I suspect a first preview of next week’s Shadowland will be posted somewhere on the Internet within the next 48 hours, but in the mean time, we’re still in the dark. In fact, things have been eerily quiet on the shadowy front since the last of the teaser images were posted and the September solicits were released. I’ve had an unusually busy last couple of weeks, so from a news reporting perspective, that’s been fine by me. (Ironically, the minute I wrote this, Daredevil editor Stephen Wacker posted this page of preview art from Shadowland: Bullseye on Twitter).

However, a lack of news is no excuse to forgo looking back at what we do know, or at least what we think we know. In this post, I will post select quotes from interviews from the last few months, as well as other sources. Whenever something makes me stop and think, I’ll be sure to throw my two cents in, and invite you to do the same in the comments.

“We’ve seen Matt comment on the fact that his enemies always seem to target his loved ones. So now he has cut himself off completely from his old life, as a way of protecting them. In effect there is no Matt Murdock any more; there is only Daredevil. But how healthy can that be? And how long can it last before something has to give…?”

[...]

“The very last page of Shadowland #1 will get people talking. It’s something that’s been building up for a long time. Years, in fact. It’s a character-defining moment, and something that Matt Murdock will have to carry with him forever.”

Andy Diggle in his interview with Newsarama, April 16 2010

Anyone who thinks Matt will kill Bullseye, raise a hand! Seriously, if it’s not him, it’s bound to be someone else. It’s the logical choice for a creator to make if he wants to push Matt over that line he’s been skirting the edges of for years now.

“All the other heroes are looking at Matt Murdock carrying out this very extreme, dark, militaristic operation, and they’re saying, ‘Hey, you can chill out now. Everything’s cool. The good guys won!’ And when Matt doesn’t chill out, they start to get seriously worried about him,” Diggle said. “So his friends Danny Rand and Luke Cage decide that they need to have a quiet word with him to de-escalate the situation.”

[...]

The Kingpin’s machinations will result in some unusual alliances taking shape in “Shadowland.” “Because the Kingpin seems to be going straight while Daredevil seems to be going dark, it’s going to create some very strange bedfellows, so to speak. Kingpin steps up and says, ‘You know, somebody is really going to have to take this Daredevil guy down.’ And the heroes are kind of reluctantly forced to agree with him,” Diggle remarked. “So it puts people into very unexpected and uncomfortable alliances. There’s a certain amount of friction that will be generated by that.”

CBR interview with Andy Diggle, April 17 2010

I think more than one person was wondering how they were going to time this event with the end of Siege, but it’s really only in the context of the Heroic Age that we get to see Matt completely unhinged. As for the Kingpin, we didn’t see him in the last arc, but he must be having a ball with all this.

“My use of Bullseye really springs out of what Andy Diggle has planned for him in ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Shadowland’ proper,” Layman explained to CBR of the August-shipping comic. “Of course, certainly what goes on there is a natural repercussion to recent events with Bullseye, but my story is more specifically focused on picking up on Bullseye after one key – and very secret – event which Andy has planned.” [...] “Well, there’s this certain special spoiler-y something which plays pretty critically into my story…I’ll just say ‘It’s that one thing Diggle does with Bullseye,’ and then you’ll know immediately what I am talking about when you read ‘DD’ and ‘Shadowland.’”

CBR interview with Shadowland: Bullseye writer John Layman, May 17

So, what’s this? Bullseye doesn’t die? Or does he?

It will [...] offer some insight into her motivation for helping Daredevil and the Hand battle the heroes who believe that Daredevil has gone too far in his crusade against crime. “The story begins with an awesome battle between Daredevil and Bullseye, so right away they have a common enemy,” Well explained. “I don’t think Elektra would meddle in Daredevil’s affairs if she didn’t have a vested interest in seeing him win.”

CBR interview with Shadowland: Elektra writer Zeb Wells, May 26 2010

I’ve mentioned before how much I’m looking forward to this one-shot. Matt and Elektra teaming up is sure to be twisted. Make it good for me, Mr. Wells!

“What I can’t tell you yet are all the plans we have beyond this. The ideas and books spinning out of the end of Shadowland are going to tear your heart out… but at least Matt will be in a better place.”

Editor Stephen Wacker, the Daredevil #507 letters’ page

We all know the comic book companies are like gossip magazines when it comes to teasers like these. You read about someone having to say good-bye to “their favorite girl” only to find out it’s about the celebrity in question having to leave their dog behind when moving. What does worry me is that famous comic book characters often die. Now, they don’t necessarily stay dead, but I’m not a big fan of either scenario. Personally, I hope “better place” = “mental institution” (heck, he’s already been to jail…).

Okay, that’s it for now, folks! If you want to hear me talk about Shadowland (though “rambling” is a better description), I did another guest appearance on the MOMBcast, a podcast hosted by my good friends at Monkey on my Back. Skip to halfway through to hear me talk Shadowland. Of course, then you’d also miss me talking about learning about sex by reading Clan of the Cave Bear at fourteen. Take your pick!