As mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to get back to the dip in Daredevil sales we’ve been seeing, and some of my thoughts on the subject. First, let me just correct my claim from the last post that Daredevil #504 marked the first issue in a while to dip below 40,000 when sales did, in fact, go below that mark with the previous issue. My bad.
For a little background before I go into full analytical mode, here are the sales numbers for all Daredevil issues from #112 and onward. Also, keep in mind that this data reflect sales through the direct market to comic book stores in North America. It doesn’t tell you how many of these were sold to customers, though changes in sales naturally reflect the perceived changes in demand at the retail level. The numbers don’t include subscriptions directly from Marvel or foreign sales.
Sales for Daredevil #112-119, #500-504
| Daredevil #112
|
46,202 |
| Daredevil #113 |
41,200 |
| Daredevil #114
|
44,351 |
| Daredevil #115 |
40,214 |
| Daredevil #116
|
41,261 |
| Daredevil #117 |
41,046 |
| Daredevil #118 |
44,982 |
| Daredevil #119 |
41,403 |
| Daredevil #500 |
73,486 |
| Daredevil #501 |
45,181 |
| Daredevil #502 |
40,354 |
| Daredevil #503 |
38,680 |
| Daredevil #504 |
37,135 |
My thoughts under the cut –>
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I’m sorry for the delay in posting this review, which I started writing on February 18. I ran out of time before going on vacation and I’ve only now found a minute to spare to sit down and finally post it. I will return to blogging when I get back home, on March 3. Thank you for your patience.
Daredevil #505 cover
I got two comics today. Aside from Daredevil, the other item on my pull list was Spider-Woman. While I don’t want to piss on other writers (and I do like Spider-Woman just fine), I have to say that Diggle and Johnston delivered much more than Bendis did today. This “more” being something that can be measured in both plot and something as simple as how long it takes to read the comic. Daredevil #505 is a hearty meal of a comic with tons of dialogue and plenty of intrigue. No scenes are wasted, and the issue is well-paced.
What is becoming abundantly clear with this issue is that Matt has clearly bitten off more than he can chew taking over the Hand. Suffice it to say that he didn’t take evil ninja management in college, and it shows. Being Matt Murdock, he is charmingly (yes, it really is a bit charming) oblivious to his inability to make things go the way he wants, and without a clear picture of what’s going on, he’s in a precarious position.
While Matt is busy dealing with ninja politics, the reader is treated to quite a bit of intrigue and in-fighting between the various branches of the Hand. There are lots of new characters introduced this issue, but they are presented well, and the layered plot never gets too complicated for the reader to follow. We see the obvious bad guys being bad guys, and the less obvious bad guys revealed as less innocent than they would appear. It’s a great start to this arc and it feels like the beginning of a new chapter despite also building on what came before.
This issue also gives us some answers regarding what side of the hero-villain line Daredevil falls on these days, at least in his own mind. Without revealing too much, I would say that most Daredevil fans will find this development to be both reassuring and appropriate for the character.
Marco Checchetto does the artwork all by himself this issue (not counting Matt Hollingsworth on colors, of course), and manages to do a really nice job. He’s got his own clearly recognizable style that I quite like that is not as “photorealistic yet sketchy” as de la Torre’s without seeming cartoony at all. He handles both the Japanese scenery and all of the characters quite nicely, and I’m happy to have him onboard for this arc. Too bad the next issue won’t be hitting the stores until early April.
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Daredevil: Cage Match #1 cover
I guess I should have held off on Sunday’s news update a little longer, because the May solicits were just posted today. While there appears to be no regular Daredevil issue for the month of May, not any trace of Andy Diggle’s much anticipated event (let’s just call it Shadowland, though it’s not official), there will at least be something Daredevil related coming our way.
One news item that leaked yesterday was the one-shot that pits the Man Without Fear against none other than Luke Cage. The issue will be written by Daredevil #505-507 co-writer Antony Johnston (whose name I’ve finally learned to spell correctly…) and sets up some events for the still somewhat enigmatic Shadowland. The solicit for Daredevil: Cage Match #1 can be found below. I’m sure I can’t be the only one who’s glad to see a Djurdjevic cover for this puppy, though I think we could have done without the tiara. 
DAREDEVIL: CAGE MATCH #1
Written by ANTONY JOHNSTON
Pencils by SEAN CHEN
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Before the Shadowland comes, we look back at a bit of brutal history between Luke Cage and Daredevil, revealing a mutual respect that may soon be torn asunder.
32 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+…$2.99
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Cover to Daredevil #504
This issue takes Daredevil to new levels of batshit crazy and does it in style. The final scene was one of the most shocking moments I’ve ever read in this book. However, there’s a fine line between going to new crazy extremes, and straying too far from the core of the book and the main character. With Diggle’s handling of the story, that’s not a problem, but it very easily could have been. What we get is something very exciting that has me on the edge of my seat.
With this issue, we see Matt reacting to the news of his friends’ recent string of “bad luck” (i.e. Foggy being disbarred and Dakota losing her investigator’s license), which strengthens him in his resolve to go head to head with Norman Osborn. Like I mentioned in the review of the previous issue, the current story arc is thematically similar to Bendis’s “King of Hell’s Kitchen” and those elements are even more prominent here. I’m not suggesting that this is in any way repetitive – the fact is that what we’re seeing here is much more extreme and quite different – but it does mean restoring the Daredevil to the take charge character many have been missing for the last couple of years. Of course, just like then, the main characters actions are driven by rage, frustration and a generous dose of hubris.
More ninja action under the cut –>
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Longtime readers may know about my “Seeing things” series, in which I poke gentle fun at Daredevil, well, seeing things. In some cases, we’re talking about obvious goofs, and in others – usually more recent ones – it might just be a scene that comes across as a little odd (see, for example, Seeing things #4 from the Brubaker/Lark run). Here’s another first, in that it’s from an issue that hasn’t hit the shelves yet. Yes, while not an obvious goof like some of the older examples, the first page from the Daredevil #504 review did make me raise an eyebrow (is Matt actually looking at those sketches on the ground before him?). And, just because I couldn’t resist, I did my own take on the dialogue… Look at both below, the original is the top one.
Daredevil #504, original preview page
Daredevil #504, altered preview page
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Cover to Daredevil #506
Looks like today is another good day to be a Daredevil fan. Not only have the solicits for Daredevil #506 come out, giving us a glimpse of a stunning cover, Daredevil editor Stephen Wacker also gave us a very cool-looking preview – yes, that’s Matt Murdock sans costume – of some interior art by Marco Checchetto from Daredevil #505. If you’re losing count, that’s the first issue from the Left Hand Path arc co-written by Antony Johnston and Andy Diggle which is set to hit the shelves in February. Daredevil #505 will also have a Deadpool variant cover which is currently on display at ManWithoutFear.com. With Daredevil #504 coming out next week, we have some additional preview pages to look forward to in the coming days.
If you need a refresher on the slightly erratic shipping schedule, the dates to look forward to are January 27 for Daredevil #504 (the last of the current arc), February 17 for Daredevil #505 and April 7 for Daredevil #506. So, while there is no Daredevil in March, at least we don’t have to wait a full two months for the next issue. That’s good news to me!
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Well, while Andy Diggle wouldn’t go so far as confirming his own involvement in this event, he did reveal that Shadowland is indeed in the works at Marvel and that Daredevil will be involved. He talked about this and much more in a podcast interview with New York-based Midtown Comics yesterday. I say this is great news for those of us who would like more Daredevil in our daily diet, so go check out that podcast and throw in your two cents in the comments!
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Hey there boys and girls, and welcome to the mandatory end of the year retrospective! This could have been a great time to sum up possibly the best decade of Daredevil ever. However, since the decade (unlike “the 00’s”) doesn’t end until December 31, 2010, I’m going to have to put that one off until next year. If you think I’m just being anal, think of it this way: holding off another year might actually bring the total score up a notch. It all depends on what Andy Diggle, Roberto de la Torre and the rest of the team cook up for next year. It looks like it’s going to be a big one for Matt Murdock and gang.
Panel from Daredevil #501, by Andy Diggle and Roberto de la Torre
So, what happened in 2009? Aside from such major events as Disney’s purchase of Marvel Entertainment, those of us with a particular fondness for Marvel’s very own scarlet swashbuckler saw a lot of changes. After more than three years, and 39 issues, the Brubaker/Lark era came to an end. After a couple of skipped months – unusual for the famously on-schedule Daredevil – their last issue finally hit the stands in August. It turned out to be worth the wait, and the following month saw Diggle’s first take on the character in the one-shot Dark Reign – The List: Daredevil, penciled by Billy Tan. Having Daredevil be involved in a major event, however marginal the involvement, marked a departure from status quo of the last few years which saw Matt Murdock pretty much occupy his own corner of the Marvel universe. If I’m right (see the Shadowland post below) we might see much more of this kind of thing in 2010.
Aside from the change in creative teams, 2009 also saw two Daredevil anniversaries with the 500th issue and subsequent return to the original numbering, as well as the 45th anniversary of the first Daredevil issue which came out in April 1964. The latter wasn’t given any special attention, but I still find it worth mentioning.
For me, 2009 also meant finding a new home for this blog. Fortunately, the move to self-hosted Wordpress worked out fine, and I hope I didn’t lose anyone in the process. I also passed 300 posts and have now been online for over two years. Over the next year, I hope to continue to post two to three times a week, and I hope that you guys will be around for it. I also want to take the opportunity to thank the team at The Weekly Crisis for giving me a guest spot to celebrate the 500th issue of Daredevil. I had fun doing it, and am glad that my efforts were well received.
With this site growing in scope – and I have some new additions planned for the next year as well – it’s an ongoing challenge to try to make it as easy as possible for a new visitor to browse, and I expect you guys to let me know if you run into any problems in this regard. As you’ve probably noticed, each post now has a related post listing, as well as a link to a random post, and there is a page listing the complete archives of the blog. New since last week is an extended list of the most recent comments, which you can find near the bottom of the sidebar. As The Other Murdock Papers is becoming increasingly social, that should make it easier to keep up with new comments.
In closing, I’d like to ask you guys what you’d like to see happen in Daredevil, as well as the greater Marvel U, in the next year. Make it as crazy as you want. I’ll see you next year! 
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Remember the Marvel project Shadowland? It was mentioned by Joe Quesada back in August (see my post about it), and since then we haven’t really heard anything about it. Yesterday, the ever vigilant Kuljit Mithra posted the following on Twitter:
“Marvel editor Tom Brevoort hints at why there’s no DD 506 in March http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=301708“
Next thing you know, regular visitor Andrew brought the subject up in a comment to my old Shadowland post. I think Andrew is on to something here, and I even have some additional evidence to add to this fun bit of intrigue. In mid-November, I tweeted the following:
“To those in the know: What happened to the Marvel project Shadowland (working title)? Will it tie into Siege or something?”
Andy Diggle gave me an enigmatic reply, complete with mysterious smiley:
“@Chris_TOMP All good things to those who wait… ; )”
And, a couple of weeks before that, he gave us this tease:
“Plotting out a big top-secret Marvel project, I just invented the word ‘explodapalooza.’ I’m quite pleased with it.”
I know a lot of people don’t exactly love Twitter, but this is the kind of thing it’s great for. With this, I think we’ve pretty much cracked the case. Whether the name of the project is still Shadowland remains to be seen, but it looks clear to me that Diggle will indeed be writing it and that this is what’s affecting the Daredevil schedule. Comment away good readers!
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As reported previously, Antony Johnston will be co-writing the next arc of Daredevil, “Left Hand Path” (is it just me, or does that title sound a little… weird?). He talks about this collaboration, and other things he has going on, in an interview with Comic Book Resources. Here is some of what he had to say:
“In this arc, Matt goes to Japan for a summit of the Hand, to ensure its ‘five fingers’ – the regional directorates of the organisation – are working together harmoniously,” Johnston said of the arc on which he is collaborating. “And, naturally, things don’t go quite as planned. I can’t really say much more than that, I don’t want to give anything away.”
Read the whole interview on CBR.
In case you’re wondering, I will keep blogging over the holidays. My first order of business, however, is to catch up on all the comments you guys keep leaving (me like!). I will also be back tomorrow with the long overdue review of What If? Daredevil vs Elektra. I will see you then!
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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
Why are Daredevil sales going down?
by Christine on March 6, 2010 in Commentary, Daredevil News
As mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to get back to the dip in Daredevil sales we’ve been seeing, and some of my thoughts on the subject. First, let me just correct my claim from the last post that Daredevil #504 marked the first issue in a while to dip below 40,000 when sales did, in fact, go below that mark with the previous issue. My bad.
For a little background before I go into full analytical mode, here are the sales numbers for all Daredevil issues from #112 and onward. Also, keep in mind that this data reflect sales through the direct market to comic book stores in North America. It doesn’t tell you how many of these were sold to customers, though changes in sales naturally reflect the perceived changes in demand at the retail level. The numbers don’t include subscriptions directly from Marvel or foreign sales.
Sales for Daredevil #112-119, #500-504
My thoughts under the cut –>
Tagged as: Andy Diggle, Commentary, Daredevil #500-current, Ed Brubaker, Random information
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