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Paul Young interview

 
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Pete
Fall From Grace


Joined: 29 Jul 2004
Posts: 417
Location: Liverpool, UK

PostPosted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 1:31 pm    Post subject: Paul Young interview Reply with quote

Many thanks Kuljit for this illuminating new interview. Not only was the book itself an excellent read but this interview was too, managing to shed light on much of the thinking that went into the writing.

I share many of the authors views on reading Miller at the time. Those (at first) bi-monthly bursts of creativity lit up not just this title but the whole industry, which hasn't been the same since. The fact that so much produced since has failed to deliver on the promise of the early to mid eighties work of the likes of Miller and Moore, and instead reads as either derivative of or intimidated by their work, is hardly their fault.

Every issue of Daredevil back then became a voyage of discovery. In a medium that I had long loved yet which had become formulaic and predictable even to my younger eyes, here was a creator who prided himself on always being one step ahead of his audience. You quite literally had no idea what could happen next, and Matt Murdocks morality, courage and conviction (and idealism) flew in the face of the corruption that seemed to seep from every panel of a very violent, very dark New York.

I'm really glad that Miller found his way onto Daredevil back then. DD had long been my favourite Marvel hero, but hindsight (encapsulated perfectly in a book such as this) shows Miller as being in the right place, at the right age, with a real hunger in his belly that needed to be fed, and in Daredevil he had a pretty perfect vehicle. He was lucky too.

Miller is no longer in the right place, or the right age, and the hunger and youthful exuberance has been replaced with... something else. A strong desire for storytelling, sure, but the motivations are completely different now as to what they were back then. The treatment of the character may still (on the whole) rely heavily on the template he laid down, (a result of corporate edict and a lack of innovation more than anything else) but he himself at least has 'moved on' whether one likes 'where he is' now or not. Personally, I have no wish to ever see him return to the book.

Finding myself in almost complete agreement with the author as regards Miller has made for a great read, in both book and now this interview, but I differ on one point made in the interview, albeit nothing to do with Miller himself.

The issues that followed Millers original run did come as a shock at first, especially once the visual continuity given by Janson disappeared. The title itself seemed to take an understandable downturn for a few months, but I think it unfair to call this work in any way the result of a 'workhorse' mentality. O'Neil himself had a excellent, clear understanding of the character and Johnson's art was becoming quite enjoyable towards the end. It hardly seems fair to blame them for decisions such as taking Matt off to Japan also. Such a decision could be seen in either a positive or negative light, but blaming the new team for the move seems wrong as I'm fairly sure it was a leftover plot thread from Miller himself (he certainly mentions taking Matt out of the country 'at some point in the future' in a contemporary interview, and might even mention Japan itself if memory serves).

In any case, an excellent interview to complement a rather wonderful book, which i'd recommend to anyone with a passing interest in this character, Miller, or comic books of this period in general. It may have all been played out on cheap, grubby paper stock back then, and it may have only appeared (at first) every two months, but so what. Wouldn't swap those books for anything.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I appreciate the interview too. This probably wasn't going to be a book I would buy until this interview (just because my limited budget goes too much to comics already). Now I'm definitely intrigued.

I have to say, as someone who started reading Daredevil recently (I did start with Frank Miller), I envy your experience of reading it month to month. That had to be a wonderful time.

On the contents, I'm not very good at analyzing art. I know that Daredevil during Miller/Janson's run was visually interesting, but that's usually the extent of the analysis. I'm glad that you address this. Great point about Matt's figurative blindness.

Regarding Miller's politics and changing writing: Matt Murdock is clearly liberal and Frank Miller portrays him that way without issues. He "got" Matt. Furthermore, in Born Again, he "got" Cap (and his ideas for what he would do with a Captain America book later are absolutely horrifying). That being said, I'm not sure it's entirely accurate to pin it all on 9/11. That's where things went extreme, sure, but I think you see him moving towards a caricature as early as The Man Without Fear. I still enjoy it a lot, but there are some moments that just feel odd and excessive. Eventually, that excess took over.
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Kuljit Mithra
Hardcore


Joined: 29 Jul 2004
Posts: 1530
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Fri Dec 16, 2016 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks guys, glad you liked the interview!

I used to collect everything Miller did, but I don't know what changed... I haven't had any interest in picking up the latest Dark Knight series.

Reminds me, I still need to write up my summary of the Miller/Simonson unpublished story. Hopefully next year.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Fri Dec 16, 2016 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's a Miller Simonson unpublished story? I'm intrigued.
_________________
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
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Tue May 02, 2017 6:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't read books very often, so I'm still fairly slow into reading this book, but I do want to say that it's wonderful so far. Every page is full of me nodding along in agreement or intrigued by a wonderful insight.

But no one cares about my opinion. Instead, I wanted to post that Frank Miller's Daredevil and the Ends of Heroism has been nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work. Congratulations!
_________________
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
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