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dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
When Daredevil winds up responsible for a baby who may or may not be the anti-Christ, things quickly spiral out of control
Way back in the day, I'd largely left super hero comics behind until my favorite director at the time, Kevin Smith, signed on to write an arc or two. This is his first arc, issues #1-8 of Marvel Knights Daredevil.
So when I first read this, 20+ years ago, I was a tremendous fan of Kevin Smith and held Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti in high regard, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Tastes change, though. Firstly, it's the wordiest comic I've read in a long time. Part of it might be that modern comics don't have much meat to them but I think another part was Kevin Smith writing a property he had great affection for and trying to strut his stuff. The first issue in particular is a wordfest. He eases into things after that but it's still more work than I like to do from a super hero comic.
The art is fine. The Quesada-Palmiotti partnership was still at full strength. Joe Q's art has never been my favorite but I don't think the art has aged badly in any case. Not my cup of tea but not the worst Daredevil artist by a long chalk.
The story itself doesn't really come together for me. The big bad's motivation doesn't ring true and it seems like he goes through a lot of trouble for someone he's only fought once or twice before. I feel like maybe the story has too many moving parts. Again, it might be part of Kevin Smith's immaturity as a writer at that point, trying to shoehorn as many things in as possible.
Yeah, it sounds like I'm shitting on this but I did still enjoy it after forgetting 80% of it since initially reading it in singles a couple decades ago. There's great Daredevil action and some good Miller-esque angst. It also felt like there were actual stakes. I'm surprised one of the deaths in this has yet to be undone. The other was undone before six months elapsed, IIRC.
I still liked this, despite my perceived problems with it, just not as much as I did when I was in my early 20s. 3 out of 5 stars.
Way back in the day, I'd largely left super hero comics behind until my favorite director at the time, Kevin Smith, signed on to write an arc or two. This is his first arc, issues #1-8 of Marvel Knights Daredevil.
So when I first read this, 20+ years ago, I was a tremendous fan of Kevin Smith and held Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti in high regard, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Tastes change, though. Firstly, it's the wordiest comic I've read in a long time. Part of it might be that modern comics don't have much meat to them but I think another part was Kevin Smith writing a property he had great affection for and trying to strut his stuff. The first issue in particular is a wordfest. He eases into things after that but it's still more work than I like to do from a super hero comic.
The art is fine. The Quesada-Palmiotti partnership was still at full strength. Joe Q's art has never been my favorite but I don't think the art has aged badly in any case. Not my cup of tea but not the worst Daredevil artist by a long chalk.
The story itself doesn't really come together for me. The big bad's motivation doesn't ring true and it seems like he goes through a lot of trouble for someone he's only fought once or twice before. I feel like maybe the story has too many moving parts. Again, it might be part of Kevin Smith's immaturity as a writer at that point, trying to shoehorn as many things in as possible.
Yeah, it sounds like I'm shitting on this but I did still enjoy it after forgetting 80% of it since initially reading it in singles a couple decades ago. There's great Daredevil action and some good Miller-esque angst. It also felt like there were actual stakes. I'm surprised one of the deaths in this has yet to be undone. The other was undone before six months elapsed, IIRC.
I still liked this, despite my perceived problems with it, just not as much as I did when I was in my early 20s. 3 out of 5 stars.
clarks_dad's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad intro to the Daredevil character. While Kevin Smith definitely overwrote this arc (a disturbing trend in the last three volumes of Marvel works I've tried out), the plot ended up pretty solid and there are some pretty nice dialogue gems to be found within this volume.
Matt Murdock has lost his faith. He's been through a rough patch lately and the normally devout Catholic has been handed enough curveballs to leave him feeling pretty bitter with the man upstairs. The love of his life has left him and the tights gig is beginning to feel a more and more like spitting in the wind. In short Matt's in the middle of a huge crisis of conscience and identity when into his lap is thrust a small child. Who, or what, the child is becomes the focus of a bit of an obsession for Murdock. What's clear is that the child is at the center of a struggle between factions of light and dark that have him questioning his beliefs and his role as the child's guardian as his life unravels further and further.
There are strong thematic tones of dark and light, layered double entendres and a seamless blending of the mystic and scientific that gave this run a complexity I wasn't really expecting. Parts of it gave me that old X-Files feeling as Murdock attempts to define which elements of his life are the result of supernatural forces and which are caused by the more mundane and manipulative. Ultimately the resolution took some of the wind out of the sails. It wasn't a terrible explanation, but it falls a bit short of the epic it promises to be in the very beginning. The story has huge consequences for the DD universe though with several characters meeting their soap opera "ends" within the arc.
That last Avengers story and a variety of other aborted reads had me doubting my goal of powering through most of the Marvel Universe since the 2000s, but this one has restored some hope in the endeavor. I like Daredevil. He's like Batman. He and Bruce would get along just fine. They're bitter as @*!#. I also kind of like how he stays kind of exclusively in Hell's Kitchen. I hadn't really noticed before that Daredevil maintains a super low profile in all the major crossover events. I kind of respect the reasoning and like that he's gotten such little exposure and he's fine with it.
Matt Murdock has lost his faith. He's been through a rough patch lately and the normally devout Catholic has been handed enough curveballs to leave him feeling pretty bitter with the man upstairs. The love of his life has left him and the tights gig is beginning to feel a more and more like spitting in the wind. In short Matt's in the middle of a huge crisis of conscience and identity when into his lap is thrust a small child. Who, or what, the child is becomes the focus of a bit of an obsession for Murdock. What's clear is that the child is at the center of a struggle between factions of light and dark that have him questioning his beliefs and his role as the child's guardian as his life unravels further and further.
There are strong thematic tones of dark and light, layered double entendres and a seamless blending of the mystic and scientific that gave this run a complexity I wasn't really expecting. Parts of it gave me that old X-Files feeling as Murdock attempts to define which elements of his life are the result of supernatural forces and which are caused by the more mundane and manipulative. Ultimately the resolution took some of the wind out of the sails. It wasn't a terrible explanation, but it falls a bit short of the epic it promises to be in the very beginning. The story has huge consequences for the DD universe though with several characters meeting their soap opera "ends" within the arc.
That last Avengers story and a variety of other aborted reads had me doubting my goal of powering through most of the Marvel Universe since the 2000s, but this one has restored some hope in the endeavor. I like Daredevil. He's like Batman. He and Bruce would get along just fine. They're bitter as @*!#. I also kind of like how he stays kind of exclusively in Hell's Kitchen. I hadn't really noticed before that Daredevil maintains a super low profile in all the major crossover events. I kind of respect the reasoning and like that he's gotten such little exposure and he's fine with it.
modkuraika's review against another edition
4.0
It can be a heavy sit to read, as Smith never leaves a space untouched for dialogue or description, but once powered on through, there's a gold mine.
mtdmali's review against another edition
4.0
Kinda the perfect arc for Kevin Smith to helm? I've always loved Daredevil. I've seen this described as more or less the start of the Modern Age, but I'm gonna revisit some Silver & Bronze Age arcs before starting down that path in earnest.
Also, Karen Page getting AIDs was... a choice...
Also, Karen Page getting AIDs was... a choice...
kimberlydyer's review against another edition
2.0
Please keep Kevin Smith away from Daredevil. It was horrible. The way women were treated made me cringe, and the plot was boring and over-the-top. It didn't add anything to Daredevil's overall arc. Do not recommend.
mjthomas43's review against another edition
2.0
Not bad. I usually like the concept of Daredevil. He's less "super" than other heroes which appeals to me. But I don't read a lot of him so perhaps I've missed how religious he is? Or maybe it's just this collection. It was a major plot point so I guess it had to be played up. And his mom's a nun -- didn't know that before -- so I guess it makes sense to the character.
And it's not the religious/magical concepts per se: I like Hell Boy, Dr. Strange, etc. I just don't like the obviously lame arguments for and against the existence of "God".
Despite this difficult parts, this was a good story. Good action and some intricate plot weaving. Oh, and some moral dilemmas from the hero... That's always entertaining.
And it's not the religious/magical concepts per se: I like Hell Boy, Dr. Strange, etc. I just don't like the obviously lame arguments for and against the existence of "God".
Despite this difficult parts, this was a good story. Good action and some intricate plot weaving. Oh, and some moral dilemmas from the hero... That's always entertaining.
lcush98's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
2.25