Daredevil Message Board

[Kuljit Mithra]

The Daredevil #507 preview is finally here:

http://www.manwithoutfear.com/gallery/Daredevil-507

Please use this thread for discussion of the preview and the issue which ships next week!
_________________
Kuljit Mithra
www.manwithoutfear.com

[Marvel Knight]

I am so in love with the art on the series right now. Gorgeous stuff.
_________________
Andrew

[vtsoxfan7]

Once again, I really enjoyed the latest issue from Diggle/Johnston/Checchetto. As much as I'm looking forward to Roberto de la Torre's return to the book, I am just as disappointed that Checchetto is leaving. It would be great if they could find a way to incorporate both artists going forward. Maybe something similar to recent Uncanny X-Men run split between Greg Land and Terry Dodson.

I like the other Daimyo using White Tiger to help manipulate Matt in the direction they would like, but I'm a bit curious as to how far that manipulation goes. I thought that it made sense that The Hand's 'conditioning' would take over her again after being removed from Black Tarantula's presence (eyes glowing red) but then when she's around Matt that disappears. I now wonder if it's just a visual representation in the artwork to help make the point that she's not necessarily acting of her own accord.

I think it will be interesting how Black Tarantula's promotion to Daimyo of South America will play out. It doesn't seem as though The Hand's 'conditioning' will allow the other Daimyo to manipulate him in the same way they have White Tiger.

I'm looking forward to Shadowland. At least the mini-series itself and the DD arc that ties into it. I'm not sold on all of the other mini's though. I fear that Marvel is turning it into a larger event than necessary. We shall see!
_________________
https://twitter.com/tburnham7

http://tburnham7.blogspot.com/

'So I've got THAT going for me...which is nice' - Bill Murray, Caddyshack

[vtsoxfan7]

And on a side note...it's interesting how different White Tiger is portrayed these days from when she first took possession of the amulets. At that time I wouldn't say she was wholly unattractive, but she wasn't smokin' the way she is now! I know lots of characters can vary a bit depending on the artist, but she's had the most noticeable change of any character in recent memory.
_________________
https://twitter.com/tburnham7

http://tburnham7.blogspot.com/

'So I've got THAT going for me...which is nice' - Bill Murray, Caddyshack

[Dre]

[Kuljit Mithra]

The artwork for this arc has been really beautiful. If I had any money, I'd buy those DD pages by Marco Checchetto like crazy.

This arc was obviously hurt by the bi-monthly shipping, but it still worked for me. The reveal at the end certainly will make SHADOWLAND an interesting read.
_________________
Kuljit Mithra
www.manwithoutfear.com

[Dre]

The same could be said for me concerning some of de la Tore's pages from the first four issues of the present run.

[Kuljit Mithra]

Got the summary written up:

http://www.manwithoutfear.com/issuesIIinfo.cgi?issue=507
_________________
Kuljit Mithra
www.manwithoutfear.com

[vtsoxfan7]

[Marvel Knight]

[Dre]

[Minion]

I'm really almost mad at this issue. And that's all I'm going to say right now.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to find information about Snakeroot.
_________________
Random Insanity since.... Ummmmm... Tuesday?

[Dre]

[Minion]

Ask and you shall receive.

As always Here There Be Spoilers.

Let me preface this by saying that I think Diggle's run won't be able be judged until after Shadowland. We need to see how the plot threads play out and I cannot say how much I am awaiting the return of the inner monologue.

The art is gorgeous, but there is just too many pages that are just pin-ups. I want those to be covers not the interior art for the book. I want to be told a story with the art not just to marvel at the ability of the artist to make a pin-up. Daredevil looks right in almost every panel there aren't the problems I've seen sometimes where the horns on the costume just seem to be tacked on as an after thought and the other main characters are distinctive and memorable. White Tiger is becoming more and more like a standard Comic book female though, I really hope that she keeps her distinctive look, and doesn't just become a close up on various portions of her anatomy.

The dialogue is way too sparse. Daredevil doesn't even question it when he is attacked by the kill squad, and while the narration by a third party is a passable substitute for the interior monologue their dialogue is just so cliche and generic. It doesn't do anything other than reaffirm the fact that the other Hand Daimyo's are plotting against Matt and the fact that Makoto can see things from a distance. It doesn't give any insight into what the want, or what they know, just that they can watch him.

Are we to believe that the 'Hidden Blades' that Bakuto mentioned last issue are... Ninjas? Really?!? In a cult of Ninja's Bakuto has secret Ninjas! He's scary! I guess it does make a bit of sense that these are the Ninjas that were able to capture a Hand Daimyo as we see in 505 but they aren't hyped up at all. They just appear and attack and they do seem very threatening, they do get some good shots in, but they aren't hyped up at all so they just seem like any Hand ninja's. Not Daimyo killers.

And in the fight Daredevil doesn't waste any time at all fighting the ninjas without killing them. In the third panel after we see them he has stuck a scythe into one of their faces killing him. DD has degraded into killing the Hand so quickly that it isn't even funny.

The scenes with White Tiger are better. They have more dialogue and moments of character show through rather than just stereotypes. There are plenty of cliches(Which is a feat since it is only one page), but there are moments where we got to know Angela, Makoto and Takashi.

The next voice over serves as exposition taking any mystery out of why Angela is with the Hand and reiteration of previously discussed dialogue. It was interesting to see that the Hand do not trust White Tiger even though her conditioning is back in place. And they take the credit for Shadowland even though it was introduced months ago when White Tiger was in contact with Black Tarantula even though they give the separation as the reason that they have taken control of her.

We flash to a meeting with Bakuto's faction which I believe is the best developed part of the Hand in this arc. Sure the development is as stereotypical gangsters, but that is something that has been missing from the Marvel Universe lately. Sometimes the bad guys are just bad guys. They are suspicious assholes that, if they were allowed to get some more character development, could be some scary guys.

Of course we need to kill them.

The next scene is effective in making White Tiger more, and more credible. She dismantles the top three Ninja in South America in moments and this fight is much more compact and effective than the Daredevil fight scene that is taking up the entire issue. In two pages she takes out Bakuto's two lieutenants and then they square off for a duel to the finish... but of course we have to cut back to watch Daredevil fall down a roof.

We also get the only dialogue of DD's fight. "Weak." "Helpless" "Decapitate him." Poetry. DD responds with a taunt from his position hanging from the roof, and eloquent, "Come on! Do it!" We could read into this as DD being at the bottom. He doesn't even care if he dies. He even want's it to end, but at this point I just don't care about reading into it. Its just a boring fight to me.

Of course his taunt is just a ploy to get a hold of one of their chained scythe's so he can pull the thrower off of the roof, and he grabs a pointed icicle to shove into another Ninja's forehead.

The voiceover's analysis of how Matt will react to Bakuto's death and their reasoning for doing it is flimsy at best. They're doing it so he will believe he is in control? And we are supposed to believe that there is an option for him to just accept the gift they are giving them? Hell no. We should know that Daredevil will be pissed about his death. If he isn't then he isn't the character we love.

The next two page spread is a beautiful vertical column page of DD throwing the final assassin off the castle and then catching him with his billy-club, then asking him to give up who sent him. How long has Matt been fighting the Hand now? He knows they won't talk why does he even try. And what does the Ninja do? Does he swing back into the castle? Does he climb back up the rope and try to finish the job? Nope! He cuts the line and falls to his death. We end on a shot of Daredevil with lightning streaking behind him in the snow. Which is awesome.

We get back to the more interesting of the fights, but it comes back on the stunningly bad line of "You're gonna die Bad." The dialogue here is really terrible. Luckily the really bad stuff only lasts one panel, but the rest of it isn't great. The fight is quick and brutal, teasing towards the end of the issue when the reveal is sure to be. Bakuto shows that he has learned something about Matt when he tells the White Tiger that Matt wouldn't kill him, but in two panels he is dead. Killed with a ritual suicide knife.

Even though the blood is flying in the fight with Bakuto's men there in no blood on White Tiger's uniform when Daredevil breaks in through a window. Is he really in such a hurry? White Tiger responds with perfectly grammatically correct concern and reveals that Izanaga was killed by the weapons that Matt was attacked with... But that's not true. Bakuto shot him in the face!

She brings him to the room where Bakuto lays dead. They break down the scene as it is supposed to look but really the entire run up of Bakuto's character was that he didn't care about the old ways of Honor. Will DD really believe that he would commit suicide just because ONE assassination attempt failed? He does show signs of disbelief but he seems to accept it way too quickly. I mean really. There are no marks on his lieutenants other than their broken necks. Why wouldn't Bakuto use a gun? or a Sword?

Takeshi has a bit of character development when he taunts Daredevil but it s nothing that any villain wouldn't do. Matt has a couple of speeches and they are pretty good. One about how the remainder of the Hand doesn't really respect him. How he liked having Bakuto around because he was the only one who was honest with him. And about who he is. How he could never condemn a man without proof and he couldn't ever turn his back on cold blooded murder. If the entire issue was like these 3 or 4 pages it would be great, but it's not. Matt's talked down with a few words from the White Tiger into just accepting what happened.

We get an exposition page about what Matt's going to do now and he appoints Black Tarantula to Daimyo of South America, while we learn that Hiroshi(Remember him? Killed by the Kingpin in issue 500) was just a puppet. Then we get a pose page of the three Hand Daimyo proclaiming that Snakeroot will reign supreme.

Its just so jumpy and inconsistent and the three Hand Daimyo's names are so typically Japanese names. Any kid could have their names so they aren't special. They don't make me remember them. Its a giant fight scene with a few pages of good dialogue, and a lot of crappy dialogue.

Hopefully it will be better when I look at the run as a whole.
_________________
Random Insanity since.... Ummmmm... Tuesday?

[Dre]

Cool and very prolix post, Minion. You more or less share my sentiments on the issue and the arc as a whole.