Daredevil Message Board

[Blind Alley]

In showdown 3, it seems the voters have decided to buy another round for "A Beer With the Devil".
In showdown 4, "Golden Rut" wins the Golden Medal.

We're past the first half of ROUND 1 and among the winners are two issues written by Frank Miller and two by Nocenti.

So, let's start the second half of ROUND 1 to see if other writers can make it to ROUND 2 !

ROUND 1
Showdown 1 : #169 "Devils" (8 votes) vs #245 "Burn !" (3 votes)
Showdown 2 : #191 "Roulette" (11) vs #247 "The Backwards Man" (1)
Showdown 3 : #192 "Promises" (4) vs #266 "A Beer With The Devil"(5) vs V2 #88 "The Secret Life of Foggy Nelson" (1)
Showdown 4 : #219 "Badlands" (3)vs #268 "Golden Rut" (7) vs V2 #94 "Our Love Story" (0)
Showdown 5 : #185 "Guts" vs #223 "The Price" vs #277 "Of Crowns and Horns"
Showdown 6 : #225 ". . . And Then You Die" vs #291 "All The News That Fits"
Showdown 7 : #208 "The Deadliest Night of My Life" vs #236 "American Dreamer" vs #304 "34 Hours"
Showdown 8 : #220 "Fog" vs #238 "It Comes With The Claws" vs #380 "Just One Good Story"
ROUND 2
Showdown 9 : #169 "Devils" vs Winner of 5
Showdown 10 : #191 "Roulette" vs Winner of 6
Showdown 11 : #266 "A Beer With The Devil" vs Winner of 7
Showdown 12 : #268 "Golden Rut" vs Winner of 8
ROUND 3
Showdown 13 : Winner of 9 vs Winner of 11
Showdown 14 : Winner of 10 vs Winner of 12
FINAL :
Showdown 15 : Winner of 13 vs Winner of 14

Showdown 5 is featuring three very different issues.
- V1 #185, by Miller and Janson, sees Foggy Nelson taking center-stage for an investigation.
- V1 #223, by O'Neil and Mazz, is a tie-in to Secret Wars II, confronting Matt to the Beyonder.
- V1 #277, by Nocenti and Rick Leonardi, is an unusual DD-out-of-costume tale !

As said before : try to re-read the issues before voting.
And don't be shy to share your thoughts, tell us what you liked (or disliked), which details you remembered, what makes the story special to you... anything you want that relates to the issue !
Express yourself !

This poll will be running for four days.
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[Blind Alley]

In this one, I voted for "Guts".
It has Foggy in an usual role, it has Turk and overall it has fun.

The Price is a nice tale but the presence Beyonder doesn't make it ring as classic DD story.

"Of Crowns and Horns" is a good story of Matt without costume (where his senses are better written than in "Badlands", for instance) but I don't think it's better than "Guts" as a DD story.
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[Gloria]

Well, my vote goes for "Guts".

I love Foggy mimicking the act of a hard-Boiled private eye: In fact, I far prefer the noir parody here than the overbrought style of "Sin City" (there, IMHO, parody is so blatant that you start doubting if the author means it seriously)

I like Foggy being involved in the investigation out of chivalry (to help Heather), even if the whole thing is a bit above his possibilities (which makes his attempt as touching as Sancho Panza trying to do Sir Lancelot's work). And his pairing with Turk was too much for words, not to mention Kingpin deciding to hire "Guts"'s services, and Foggy rejecting the offer with panache (BTW, is that the only time I've seen the Fogster smoke). I also loved matt's introduction ("Don't tell him") and warning to the Kingpin ("leave "Guts" alone").

An humorous story like this is not usual in DD nowadays, so I've grown to appreciate it more and more... Moreso, when after that story things got too serious (Matt loosing his radar, Stick, etc)

"The Prize" comes a second close, I liked Matt and Glori enjoying a day "on the town", and Matt's puzzled expression at watching Picasso's "Les Senyoretes del carrer D'Avinyó". Matt rejecting the Beyonder's gift is one of those moments when we get the full scale of Matt's heroism.

And I loved the Foggy moments in "the Prize", too: I crack whenever i read the bit where he tells the Beyonder that, yes, he can legally acquire Planet Earth, even though "It will take some time" (and Mazz draws an naughty smile in Foggy's face: he is obviously pleased by the amount of income that this will bring to the firm)
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Gloria
Devuélveme el rosario de mi madre y quédate con todo lo demás

"Para la cuesta arriba quiero mi burro, que la cuesta abajo yo me la subo"

[jumonji]

This one was tricky. The Price is one of my favorites, but it does have that slightly "alternate universe" feel to it. I guess it's another example of a "did that really happen?" (I mean, seriously, hasn't he had his sight back four times or something). What I like about this issue is what it says about Matt. While his final decision is a little illogical - he's free to keep his sight at no expense to himself - it speaks volumes about his intergrity. I'd also like to give some extra points to the art in this issue. And, the Beyonder's costume is so delightfully 1980's that I can't help but smile everytime I see it.

Guts is a great story, and I'm not just saying that to get on Gloria's good side (which we all know is a great place to be). Everything from the perfect intro page with Matt almost breaking the fourth wall - and basically telling the reader everything there is to know about him - to Foggy's quick wit and bravery. This is Nelson's chance to shine and he does it well. He's a smart character with plenty of "guts" and it's nice that he gets his moment in the sun in a well-written issue like this one.

Of Crowns and Horns contains, to some degree, all of the elements that I dislike about Nocenti's run. Having said that, it is still interesting reading and it's an issue I actually enjoy. However, with both The Price and Guts in this round, it doesn't measure up in my opinion.

Final Verdict? Guts gets my vote. Foggy love all around!
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The Other Murdock Papers

[Gloria]

[jumonji]

[Francesco]

Guts seems to me the better tale of the three, and I voted for it (I did also to get on a side of Gloria that, I am told, is good). But they are all below average, in my opinion.