Matt Murdock: Daredevil Appreciation 2022

[Vishop]

Yes, I really hate how Matt behaved towards Heather. I mean what the heck. Brubaker's run fell below the mark for me when he cheated on Milla. I'm also not a fan of him choosing Elektra over Kirsten in Zdarsky's run. I kind of get it as she's helped him through some real tough stuff and they're fighting alongside each other but it still seems quite shallow. And there's more of that shallow reasoning/justification in Woman Without Fear #1.

I think Miller doesn't really know how to write female characters other than Elektra. Honestly every other character has a certain inconsistency over writing relationships even worse than what writers had done for him(Spider-Man ahem). I still prefer Miller over all the other writers. Because everything else he wrote was top notch and his Wilson Fisk is still the best from what I have read so far.

[Vishop]

So I read first ten issues of Dennis O'Neil's run. I really liked dialogue with 200th issue. His connection with Bullseye and how it made him desperate and blood thirsty to kill Bullseye, his trip to Japan and the ending scene where he confronts Bullseye was greatly written.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Great comments! To add to what you shared, I would say ​that how Matt behaved towards Heather is different to the other examples you shared.

For example, regarding his affair with Dakota, I don't think we as the reader are supposed to like it; however, it makes sense from a story perspective so for me it didn't fall below the mark though that doesn't mean I liked his actions. Matt's life both as Daredevil and Matt Murdock were spiraling out of control and Dakota was someone that was trying to support him. Matt has shown that he makes bad decisions when he experiences tragedy and/or his life starts to fall apart, particularly when it comes to women. However, to me there is a difference in making a bad decision vs. being cruel and manipulative like he was to Heather.

I often use the example of how he responded to the death's of Elektra and Karen. With Elektra's death we get the toxic behavior towards Heather that we've already discussed. With Karen, he ended marrying Milla. Was he right in marrying Milla? No. Was the end result for Milla very bad? Yes. However, I do believe that Matt genuinely loved her and hoped she could provide him some sense of a normal life. He was also very kind and loving toward her, while also being concerned about her safety. The panels when he apologizes to her in the hospital at the end of the Brubaker run is heartbreaking. I think that is an important difference. He even had the opportunity to have an affair earlier with Natasha after Milla served him with divorce papers, but he didn't. However, his life wasn't nearly the mess it ended up being by the time of the affair with Dakota in the Brubaker run.

Also, like you, I am also not a fan of him choosing Elektra over Kirsten either. And while I have been more interested in Elektra as a character based on how Zdarsky is writing her, I think between the Woman without Fear and the Hand plot in the main book, he be putting a nail in their relationship. I think Zdarsky may be playing the long game with Kirsten and Matt. I don't see a reason for him to bring her back if it doesn't do something forward their relationship and we've already seen some signs of it starting to happen. My prediction is that by the end of Zdarsky's run Matt is back as both Daredevil and Matt Murdock the lawyer, he restarts Nelson & Murdock (or perhaps Nelson, McDuffie & Murdock) and he is back in a relationship with Kirsten.

Ditto regarding great comments.

I think with Brubaker's run, IIRC I also found the Paris episode a little out there and it just not fitting quite right. I really need to reread Bendis' and Brubaker's runs back to back and see what I now think of them

That's an interesting theory you have regarding Matt and Kirsten. You may be right. We'll have to wait and see. I really like Matt and Elektra bring friends, the same with Natasha, but not as a couple. I thought Kirsten was good for Matt

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

I think Miller doesn't really know how to write female characters other than Elektra. Honestly every other character has a certain inconsistency over writing relationships even worse than what writers had done for him(Spider-Man ahem). I still prefer Miller over all the other writers. Because everything else he wrote was top notch and his Wilson Fisk is still the best from what I have read so far.

You may have a bit of a point regarding Miller's take on females. I do love that last panel, though, of Matt and Karen from Born Again in Daredevil #233. And yes, Miller is the best on Daredevil and in particular with regards to Fisk.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

So I read first ten issues of Dennis O'Neil's run. I really liked dialogue with 200th issue. His connection with Bullseye and how it made him desperate and blood thirsty to kill Bullseye, his trip to Japan and the ending scene where he confronts Bullseye was greatly written.

There was some pretty decent art by William Johnson also in those "Japan" issues. I would recommend you read all the issues between the two Miller runs. There's a great story, one of my favourites, in Daredevil #208 written by Harlan Ellison and Arthur Byron. Also David Mazzucchelli draws quite a few iof those issues.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Steve Dillon’s original cover art featuring the Punisher & Daredevil for 2000’s Wizard the Comics Magazine #105:

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Daredevil by Gavin Guidry:

[Vishop]

There was some pretty decent art by William Johnson also in those "Japan" issues. I would recommend you read all the issues between the two Miller runs. There's a great story, one of my favourites, in Daredevil #208 written by Harlan Ellison and Arthur Byron. Also David Mazzucchelli draws quite a few iof those issues.

Yeah I realize those Japan issues introduced Yuriko who turned out to be a rogue for Wolverine. Parallelly I have also started reading first few issues from Nocenti's run. I think her run is bit too conservative. No stakes or drama, few c type villains.

[Vishop]

Maleev did another rendition of this cover.



Looks cool and I really loved the composition.

[Mike_Murdock]

Yeah I realize those Japan issues introduced Yuriko who turned out to be a rogue for Wolverine. Parallelly I have also started reading first few issues from Nocenti's run. I think her run is bit too conservative. No stakes or drama, few c type villains.

Things will definitely get larger than life in her run. That being said, I enjoy the beginning stuff. It's the first time we get a real sense of Hell's Kitchen as a neighborhood with real people and real lives in it.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Daredevil commission by Carlos Magno:

[Mike_Murdock]

So no Daredevil solicits in April? I could see the justification for a break to avoid spoilers, but, unless they want to wait until June or July, they have to do something at some point.

[Vishop]

Things will definitely get larger than life in her run. That being said, I enjoy the beginning stuff. It's the first time we get a real sense of Hell's Kitchen as a neighborhood with real people and real lives in it.

I didn't dislike it as per se but I guess I don't expect his comics to be like that.

[Nanashi]

Devil’s Reign 3 preview! https://www.manwithoutfear.com/previ...evils-reign-3/

So I guess no one thought it’d be a good idea to have one or two of the Thunderbolts present or some kind of fortified security in case something just like this happened?

[Nanashi]

https://twitter.com/marvel/status/14...313032198?s=21