by Christine on November 29, 2009 in Oh Karen!
Well over a year ago, I started a series called Oh Karen! that was intended to chronicle the life and times of Karen Page, from the first issue until her death many decades later. This was all going nicely until I realized recently that I hadn’t added any new chapters to Karen’s story in well over a year. For shame! If you’re new to this site, and are curious about what happened to Karen before issue #30, have a look at the first three posts in this series.
When we last saw Karen, she had just been introduced to Matt’s fictional twin Mike Murdock, whom Matt invented on the fly in Daredevil #25. Here, we see the Mike Murdock madness continue. So, with no further ado, I bring you Karen’s meeting with Matt pretending to be Mike being Daredevil pretending to be Thor (and, if this story seems familiar, it’s probably because I recently blogged about it in “Because I can’t just kill him” – part 6). From Daredevil #30:
Daredevil enters through the window, dressed as Thor, Daredevil #30
More Karen and Mike under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Daredevil vol 1 #1-50,
Foggy Nelson,
Gene Colan,
Humor,
Karen Page,
Stan Lee
by Christine on November 23, 2009 in Humor
Remember Matt Murdock? The nice guy? Well, wouldn’t you know, he’s got some skeletons in his closet. Something along the lines of murder of a poor defenseless child…
From Daredevil #209, by Arthur Byron Cover and David Mazzucchelli
Well, in his defense, this “child” is actually an exploding robot. The robot, and her many duplicates, have been set to detonate when they are within range of the house of horrors that Daredevil encountered in the previous issue, when going up against the Death-Stalker’s mother. Yeah, it’s a crazy story, but a pretty funny issue.
The issue in question is Daredevil #209, by Arthur Byron Cover, based on an idea by Harlan Ellison, with art by David Mazzucchelli.
Tagged as:
Arthur Byron Cover,
Daredevil vol 1 #201-250,
David Mazzucchelli,
Harlan Ellison,
Humor
News
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Marvel solicits for February are now in various places on the Internet. For Daredevil, February means the beginning of a new arc which will run for three issues and take Daredevil on a little trip. Check the solicit for more information on where he’s going. Though there’s no mention of it in the solicits, it was revealed last week that Antony Johnston will be joining Andy Diggle as the co-writer for the duration of the arc. Daredevil #505 will also have pencils by Marco Checchetto, instead of series regular Roberto de la Torre. I will say though, that the name of this arc – “The Left Hand Path” – sounds more than a little corny. Two thumbs up to anyone who can figure that one out. 
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The second Brubaker/Lark Daredevil Omnibus will be out in February! It will collect Daredevil #106-119, #500, and the two Black Tarantula one-shots (the annual and Blood of the Tarantula). It’s not yet listed on Amazon.com, but read more about this and other upcoming releases on ManWithoutFear.com.
Blog Updates
The Other Murdock Papers just celebrated 300 posts. If you want to make sure you don’t miss any of the next 300 posts, make sure to add the feed to this blog to your RSS reader (see the feed icon in the sidebar) or subscribe by email! If you’re on Facebook, you also have the option of following the fan page and get information about new posts in your feed. Take care everyone, and I’ll see you back here very soon!
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Antony Johnston,
Ed Brubaker,
Marco Checchetto,
Michael Lark
I may be cheating a little with this installment of the “indecisive villain” series, since Doctor Doom isn’t actually trying to kill Daredevil, but the plot is contrived enough that it makes the list anyway. The scenes we’re going to look at are from Daredevil #37, by Stan Lee and Gene Colan, the issue which forms the first part of the two-parter in which Daredevil and Doctor Doom change bodies.
For a brief comment on the absurdity of one of these plot points, see my previous post “DD stands for Doctor Doom”. Here we are just going to look at the cat and mouse game that got Daredevil into Doctor Doom’s body in the first place…
Daredevil versus Dr Doom, panel 1, from Daredevil #37
Body transfer under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Daredevil vol 1 #1-50,
Doctor Doom,
Gene Colan,
Humor,
Stan Lee
Cover to Daredevil #502
The new creative team keeps up the high level of work from last issue with Daredevil #502. In some ways, I would even say that they manage to crank it up a notch. However, this issue has a slightly disjointed feel to it that brings the score down a bit for me. The whole manages to pack less of a punch than the sum of its parts, if that makes sense. Many of the scenes in this issue are absolutely wonderful on their own, but the overall plot feels like it’s stalling, just a little.
I always like to read other people’s reviews before writing my own, not because I can’t think of anything to say, but because it’s interesting to see what kinds of things other readers react to. This time around, a certain reversal of events mid-issue has had reviewers bemoaning the inability of writers to truly advance the status quo while acknowledging the hazards of making a character into something he’s not. Since I’m no stranger to advance solicits, I was expecting this particular chain of events, and I have to say that it’s really the only way to go. I’m all for shaking things up with this character and his book, but we need to remember that there are certain core values and characteristics we’ve come to associate with Daredevil and his cast. These cannot simply be tossed to the side without losing something important in the process. On the contrary, this issue solidifies my belief that Diggle has a firm grasp of the character and his motivations.
Read more under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Daredevil #500-current,
Reviews,
Roberto de la Torre
Antony Johnston announced on Twitter today that he will be co-writing Daredevil #505-507 with regular scribe Andy Diggle. The current arc ends with Daredevil #504, which means that Johnston will be coming on board with the start of the next arc (which early indicators suggest might take our hero on a little trip…). Whether the next arc will only be three issues or whether this will just be a temporary reinforcement, only the guilty parties themselves can tell.
If I may throw around a guess here, I suspect part of the reason for this roster change might be Diggle’s schedule (he has yet to finish Dark Reign: Hawkeye #5 for instance). One thing that’s for sure, however, is that my review of Daredevil #502 will be up shortly. I will see you then!
Update 11/20/09:
For more information and comments, see this story by Bleeding Cool.
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Antony Johnston
Daredevil 191 cover
Nope, I didn’t consult the random number generator for this one. Daredevil #191 was reprinted in Daredevil #500, and while including old content might be considered padding (well, it is), this Frank Miller classic was a very good choice. In fact, Daredevil #191 may well be my favorite single issue of Daredevil, or at least in the top three.
For starters, the art makes me take notice in a way most issues do not. Unusual angles, perspectives and panel layouts combined with the generous use of negative space makes Roulette an interesting-looking issue. It provides sufficient detail while guiding the reader along.
The story itself is told mostly in the form of a monologue, as Matt Murdock pays a visit to a the hospital bed of the now paralyzed Bullseye. Unable to move, or even speak, Bullseye has no choice but to listen to what Daredevil has to say, his first order of business being to introduce Bullseye to a game of Russian Roulette.
More Roulette under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Daredevil vol 1 #151-200,
Frank Miller,
Reviews
News
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A Daredevil #502 preview was posted to CBR, but was apparently removed. Fortunately, whenever something hits the Internet, it’s pretty hard to undo it, and the preview can be found on the French site Superpouvoir.com. I can’t think of why they’d want to pull it back though. It doesn’t contain any more spoilers than most other previews I’ve seen. Of course, having said that, proceed with caution. UPDATED: The same preview is now available at CBR as well.
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Not strictly Daredevil news, but the first issue of Black Widow: Secret Origin by Paul Cornell and Tom Raney is out today. I’ve picked up my issue and may comment more on it later. Daredevil is scheduled to make an appearance in the third issue of the mini-series, and I just couldn’t pass that up. Besides, I think Natasha is a really cool character in her own right.
Links
Newsarama tosses around some names for a sort of wish list of “street-level avengers” for the Siege event. I’m not sure what the point is with that post, but Daredevil obviously makes the list.
Blog Updates
Not strictly a blog update, but if you’re on Facebook, please consider becoming a fan of The Other Murdock Papers’ brand new fan page! I’ll consider doing more with it than just duplicate blog content.
Well, that’s it for now! I’ve had an insanely busy last couple of weeks, but hope to be back up to speed around these parts fairly soon. See you later!
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Blog updates,
Links,
Roberto de la Torre
You know what they say about lies. You need a good memory to keep your story in check. Matt could have used that, and more, during the height of the Mike Murdock madness. Below is a scene from Daredevil #35, by Stan Lee and Gene Colan, which sees Matt caught in his own web of lies. Not only does his story raise more questions than it answers, he comes across as uncaring and indifferent to his “brother’s” safety.
Matt douses Foggy in aceton and dodges questions, from Daredevil #35
More lies under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Daredevil vol 1 #1-50,
Gene Colan,
Stan Lee
Christine is a thirty something Daredevil fan from Sweden who spends way too much of her free time writing posts for this blog. Check the
Ouch! Matt gets some sensitivity training
by Christine on November 21, 2009 in Blindness & Disability, Commentary, Recommended Links
So, how politically incorrect can you be within the space of a single panel? Daredevil #196 (volume 1), by Denny O’Neill, Larry Hama and Klaus Janson, sees Daredevil and Wolverine team up to track the men who are planning to take the now paralyzed Bullseye (see Daredevil #191) to Japan to fix his spine. As usual, Daredevil makes a pit stop at Josie’s where he runs into Turk. In a familiar twist, Turk decides to use a blinding spray on Daredevil, only to have it backfire. Unfazed, Daredevil goes on to offend both Asians and the disabled:
Invalids and Orientals
Now, don’t get me wrong, seeing words like “oriental” and “invalid” in a decades old comic book doesn’t do much more than cause me to raise an eyebrow – it even strikes me as a tad humorous in this particular context – but you have to wonder if they’d get away with using either one of these terms today. I’m going to guess no.
Either way, Matt apparently got some “sensitivity training” along the way, not that you would think he’d actually need it, being blind himself. In Daredevil #93, Brubaker even takes it one step further and indirectly debunks the word “handicapped” in a move that seemed about fifteen years overdue (yeah, really). I’m personally a big fan of the scene below for other reasons too, since it’s one of the rare instances of humor in the Brubaker run. Matt has always been good at self-deprecating jokes and I’ve missed the dry wit he so often exhibited during Bendis’s run. Let’s see if Diggle can bring some of it back.
Matt debunks "handicapable"
Tagged as: Denny O'Neil, Ed Brubaker, Klaus Janson, Larry Hama, Michael Lark
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