Daredevil: Return of the King by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark and David Aja consists of issues 116 to 119 and issue 500 (renumbered) of Daredevil.
Ed Brubaker is one of my favorite writers. His run on Captain America has been excellent, I love Sleeper, Incognito, Criminal and essentially anything I read by him. Daredevil is no exception. He started Daredevil in issue #82 with a fantastic storyline and while the middle of his run wasn't stellar, his last two story arcs have been fantastic. From the beginning of Brubaker's arc, Kingpin has been a main character. This story arc starts with a Kingpin centered issue that is absolutely heart breaking. It leads to the Kingpin coming back to New York and making a deal with Daredevil to do something about crime in New York City.
The art in Daredevil is fantastic. Michael Lark is really good at drawing things in the night. David Aja came on board for a bit too and he was also excellent, being a very good artist for movement.
The conclusion to the story was amazing and it got me interested enough to continue reading the title even though Brubaker is no longer at the helm.
Showing posts with label daredevil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daredevil. Show all posts
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Daredevil Volume 3
Daredevil Volume 3 by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz.
Frank Miller's run on Daredevil is quite famous. Marvel recently reprinted all of it in three volumes. Volume 1 has issues 158-172, but the early issues were drawn by him but not written. The good stuff starts in #168 where he introduces Elektra. Volume 2 takes us from issue 173 to 184. It really makes Kingpin into the main villain for Daredevil, making Kingpin the quintessential Daredevil villain (instead of a Spider-Man villain). Volume 3, this volume contains issues 185 through 191, issue 219 and a graphic novel he did with Bill Sienkiewicz.
The volume is fantastic. One of the best Daredevil issues is the last issue in Frank Miller's run, issue 191. The issue could be read at anytime, it doesn't really depend on previous issues. It is an issue where Daredevil talks to a comatose Bullseye while debating whether he should be fighting crime. I have had doubts about myself all the time and it is nice to see Daredevil be so open about his doubts and give an interesting point of view with respect to violence. A fantastic issue to end a fantastic run by Frank Miller.
The issues before 191 were really good. Since issue 168, Miller has changed the landscape of Daredevil by introducing Elektra and giving depth to The Hand, an organization that is really important in current Daredevil issues. He also introduced Stick, Daredevil's mentor and in this volume we get to see the past of Stick. It was all wonderful.
Issue 219 was a bit strange and I wasn't in love with it, but the graphic novel with Bill Sienkiewicz was great. Sienkiewicz brings a very different style to Daredevil and it worked great in this story.
Overall a great volume. I would suggest reading all of Miller's run, starting with issue 168 all the way up to 191 and then reading Born Again. Born Again is by far the best Daredevil story I've ever read.
Frank Miller's run on Daredevil is quite famous. Marvel recently reprinted all of it in three volumes. Volume 1 has issues 158-172, but the early issues were drawn by him but not written. The good stuff starts in #168 where he introduces Elektra. Volume 2 takes us from issue 173 to 184. It really makes Kingpin into the main villain for Daredevil, making Kingpin the quintessential Daredevil villain (instead of a Spider-Man villain). Volume 3, this volume contains issues 185 through 191, issue 219 and a graphic novel he did with Bill Sienkiewicz.
The volume is fantastic. One of the best Daredevil issues is the last issue in Frank Miller's run, issue 191. The issue could be read at anytime, it doesn't really depend on previous issues. It is an issue where Daredevil talks to a comatose Bullseye while debating whether he should be fighting crime. I have had doubts about myself all the time and it is nice to see Daredevil be so open about his doubts and give an interesting point of view with respect to violence. A fantastic issue to end a fantastic run by Frank Miller.
The issues before 191 were really good. Since issue 168, Miller has changed the landscape of Daredevil by introducing Elektra and giving depth to The Hand, an organization that is really important in current Daredevil issues. He also introduced Stick, Daredevil's mentor and in this volume we get to see the past of Stick. It was all wonderful.
Issue 219 was a bit strange and I wasn't in love with it, but the graphic novel with Bill Sienkiewicz was great. Sienkiewicz brings a very different style to Daredevil and it worked great in this story.
Overall a great volume. I would suggest reading all of Miller's run, starting with issue 168 all the way up to 191 and then reading Born Again. Born Again is by far the best Daredevil story I've ever read.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli consists of issues 227 through 233 of Daredevil.
Frank Miller had a great run on Daredevil writing issues 165-191 (he co-wrote 165-167). He not only wrote those issues but drew most of them too (he actually starting drawing Daredevil with issue 158). His first solo issue was Daredevil #168 which is a great one, introducing us to Elektra and changing the tone of the book. Miller made the Kingpin into Daredevil's nemesis, while also making Ben Urich a more important character. This run on Daredevil has been very influential since, with Urich, Kingpin and even Turk being important side characters in recent comics. Miller wrote fantastic stories and ended on a high note with a very powerful self-examining last issue.
With all that great work behind on Daredevil, one would be surprised to find that he wrote a much better story for Daredevil a little later when he teamed up with Mazzucchelli with whom he would team up again the following year to write another classic, Batman: Year One.
Daredevil: Born Again is arguably the best comic book story I have ever read. It has a hero defeated and then reborn. It has a great villain who manages to control everything from his tower, a villain that doesn't need to get his hands dirty to hurt you. It has a sad story involving a junkie. It has a love story in the making, with Foggy and Glori. It has moments of great tension, that build up in a way only comics can do. There is a scene where Ben Urich witnesses a murder through a telephone, the art and the story work together perfectly. There are so many things this comic does that make one think about.
I like how the early pages of the first issues always have Murdock sleeping. It is as if we can see that he is on his way down. From a nice bed, to a horrible bed in a cheap hotel, to the streets, to a basement in a church. The destruction of Murdock happens steadily throughout the first issues, not only exemplified in the story itself, but even through a subset of images throughout the story.
I highly recommend this book. It is because of comics like this that I read comics.
Frank Miller had a great run on Daredevil writing issues 165-191 (he co-wrote 165-167). He not only wrote those issues but drew most of them too (he actually starting drawing Daredevil with issue 158). His first solo issue was Daredevil #168 which is a great one, introducing us to Elektra and changing the tone of the book. Miller made the Kingpin into Daredevil's nemesis, while also making Ben Urich a more important character. This run on Daredevil has been very influential since, with Urich, Kingpin and even Turk being important side characters in recent comics. Miller wrote fantastic stories and ended on a high note with a very powerful self-examining last issue.
With all that great work behind on Daredevil, one would be surprised to find that he wrote a much better story for Daredevil a little later when he teamed up with Mazzucchelli with whom he would team up again the following year to write another classic, Batman: Year One.
Daredevil: Born Again is arguably the best comic book story I have ever read. It has a hero defeated and then reborn. It has a great villain who manages to control everything from his tower, a villain that doesn't need to get his hands dirty to hurt you. It has a sad story involving a junkie. It has a love story in the making, with Foggy and Glori. It has moments of great tension, that build up in a way only comics can do. There is a scene where Ben Urich witnesses a murder through a telephone, the art and the story work together perfectly. There are so many things this comic does that make one think about.
I like how the early pages of the first issues always have Murdock sleeping. It is as if we can see that he is on his way down. From a nice bed, to a horrible bed in a cheap hotel, to the streets, to a basement in a church. The destruction of Murdock happens steadily throughout the first issues, not only exemplified in the story itself, but even through a subset of images throughout the story.
I highly recommend this book. It is because of comics like this that I read comics.
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