Daredevil Message Board

[jumonji]

Since no one else has started a topic on this - and I desperately need to vent - here it is. I also added a poll since I've noticed that that was done a lot in the past, and it seemed like a good idea. I suppose there could have been more options, but it's better than nothing.

Well, where do I start? I actually managed to accidentally read a spoiler online before reading the actual issue, so I was a little worried that was going to ruin the experience for me. It didn't. I was also initially (before reading it myself) a little disappointed that the big twist was one that a lot of us saw coming a mile away. There is no cure for Milla's condition. At least none that Cranston himself can provide, and that was just what I had expected. Despite knowing this going in, I was absolutely blown away by this issue. Not only did it tie up all the lose ends, we also got to see a very well-written (and drawn) confrontation between DD and Mr Fear. I even managed to care about what happened between the Hood and Mr Fear, and I'm not usually one to care specifically about the intricate villain-villain relationships in the Marvel U.

More than anything, though, this was an emotional read. What I've felt strongly while reading all of Bru's issues is that this is a world that's next door to our own. It may be a world where a blind lawyer suits up at night to go out and fight crime, but it has much more in common with our own dimension than one might think. When Matt leaves Milla at that mental hospital, he is going through something that is similar to what lots of people in the real world go through when they effectively lose a person close to them to mental illness or even something like Alzheimer's. The thing that makes his situation even worse is that he feels responsible for it. When he tells Foggy, "I ruined her life," you know that he means that. He didn't pull the trigger that shot her mind to pieces - he, in fact, did everything in his power to stop it - but she is where she is because of who he is and what he does. For those of you who like to see Matt suffer, it shouldn't get much better than this.

What was also so expertly done in this issue was the ending with Mr Fear in jail (and running the show), and the Hood watching Matt through his bedroom window from a distance. I love to see this kind of balance between putting everything neatly back in place and getting the bad guys into position to be used again in the future. Cranston may have a corny mask fetish, but he is now a force to be reckoned with.

Finally (this is long, I know), I would like to thank Brubaker for not giving us yet another dead girlfriend. Rather than being stuck in the proverbial refrigerator, Milla is now in some kind of suspended animation. She can be brought back in the future, should Bru himself or any future writer choose to do so, and she will continue to influence Matt and the stories told about him through her mere presence - whether she actually appears in the issues or not - in a way that would not be possible if she were dead. I have to wonder though... Do you think having a wife in a psych ward ages the character?

Hands down, one of the best Daredevil issues ever. I can't wait to see where Bru and the rest of the team take us next.
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The Other Murdock Papers

[Dave Wallace]

I went for A.

In case you missed my earlier thread (I know you saw it, Christine - I mean anyone else ), here's my review.

http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/120403799236234.htm

[jumonji]

Well, I'm not sure this belongs in this thread, but I have a confession to make. I'm a little disappointed with some of the things I've read on a lot of message boards today, regarding this issue in particular, and Brubaker in general. It's no secret that I'm a very big fan of what he's doing on the book, and I understand that not everyone feels the same way (although most people on this board, at least, seem to have a favorable opinion of him).

What disappoints me is when people have complaints of the "the showdown with Mr Fear wasn't cool enough" variety and when they seem to only like the issue because "yippie, Milla's out of the picture, let's have him date a blonde." (Those are both variants of some of the things I've seen). All I can ask is this: "You followed Matt's pain and anguish, Milla's descent into madness, and the examination of Mr Fear's horrific motivations for six issues, and that's what you got out of it?" Is that it? Talk about missing the whole point...

Then again, I would probably enjoy an entire issue of Matt having an inner monologue on campaign finance reform while eating cereal (if it were well-written), so it may be hard for me to see why people wouldn't be ready to read just about anything with this character in it. I guess that's what being a crazy fan is all about.

As for this issue, I went for 'A' as well. No surprises there.
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The Other Murdock Papers

[Gloria]

[Neilan]

I had to go with A. A top-notch issue all around. Ended the arc neatly and logically while laying groundwork for future developments. Mr. Fear is now firmly established as an A-list villain. (Hey Overlord, like me, you've been wanting Purple Man back. Well, now Mr. Fear is basically Purple Man, but more calculating and with a bug up his tush when it comes to Matt).

Although I expected the development with Milla, it was nonetheless emotionally intense. It shows what a good, or in this case, great writer can do with any situation. It's a shame that Marvel didn't have Bru resolve the Spider marriage.

With this arc, I feel that Mr. Brubaker has cemented his position in the pantheon of DD writers. He is true to the legacy of Frank Miller without constant imitation. Daredevil and his supporting characters are in great hands.
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It's never too late to have a happy childhood!

[The Overlord]

[Dave Wallace]

[harryhausen]

I definitely liked the issue and thought it had it moments. I know that we're lucky to have Brubaker on the book (I love him on Uncanny, too). The reason I gave it a 'fair' rating are the two ongoing things that bug me:

1. We see Matt as only responsive to the action of villains. He seems lost and ... torturing? I guess. Swinging around, beating himself up in the internal monologue, confused. I like a proactive DD.

2. The art is great in a sequential story-telling way, but it never makes me excited (I feel the same way about Epting&Co. on Cap). It looks like TV stills. And DD seems a little out-of-shape or something? I could almost read these issues as prose and get as much from them. The good news is that the art stays out of the way and does nothing to distract from the relentless tide of Brubaker's writing. It's Brubaker's book.

Overall, I think he's doing a fine job, keeping it moving and so on, but if I weren't already a huge fan of the character, I would be on the fence about it more.

I have high hopes for the future, though. Maybe things are getting into place for Brubaker to start telling a new sort of story.

P.S. I think that Milla being made crazy and consigned to an "institution" is maybe worse than simply being killed. Plus, what if Brubaker ends his run with her cooling her heels upstate and then some hack comes around later and brings her back, makes her a super-villain or something? Yikes. Maybe Bru can get Emma Frost to jet on over and fix Milla's head?

[SouthernHero]

It was very good, well-worth the $3, but I must say that I expected a little more after all of this...
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Middle Class Fabulous

[Blind Alley]

I liked the issue but I'll only give it a "B".

The story is solid and the conclusion, while foresightable (some people had suspected there would be no cure for Milla), is logical.
For me, it just lacks "F##k yeah moments" (see Dave's Long box for the definition).
Also, I miss DD being a hero and not a victim.
Lately rjg reminded us of that scene of "Born Again" when Matt gives the "Take it off" line to Turk.
The stand-alone showdowns had plenty examples of similar moments (DD vs the Vulture, DD saving NYC, DD facing the Devil...)
In the "Without Fear" arc, the closest thing to "F##k yeah moments" I can remember is in #100 when DD overcomes fear and madness.
The "Devil in Cell-Block D" had much more great scenes (Matt vs the Owl, Hammerhead, meeting the Punisher, fighting with the Kingpin...)

Please Mister Brubaker, for the next issues, bring back the hero and give him some kind of a true reward (and not a crazy wife instead of a dead one) !
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Visit the Red Shaker

[train]

i've talked a little trash about this story arc, but this issue was fantastic. mr. fear is way cool.

[pbblair]

Just read it.

I didn't like:
Matt finding Fear by listening. Why didn't he just do this before?
Fear being like Purple Man now--- but that's not a story issue, just a rogue's gallery complaint

I liked:
First panel of DD/Fear confrontation on roof
That I was pissed when DD threw Fear off the roof, but the following page made me feel better
"No cure" twist (But can't he just call Dr. Strange? I guess that's the tough part about placing a human story like this in the Marvel U.)

Overall it was great, but I'm very much ready to move away from hero-as-target stories. "DD-- protector of himself and his girlfriend" is not that interesting to see over and over. I like to see complications arise as DD intervenes in other business. Let this protagonist have goals besides maintaining his personal life status quo!

Regarding harryhausen's point #2, I enjoy that the art is very "filmable." It's actually interesting to note the shot/reverse techniques, and how they follow the 180-rule for filming pretty strictly. Someone on staff must have a background in that because it can't be coincidence.

[jumonji]

[Gloria]

The issue is an awesome ending of the saga. I just love how Brubaker is capable of effectively wrapping everything up.

My complaint (though not story-wise), is to see Milla lost and out. OK a maddened wife in an asylum as an hibernated character is way better option than a corpse in the refrigerator (or out of it), and her being alive gives the hope that a counter-venom will be eventually found out, her mind health restored, and her being able to decide freely what to do with her life with Matt. But seeing Milla at the end of te story surely made a lump in my throat. It was so sad, you could really empathise with Matt (and no, Matt, you have not ruined her life: Cranston did)

Again I doubt anyone will be laughing at Mr. fear as a villain now: I HATE the guy for what he's done to Matt... RAAAAAH BsssSSTaaaAAArd! If I were Matt, honest, I would have made a souvenir with some body part of Cranston in retaliation. I even hate it more that he's the king at Rykers and doing pretty much what he pleases (Is Cranston's rule over inmates and C.O.s overlooked by the directing staff of the prison? Wasn't Ryker's Warden an ally of Matt at the end of "Devil in Cell Block D"?). I hate Cranston gloating about his screwing Matt's life. I really hate it (which speaks a lot about the powerful way in which Brubaker has re-vamped this villain).

... And yet, I feel that Matt will rise again and eventually have a smashing victory over Fear, why? Cranston's rule over others is based in his Drugs... without them he's nothing, absulutely nothing but a powerless Mediocre: a Salieri who can only succeed in making a Mozart suffer... Allright, he's got a clever scheming mind, but I'd rather root people who use their talents to help others, no for nutty machiavellies who use a petty schoolyard grudge to massacre a neighbourhood.

In this sense, I feel Matt has the moral victory: Cranston only rules because he induces others to fear him.. not because he's fearsome, but because he's helping himself with drugs: Matt's pals, on the other hand, need no drugs, no outside pressure to stand by him.. they are loyal in spite of knowing that their acquaintance with Matt makes a target out of them (a rather brave stand in the circumstances)... and here lies their strenghth: Matt's got people with him that will stick with him in the foulest of weathers, and he himself can face a storm and come out of it. I have no doubts who will win in the end.

Where's Lily, BTW? with her pheromone power she could ask anybody "pu-leez, honey, will you forget I passed through the International airport customs" even I don't see her now in a Madame P'Gell mood: she's most likely to be traumatized by the whole thing. I have the weird theory that she might have found refuge in a convent, and might become a nun to purge her sins.

P.S.: In teh future, I'd liek Matt to do something more than "keep tabs" on former enemyes... I'd like him to be more prepared against attacks -against him or his people- and more proactive.
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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"

[blacktyphoid]