuff with the Globe's lawyer expands a plot point, but the conservation between Matt and Foggy just came off as a retread of past Bendis conversations between those two and Cage came off as pretentious jerk in his conservation, like he is some angry teenager accusing someone else "selling out to the man". Why is Cage just acting so needlessly angry and aggressive? I understand the point of this conservation, to encourage DD to remain the hero of Hell's Kitchen and not hand off his problems to other heroes, but Cage could have said without coming across like a jerk.

Really this issue could have used a nice action scene to break up the talking heads, DD shutting down Owl's main drug distribution center and bating up several of his henchmen, instead of beating up a few random dealers near the end of the issue. That was hardly an action scene and had no connection to the main plot with Owl. I don't mind talking heads if they are interesting and advance plot, but I am reading Daredevil, not a comic book adaption of "My Dinner With Andre".

The cliffhanger was nice, but this issue spent too much time meandering. This issue gets 2 and half stars, this issue is a let down compared to the last one.

[Dimetre]

This, to me, is another annoying issue with all of Bendis' worst habits, and some of Maleev's, in full view.

Right away, on the first page, Maleev draws a scantily-clad woman who is supposed to be Rosenthal's wife. She is shouting in horror over the sight of her husband's murder, yet Maleev couldn't even be bothered to draw an expression of anguish. She is, in fact, expressionless. He never draws her again. Instead we get dialogue between the police and one of Rosenthal's lawyers. You get the sense that Matt will be treated as a suspect. That's two pages into the issue.

Bendis and Maleev seem to take more care with the scenes between Matt and Milla. The dialogue seems somewhat more organic. One thing surprised me: Milla says that this conversation with Matt is as "intimate a coversation I have had with a man since college." That makes Milla seem like a bit of a spinster to me. I don't see this conversation as highly intimate. All she has said up to this point is that the moment of her rescue had an effect on her she can't describe, and that it compelled her to come to the office. I find it hard to believe that a woman as cool as Milla never spoke to a man about feelings of attraction before. I'm assuming she has felt attraction for another person before. I don't think Bendis had to make Milla seem so virginal, especially since she shows an admirable toughness on subsequent pages. It's funny, I like Milla more this time around than the first time I read these issues. Perhaps, back then, I wanted Matt to spend time with Maya, and didn't want him moving so soon into a new relationship.

Is anyone else a little creeped out that he ordered a background check on Milla? I guess he can't be too careful with everything that's going on.

I think the two pages of Matt and Foggy talking are awful. Six skinny vertical panels crowded with dialogue bubbles that serve no purpose other than to recap things that happened in the previous two issues. It's as if Bendis and editor Kelly Lamy forgot that every issue begins with a recap page. Foggy reiterates, just as he did during the Out story, that Matt has to lay low. I also don't know why Foggy pretended to choke Matt. It didn't match the dialogue he was speaking.

Then we get a debate between Luke and Matt that consumes five pages. I completely agree with everything Luke says, but Matt brings up some fair points. Again, I hate the way Maleev draws Matt when he grits his teeth. But again, a lot of standing around and talking.

What follows are two pages of action, so no one can claim there was no action. Matt then goes to Milla's for a date and Foggy gets ready for an ACLU fundraiser. Why did we never see Crow again? She could have been a cool addition to the cast. Then the police arrive with a search and seizure warrant, to remind us of the first scene.

The endless standing around and chatter is exhausting in this issue. The Owl gets talked about, but is never shown. Anad isn't even mentioned, even though he seems to be the mastermind behind the plan to ruin Matt's life. So, it's stunning to me how little forward momentum there is in this story. Does anyone know what the main plot of Lowlife is? The Matt and Milla stuff is charming enough, but everything here is talking heads. One out of five.

[Mike Murdock]

To me, it seems easier to comment on a couple of scenes rather than the issue as a whole:

When Milla meets Matt, it's a good use of description in his senses, how he would perceive a woman. The words chosen aren't great, but it does a good job of portraying infatuation.

After, Matt and Foggy discuss why Foggy thinks Matt going out with Milla is a bad idea and about the Owl. The dialogue reads as very clumsy, the repeating works to kill rhythm rather than build it. I get what he's doing and I'm not opposed to Bendis speak, but it doesn't work. One thing I noted is that Foggy suggests Matt tip off the FBI.

The highlight of the issue is the scene with Luke Cage. I think it's possible to view them as the extremes. On one end is Foggy who is taking the lawyerly ambiguous position. That Matt has to sue a newspaper for publishing the truth. Luke's on the other end saying that Matt is the villain in his own story. And, while he's not necessarily right, he's certainly not wrong.

Overall, it's an oddly-designed issue. It chugs along at a decent but somewhat slow pace that makes the final scene somewhat underwhelming. We saw the investigation in the beginning. We saw it sort of shift towards Daredevil. Then there were a lot of dialogue-heavy scenes that followed. I don't mind the lack of action. I think we've established that Maleev can't really draw action (or draw angry Daredevil in a way that doesn't look weird). But, by the end, I almost forgot the beginning scene. But, when I think about that scene, my thought is "didn't we already know this?" I'll give it Three and a Half Stars. I do like that Luke Cage scene a lot.
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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]

[Mike Murdock]

Daredevil Vol. 2 # 44 - Lowlife Part 4



Due 2/18
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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]

The cover has nothing to do with this issue, as has come to be expected by this point during Volume 2. Matt doesn't seem to be wearing a stitch of his Daredevil costume.

The issue opens with Milla accompanying Matt back to his home at the end of a date. I'm still enjoying Milla, and the banter between her and Matt is charming enough. There is a gorgeous two-page spread depicting late-nineteenth century Hell's Kitchen. Very good job by Alex Maleev. However, at the end of the Milla's story about the origin of the neighbourhood's name, she says the following:

[Mike Murdock]

This issue starts with date scene between Matt and Milla. I know it's another dragged out scene in a dragged out story, but I actually appreciate the slow burn. They get to have a conversation and we get to appreciate Milla's passions - the fact that she's such a part of Hell's Kitchen. The black and white two-page with the story is somewhat innovative as well and works with the art style. The scene quickly transitions to the police arriving. The slow burn actually helps because the semi-sweet moment genuinely unravels.

I haven't done any legal thoughts for awhile, so I'll comment briefly on one. The police are searching Matt's place. They're telling him he's not under arrest, but that he needs to come with them to the police station. In reality, it's one of two things. He either is under arrest or he doesn't need to come with them. That being said, it's not uncommon for the police to trick people into coming with them. It's just weird in a situation like this because Matt is a lawyer. Now plenty of people aware of these tactics fall victim to them, but he's one who can sense their heartbeats and sense whether they're being dishonest to him. More importantly, he could set an example for Milla (who they have absolutely no cause to take to the police station).

There's a good use of Matt's senses when he hears the police conversation and learns they can't pin anything on him. Even better is an actual genuine moment of friendship between Matt and Foggy when Foggy gets the hint that Matt knows that. Since there's so much hostility, that subtle moment was a nice one.

But if the point of this story is The Owl, he's in the last two pages. He says that Daredevil is out of commission. It isn't really earned but, on the other hand, it doesn't have to be - he's an idiot. But what the hell is the point of this story? I honestly thought the Owl was in it, but it feels I'm remembering that wrong.

Three and a Half Stars. Good character moments, but it doesn't come close to making up for the lack of any real plot development.
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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

[The Overlord]

I have some mixed feelings about this issue, this had a story and it was interesting, but on the other hand, it had nothing to do with the main story of this arc.

I liked the conversation between Milla and Matt about the history of Hell's Kitchen, I liked the interaction between Matt and Milla, they make for a cute couple, but I did think Milla's musing on the gangs being better in the past then now just seems pretentious and incorrect. I liked the interaction the cops, with some of the cops trying to entrap Murdock, but their boss forcing them to let Matt go and the interaction between Foggy and Matt is a good moment that highlights their friendship. I think its interesting to see Matt having to deal with being framed for the murder of the guy he is suing while dealing with the media fall out from his ID being revealed, but none of this has anything to do with the Owl trying to take over Hell's Kitchen. Owl seemed to be trying to take credit for this and we know that is not the case, so it doesn't make Owl a menacing villain.

I think Bendis' dialogue is pretty good in this issue and I generally like Maleev's art, but it is kinda lazy for to reuse the same panel 4 times in a row.

I still think this arc is more cohesive then Out, at least some interesting things are going on. I will give this issue 3 stars.

[Mike Murdock]

Daredevil Vol. 2 # 45 - Lowlife Part 5

[Dimetre]

Bendis is up to his same old tricks this issue.

Sammy Silke spends two pages telling us things we already know.

Foggy spends three pages saying things Bendis thinks are profound. I don't agree.

But my least favourite thing about this issue is Agent Driver. He is just so smug. He pretty much calls the Owl a loser to his face. If the Owl is a loser, than why are we reading a book called Daredevil. The Owl was the first villain created to be a foe for Daredevil. He doesn't have to be written as a pale Kingpin wannabe. Here, I don't see how he could have been treated with more disrespect.

I don't see what is so clever about belittling a story's antagonist. If the antagonist isn't a threat, why should I be invested in this story? To me, it seems like Bendis is somehow trying to look cool by calling the Owl a loser. "I want you to know that I know that this villain is lame, therefore I'm cool for knowing that." Yeah, thanks. Next time, try writing a good story.

Maleev's artwork was hard to follow. The doctor was holding a lunchbox to contain the Owl's DNA samples. Driver takes it from the doctor. The next thing we see the Owl taking a swipe at Driver, but it looks like he was already holding the lunchbox in his other hand. Driver falls back, but I couldn't make out what was in the background. There was nothing to indicate that Driver was standing in front of a window. So when we see him on the ground, I didn't know he fell into a lower room. When we see the Owl gliding through a window, I thought he was gliding away from the scene, but he lands right near Driver, which was confusing to me. The panel below, the Owl shouts "Move!" to someone who looks like they're smoothing out his jacket.

The way Maleev layed out the encounter between Daredevil and the Owl was just as confusing. It looked like Daredevil was behind the Owl, and then they were facing each other. The Owl's dialogue is just stupid. "I would have made it out of here fuuuaaaagghhh?!! Why I have too deal with idiots like yoooouuuuaagghh!!" And it seems the Owl has no other move than swiping with his fingernails.

It looks like Daredevil kneed the Owl in the balls. That's about the level of grace I expect from Bendis and Maleev. He's one of the most acrobatic fighters in the Marvel Universe, but sure, have him go for the groin.

The panel where Daredevil leaps away from the FBI seems to recycle a popular image of Daredevil that I had in a calendar. I don't know why Maleev used it, other than to save time. The mouth doesn't match the words he's saying. He can't jump that high, and there's no sign of billy club cable. Maybe Bendis and Maleev forgot he can't fly. After all, they previous forgot that he can't overturn a car.

Overall, I find this issue and this entire arc pointless. Probably the best part was Silke's encounter with Fisk, but even then, I had to wonder whether Maleev forgot to draw tears on Silke's cheeks. Every scene had something that didn't work for me.

I give this issue a two out of five. As for "Lowlife" as a whole, I don't think "Lowlife" is a complete story. I don't know what the centre of the story is. It's presented as an Owl story, but the Owl doesn't do much. What is this story about?

And I was just wondering: Why did Kingpin kill Rosenthal? What does he gain by doing that? Did he think it would implicate Matt? If he did, that really didn't work out to well. Fisk is supposed to be a chess champion, but wouldn't it have been smarter for Fisk to leave Rosenthal alone and let the matter continue to play out to Matt's detriment? That sounds like a better strategy to me, and strategy is Kingpin's expertise. What Fisk did makes no sense.

[Mike Murdock]

The issue starts seemingly with wrapping up loose ends. First with Sammy Silke, as talkative as ever. The page of build up before the page turn to reveal the Kingpin did build some tension, but it also felt like they just needed to kill a page. Then with Matt trying to salvae his relationship with Milla. There's also a bit of reconciliation between Foggy and Matt for Foggy yelling at him earlier. Unfortunately, it feels like this entire Owl story is another loose end. Matt concludes he's gotta go out on the street to take care of the Owl since the Owl will be making his move with him out of commission.

And wrap up feels like the best description. The FBI more or less does the work due to that throwaway scene earlier where Owlsley killed that guy. Daredevil shows up and arguably does something but only because the plot required him to do it. And he does it in probably the most confusing five pages I've seen in comics history. The art is opaque, the layout is baffling, and the dialogue doesn't even seem to line up with what's happening.

Detective Driver has some fun snappy dialogue when he searches the Owl's place (I particularly liked the "All the Kingpin's men couldn't put a decen kingpin back together again"). He's probably the highlight of the issue. The last line is cool too. Obviously, we already know about it. There isn't a twist of "oh crap, the Kingpin." But I do think it shows that they're setting up that confrontation next time. And, read in real time, we're talking a year and a half to get to this point. I can see people getting excited for what's to come.

I'll go Three and a Half Stars. I honestly remember this whole arc being better. Partly because I remembered The Owl in it. I guess I was mistaken about that. The highlight of the overall story was probably the Milla plot and she isn't really even in this one. I'm fine with an anti-climax if done well, but it's a stretch to say that's what this was.