What I Read - May 3, 2010

Over the weekend I finished reading Daredevil: Return of the King.

What's it about? The Kingpin returns to the Big Apple and teams up with Daredevil to take down the Hand. Of course the Kingpin isn't revealing all that he has in mind to Murdock, but in time it becomes clear that he isn't quite as honorable as he wants to appear.

The first chapter was awesome. It was all Kingpin. Both Brubaker and Lark really did a superb job on that chapter. The dialogue and the images were spot on brilliant. With the exception of the the Hand there are no supernatural or superheroic elements in this chapter. It read and felt more like a chapter from a good noir story.

The rest of the book fails to live up to the promise of the first chapter. It felt rushed in places. I tend to think that it might have benefited from being stretched over a few more issues. There were a lot of loose plotlines that came together and were either resolved or at least moved forward all in the very small space of the last four chapters. Some of it felt a little off kilter and out of whack with Brubaker and Lark's story up to this point and obviously was done to set things up for the creative team that followed them. I'll admit that I'm curious to see what comes next but not curious enough to give the book a try. After almost 40 issues I'm ready to move on and read something else.

Looking back on the Brubaker/Lark run on Daredevil. I think that it started strong and had its high points but wasn't consistently great. I'm not sure what sort of reader I would recommend it to. It has some superheroic elements but often felt like a dark, gritty story about man who seems too emotionally supressed to confront his feelings and make some sense out of his life. This makes it frustrating at times but also makes it an interesting character study.

Good? Yes. Great? Not on the whole. Overall it was worth my time and money but I dunno if/when I'll reread it.

FCBD 2009

I went to Barbarian for Free Comic Book Day. I didn't get any of the free comic books but they were having a sale: 20% off all trades. I picked up Powers v11 and Daredevil: Cruel & Unusual. and saved roughly $7.50 (including tax).


I have yet to read v10 of Powers but I've already got 11 and 12, now. I ordered v10 and asked about 20th Century Boys v2, even though I have yet to read v1. I think they understood that I want them to order it for me.

Starman, Daredevil

I didn't realize that it had been four weeks since I last wrote here. I guess I've been busy with other stuff.

Starman Omnibus v1 - I've read the first six (# 0 - 5) of seventeen issues in this collection. I'm torn as to whether I like it or not. I'm not wild about the art. Its good but not great. It might grow on me over time but so far I'm not digging it. The action fight scenes are ok but they lack something. What I do like is the writing, especially the dialogue. The best parts, the parts that I enjoy the most seem to be the wordier scenes where either Jack Knight (the main character) is narrating or is talking to someone else.

For instance in issue # 0 I really like the page where Jack walks into his shop for the first time, just after his brother has been killed but before he finds out. Something about that page, the narration, the way the words are spaced into different word/thought blocks really spoke to me.

Another instance would be in issue # 5 when Jack meets his dead brother in a dream sequence. At first they fight and its just okay but then when David starts talking and Jack shuts up I found what David had to say to be incredibly moving. Possibly this is because he has the same first name as me but I think its more likely that it is because the way he moves from being adversarial to brotherly and protective of Jack added depth to his character tha I don't think was there before. It also kind of stunned me because I was thinking about how mediocre the story was up until then.

So, yes prior to reading #5 I was thinking that I probably wouldn't buy v2 but now I'm not so sure. Is it a great read? So far I would have to say no. It shows promise but I'm gonna need more than that. I think I'll have to wait a while longer (possibly until I've finished v1) before deciding if I am going to get v2.


Daredevil: The Devil Inside & Out v2 - This was good. There were parts that were a little slow but on the whole I liked it; not as much as v1 but I liked it. It read a bit like filler, what I mean is that it felt like Brubaker is setting something up that will happen in the next trade or two.

Funny thing about this series is the art of Michael Lark. I like it but I'm not sure why. It is kind of sketchy and not as finished or polished as much of the artwork that I like. It doesn't resemble the work of Joe Kubert but I think it has that in common with it. They both rough feel rough around the edges.

Daredevil in Europe was weird, very weird. He belongs in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. Maybe if he ventured beyond the borders of the big apple more often I wouldn't feel this way. Batman seems out of place when he leaves Gotham to fight Ras al Ghul in exotic locations around the world but I've at least gotten used to seeing him do so. I can't say the same for Daredevil.

The Foggy Nelson subplot seemed more in character for this book. Given that Daredevil gets most of the screen time in this series (and seems to work alone more often than not) it was good to see Brubaker devote an entire issue to a member of the supporting cast.

I really liked the last chapter. In some ways it seemed a bit too simple how Matt Murdock was able to return to his old life. But then seeing him go to Ryker's Island to confront the Kingpin and promise to help get him out of prison was really moving. The tension in that scene was palpable. Murdock didn't want to be there but he felt he owed a debt to the Vanessa Fisk to help her husband even though he knows that Fisk will come after him eventually.