Reviews by Harold Bloomfield (HB56@aol.com)

Daredevil Yellow #5

Karen Page has been taken hostage by the Owl as a way to control Matt Murdock. Daredevil tracks them down and a battle with the Owl ensues. After Karen is saved Foggy overhears Karen and Matt playfully talking and gives up the idea of proposing to her as she tells Matt she has no boyfriend. As with the previous issue the goings on here are minimal. Perhaps at this point too minimal.

Other than a sense of melancholy and lost due to knowing Karen's ultimate fate there's little or no insight to this retelling of Daredevil's earliest days. A very well done retelling at that but one that's starting to be dragged down by its lack of scope and ambition. Daredevil's fight with the Owl is punctuated by his remembrances of things his father told him about boxing. This is exactly what happened during his fight last issue with Electro. Sale either needs to lose this device or use Matt's thoughts about his father's advice in a different manner. We already get the idea of the relationship being the driving force behind Matt and Daredevil.

As for the Matt, Foggy and Karen triangle, there's really not a whole lot there. Foggy had no reason to believe Karen would marry him. Nothing has been shown that would give him the smallest inkling that she had deep feelings for him. He comes off as clueless. Likewise Matt should be concerned for his best friend's feelings instead of appearing to worry that Karen would accept Foggy's proposal. He should have had known Karen had no romantic interest in Foggy based on his readings of her physiological reactions around Foggy.

With one issue to go it would be nice to think Loeb and Sale have something in mind other than a wistful trip down memory lane. I can't imagine some great dramatic event triggering Matt's switch to the red uniform. Considering the tie Loeb established between the yellow uniform and Jack Murdock perhaps that is what's in order next issue. Maybe the uniform switch doesn't happen next issue at all and the finale will be similarly low key.