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DD Book Club - Golden Age
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Dimetre
Underboss


Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 1366
Location: Toronto

PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2019 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The issue begins with a series of panels showing various New Yorkers with blase expressions. We find out that they're watching Matt Murdock get tossed out on the street in chains and with his DD shirt exposed. I suppose showing a bunch of unimpressed seen-it-all New Yorkers is a choice, but wouldn't a more interesting choice have been to show a bunch of shocked New Yorkers? I mean, if these people don't care, then why should I?

Alex Maleev has previously shown he can draw action, especially during the "King of Hell's Kitchen" story, but here he is completely stiff. I had to backtrack after Agent Del Toro said, "Did I do that?" to see what she had done. Did she catch his foot and fling it away? Couldn't she have done something more impressive like a flip or a takedown, so her question would have had more weight?

I also found Daredevil's exposition dump ridiculous. He's trading blows with Del Toro, which means he has to spout all of this dialogue in the time for these jabs to happen. Visually, couldn't something have been done to make this look more interesting? Couldn't Maleev had at least changed the angle? Couldn't we have been shown what Daredevil was talking about? Do Bendis and Maleev understand what comics are good at doing -- illustrating a story?!?!

Another question, when Daredevil says "That's why," referring to why he wears a costume, to what exactly is he referring? Is he referring to the gratitude expressed by the convenience store worker? Or is he referring to the sense of satisfaction expressed by Del Toro's smile over what she's now capable of doing? To which do you think Daredevil is referring, because it's not clear to me.

As for the rest of the issue, it hits the beats it has to. We see Melvin reluctantly activate his trap for Matt. I suppose it was within his means to set up a bunch of remote controlled blades, which makes me wonder why he doesn't still use circular blades on his wrists. Of course Del Toro came in and saved the day. That's why Bendis made her the White Tiger when he did. Bont ended up being killed by the Mutant Growth Hormone he was abusing.

I did find it genuinely sad that Melvin ended up going back to jail. I hope somewhere in the rest of Bendis' run we see Matt coming to Melvin's defence.

As for the ending, I don't like seeing Wilson Fisk doing work as menial as tending bar. To me, Volume 2 #13 is the perfect story of how Fisk came to be the Kingpin, and he would never lower himself to washing glasses. He would never speak in some lower-rank Bogart speak like "Maybe we should take a ride out to the Kitchen. See what's what." Bendis has actually written great scenes with Fisk previously. To me, this little scene gets Fisk's character completely wrong.

Remember when we reviewed "Underboss" and james castle kept track of how the story was unfolding in chronological order? If you did that to "Golden Age" I think this story would be totally anti-climactic. It held absolutely no surprises for me as it was. The second Del Toro emerged with the amulets, I knew how the story was going to end. I didn't know Bont's heart was going to explode, but that was the lamest way his story could have ended. I found connecting him to the history of Fogwell's gym totally pointless. I don't think Bendis had much of a story here, and used the mixed up chronology to disguise how little he had.

I think I found Bont a more interesting character than Mike Murdock did. It's not a bad idea to have an old world character step into the present day, be disgusted by what he sees and take one last stab at making a difference. I just think every bit of potential Bont held was squandered by making him a Mutant Growth Hormone addict. Also his plot was completely sidelined by the White Tiger story. It's as though Bendis set out to write Bont's story five issues ago, and then changed his mind three issues in.

I really wish someone who enjoys this run would contribute. I know I can be negative, but my negativity is sincere. I don't understand how revered this run continues to be. Even people who don't like what Bendis went on to do with The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Superman point to this run as actual quality Bendis work. I found "Golden Age" a waste of a good character (Bont) and sloppily executed. I give this issue and the arc as a whole a 2 out of 5.
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Mike Murdock
Golden Age


Joined: 08 Sep 2014
Posts: 1750

PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 6:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dimetre wrote:

I did find it genuinely sad that Melvin ended up going back to jail. I hope somewhere in the rest of Bendis' run we see Matt coming to Melvin's defence.


Out of curiosity, have you read Brubaker's run (particularly the "Without Fear" story arc)? I had honestly forgotten how Melvin Potter ended up in Golden Age but, thinking back, it made sense because of where the status quo was for that story.
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Dimetre
Underboss


Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 1366
Location: Toronto

PostPosted: Mon Aug 12, 2019 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike Murdock wrote:
Dimetre wrote:

I did find it genuinely sad that Melvin ended up going back to jail. I hope somewhere in the rest of Bendis' run we see Matt coming to Melvin's defence.


Out of curiosity, have you read Brubaker's run (particularly the "Without Fear" story arc)? I had honestly forgotten how Melvin Potter ended up in Golden Age but, thinking back, it made sense because of where the status quo was for that story.

I'm a huge Brubaker fan. I haven't missed a Daredevil issue since Brubaker took over the book with Volume 2 #82.

When I read "Without Fear" I didn't know why Melvin was in jail. I suppose this explains why. I'm curious if Matt is going to try to defend Melvin in Bendis' remaining eleven issues.
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