Daredevil #110 Review

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Michael Lark

I have enjoyed the current arc, but this was clearly the weakest issue of the bunch. Of course, since no one ever dies in comics, Becky decides to live after being shot. Yeah. Didn't see that coming. I really don't have a problem with the characters in this story, it was just that it felt too rushed. There needs to be a slightly drawn out conclusion to story arcs, and this one got resolved in the final 6 pages. Basically what happened was that Matt found a lackey, and beat him into submission until he spoke. He said that Donovan didn't decapitate the kids. Big shock there. Seriously. I hope you can sense my sarcasm. Bottom line: Donovan saw his son, and he decided to tell the truth. Ok? The booking was a little weak here, and I was definitely looking for more. I felt the first 2 chapters were very strong, and the last couple were just ok. Overall, I was fine with it. I am still a huge Brubaker fan, and loves the way he writes Matt. I felt that Michael Lark really captures the essense of Daredevil's hood. It really does feel gritty. I love the technical aspects of this story, but I felt that the resolution could have been better. It was told as well as it could have been told for that parameter, but I felt it could have been a blowaway story when I read it. This one will get lost in the shuffle.

BALLIN'
SKIM IT

Daredevil #107 Review

Writer: Ed Brubaker/Greg Rucka
Art: Michael Lark

Summary:
We finally get back to form. I am not going to count #106, which was pure filler in my opinion. We actually move on to a story arc now. We got Matt all crazy and upset and he foolishly attacks Luke Cage (bulletproof skin!). C'mon Matt! We find out that this dude is going to death's row for decapitating kids. Cage thinks he is innocent, and wants Matt to help. Dakota does some investigating, and ends up getting attacked. She goes to Matt, who finally breaks out of his funk to pursue the case.

Comments:
Ed Brubaker is very good. He is much better at stuff like Daredevil and Criminal than he is at Uncanny. The addition of Greg Rucka didn't hurt either. We get a good issue here. We see Matt is still struggling with losing Milla, and we see him fight through it and get back to the real world. The whole death row thing was intriguing without Matt, but now that he is there, it should be much better. It will be interesting to see how he does, and how he is going to help someone who confessed to the murders. They make Dakota look like a tough gal, who is clearly suspicious of this case. The art is nice looking as well.

GET IT

Daredevil #105 Review

Without Fear (Finale)
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Michael Lark

Summary:
We start with Matt on top of a building, and heads for Hell's Kitchen. We go to the Kitchen, and Hood and Fear are talking. Hood bitches about how Fear set him up and stuff, and Fear tells him to get out of here because he wants to take Daredevil on by himself. Daredevil arrives. They fight on a rooftop. They just go at it, with Daredevil getting the better of him. Fear still wants to fight though. Daredevil knocks him off the building, and whips him into a room. We find out here that there is no cure to the fear gas. Cranston tells him that he needs him to tell the feds about what he has done. True to his word, Cranston confesses all to the feds. We go to Matt and Milla in some home, where Matt tells them to fix her. Matt talks to himself about how he has always known fear, and that he has ruined Milla's life. We see Cranston in prison. Somehow, everyone listens to what he says, even the guards. He then bangs some chick officer in a cell room. We then see Ox and Hood on a roof watching Matt. Hood says to let Daredevil think he won something.

Comments:
That was a great ending to the arc. Brubaker is a character genius. He does most of his psychological characterizations in Daredevil. The One and Only has claimed he doesn't like Daredevil because DD doesn't have villians. Well, just like Johns did to Sinestro, has turned Mr. Fear into a respectable archenemy for Matt Murdock. Fear did long term damage to Matt, and didn't get screwed over because he just owns prison. He is so advanced in the mind, that he can make people fear him without his gas. As for Matt, his life is pretty much ruined because his wife is screwed forever. This arc did some damage to the title (in a good way). The fight was really good, and i was very satisfied with this issue and this story arc.

Verdict:
OWN IT

Daredevil #104 Review

Without Fear (Part 5)
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Art: Michael Lark


Summary:
We start with Lily getting in a Taxi while mumbling about how she is sorry. We go to a flashback with Lily and Mr. Fear. He has his gas floating around, and says that if Lily does what he says, he will cure her. Among these requests is releasing Milla from custody. He tells her that if she does what he wants, she can have what she has always wanted: Matt Murdoch. We go to Daredevil torturing Ox about the location. He does this cool thing where Ox thinks that he is being burned (Matt knocked his vision out so he can't see), but Matt is really just poking his nerves. He eventually cracks and tells him the location. Daredevil says he should be disgusted, but he enjoyed it. Exit Daredevil, Enter Hood. Hood says that he will help Ox. Matt breaks into the Cranston Suite, knocks out the body guards, and proceeds to Cranston's bedroom. He only finds a hooker and a note that says "You are too late.... You will always be too late". Matt goes back home to check on Milla, and finds that she beat up the nurse. Matt gets all protective and tells her its not her fault. The police come and take away Milla, while Matt goes back to thinking. He finds out that there was a smell in the house that he knows all too well. Of course, Matt goes to Lily's house to scare the shit out of her. Lily basically tells all, and that she was to meet him at Hell's Kitchen at midnight for her reward. Matt = pissed. We get to a scene at the Kitchen where Fear is going in with 2 guards to meet Hood. Hood just shoots the guards, and ends the issue by telling Fear that they need to come to an understanding.

Comments:
That was a really good issue. Brubaker is an incredible writer. His character work is incredible. He has turned Daredevil into a serious badass. Daredevil doesn't have any remorse now, as shown by the scene where he tortures Ox (and admits he likes it). This arc has been off and on, but i think this was one of the better issues. All the scenes with Matt were really good, and incorporating Lily into a heel-tweener was a nice step. I liked how Lily has been at the side of the Murdocks the whole time, but Fear was able to get her to go against that, just to get what she wants, which is Matt. The reader wasn't sure if she would do it, but we get the answer later in the issue when the nurse got knocked out. We end the issue with Fear and Hood. This scene was just used to get Hood over and to set up the final part of this Without Fear arc. The art isn't special, but it works with this title. This issue looked a little worse because Lark really made Matt's face look like a bunch of pencil marks.

Verdict:
GET IT