Daredevil Message Board

[Mike Murdock]

It's time for another story. I think this one's been requested for awhile. It's certainly a change of pace from the typical superheroing.

Daredevil: Redemption #1

[Dimetre]

I re-read this issue last night. It's very good. Better than I remember.

Michael Gaydos' art is similar to Alex Maleev's, I feel, but I kind of like it better because there is less repitition of panels, and it's less photo-realistic, so action flows better from panel to panel.

The scenes are well-written. Matt Murdock is a very noble figure in this issue. The argument he has with Foggy about Joel Flood's right to a proper defence raises him to Atticus Finch levels of nobility. Even in that scene with the abusive father, Daredevil is citing law. That's the Daredevil I love. He's a champion of the legal system and justice.

I've been thinking all day about that cabbie deriding Joel Flood's character, not realizing his mother was in the back seat. That scene hits hard, because Hine and Gaydos even hide from us readers that she was in the cab. Then you see what the mob left on her doorstep. Hine and Gaydos pull no punches.

Gaydos does a gorgeous job drawing that garden. You can practically smell what Matt is smelling.

Finally, it was interesting to consider what an anti-depressent would do to Matt's ability to detect lies.

If I have to quibble about anything, it would be Daredevil's eagerness to fight a bad guy. I think Matt, especially in this story, is pretty mature, so if there is no one to fight, I think he would be pleased with that. He doesn't shy away from a fight, but he's okay if there is no fight.

Overall, I give this issue 4.5/5. It's great.

[The Overlord]

As usually with number 1 issues, this was a lot of set up. One thing that I think is interesting with Daredevil is that because he is a lawyer is a film noir style book he has to deal with legal cases that deal with the dark side of human nature (She-Hulk gets to deal with lighter and wackier legal cases.)

This is a dark case, with a child being murdered in town in Alabama called Redemption and a local teen being blamed for the crime. The kid is accused of being involved in Satanism and since this case involves is a very serious crime in the deep South he is looking at the death penalty.

So anyway I like the set up, the back and forth between Matt and Foggy on this case, with Foggy not wanting to take it and Matt wanting to. I also like the problems presented in this town, with feeling that the town wants mob justice rather then real justice.

I also like the fact that Matt cannot tell if Joel is lying or not, due to his medication. I like Matt's lie detecting powers, but they can be a bit of a game breaker in these type of legal scenarios, Matt not knowing if Joel is innocent puts him in a very interesting moral dilemma, he has to trust his gut rather then his powers. This why they invented kryptonite or take away Spider-Man's spider sense away some times, to tell new stories with a character sometimes you have to take away a tool in their tool box and see how they cope.

I think the art work is good and I like the set up. I give it 4 stars.

[Mike Murdock]

Looks like all of us got inspired to post at the same time

The story definitely starts off different. It's very sparse. There are no big announcements about what happened, but it's pretty clear with the child's shoe and parents being told about their loss. Things are a little less subtle with the arrest. It's clear they don't like these kids and they are going to see that they pay. However, just to remind the audience it's a superhero comic, we get to see Daredevil. However, this isn't good and bad, black and white. This is a father who gets drunk and hits his son, but is also his caretaker. These two scenes help set up what's to come, although the writing isn't perfect.

I do want to touch on a very small scene. Matt is being asked why he's helping someone who is clearly guilty and confessed. I think his response is spot on. His client has no one else to speak for him. What he did doesn't have a legal justification, but explaining those circumstances might warrant leniency. His client at least deserves that chance. I think that's something people forget with the argument that Matt Murdock only defends innocent clients. I think the idea is getting someone found not guilty perverts the justice system. But the reality is most people fall in the middle of the spectrum and the overwhelming majority are going to be found guilty. But that doesn't mean they don't deserve a case anyway. However, in spite of the shades of gray, he's promised a case with no middle ground. A trial where a person is either completely innocent or among the worst of the worst. I think, as the story progresses, it becomes clear even that's not true, but it sets up the stakes. And his response is the right one. If he's guilty, Matt will lose (not intentionally, but because there's nothing that can be done about that), but he isn't going to let him get executed without at least having a good defense.

The rest of the issue does a good job of setting up the actors and the stakes. There's something rotten in Joel's family, the town is out for blood, and Joel has pretty much given up. Even Matt's lie-detector test comes back inconclusive. A co-defendant confessed to the crime. The issue ends with very little hope, but Matt dons his Daredevil gear and finds a little journal.

This is a talk-heavy issue. I think I'll have to expect that going forward. But it does a good job of bringing the legal aspects to life in a way that's accessible. Even without supervillains, the stakes are high and the sentiment rings true. I'm going Four and a Half Stars.

ETA:
I agree about Gaydos's art. I actually quite like it. It doesn't have to do as many action scenes, so it's hard to entirely compare to Maleev. It could be my imagination, but I think the color is a bit brighter. It also seems to change heavily from scene to scene with a particular theme - the opening in the swamp is green, Hell's Kitchen at night is blue, Foggy and Matt's office is yellow, etc.
_________________
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

[thomam]

Am I the only one that think this would be a great couple netflix episodes?

[Mike Murdock]

I wouldn't be opposed to it. Certainly, I'd want a multi-episode (or all season) ongoing case. Most cases drag out for months. They could have a big case in the background with court appearances every few episodes and a few big episodes focusing on the trial.
_________________
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

[Mike Murdock]

Daredevil: Redemption #2



Due 10/10
_________________
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

[DesignDevil]

A little late. I meant to post this earlier in the week.

This series is an under appreciated gem. I wish it would have been popular enough to warrant a nice hardcover collection.

Solid first issue that sets the stage nicely. I almost wish that Matt had not appeared in costume during this issue or in the entire series. This is getting ahead of issue one, but I wonder if it was actually planned that way as this is absolutely a Matt Murdock story, not a Daredevil story. This really stands out once he gets to Redemption. We need more of those type of stories. We need more of Matt Murdock the lawyer, which has been pretty sparse over the last 10-15 years.

As others have said, Matt's reasoning for taking the case is perfect. Matt believes in the law and everyone deserves their chance. I absolutely agree a story similar to this would be great for the Netflix series. A season or half season long subplot involving a case like this where we actually see Matt and Foggy fighting a losing battle in court not because of some arch villain, but because of very real human prejudices.

Another thing Hine nails is the small town mentality of "different = bad". I grew up in a small rural town in the south surrounded by other smaller towns and that is exactly the way it is. Mob mentality takes hold very easily and any outsider or outside influence is treated as unwelcome. I remember Waid got some criticism when he had a less than flattering portrayal of a small southern town in his "Halloween" issue back in volume three, and I defended him then. Both Hine and Waid nailed it.

Wonderfull artwork. Wonderful start to a great story.
4.5/5

[Dimetre]

I just finished reading part 2.

Let me start by focusing on Gaydos' art. It's perfect for this story. The first panel is this frightening image of Amos' face, forever contorted with that gaping mouth and unshuttable eyes. It let's you know that this is going to be a different book.

I also like how Gaydos uses the red lenses of Matt's shades as an identifier. I know he's not the first, but he depicts them as completely opaque, and they stand out when he has Matt in silhouette. It's pretty cool.

The Daredevil costume only gets broken out on the final page of this issue, so it's clear that Redemption is more legal thriller than superhero epic. That's fine with me. I grew up with shows like Matlock and Street Legal. Redemption is completely engaging as a legal thriller.

I can't help but wonder about Constance's large role in this story. Was she in the main series after "Vision Quest" and up to "The Murdock Papers"? If not, I'm wondering whether Hine wrote the story without knowing that Karen was dead, and then quickly changed her name to Constance and removed any sign of their romance. So far Constance is coming off as a non-character -- a seeing pair of eyes following Matt around. The other side characters, such as Jack Ollsen, Adrienne and even Stan Finley, have specific character traits that set them apart. Constance doesn't, and I find that strange.

Another nitpick: It's obvious that later on in the series that they're going to find a way to translate what Amos is trying to communicate with his finger tapping. Why wouldn't they introduce the finger tapping later so we wouldn't have to wait so long for the translation?

Also, at this point we're trying to figure out who the real killer of Bradley Gideon is. This issue ends with a not-too-subtle finger pointing at Bradley's father. But there are four more issues, so it's rather unlikely that it's him. This is a standard mystery trope -- the mislead -- but this is Book Club, so I can't help but be analytical. Misleads are pretty manipulative, even if their a common device in mysteries.

I think this is turning out to be a forgotten gem of a series. I give the second issue a four out of five.

[Kuljit Mithra]

This is probably one of my favourite DD mini's... I guess my interest in it was based on the real story of the West Memphis Three.

I interviewed writer David Hine about the series... I think a few issues had come out, and he had some interesting comments.
I don't think there are spoilers, but maybe skim it over if you're interested.

http://www.manwithoutfear.com/daredevil-interviews/Hine

My only piece of DD original art is from this series as well... I had gone to the Toronto show one year and there was Michael Gaydos... he wasn't even listed as a guest, and he had all these pages from Alias and DD: Redemption on sale for like $50. I couldn't believe it.
_________________
Kuljit Mithra
www.manwithoutfear.com

[Ash-n-Bone]

Yeah, I also adore this series. Actually, I think a few of you guys were the ones who reccommended it to me, and from there I became much more aware and interested in the West Memphis Three case.

I'd love there to be some more DD material like this.

[Mike Murdock]

[The Overlord]

Yeah I'm pretty sure Constance was made up for this series, for the reasons Mike Murdock outlined.

This issue dealt with a lot of the legal back ground and a little more set up. We meet the various lawyers assigned to this case (one was clearly worse then the others) and we find out the confession from one of the suspects was coerced by the sheriff, throwing some doubt on the guilt of Joel and his friends. I like the legal set up in this issue, I hope Soule does a good job with the legal side of DD in his stories.

I think story is far more Matt Murdock's story then DD's (so far Matt could not have bothered to suit up and it wouldn't have effected the story, the problems this story brings up are things Matt can deal with better then DD, there is no super villain here for him to beat up, just a difficult legal case and a biased town). It seems like DD is in this story just because it is expected, even though DD is not needed, Matt Murdock is.

Even if Howard, the dad, isn't guilty of killing his son (jury's still out on that) this issue sets him up as an unlikable jerk who beats his wife.

The art work is still amazing, I will give this issue 4 stars.

[Mike Murdock]

Woops, almost forgot with the holiday and all:

Daredevil: Redemption #3



Due 10/17
_________________
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

[Mike Murdock]

BTW, I don't know who is using Marvel Unlimited vs. has a physical copy, but does anyone else have problems with their website right now?
_________________
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