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Commentary

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
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 –>

Tagged as: Andy Diggle, Commentary, Daredevil #500-current, Ed Brubaker, Random information

( 0 comments )

The new Daredevil movie – Dos and Don’ts

by Christine on February 7, 2010 in Commentary

As excited as I am to hear of the new Daredevil movie that’s in the works (though I’m not really expecting anything before 2013 or so), I can’t help feeling a little nervous about it. A movie is a big deal. It will be seen by millions of people who don’t read the comic. Because it is such a big deal, we’re naturally desperate for the movie makers to get it right, and treat the character and his universe with the respect they deserve. To get the conversation going, here’s my list of what I would tell the people whose job it is to bring the Man Without Fear back on the silver screen, if I had their ear.

Don’t be afraid to cast an unknown in the lead

I honestly don’t feel that Ben Affleck was horrible in the title role in the 2003 movie, but his performance was crippled by cheesy lines, an uneven script, and the fact that he really didn’t look the part. He was also a huge Hollywood star at the time, and you don’t ever want that to get in the way. Many interesting names are being tossed around on people’s personal lists of who they’d like to see play Matt Murdock, and while most of them have solid acting careers, no one seems to want to see any Hollywood A-listers in the lead. I wouldn’t mind a new face myself.
Do remember who your audience is

Daredevil is not Spider-Man. There’s nothing wrong with Spidey (ironically, Spider-Man 3 is on TV and playing in the background as I’m writing this), but kids are not going to rest their little heads on Daredevil pillow cases. While I don’t see a specific need to have Daredevil be an R-rated movie, it needs to be targeted to adults and older teens. It needs to feel free to break every superhero cliche in the book. I’d love to see Fox approach this as a tense, character-driven movie that just happens to be about a superhero, not as just another superhero movie.
Don’t be a slave to the comic

This may be a little controversial, but I don’t particularly need to see an adaptation of something we’ve already read in the comic, I just want a good Daredevil story that feels true to the character. One of the problems with the 2003 movie was that it was a jumble of elements and scenes taken straight out of canon, but assembled in a way that was new but not improved. Having said that…
Do know your canon

Maybe it sounds like I’m contradicting myself here, but a solid knowledge of canon is vital. Don’t fudge around with the characters, the origin or anything else that you don’t need to. Like I mentioned, I’d love something new, using established characters, but that requires that the writer and director know their stuff.
Don’t feel like you have to do the Elektra saga

I guess I sort of covered this already, but I’d go as far as to say that Elektra doesn’t need to be in a Daredevil movie at all, especially considering the Elektra movie that is already out there and how doing something too similar to the first movie would make it hard to sell it to audiences as something new and different.
Do try the low tech approach

One of the things that bothered me about the first movie was the excessive use of CGI. At the risk of repeating myself, Daredevil is not Spider-Man, and he shouldn’t move like Spider-Man. Keep it down to Earth, keep it physical, and use great stuntmen. Make it look real.
Don’t do an origin film (necessarily)

It seems that the first installment of any superhero movie franchise always needs to include the origin story. This makes sense, of course, but it eats up a lot of story time. I happened to love the scenes between Matt and his father in the original movie and would love to revisit that, but the events that created the hero don’t need to be told in a linear fashion at the beginning of the movie. It could be done through flashbacks or in some other way that breaks the traditional mold. I would like to see Stick mentioned in some way though.
Do your research

The details matter, and it seems a shame to spend millions of dollars on making a movie and not taking the time to check out the small matter of what lawyers do, and what they don’t (like prosecute cases). While you’re at it, spend an hour or two checking out blindness-related paraphernalia. Or, let me just save you some time: White canes? Yeah, they’re supposed to be long enough to touch the ground when the person using it is walking!
Don’t put something in your movie just because it “looks cool”

I think they’ve probably learned their lesson this time around, and I hope we won’t be seeing any flaming ‘D’s in the subway, sensory deprivation tanks or playground scenes. While I still find plenty to actually like about the Daredevil Director’s Cut, there’s no denying that both versions of the movie were flawed, and that Mark Steven Johnson would have been well-advised to kill his darlings, as the expression goes. Not every brilliant, or not-so-brilliant, idea needs to go in the movie. Keep it clean, and make every scene count and make sense, and we’ll be fine.

Well, that was my list of things that came to mind. What do you want to see and what can you do without? Let everyone know in the comments!

Tagged as: Commentary, Meandering musings, The movie(s)

( 13 comments )

Continuity: When less is more

by Christine on January 17, 2010 in Commentary

From Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do #4, by Kevin Smith and Terry and Rachel Dodson

If you’re like me, you enjoy Silver Age Daredevil. Not “enjoy” in the sense that you consider it to be a great example of the literary merits of the comic book medium, or even in the sense that you’re reading something that makes sense. Comparing modern Daredevil to its Silver Age equivalent is like comparing filet mignon to macaroni and cheese. They both pass for food, they are both enjoyable in their own way, but they’re not really comparable in any other sense.

Naturally, I have a preference for filet mignon and, more importantly, I don’t want anyone trying to rub mac and cheese in my face while I’m eating my steak (or vegetarian substitute, if that’s your choice). There’s no point in dragging old leftovers out from the darkest corners of the freezer when there’s perfectly good food in the house. If you’re wondering what I’m trying to say with this odd analogy (and no, I haven’t eaten in the last few hours so I would go for either right now) is this: Not everything that’s in continuity needs to be acknowledged. In fact, a lot of the time it’s much better not to.

In the panel above, which is taken from the fourth issue of the Spider-Man/Black Cat mini written by Kevin Smith, with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson, it’s not only Matt who is uncomfortable. It has me cringing too. Yes, any hardcore Daredevil fan will know that Matt was involved in an extended storyline during which he pretended to be his own twin. It was written more than forty years ago, and, aside from the entertaining nuttiness of it all, it was quite possibly one of the most ridiculous plot developments in comic book history. It’s perfectly okay to pretend it never happened.

In this case, I suspect that Kevin Smith is trying to flaunt his knowledge of continuity and score some points with the über-geeks, but the fact remains that it adds absolutely nothing to the story. If anything, it only serves to alienate new readers who are deliberately left out of the loop.

I’m not going to suggest that awkward moments like the one above are particularly common, but I will take this opportunity to throw in my two cents on the commonly discussed topic of comic book continuity generally. My opinion is that the concept of continuity is worth protecting. As primarily a Marvel reader (not counting the odd Vertigo TPB), I like the organic feel of a natural progression that comes from the shared Marvel Universe where slates are rarely wiped completely clean and characters have a past. However, past events generally range from central to the development of the character, to altogether forgettable. Being truly respectful of continuity means knowing which events have contributed to what makes a character special while allowing the less than stellar ideas gently slip into oblivion.

It’s okay to pretend certain things never happened. Mike Murdock doesn’t need to be mentioned, and the same thing goes for all the times Matt has faked his own death. Personally, I prefer to think of Daredevil’s trip to space in Daredevil #2, his piloting the Avengers jet in Daredevil #100 and the entire Jack Batlin era under Chichester’s pen as strange anomalies that are difficult to reconcile with the Matt Murdock we see today.

So, what are your thoughts on continuity and past events? Do you have a hard time – as I do – thinking of Silver Age Daredevil and modern Daredevil as the same character? And, how do we find the best balance between tapping into the richness of continuity and drowning in its complexity?

Tagged as: Commentary, Continuity, Kevin Smith, Meandering musings, Terry & Rachel Dodson

( 7 comments )

On comic book realism and Daredevil’s senses

by Christine on December 10, 2009 in Daredevil Science

I love it when you guys comment on my posts. Having people engage with the content I put out on this blog is rewarding in and of itself, but it’s even more fun when the comments turn into a conversation or, as is the case here, spawn entire new posts.

So, this entry is sort of a continuation of the conversation between Aaron and myself in the comment section of A history of the radar sense #6. Before getting to that, I thought I’d also reply to a related comment of Aaron’s (go Aaron!), coming out of an exchange in the comment section of “Because I can’t just kill him” – part 7. We got to talking about comic book science, and I remarked that I thought Daredevil was the most realistic superhero. Aaron was immediately, and appropriately, on my case:

@Christine: The “most believable superhero”? Let’s not get carried away. I think someone like the Punisher is a little more believable: he’s a guy with lots of guns who keeps himself in peak physical condition and has trained extensively in martial arts and weaponry. Really, any of the depowered heroes fall into this camp, e.g., Hawkeye or Black Widow (unless you think whatever age-defying serum she took is a super-power).

My response under the cut –>

Tagged as: Commentary, Daredevil science, Meandering musings

( 3 comments )

Daredevil’s new status quo

by Christine on August 23, 2009 in Commentary

If you read my review of Daredevil #500, you know that I enjoyed it a great deal, and as a whole, I’m very excited about where the new direction might lead. Before I get to that part, however (hidden under a cut for those who haven’t read the issue yet), I’d just like to talk a little bit about the old status quo. You know, the one that has Matt Murdock being your good old-fashioned low-powered superhero next door with a somewhat normal professional life and ordinary friends. It is oftentimes a very shitty life, but still fairly grounded in the “real world.”

Matt has left the default status quo before at various points in the history of the book, and usually with interesting results, but I would still say that the basic premise of Matt being a blind lawyer who fights crime at night is insanely interesting in and of itself. Where some people might consider that well to be completely dry, I’m going to go in the opposite direction and say that it’s under-explored and has never really been used to its full advantage. Television and movie action-dramas involving cops, lawyers and criminals are everywhere, and part of the reason they’re everywhere is because there is a demand for them. And why is there? Because there are tons of ways to make them interesting. This basic storytelling engine combined with a superhero element is even better, and while this well is visited on occasion (the Cruel and Unusual and Trial of the Century story arcs for instance), there really haven’t been that many stories that treat Matt’s job as more than just another job. I’m not advocating Daredevil going full legal drama, but I would like to see someone do more with the lawyer angle when Matt eventually returns to the default status quo. That might be a year from now, two years from now, or even further down the line, but it will happen eventually. And I would love to see it done right. Currently, with the new shake-up, we are possibly farther away from the default status quo than we’ve been in decades. It looks like it’s going to be a very interesting and exciting ride, but my reason for feeling that way has everything to do with the story itself and very little to do with any kind of notion that Daredevil really needed to be fixed.

Review: "The Losers" by Andy Diggle, Jock et al

by Christine on June 25, 2009 in Commentary, Reviews

With Andy Diggle taking over the writing duties on Daredevil, starting with the Dark Reign: The List tie-in in September, I saw it as my duty to take a look at the writer’s previous and ongoing work and post some of my thoughts.

So far, I’ve been following Diggle’s Dark Reign: Hawkeye mini and his run on the Thunderbolts. I’ve also read the trade collecting the stand alone mini-series Hellblazer: Lady Constantine and his own creation, and the subject for this post, The Losers.

It’s been a very fun ride so far and I feel convinced that Diggle is perfectly capable of pulling off a Daredevil that might just be different enough to give the title the shot in the arm that even a sworn Brubaker fan like myself is beginning to feel that it needs, while staying in the familiar milieu that has made the character so successful. But this post isn’t about Daredevil specifically, but about The Losers. So, let’s get on with it, shall we?

I’m going to start by going off on a brief tangent and admit that I was a huge fan of the first couple of seasons of Prison Break. It had intrigue, action, and a smart plot that connected the little people to the big players with the big guns in unexpected ways. There were clever twists in every episode that managed to surprise the viewer without seeming too contrived. The show was a smash hit, so much so that its life span kept getting extended with one season after another while the plot began to suffer. Eventually, I gave up. Reading The Losers was, for me, an experience reminiscent of watching the first two seasons of Prison break, equipped with the timely ending the television show didn’t have (to those still watching it, did it ever get back on track?).

Starring an eclectic former black ops team who turns on their mysterious CIA handler when left for dead in Afghanistan while on a mission, the thirty-two issue series is smart action at its best. Diggle manages to pile layer after layer of intrigue without ever confusing the reader, and that’s quite a feat with a story this long and involving this many players. What impresses me the most, though, is how intelligent the writing is. It is all too often the case that, in order for the protagonists to seem appropriately cunning, their adversary by default comes across as completely incompetent. That is never the case here. Instead of leaving the “wait, that doesn’t work” bit to the scrutinizing reader, the writer in this case seems to have error-proofed every single scenario. That’s not to say that there aren’t fantastical elements to this tale, or improbable events and circumstances, but that’s in the nature of the genre, and this particular thrill-ride is free of contrived cop-outs and annoying plot holes. There’s an attention to detail at every juncture that keeps the story feeling real. Diggle also manages to keep the entire story very even-paced, and I can’t think of any passage where there is any noticeable dip in quality or tension.

More Losers under the cut –>

Tagged as: Andy Diggle, Commentary, Reviews

( 1 comment )

Why people should buy the comics they like

by Christine on May 19, 2009 in Commentary

The big news in the comics corner of the Internet today seems to be the cancellation of Captain Britain and MI-13. However, it might seem to be a strange thing for me to blog about (and it wasn’t what I had planned) since it doesn’t relate in any direct way to Daredevil. But it does underscore the importance of fans voting with their wallets to keep the books they like on the shelves. Of course, in this case, there was a lot of fan support for the book. Critics kept praising it, and I’ve never seen anyone speak badly of it, but for some reason the book failed to translate apparent quality into hard sales.

Daredevil sells more than twice as many copies as Captain Britain did, but in one sense they do have something in common. I know that not everyone has loved Brubaker’s time at the helm, but it’s obvious that the book hasn’t been selling as well as the critical acclaim would suggest. Why is this? Why do stories like Secret Invasion, with all their problems, do so much better than stories most critics would regard as better crafted and more innovative?

I obviously don’t have the answer, but it does show that we can’t take good stories for granted. In short, if you like something, buy it. And tell your friends about it. It may not be enough, but it’s a good start. It’ll be interesting to see what, if anything, fans of Captain Britain can do to bring the book back from the dead in some form. I’ve only recently been in a position to try out new books on a whim, and never got the chance to check out Captain Britain, but I’m as curious as ever to at least give the trades a try. If there’s quality to be had, I’m game.

Tagged as: Commentary, Other Marvel characters

( 6 comments )

Catholic guilt? Think again

by Christine on April 27, 2009 in Character Basics, Commentary

Matt touching Maggie's cross

A few months ago, I wrote a post called “My other senses more than compensate” in which I poked rather large holes in the claim made by some Daredevil fans (and even the odd writer) that Matt’s preternaturally heightened senses render him completely non-disabled. In that post, I also briefly touched on what I perceive to be two other pervasive Daredevil myths, namely Matt the Man-Whore and Matt the Devout Catholic.

While Matt’s recent indiscretion under Brubaker’s pen may have somewhat tainted my view of Matt Murdock as a serial monogamist, it still doesn’t change the fact that only the most sexually inexperienced of male comic book fans would consider a man in his mid-thirties with fewer than ten proven sexual conquests under his belt to be even remotely promiscuous. And yes, I’m looking at you Kevin Smith… For those who care to count Matt’s former sexual partners, I already did it for you in Matt’s love life by the numbers.

Now the time has come to take a closer look at Matt’s religious faith or, as I would see it, his lack thereof. I realize that this is a touchy subject, and if people out there, whether Catholic or not, enjoy this take on the character I’m certainly not going to claim that they are wrong to view Daredevil from a religious perspective. In fact, the great thing about fiction is that we, as readers, are co-creators of the reading experience. All I’m saying is that this is one aspect of the character where the reader must add a lot of input themselves since there is very little in terms of “scripture” (i.e. Daredevil canon) to support it.

More guilt under the cut –>

Tagged as: Commentary, David Mazzucchelli, Frank Miller, Joe Quesada

( 12 comments )

When fanboys pout

by Christine on April 15, 2009 in Commentary

I’m interrupting my regularly scheduled Daredevil posting to offer a complaint. Ironically, I’m complaining about people complaining. I know that makes me a hypocrite, but bear with me.

The topic for this entry started brewing in the back of my mind, when I read a post on one of the CBR blogs about a week ago. The post in question was about the X-Men Origins: Wolverine leak that made the movie, or an incomplete version of it, available for download online. What struck me were all the negative comments below the post, most not really debating the morality or legitimacy of illegal downloading but whether or not the movie was any good. The vast majority of commentors had not seen the movie, but they seemed to agree: “It will suck.”

It certainly wasn’t the first time I had seen this sort of overwhelming negativity online, most comic book message boards seem full of it. For every joyfully enthusiastic fan, there seem to be two more who get a kick out of bitching and moaning, almost regardless of the topic or the point of complaint. If so many fans keep getting disappointed over and over again by what they perceive as a lack of quality and ideas, then why do they keep up the habit? It can’t be that they’re hoping to be pleasantly surprised, because half the time they seem to anticipate the inevitable let-down.

Generally, I’ve found that most of the positive quality content about comics comes from blogs where lazy two word reviews along the lines of “It sucked” simply will not be sufficient to sustain any readership for any amount of time. Bloggers are expected to at least be able to form and communicate fully realized ideas about the content they’re reviewing, something the more bitter fans probably can’t even work up the energy to do.

Not everything out there is good, and my own opinions on what I like and dislike are as firm as everybody else’s. I think Kevin Smith’s run on Daredevil is wildly overrated, I think Brand New Day was a misstep (though I generally think that Joey Q is pretty good at his job), and I think the end to Secret Invasion was a contrived mess. But those are opinions and not a symptom of a sweeping and negative attitude to life and comics. And I will even admit to sometimes enjoying seeing an issue torn to shreds – when it’s well-deserved – but I at least expect it to be done with a tongue-in-cheek approach.

I’m sad to see Brubaker and Lark leave Daredevil, but I’m expecting Andy Diggle to do a good job. I’m keeping an open mind, and that’s a policy that’s worked well for me for as long as I can remember. And as far as the Wolverine movie goes, I think I’ll wait to see it before I make up my mind.

Tagged as: Commentary, Meandering musings

( 4 comments )

(Blind) ninja links!

by Christine on January 2, 2009 in Commentary, Guides & Lists

Remember a while back, when I said I was going to do a post on ninjas? Yeah, I really was going to until I realized that other people have written about this topic much more eloquently than I ever could, and with much more knowledge of Japanese history to their name. Instead, I’ll just link to some information I’ve found. You may call me lazy, but I call it making proper use of the Internet! (I’m actually looking forward to the day I have kids so I can tell them about how mommy grew up before the Internet, when you had to do research at the library and find the books you wanted on alphabetically organized index cards.)

The first thing I suggest you read is a post on ninjas in reality and popular culture from the blog The Illuminated Lantern. Good research – from the looks of it – and a fun read. Off course, Daredevil mythos doesn’t just feed off ninja legends in general but also the quite popular concept of the blind martial artist (we have Matt himself, Stick, and now Master Izo). This theme is thoroughly explored in the many movies about Zatoichi, a fictional blind swordsman active in Edo era Japan. A whopping 26 movies were made about Zatoichi from 1962 until 1989. One of his movies even inspired the 1989 American film Blind Fury, starring Rutger Hauer. We actually had Blind Fury on VHS when I was growing up. Ah, the 80’s were fun.

To learn more about Zatoichi, click on the Wikipedia link above or go to blindsamurai.net where there’s more information about these classic Japanese movies. A new version was made in 2003, and has been uploaded to YouTube in its entirety. For those who don’t find that practice to be somewhat questionable, here’s the link. You’ll also find the trailer embedded below. Just for the fun of it, there’s a Blind Fury trailer too. Man, that movie was so bad it was good. Enjoy and remember to read that entire ninja article too!

Tagged as: Commentary, Links, Random information

( 0 comments )

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About the Blogger

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 About page for contact information!

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Recent Comments

The Other Murdock Papers

Commentary

Why are Daredevil sales going down?

Sales for Daredevil #112-119, #500-504

The new Daredevil movie – Dos and Don’ts

Don’t be afraid to cast an unknown in the lead

Do remember who your audience is

Don’t be a slave to the comic

Do know your canon

Don’t feel like you have to do the Elektra saga

Do try the low tech approach

Don’t do an origin film (necessarily)

Do your research

Don’t put something in your movie just because it “looks cool”

Continuity: When less is more

On comic book realism and Daredevil’s senses

Daredevil’s new status quo

Review: "The Losers" by Andy Diggle, Jock et al

Why people should buy the comics they like

Catholic guilt? Think again

When fanboys pout

(Blind) ninja links!

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About the Blogger

My Twitter feed

Recent Comments

The Other Murdock Papers

Commentary

Sales for Daredevil #112-119, #500-504

Don’t be afraid to cast an unknown in the lead

Do remember who your audience is

Don’t be a slave to the comic

Do know your canon

Don’t feel like you have to do the Elektra saga

Do try the low tech approach

Don’t do an origin film (necessarily)

Do your research

Don’t put something in your movie just because it “looks cool”

Find Me On...

Search this blog

Disclaimer

Archives

Tags

About the Blogger

Recent Comments