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DD Book Club - The Micah Synn Saga
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a pretty impressive opening, with Daredevil fighting some goons only for it to be revealed that it's just a demonstration and he's working with the Kingpin. There's a lovely ambiguity here. It's clear he's doing the Kingpin's bidding despite his protests to the contrary.

Things turn even darker soon as Becky announces in a press conference what Micah did only for Foggy to say that it's all a lie that they were trying to attack Micah because he wouldn't pay more money. This is all at the behest of Debbie who was instructed to do it by Micah. It's the low point for Foggy and for Debbie. In upcoming issues when the Law Firm collapses and Foggy blames Matt for never being there, I can't help but turn to this scene as the reason for the downfall of Nelson and Murdock. I can't imagine any client who would want their firm after that. Either they're price gougers, slanderers of their own clients, or they're so completely disfunctional that they're at their own throats. While I don't really buy it with Deborah and I'm 50/50 with Foggy, it's been set up pretty strongly by this point that I can't say it's come out of nowhere.

Anyway, there's a fight scene in a zoo with Micah's men. The scene is noteworthy for the giraffes, who are an absoulute highlight. Also, Daredevil seems to have a weird thing about fighting large cats.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this issue. The bulk of it is taken up by the Debbie plot, which isn't my favorite. On the other hand, it's good to see some clear resolution coming there. It's really tragic all around. I like that there's hope of reconciliation, but it also isn't instantly forgiven. That being said, he really should apologize to Becky. I'm going Four Stars again.
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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daredevil Vol. 1 #213 - The Blindness Men Wish For



Quote:
DD's war on Synn continues; Foggy finds out how badly Micah mistreated his wife and tries to go to the rescue with DD as backup.


Due 1/27
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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
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The opening of this issue is wonderful. We see Professor Piper staring at the statue of Mow and the sacrificial spikes. We see how Micah scorns him for being weak - he is tripped and later backs down when he sees Debbie being held. He's trying to appease Micah without understanding that it's exactly this appeasement that eggs Micah on. Micah only backs down when he faces someone stronger (and barely then). A lot of groundwork from these issues has made our understanding possible. Speaking of groundwork, it's pretty obvious that every time we see Micah, he's eating something.

Quite a bit of time is spent with Professor Piper. As he sees the problems all around him, his friend is killed by the violence in the streets (seemingly spreading from Micah, although not clearly related). Daredevil tries to turn him around by appealing to his conscience. While the story alternates between his view and Daredevil's, I like that he has a clear story. He starts weak, he gets his conscience back to rescue Deborah, and it ultimately costs him his life. The fact that the fire that helped Debborah escape was started by him burning the advance he got on his book is perfect poetry. An interesting thing I noticed this time (which would be the third time I've read this story) is that the blindness in the issue doesn't refer to Matt at all, it refers to the willful blidness of the Professor (or, in the end, his blind terror as he runs to his death).

I love the fact that Daredevil is working with the Kingpin, but won't challenge Micah because of the restraining order. There's something quintascentially Daredevil about that contradiction. Overall, the Kingpin's schemes are becoming clearer. I like that he wins either way and, in the best case scenario, he defeats both of his enemies without seemingly doing a thing. Either way, when the restraining order gets lifted, it's good to see Matt leap into action to finally end this whole thing.

Four and a Half Stars. I thought this was a very good issue. It was good to see Daredevil finally in control at the end. This has been a long, slow burn, but it's being wrapped up very effectively.
_________________
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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Dimetre
Underboss


Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 1366
Location: Toronto

PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2018 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a fantastic issue! It's possibly this story's best installment yet!

Everything has progressed along nicely. Dr. Piper's doubts about the Kingorge have grown, but so has his denial, and his success. Micah Synn's excesses have grown, and, evidently, so has his waistline. Debbie has been lowered to being just another of Micah's girls. Daredevil's partnership with the Kingpin has developed.

I became uncomfortable seeing Debbie appear in a doorway pleading with Dr. Piper for help, only to be snatched from behind and pulled back inside her room. Piper walks out, telling Micah that "whatever's between the two of you... is none of my business!" As Piper leaves, Micah mutters, "Weakling." Perhaps that single word is commentary from Denny O'Neil not only on Micah's view of gender roles, but also Piper's refusal to help.

Daredevil is better than ever in this issue. While the Kingorge show no value for life at all, Daredevil risks his to save those who were willing to murder him. He appears in Dr. Piper's home to lecture him to do the right thing and turn against Micah, even if that means losing the success he gained. Matt is on a crusade in this issue, leaping from one location to the next to bring down Micah.

By the time Dr. Piper frees Debbie and she returns to Foggy, I started to feel that this story was preparing us for a climactic finish. The tension has reached a fever pitch. With Foggy's anger towards Micah Synn reaching new heights, the Kingorge's support system has now been almost completely eroded. Mazzucchelli's tall panel showing Daredevil flipping above an American flag beside those panels displaying Debbie and Foggy's reunion brought me a thrill like few comic books ever have.

Daredevil's anger towards the Kingorge as he rescues Foggy is palpable. The reading audience has, by now, seen the depths of evil to which the Kingorge will sink. I love the way he contemptuously tosses the Vikah off to the side. Dr. Piper's character arc is brought to strong, yet sad, end, and we are promised "THE FINAL CONFRONTATION!"

I love this issue. Denny O'Neil and David Mazzucchelli worked so well together, and this is further evidence that O'Neil is one of the comic industry's all-time greats. Both of these men are. I give this a perfect score. Five out of five!
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daredevil Vol. 1 #214 - The Crumbling



Due 2/3
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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
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Dimetre
Underboss


Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 1366
Location: Toronto

PostPosted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here we are! The big finale to a 33-year-old uncollected story which I have been enjoying immensely! Let's dig in!

This is is entitled "The Crumbling: Concluding the War on Micah Synn." It starts strongly enough, with a dynamic overhead drawing of Daredevil shaking a billy club at us, demanding that Micah Synn show himself. There are a few pages of recap of what has come before. Foggy confesses to the press that he lied about Becky's accusation being false.

Micah's excessive lifestyle has made him vulnerable. Where, at the beginning of this story, he brutally beat up three armed cops, now it only takes one angry punk to get the better of him. Later on, a homeless guy knocks him out by breaking a bottle over his head.

The best thing about this issue is Daredevil himself. He is in command, and he's taking no one's guff. He wants Synn finished, and he's going to do it his way. When he appears in the window of one of Kingpin's henchman, and that guy pulls out a pistol, Daredevil snarls, "You want to put that gun away -- or do you want to eat it?" Later on, when a bunch of Kingpin's men are driving with the mission to take out Micah Synn, there is one among them who no one recognizes. "I just got in from Detroit," he explains. As they get out of the van, and one of them trains their crosshairs on Synn, the figure in the trenchcoat and brimmed hat attacks the gunman. As he proceeds to take out the others, off comes the coat and hat, revealing our Man Without Fear. He even tosses his billy club behind him without looking, unerringly hitting his target. I love that.

David Mazzucchelli is magnificent this issue. The way Daredevil's acrobatics flow from panel to panel is poetry. His expression as he spits out the aforementioned "eat it" line is one of quiet fury. When Daredevil is fighting in the trenchcoat and hat, it just goes to show that Mazzucchelli was ready for "Born Again." And seldom has a downpour been so beautifully shown in comics. The rain looks great enough on the cover, but check out the page when Daredevil saves Synn from Fisk's men one last time. This is "weather advisory" rain.

Where this issue falters is that we, the readers, are robbed of Daredevil's final victory over Synn. Yes, at the end Daredevil is still standing and Micah isn't, but it wasn't Daredevil that stopped Micah. It was New York -- or to be more broad -- modern western first-world excess. Micah has grown out of shape and become sick. He is now no longer able to intimidate anyone, let alone a man without fear. So, by this time in the story, we are robbed of the formidable antagonist and, consequently, our hero's challenge.

As well, there is a ridiculous amount of recap in this issue. Daredevil gives a quick recap on the opening splash page. Then there are Foggy and Debbie recapping events to the press. Then the TV reporter recaps some more when he tapes his stand-up. After the events between the Kingpin's men and Daredevil, we go to the TV station and there is still more recap. Given how close we are to the end of the entire story by that point, it seems like a bizarre choice to include the reporter one last time. Was Denny O'Neil's script too short?

While this issue is somewhat anti-climactic, I still have to recommend it highly because of Daredevil being in top form and David Mazzucchelli's fantastic art. I give this issue a four out of five. As for the entire Micah Synn saga, I had a ball rediscovering it. It stands as proof that Denny O'Neil understands Daredevil better than most other writers, and it also heralds the arrival of Mazzucchelli as Daredevil's greatest artist. Debbie Nelson's story will make some readers uncomfortable, but I would argue that she is a compelling portrayal of an abuse victim. I give this entire story a 4.5 out of five. Marvel should absolutely collect it in a trade paperback.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Now that's how you do an opening splash page! Of course, it's completely undercut by the next page, but I think that's a bit deliberate. There's a setup for a big epic confrontation and, instead, the whole place is empty. On the street, Micah is doing what he normally does, but people are standing up to him and knocking him down. I like that he hasn't changed. When people hit him back, he still acts tough with "I hurt you later." I'm not sure exactly the reason for the constant "it's going to rain" references. It obviously does end up raining, but I feel there's more to it than that. Maybe it's just foreshadowing that things will look cool.

Daredevil pursues Michah. I was saying for awhile that Fisk had a leg up on Matt by convincing him that he's more noble than Micah Synn. It's good to see Matt quash that completely by saying that they're not really all that different. I think that's important because Matt can't let Micah win, but he also can't let Fisk win. Basically, it's a three-way chase. I love how one of the Kingpin's soldiers translates his orders as "he says we're grass and he's the lawnmower unless we do the job." There's some wonderful humor in this story.

Anyway, Daredevil saves the day and rescues his enemy. As I've said many times, this is the core of his character. Micah Synn was a terrible person and hurt lots of people. But when he goes from the victimizer to the victim, he protects him as well. This is very much the character Frank Miller describes as someone who loves his enemies (even if Miller didn't always show it). I also love the fall of Micah. As I said above, this story is an anticlimax. He basically destroys himself. To me, it's a very clever way to end it.

I'm giving this one Five Stars. I'm sure some people might feel cheated, but I think this was the perfect way to handle this story from the opening splash that set the tone all the way until the end.
_________________
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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