Cover to Daredevil #508
I consistently give the issues I’m reviewing on this blog a high score, with almost all of them ranging from 6.5-8.5 on a 1-10 scale. This isn’t just because I’m trying to be nice. True, I may be one of those glass half full kind of people, but I’m also a spoiled Daredevil fan. Daredevil is an amazingly solid read, month in and month out, and even the issues that don’t knock it out of the park for me (such as last month’s Daredevil #507) are still by no means a bad read.
However, when I sat down to review this issue I found myself wishing I could add a couple of points to the scale. It was that good. Great pacing, nice character work, good story progression, and plenty of exciting intrigue. I found myself completely invested in this story to the point where I wanted to yell at the characters on the page to warn them or set them straight.
Where Shadowland #1 was larger in scale and added some crucial pieces to get the event puzzle started, Daredevil #508 takes us under the surface, and down on the streets in some really satisfying ways.
Daredevil looks down over Shadowland, from Daredevil #508
The review of Daredevil #508 continues under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Antony Johnston,
Daredevil #500-current,
Reviews,
Roberto de la Torre,
Shadowland
Cover to Shadowland: Elektra
Back with another post in the series that deals with everything related to Shadowland. As I mentioned in my last post, the solicits for September came out last week. Among them was the solicit for one Shadowland tie-in one-shot that I’m really looking forward to: Shadowland Elektra #1.
Written by Zeb Wells, who also wrote the excellent Dark Reign: Elektra mini-series last year, with art by Emma Rios, this promises to add an interesting perspective on the event. Of all the tie-ins, the one starring Elektra feels the most natural. She has a history with Matt Murdock – in and out of the costume – as well as a long and complicated relationship with the Hand. The solicit gives us some indication of the role Elektra might play:
More Elektra under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Antony Johnston,
Elektra,
Marco Checchetto,
Roberto de la Torre,
Shadowland
Shadowland Banner
Come July, we’ll officially be in Shadowland territory, and with the most recent arc Left Hand Path having come to a close, I thought this would be the perfect time to put together a little – or not so little – primer for new or forgetful Daredevil readers.
Since the current events in Daredevil go all the way back to Daredevil #111, with the introduction of Lady Bullseye, that seemed like the best place to start this issue by issue recap which takes us to the end of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark’s run, with the anniversary issue Daredevil #500 (which followed Daredevil #119 and reverted to the original numbering), and into the first issues by the current creative team of Andy Diggle and Roberto de la Torre. The latter have recently been joined by Antony Johnston, co-writer of Daredevil #505-512, and Marco Checchetto who’s been the artist for Daredevil #505-507 (see the end of the post for full credits for the issues listed here).
With no further ado, let’s get to the longest post this blog has ever seen. On the other hand (no pun intended), this should serve both as a refresher to people who’ve been on board since the beginning as well as a complete introduction to anyone who feels like catching up. Let’s get to it, shall we?
The last two years of Daredevil under the cut –>
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Antony Johnston,
Clay Mann,
Daredevil for beginners,
Ed Brubaker,
Marco Checchetto,
Michael Lark,
Roberto de la Torre,
Shadowland
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 –>
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Daredevil #500-current,
Reviews,
Roberto de la Torre
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
Tagged as:
Andy Diggle,
Humor,
preview,
Roberto de la Torre
Entering Shadowland: Elektra
by Christine on June 23, 2010 in Commentary
Cover to Shadowland: Elektra
Back with another post in the series that deals with everything related to Shadowland. As I mentioned in my last post, the solicits for September came out last week. Among them was the solicit for one Shadowland tie-in one-shot that I’m really looking forward to: Shadowland Elektra #1.
Written by Zeb Wells, who also wrote the excellent Dark Reign: Elektra mini-series last year, with art by Emma Rios, this promises to add an interesting perspective on the event. Of all the tie-ins, the one starring Elektra feels the most natural. She has a history with Matt Murdock – in and out of the costume – as well as a long and complicated relationship with the Hand. The solicit gives us some indication of the role Elektra might play:
More Elektra under the cut –>
Tagged as: Andy Diggle, Antony Johnston, Elektra, Marco Checchetto, Roberto de la Torre, Shadowland
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