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DD Book Club - Save the Planet

 
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 8:37 am    Post subject: DD Book Club - Save the Planet Reply with quote

I don't believe we've done this story before (we did the second half way back when as a Typhoid Mary story). After this arc, I think we've finished the Nocenti run. It's fitting since Bullet is featuring prominently in the current Zdarsky run.

Daredevil Vol. 1 #248 - A Cage in Search of a Bird

Quote:
DD investigates a corporation named Kelco, because it`s dumping dangerous chemicals in to a nearby lake. As the result, a boy has gone blind.

Also has a man calling hisself Bushwacker, killing mutants.


Due 2/4
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Back when the rule was that every comic could be someone's first, it was important to sum up Daredevil's entire history in a very brief synopsis. I think this one does as good as any - especially summing up all of Born Again. Karen has decided to open up a free legal clinic, but Matt believes his legal days are behind him - that getting disbarred was the best thing that ever happened to him (some days, I sympathize). But he quickly realizes there are problems he can't fix as Daredevil.

The plot kicks into high gear when Matt runs into a boy who goes into water to chase after his toy boat. A company releases a chemical at the same time and the boy is blinded. Definitely a fitting story for a Daredevil comic. Even more so, we quickly realize that Foggy is defending the other side.

The story definitely sets up that only Matt Murdock the lawyer can solve the problem. He tried as Daredevil. He tried as a pretend sighted man. But none of that was successful. The conclusion that he had to be both and, more importantly, go back to acting like the helpless blind man of before was as painful as it was triumphant. Another writer would have gone for an unambiguously great moment. Ann Nocenti writes it bittersweet.

In many ways, this issue feels like the setup for an entire arc. But it has a good complete story of Matt Murdock deciding to be a lawyer again. Four Stars.

PS, ghost lawyering is the crime of unauthorized practice of law. They address this in another issue so I can't fault it entirely, but it's worth pointing out.
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Dimetre
Underboss


Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 1366
Location: Toronto

PostPosted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a densely-packed issue. I read it on Unlimited, and I was wondering if this was a Giant-Sized issue, but no, it's just 23 pages. I'm amazed how much writer Ann Nocenti and artist Rick Leonardi were able to pack in here.

Matt's status as a lawyer is kind of integral to his identity, so I suppose it was inevitable that he would return to it. He wasn't ever going to be a short-order cook forever. Did any other readers out there want him to stay out of the legal profession longer than he did? Only 21 issues separated his disbarment and this issue. I wonder if Steve Englehart intended for Matt to stay a short-order cook longer than Nocenti ended up doing.

I think this is a strong issue. Nocenti opens with the conclusion Frank Miller reached by the end of Born Again -- that by reducing Matt to his core characteristics, we were getting to his essence, and he could be free to be what he really wanted. As Nocenti puts it, he's "lighter." But, really, how long can Matt ignore his passion for justice? For the law? Karen can't ignore his passion. She knows who he is almost better than he does. Even though I see her opening that free legal clinic as an act of love, couldn't she have had a conversation about it with Matt first?

It was great to see Kingpin reappear in the book, as well as Foggy and Glorianna. I was also great to see Daredevil descend deep into the bowels of the Kelco corporation, and come to the conclusion that Matt Murdock the lawyer is needed.

Nocenti is at the top of her game in this issue. Leonardi's work throughout this issue is uneven. He can draw some beautiful panels, but other times his work looks rushed and sloppy. I give this issue a four out of five.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Sun Feb 05, 2023 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daredevil Vol. 1 #249 - Kiss & Kill

Quote:
Bushwacker continues his killing spree, and comes face to face with Daredevil (who tries to save him and get him some psychiatric help) and Wolverine (who wants to flat out kill him).


Due 2/11
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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
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Dimetre
Underboss


Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 1366
Location: Toronto

PostPosted: Mon Feb 06, 2023 1:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I really enjoyed this issue. Matt has decided to give the free legal hotline a shot, but has set up a standard for how Daredevil must operate, or else he won't continue with the clinic. It sets up some nice stakes and a test for our hero.

Writer Ann Nocenti does some amazing work with Bushwacker. He is such a twisted character -- a true psychotic. Artist Rick Leonardi draws him very close to the way Frank Miller used to draw Bullseye in plain clothes. I don't know if that was intentional on Leonardi's part, but the similarity I think helped ramp up the feeling of menace around Bushwacker.

Nocenti also injected a sense of twisted erotica in this issue when Bushwacker picks up a mutant artist and shows her his idea of art -- a massive pile-up of cars on the freeway. Shockingly, it seems to get her stimulated. He makes out with her through all the carnage before blowing her head off.

The way this issue is constructed is very unconventional. Once Bushwacker has murdered the mutant artist, the next panel we see is Daffy Duck standing there with his feathers blown backward. I at first wondered if the mutant artist transformed herself into Daffy, but we quickly see that Bushwacker has gone to the movies, and is watching one of Bugs and Daffy's hunting trilogy cartoons. Some nice chances were taken during this issue, and all of them seemed to pay off.

Everything works. The contrast between Wolverine and Daredevil is expertly played out. The climactic fight with Bushwacker is well-handled. The reveal that the woman at the issue's start is Bushwacker's wife is truly surprising.

The only quibble is that we leave the movie theatre without an encounter between Wolverine and Bushwacker. Why doesn't Wolverine try to kill him there? We're never told why.

But I loved the rest of the issue. This was great. Four and a half out of five from me.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Sat Feb 11, 2023 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One thing I do like about Nocenti's run is that Daredevil is less insular. Especially since she was an editor in the X-office, she brought Daredevil into the world of the X-Men. In this issue, we open to Wolverine (prior to him being everywhere). In fact, it's an unusually poetic Wolverine observing the deaths of talented mutants at the hands of Bushwacker.

Matt Murdock is in a good place. He's balancing being a disbarred "ghost" lawyer with being Daredevil. It's a balance that feels at home, but is stated as clearly as I recall it being stated anywhere. Matt Murdock helps people in the law. Daredevil helps when that falls short.

The Bushwacker scene is certainly strange. It's well-paced with the building of the climax and then switching to Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. It definitely plays up the overlap between sex and violence. We don't know enough about this mutant girl, but the way she falls for Bushwacker feels strange.

Eventually, Wolverine and Daredevil track down Bushwacker. Daredevil ends up having to fight both of them to prevent Wolverine from killing him. It's amazing how quickly it's resolved, to be honest. Even the last page seems rushed.

Still, I enjoyed this issue overall. Four Stars.
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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 Feb 12, 2023 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daredevil Vol. 1 #250 - Boom!

Quote:

With an ecology group making waves and Matt providing legal advice from his free clinic against Kelco's chemical spills, Bullet is called in to help clean up the opposition to big business.


Due 2/18
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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!
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Dimetre
Underboss


Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 1366
Location: Toronto

PostPosted: Tue Feb 14, 2023 6:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So, this seems to be John Romita Jr.'s Daredevil debut. As much as I liked the fill-in artists that have been doing writer Ann Nocenti's run up to this point, Romita's style is very welcome, as he is a mix of minimalism and motion. Matt's fight with Bullet is the best moment of this issue, and it shows how Romita works best, reminding me of his best work from The Man Without Fear.

Nocenti shows a clear understanding of who Bullet is. He is a cynic -- comfortable knowing how corrupt everyone is, and he knows how to operate in such a system. What throws us, the readers, off is Lance. Bullet is a father, and he's responsible for this kid. Lance is a smart boy who is only trying to survive in the hazardous life he knows.

This issue opens with a film about a nuclear holocaust. As someone who was in school way back in the 1980s, I vividly remember an Academy Award-winning documentary short put out by the National Film Board of Canada in 1982 entitled If You Love This Planet. It was narrated by Dr. Helen Caldicott, president of Physicians for Social Responsibility in the USA. The film being shown in Lance's class strongly resembles that documentary, and for sure I suffered nightmares after seeing that. I, however, survived, and I think exposing kids to horrific truths like that produces a generation that will fight for nuclear disarmament, and will shake governments to never use the armaments at their disposal.

The parents who burst into the legal clinic reminded me of the parents I see in the news who don't want their white children learning about Juneteenth or the critical race theory that they're not being taught anyway. All of us have to be taught the truth, whether it makes us feel bad or gives us nightmares. The nightmares images of nuclear destruction and the Nazi holocaust triggered shaped my moral code today, and I think that's a good thing.

Nocenti packed a lot in this issue, and Romita did a great job with his first Daredevil issue. Bullet arrives as a fully-formed character, and it's easy to see why Chip Zdarsky would make such great use of him and Lance decades later. I give this issue 4.5 out of five.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Exciting to see John Romita Jr. starting as the permanent artist (although he's interestingly credited as just John Romita here). It's not as stylized as it'll become, but it starts in that direction. The use of texture through shading is what stands out the most. There's also some really good use of framing that seems to be inspired by Frank Miller (the page with the general that starts with his eyes and zooms out comes to mind).

This issue starts unexpectedly with a historical/scientific lesson about the atomic bomb and the threats to the world. Back when it was written, this was a every day reality. These days, it arguably still is, but nobody seems to notice. It seems like a downer of a start and an odd one for a comic book. That being said, I think the teacher takes the role of Ann Nocenti there noticing that the kids' world is too light to truly appreciate it, but he has to tell them anyway. Plus, we get to meet Lance for the first time, which is exciting.

There's a small segue because the parents of the children go to Matt's legal clinic to complain and try to get the teacher fired. Matt listens to these Karens, but thankfully, isn't leading the charge against the poor teacher. He also talks more about the Kelco case. It's interesting because Matt is engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, which is a crime in most states. The intent of the crime is to make sure you're getting quality advice from someone who is qualified as a disbarred lawyer is generally someone who would give poor advice. But you don't normally count on the disbarred lawyer to have been framed by the Kingpin or have the knowledge and integrity of Matt Murdock. Still, the New York State Bar Association doesn't take kindly to this. They're framed as the villains, but they also aren't entirely aggressive, just asking to close down the clinic.

We're also introduced to Bullet. I like the way this is framed where he's just an off-panel voice for a page. He's working for the government, which is par for the course for this early Nocenti issues. But he's also clearly a mercenary. He doesn't care about the justifications the government has been using to get all of the other people to do their dirty business. He just wants people to be straight with him and pay him. Design-wise, he's not particularly interesting right now. He's a weird mask that covers the lower 2/3 of his face and a receding hairline. But the hair style feels like classic JRJr.

The government paid someone to blow up the building of the people fighting Kelco. Bullet just had to arrest the guy. Matt's inside the building and detects the bomb. He goes to stop the bomber, but Bullet arrives to take him away. The fight is interestingly choreographed, but it ends suddenly when Bullet proves he works for the government. In the end, it just makes Matt realize that he has to break the law to continue practicing the law and commits himself to doing just that. I've commented before about the legal aspects of that decision, but I don't think it clicked until now that Nocenti is trying to set up a parallel to what he does as Daredevil.

We also get a scene with Lance and Bullet. The scene is weird, but still works. You get the sense that he's a terrible, violent person, but that he genuinely loves his son. I also end up rooting for those two.

Four and a Half Stars. There's actually not a ton that happens in this issue, but it moves things along efficiently and sets up a lot of different things. The art is also a lot of fun.
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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 Feb 19, 2023 11:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Daredevil Vol. 1 #251 - Save the Planet

Quote:

Bullet frames an ecology group for murder at Kelco Industries and Daredevil tracks him down and tries to make him pay. With the government and the Kingpin on his side, Bullet goes free.


Due 2/25
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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: Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The issue starts with the Save the Planet protesters staging a disruptive protest, but backing out of blowing the place up. Unfortunately, Bullet has to frame them (and has seemingly killed someone to finish the frame job). It's immediately followed up with Bullet visiting his kid just to use him as an alibi. I liked their relationship a lot last issue, but there's an undeniably seedy side to it. His kid definitely deserves better.

However, we get to see the Bullet isn't the main villain in this story, Wilson Fisk is. The setting of the scene by Nocenti and Romita is wonderful with him being framed in darkness at first and then slowly revealed. He's shown as massive. In some frames, he's so big that he's basically just the lower half of his face and his hand, while the general he's talking to barely covers the bottom third of next panel. It's a great use of perspective that works in comics better than any other medium. We also get to see Matt react to Foggy on the other side. The stakes couldn't be clearer with Matt and the environmentalists on one side, Foggy, Fisk, and Kelco on the other.

Daredevil goes to confront Bullet. Unfortunately, Bullet is with his son and DD doesn't want to start a fight in the bar in front of him. So he lures him outside. The initial punch is shockingly sudden and shockingly violent. It seems like a big back and forth but, when the police arrive, Bullet decides to just confess and leave. His biggest threat doesn't seem to be from his speed and strength but from his connections that leave him untouchable. Probably my biggest complaint is how sudden the ending is. Matt losing his faith in the legal system due to Bullet's escape is a poignant ending to the story, but it's also a jarring one.

Four and a Half Stars. I am really enjoying this story and the early JRjr art is a big part of why.
_________________
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: Sat Feb 25, 2023 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another excellent issue. Writer Ann Nocenti is doing some of her best work with this story, and John Romita Jr. is already looking like the art partner she had been craving.

Bullet's relationship with his son is more unusual this issue. In the previous one he seemed to love his son but was easily driving crazy by him. This one he doesn't seem to worry about his well-being, touching him all over with toxic gunk. That's going to have to have an effect on Lance.

Romita Jr. is doing some gorgeous layout work here. The scene with Kingpin was fantastic, with the four long horizontal panels that are mostly pitch black. The fight scenes were expertly handled, with Matt's moves flowing gorgeously from panel to panel.

Nocenti pulled off a neat trick with Matt's first appearance in this issue coming with him concealed visually from the reader in a hazmat suit, but his thought bubbles about his senses made him unmistakeable.

Is Bullet still seen to be as strong nowadays as he is here? He seems as strong as the Ox in this issue. In any case, Bullet is a great opponent for Matt. He's intelligent and powerful, but Matt has skill to match Bullet's brawn.

Matt's faith in the justice system was a great through-line to run through the issue. I'm sure the ending only temporarily shakes his faith.

It's a near-flawless issue, but I thought the scene with Bucko walking in with the cops and Mr. Pasolino got a little sloppy. Bucko says, "I can't believe my boys are fallin' for this con!" Matt replies, "I can't believe my boys are so brilliant!" I don't know to whom Matt is referring. One of the Fat Boys sincerely describing their lives? It doesn't help that Romita draws the previous panel from such a weird angle and such weird discolouration.

Other than that, it's a great issue. I give it a four and half out of five.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Since this story is coming to an abrupt end mid-arc, I thought it would be helpful to link to the rest of the issues, which we already covered. I think it's noteworthy that the story itself abruptly breaks, which makes it somewhat more fitting.

#252 - Ground Zero

#253 - Merry Christmas, Kingpin

#254 - Typhoid

#259 - The Children Are Watching You
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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
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