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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
...Dare I say this is a tad overrated?
The good: Miller knows how to lay out a scene on a page. Every fight scene is exciting and caters to the little twelve-year-old boy in my soul that yearns for entertaining violence. It's genuinely cool every time. The colors are great, too - I love the way DD's red costume pops against the blue of the NYC sky. The reading experience of this was like slicing through butter, and Miller's handle on atmosphere is masterful. I love the way the dialogue is written and how every character and scene is so full of life (with One Exception I Will Get To). I could dissect the little details of Miller's and Janson's art all day. When the writing hits, it HITS. Everyone knows that #181 is good, but my absolute favorite was #179 (just thinking about it makes me giddy, it's excellent)
The bad: Maybe this is my bias against season 2 of the Netflix show, but I found the Hand and Stick to be very unimpressive additions to the canon. That whole arc (#174-#177) was still fun to read, but plot-wise it was kind of weak. #183-#184 are an absolute mess, especially after all the stuff that happened previously. What a downer way to end the volume
Lastly: I do not give a flying FUCK about Elektra. Her fight scenes are still really fun, but she has no character development and her whole "I love Matt! But I hate Matt!" schtick got old VERY fast. It doesn't go anywhere. I don't understand Matt's attachment to her, either. I don't know what he likes about her other than she's hot and they had a thing in college. It makes his constant prioritizing of her really annoying. She's such an important part of this volume narratively and emotionally, but I cannot find it in me to like her, which is really frustrating because Matt, Foggy, Ben, and even Bullseye are given chances to shine and endear themselves to me. Miller learn to write women challenge
Anyway this was still really good and enjoyable to read I just think this is overhyped. Cool in a historical way tho
The good: Miller knows how to lay out a scene on a page. Every fight scene is exciting and caters to the little twelve-year-old boy in my soul that yearns for entertaining violence. It's genuinely cool every time. The colors are great, too - I love the way DD's red costume pops against the blue of the NYC sky. The reading experience of this was like slicing through butter, and Miller's handle on atmosphere is masterful. I love the way the dialogue is written and how every character and scene is so full of life (with One Exception I Will Get To). I could dissect the little details of Miller's and Janson's art all day. When the writing hits, it HITS. Everyone knows that #181 is good, but my absolute favorite was #179 (just thinking about it makes me giddy, it's excellent)
The bad: Maybe this is my bias against season 2 of the Netflix show, but I found the Hand and Stick to be very unimpressive additions to the canon. That whole arc (#174-#177) was still fun to read, but plot-wise it was kind of weak. #183-#184 are an absolute mess, especially after all the stuff that happened previously. What a downer way to end the volume
Lastly: I do not give a flying FUCK about Elektra. Her fight scenes are still really fun, but she has no character development and her whole "I love Matt! But I hate Matt!" schtick got old VERY fast. It doesn't go anywhere. I don't understand Matt's attachment to her, either. I don't know what he likes about her other than she's hot and they had a thing in college. It makes his constant prioritizing of her really annoying. She's such an important part of this volume narratively and emotionally, but I cannot find it in me to like her, which is really frustrating because Matt, Foggy, Ben, and even Bullseye are given chances to shine and endear themselves to me. Miller learn to write women challenge
Anyway this was still really good and enjoyable to read I just think this is overhyped. Cool in a historical way tho
Okay, so here's where we get into the real nitty(darkn)gritty of Frank Miller's run on Daredevil. Given complete creative control after the departure of previous writer Roger McKenzie, Miller takes blind attorney Matt Murdock into slightly more realistic thematic territory than the Spider-Man team-ups and fights against ghosts and gorilla men from v1 -- not that there was anything wrong with that.
Even though there's murder and betrayal and pushing angel dussss to kids in grade school, the stories are still larger than life, with melodramatic dialogue and operatic poses on rooftops and moonlit flings and purple ninja duels. Nothing wrong with that either!
Miller (along with inker-colorist Klaus Janson) really get a bit more daring in these issues, with big symbolic motifs recurring over the pages, and huge splashes of primary-colored contrasts catching the reader's eye. Everything in DD's NY is primal, intense and visceral.
One of the other lovely surprises is how storylines wrap up over two or three issues, and often in one, without the feeling that you're skipping and jumping all over the place (okay, technically we are as we follow Daredevil but...). Economy of art and storytelling, this one!
Even though there's murder and betrayal and pushing angel dussss to kids in grade school, the stories are still larger than life, with melodramatic dialogue and operatic poses on rooftops and moonlit flings and purple ninja duels. Nothing wrong with that either!
Miller (along with inker-colorist Klaus Janson) really get a bit more daring in these issues, with big symbolic motifs recurring over the pages, and huge splashes of primary-colored contrasts catching the reader's eye. Everything in DD's NY is primal, intense and visceral.
One of the other lovely surprises is how storylines wrap up over two or three issues, and often in one, without the feeling that you're skipping and jumping all over the place (okay, technically we are as we follow Daredevil but...). Economy of art and storytelling, this one!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Stronger than volume 1. Miller is improving and he's growing Daredevil into the character that he defined.
adventurous
dark
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Miller and Janson come into their own here with full creative control and the result is a much tighter ongoing story, keeping things more on the street level of the superheroics spectrum (no Hulk fights here) and throwing in a thrilling mix of ninjas, martial arts, a high death rate and some thrilling events.
The DD-Elekta dynamic is interesting though I'm not sure I completely buy Matt's grief at her death (she was back in his life for such a short time, most of which was spent fighting). Still, there are iconic character moments collected in this volume including the Kingpin, Ben Ulrich, Bullseye and the Punisher.
While for the most part the pacing is spot on, Miller's determination to not pander to the reader can make things a little choppy (DD moving from mental breakdown to smiling and cracking jokes between 2 issues was quite jarring) and there are various minor quibbles. However, when you focus on the narrative, the reinvention of Matt's character and motivations, the violence (there is a major death count at play including the magical Sai which can pierce a torso but never exit through the clothing) and the gritty overall themes, it's an impressive achievement. The artwork is a real stand out too, merging the darkness with the vivid reds and a real dynamism of movement.
I've got the next volume ready to go though I have to say I'm very tempted to pick up the Omnibus edition of all these as well. Very good stuff!
The DD-Elekta dynamic is interesting though I'm not sure I completely buy Matt's grief at her death (she was back in his life for such a short time, most of which was spent fighting). Still, there are iconic character moments collected in this volume including the Kingpin, Ben Ulrich, Bullseye and the Punisher.
While for the most part the pacing is spot on, Miller's determination to not pander to the reader can make things a little choppy (DD moving from mental breakdown to smiling and cracking jokes between 2 issues was quite jarring) and there are various minor quibbles. However, when you focus on the narrative, the reinvention of Matt's character and motivations, the violence (there is a major death count at play including the magical Sai which can pierce a torso but never exit through the clothing) and the gritty overall themes, it's an impressive achievement. The artwork is a real stand out too, merging the darkness with the vivid reds and a real dynamism of movement.
I've got the next volume ready to go though I have to say I'm very tempted to pick up the Omnibus edition of all these as well. Very good stuff!
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
inspiring
tense