Deal with the Devil: A Review of Daredevil #16

written by Mark Waid
drawn by Chris Samnee
colored by Matthew Wilson

Considering the long and complicated history between Matthew Murdock, also known as the vigilante Daredevil, and crimelord Wilson Fisk, once the Kingpin of Crime, which culminated with the Kingpin going to jail over a decade ago, it's quite a narrative feat to actually bring Murdock to the point where he would ask Fisk to help him out, but that's precisely what the series' current creative team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee have done.

Thanks to the machinations of Max Coleridge, a.k.a. the Shroud, who, in a strange twist, has control over a hyper-powered Owl, who as of issue four has now acquired the ability to hook himself up to every single electronic gadget within an unspecified range, Daredevil's attorney-client communications have been blown wide open. Even though Daredevil outed himself at the conclusion of his previous series, it turns out he had plenty to hide, including the whereabouts of Foggy Nelson. Unfortunately, even Matt's attempt at a Faustian bargain with his greatest enemy may not be enough to bail him and his friends out of this latest pickle.

As Marvel have confirmed that issue #18 will be the last one for this series, and this creative team, I'm basically just counting the days till I discontinue my collection of this title, along with most of the current lineup of titles I've been collecting. I'm actually grateful Marvel is wiping the slate clean; it gives me the chance to take a little breather from collecting for awhile.

That said, I will really miss this title and issues like this remind me why. This issue marks the first time that Waid and Samnee have truly plumbed the Miller era of Daredevil, and the issue has quite a few visual and written references to Miller's monumental "Born Again" storyline from the mid-80s, and a wonderful, if slightly disturbing dialogue free, caption free page which depicts the two of them standing in an art gallery, with presumably Fisk fantasizing about different ways in which Matt Murdock would die, all of which are depicted in different art styles by Samnee. It's an astonishing visual, and really demonstrates why Samnee is one of the best artists working today, apart from being arguably the best visual storyteller since John Romita Jr.

Incidentally, prior to this book, Marvel put out a strangely timed ".1" issue, Daredevil 15.1, which is basically an anthology featuring some pretty neat short-stories, including one by Waid and Samnee another by Marc Guggenheim and Peter Krause, and one written and drawn by Samnee, all of which are flashbacks. There was nothing in it quite as meaty or satisfying as Waid's and Samnee's regular work, but it was a pretty enjoyable read just the same.


9.5/10

(8.5/10 for issue 15.1)

A Rant, Pure and Simple

There's something vaguely amusing about the fact that Marvel Comics' latest event has borrowed its title from a much older comic book event, one thirty years older in fact, that was ls. ched not to sell comic books, but action figures. I have no idea if the book itself is any good, but I do know an irritating cash grab when I see one, and in fact I fell for several, even as recently as two years ago when I purchased Infinity and, after being blown away by the artwork, was appalled at how incoherent it felt without the tie-in books. Sure, there were all the "in case you're just checking in" blurbs on the first pages of every issue after the first one, but it really just wasn't very readable, certainly not in the way that Mark Waid's and Chris Samnee's Daredevil is readable. Hickman is now writing Secret Wars which is reason enough for me to say, "um, no thanks."

Right now, I'm actually reading Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel Seconds, and while this doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly renounce superhero comics and turn into some sulking hipster that decries all things mainstream (especially since Lee O'Malley apparently doesn't hire a very good proofreader, assuming he has one at all), it was just so refreshing to read something that doesn't feel so blatantly like a product being sold, but read more like an actual story, which is kind of why I got into comic books in the first place.

I'm sure that countless other geeks and enthusiasts have written much longer pieces on this very same topic, with much more earth-shaking realizations, and in truth this post was originally conceived as a lament as to how audiences have rejected Hollywood's one recent attempt at originality (Brad Bird's Tomorrowland), and have instead embraced retreads of properties that are decades-old (Mad Max: Fury Road and Jurassic World) but I think that would be better off over on my other blog, and I have quite a bit more to say on that.

I will admit that there is a bit of a light at the end of the tunnel for me, as I am looking forward to David Marquez (of Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man fame) being promoted to the Marvel Comics A-list, but really, the fact that yet another "status-quo shattering" event has smashed sales records yet again means that we can probably look forward to yet another "event" in a year or two.

I honestly miss the time when people read comics because talented writers and artists told good stories, and not because ten thousand titles were all tied into each other, promising the end of (insert comic book universe here) as we know it.