Matt Murdock: Daredevil Appreciation 2021

[gohei_]

The only single issues I own are the 11 or 12 issues that fit between the last Essential volume and The Miller run. According to the seller they are NM condition. I don't make a habit of buying singles but these were not available anywhere else at The time.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

That’s awesome! I’m trying to collect all the floppies and am a long way off. My oldest issue is Daredevil no. 8 that I purchased at a comic show.

What is the oldest single issue that you guys have in your collections?

Wow, that's quite the goal you've put before yourself. Happy hunting.

My oldest is Daredevil #9, and then Daredevil #17. I may have Daredevil #12, but I could be mistaken, I would have to check. My Daredevil Vol. 1 (1964) and Vol. 2 (1998) comics are hidden away in a very large box under other boxes. I need to do a checklist at some point

[Nanashi]

Daredevil constantly being lectured in prison for doing the right thing by criminals who won’t even converse to help clarify the nonsense they spout or that insufferable therapist making assumptions about Daredevil whose life outside she knows nothing of moaning on about inequality in 2021 in America as if that excuses breaking the law is getting tiresome really, really fast. And Fisks sudden decision at the end of the issue came out of no where considering his plights of late have been the doing of others, not who he decides to target. As as for what happens to Daredevil at the end, I’d think that’s impossible to do a guy who has superhuman senses. One would think he’d have detected something before what happened could have possibly happened. And Matt honestly feels feels for what happened to the prisoner after what that prisoner did to be there? This is ridiculous. Sigh. The Elektra stuff is kind of weird. Is she going to orphan every kid she rescues? Fine issue otherwise, I guess. Glad to have Checchetto back on art and that’s perhaps the only highlight here.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

The Electra subplot worked better than the Kingpin subplot. To me, Electra's main goal is to be the next Stick and reform the chaste. She calls it the Fist but it's really just the Chaste 2.0. Her being Daredevil and taking care of this teenager feels like her getting sidetracked. But it's also her multitasking as this kid's probably gonna be a sidekick.

Kingpin is just feeling weak because of the invasion so he decides to kill Daredevil because he's the easiest target. It's a vanity play.

Matt's scenes are find but it's starting to feel like a self-flagellation fest than meaningful satire. Plus I feel like I wanna check up on the characters Zdarsky created and seeing how they are adjusting to the status quo.

[Nanashi]

The Electra subplot worked better than the Kingpin subplot. To me, Electra's main goal is to be the next Stick and reform the chaste. She calls it the Fist but it's really just the Chaste 2.0. Her being Daredevil and taking care of this teenager feels like her getting sidetracked. But it's also her multitasking as this kid's probably gonna be a sidekick.

Kingpin is just feeling weak because of the invasion so he decides to kill Daredevil because he's the easiest target. It's a vanity play.

Matt's scenes are find but it's starting to feel like a self-flagellation fest than meaningful satire. Plus I feel like I wanna check up on the characters Zdarsky created and seeing how they are adjusting to the status quo.

I’m wondering where a lot of the characters are too.

[hairys]

Daredevil constantly being lectured in prison for doing the right thing by criminals who won’t even converse to help clarify the nonsense they spout or that insufferable therapist making assumptions about Daredevil whose life outside she knows nothing of moaning on about inequality in 2021 in America as if that excuses breaking the law is getting tiresome really, really fast. And Fisks sudden decision at the end of the issue came out of no where considering his plights of late have been the doing of others, not who he decides to target. As as for what happens to Daredevil at the end, I’d think that’s impossible to do a guy who has superhuman senses. One would think he’d have detected something before what happened could have possibly happened. And Matt honestly feels feels for what happened to the prisoner after what that prisoner did to be there? This is ridiculous. Sigh. The Elektra stuff is kind of weird. Is she going to orphan every kid she rescues? Fine issue otherwise, I guess. Glad to have Checchetto back on art and that’s perhaps the only highlight here.

That's how people talk these days, though. The flaw is more that Matt's responses are so ineffectual.

Agree with the rest of your criticisms (and praise for Chechetto. Shoot, I probably have to give the ish a 7/10 for the art alone).

[ZeroBG82]

Daredevil constantly being lectured in prison for doing the right thing by criminals who wonÂ’t even converse to help clarify the nonsense they spout or that insufferable therapist making assumptions about Daredevil whose life outside she knows nothing of moaning on about inequality in 2021 in America as if that excuses breaking the law is getting tiresome really, really fast. And Fisks sudden decision at the end of the issue came out of no where considering his plights of late have been the doing of others, not who he decides to target. As as for what happens to Daredevil at the end, IÂ’d think thatÂ’s impossible to do a guy who has superhuman senses. One would think heÂ’d have detected something before what happened could have possibly happened. And Matt honestly feels feels for what happened to the prisoner after what that prisoner did to be there? This is ridiculous. Sigh. The Elektra stuff is kind of weird. Is she going to orphan every kid she rescues? Fine issue otherwise, I guess. Glad to have Checchetto back on art and thatÂ’s perhaps the only highlight here.

Because the right thing isn't nearly as simple as you, or Matt, wants it to be? Criminals wind up criminals for a lot of reasons, and a great many of them find themselves in that position not because they are evil but because circumstances narrowed their choices so heavily that they may as well not have had one. That doesn't excuse choices made, but to pretend that it's this absolute black and white construction is to just flat out ignore the realities of what inequality actually look like. Does our system help those people? In any way? Or does it merely perpetuate the same injustices, generate the same conditions that narrow choices and opportunities. We're all going to have our opinions on questions like those, and that's fair. But to never ask them is folly.

Matt isn't being lectured for doing the right thing, he's being shown that things aren't nearly as black and white as he's always labelled them. In prison, the double murderer can become the weak person who needs protection. Was his life in prison justice? Terrified, beaten? Was his death justice? Maybe it was, he took two lives, after all. But Matt has spent his life dedicated to a system that may very well be broken. And beyond the real world topics we could bring up, in the MU it's so broken that it basically requires an entire city of superheroes just to keep it running more or less at status quo. Is that a system Matt wants to be a part of? Change? The system is nothing but shades of gray. Should Matt see them? Can he afford not to? And what is Daredevil when the black and white get so muddied? What can Daredevil be, in a world of nothing but gray?

I've been fascinated by this arc. It's challenging Matt in ways I've never seen him be challenged before. We've seen a lot of familiar challenges during this run. The first portion of Zdarsky's run challenged Matt physically. Can Daredevil still exist? Could he still do the job at a high enough level to serve responsibly? Forced him to retrain his body until he could do what needs doing with control and new discipline.

Then it challenged him morally. Should Matt be Daredevil? Is violence the answer? Can he do more in a way that doesn't violate the law, doesn't involve his fists? And we saw the Kitchen take up Daredevil as their own, with ordinary citizens stepping up to try and make their community a better place. Because yeah, it turns out that the Kitchen probably needs the Devil. But only Matt has the requisite skill set to really do it with any measure of safety. So Matt found himself back in the red once more for the Battle of the Kitchen.

Then it challenged him ethically. Is Daredevil above the law? Given that he had killed, what was he to do about responsibility and accountability? Which led him to prison.

We've seen elements of all those before, in one form or another. But this entire run is also challenging him philosophically. Matt can do the job, the job needs doing, and there isn't anybody better suited to the task. Matt has found a way to be accountable. But should he change the way he looks at the job? Is he targeting the wrong people? Is he actually changing anything with his crusade? What should Daredevil be, stand for? Matt's view of the system being challenged isn't just timely, it's different. We see in this issue Matt dedicated himself to do what's right. But what is the right thing? Does it depend on your perspective? Where you come from? How much wealth you have? Who decides what the right thing is in any given circumstance? Is the law right, and violating it wrong? Should you protect someone under threat in a prison shower, even if that person is a double murderer you put there? Should the suicide of someone who did evil weigh on your soul if it could have been prevented?

And contrast that with Elektra, who has taken up the DD mantle and Matt's cause to protect the weak and the innocent. But who doesn't actually value either weakness or innocence. Elekta isn't doing this because it's right, or because she believes it needs to be done. She's doing it because she hopes to get something out of it, namely Matt's cooperation with The Fist. Elektra doesn't see black, white, or even shades of gray. She sees her mission, and whatever it takes to get it done. In some ways she's Matt's polar opposite. He tries to define his purpose by his creed. Always trying to find the right thing to do. She defines her creed by her purpose. Nothing is right or wrong, it simply either gets the job done or it doesn't. She protects the girl because she knows Matt would, but doesn't understand why he would or how that motivates him. She goes through the motions of heroism like she's seen it on television. Matt needs to question and understand, to silence his myriad doubts. Elektra need only act, for she has none. But can she truly fulfill Matt's purpose without his ideals? Does intent matter, or only outcomes?

I'm not sure what answers Zdarsky and Co might have for the questions they are posing. I'm not sure they even should have answers to some of this stuff, which is probably better left to individual opinions and more real world discussions. But I haven't had this much fun reading DD, or felt this challenged by the material, since Bendis was writing the title.

[gohei_]

Daredevil constantly being lectured in prison for doing the right thing by criminals who won’t even converse to help clarify the nonsense they spout or that insufferable therapist making assumptions about Daredevil whose life outside she knows nothing of moaning on about inequality in 2021 in America as if that excuses breaking the law is getting tiresome really, really fast. And Fisks sudden decision at the end of the issue came out of no where considering his plights of late have been the doing of others, not who he decides to target. As as for what happens to Daredevil at the end, I’d think that’s impossible to do a guy who has superhuman senses. One would think he’d have detected something before what happened could have possibly happened. And Matt honestly feels feels for what happened to the prisoner after what that prisoner did to be there? This is ridiculous. Sigh. The Elektra stuff is kind of weird. Is she going to orphan every kid she rescues? Fine issue otherwise, I guess. Glad to have Checchetto back on art and that’s perhaps the only highlight here.

You make a good point about the ending, but he mention several Times that he is tired and his senses are overwhwlmed inside the prison so I can understand it. Him feeling bad about the murderer though felt a bit odd.

[Nanashi]

Marcus was particularly detestable in this issue. Matt actually tried to talk to him about what Marcus tried to prattle at him about in issue 26 but instead of trying to have a conversation just in case there any actual merit to what Marcus was saying (there isn’t), he just gets up and leave. WTF wad the point of coming up to DD a couple issues ago with his nonsense if he’s not even going to try to help the situation by trying help someone understand? Easily the most self righteous and unlikable character in this run to date.

[Nanashi]

I should emphasize this issue was not bad especially with Checchetto amazing art. It’s that these meritless talking points constantly being preached is robbing much of the enjoyment to be had.

[Nanashi]

This is an excellent video on Batman V Superman but I post it here because at 10:30 in it got me thinking of Zdarsky’s run. Let me know what you guys think.

[Nanashi]

Anyone getting this?

[gohei_]

Anyone getting this?

Oh yeah. I only have the digital issues so it will be Nice to experience the art in person.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Anyone getting this?

I'm going to wait for the eventual Omnibus or two. I picked up all five Daredevil Waid OHCs and then picked up the 2 Omnibuses. I did something similar with Bendis' run. I'd rather not double-dip this time. I'm glad I never bought the Soule DD TPBs.

[Nanashi]

These collections are amazing!

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