In between an unusual amount of work and various additional committments in the evenings, it’s been a little while since I’ve posted a Daredevil season three episode review. I don’t expect to get the next one up until Sunday, and I’m very much looking forward to recording an episode with our friends at The Defenders Podcast on Sunday evening.
Tomorrow, I’m joining a couple of friends who have yet to see season three for a big screen marathon, so all episodes will once again be fresh in my mind. In the meantime, here are a couple of other things to discuss!
New Daredevil creative team
The big news from yesterday takes the focus away from the Netflix show and puts it squarely back on the comics, with the announcement of the next chapter for the Daredevil comic book. As most of you know, I haven’t been following this most recent run with much enthusiasm, and am a few months behind at this point. It’s kind of a shame since, up until the most recent run, I’d reviewed almost every Daredevil issue from the early 100’s of volume 2, as they came out.
I also haven’t been paying too much attention to rumors of Daredevil’s imminent demise, figuring it to either be a stunt of some kind or a soft reset. So, imagine my surprise when I hear news about what’s coming next and catch myself feeling actual excitement! We obviously know very little about the new run at this point, except that it appears to feature Matt Murdock (and not some replacement character), and will mark the launch of yet another volume with a new #1. Does that make it volume six? I may have lost count.
At the helm of this February 2019 relaunch, which will follow the weekly miniseries “Man Without Fear” in January, we find Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. Checchetto has worked on Daredevil before, and is honestly one of my top ten favorite Daredevil artists. That alone has me excited. (See below, and the featured image, from Daredevil #506, by Andy Diggle, Antony Johnston and Checchetto.)
As for Zdarsky, I’m not at all familiar with his comic book work, despite owning the first TPB of Sex Criminals, which I picked up at a con and have yet to read (better get on that). What I am familiar with is his very delightful and friendly trolling of Applebee’s from a few years ago. What can I say, I’m a fan of how this guy thinks.
Dusting off the TOMP archives
Another thing I wanted to mention was the little project I have going in the backgrund, so to speak. With more than 800 posts and more published words than you would find in five-six average novels, there’s a lot of material on this website, and it’s a frequenct concern of mine that it’s not sufficiently accessible to new visitors. There’s also the question of search engine optimization. This site gets a decent amount of traffic, but I’m sure I could have done better if I had actually paid a little more attention to best practice as The Other Murdock Papers grew steadily over the years.
So, I’ve set out to update old posts, improve the quality and numbers of internal links between them, and add better meta descriptions where necessary. I also intend to put together a half decent guide to those older posts that still hold up. Not everything I’ve written is relevant anymore, in particular posts that were published in relation to something that was news years ago. But, there are posts, some I’d even forgotten about myself, that I’m still proud of. Others just need some minor tweaks, and they’ll be as good as new. It just seems a shame to not do more with all the material that’s already available, but hard for people to find.
In the end, I hope this little project will create a better experience for current readers as well. As I wade through all this stuff, I hope to find some forgotten gems to share on Facebook and Twitter. I’m also looking to maybe reach out and try new channels, like YouTube.
If you are a longtime TOMP reader, and you have a favorite post or category of post, let me know! Maybe there’s something I’ve missed or forgotten about that made some kind of impact I wasn’t aware of.
I don’t know for how many years I’ve been following your blog – I don’t comment often, mostly because I feel too shy to, but I love all your posts and the way you see the character. I’m especially fond of the ones where you tackle some science, senses shenanigans and the like, so I would be glad to see them being featured. As well as the ones talking about Matt’s blindness and everything that links to it – I have to say I’ve learnt a lot about accessibility from your blog, as silly as it might sound. I think these posts would be interesting and useful for new fans, as I encounter way too many people (for my taste, lol) who think Matt’s not really blind or that his senses compensate everything. Your posts just explain this so well, I direct people to your website often for this (dunno if they follow the advice though! I hope they do). Anyway thanks for these years of great reading, I’ll try to comment more, and stop just lurking ^^’
I’m so glad you took the opportunity to comment, and please feel free to do it again! Most of the people who comment do so with respect for other’s opinons so I hope everyone feels at home here.
And thank you for your kind words, glad to hear my posts have been useful!
I’m in a similar situation– I’ve been silently reading this blog for years, too shy to comment, but you were very formative in my understanding and appreciation of Matt back when I was a new DD fan, particularly thanks to your sensory posts. I especially loved your discussions of the sensory details in Waid’s run, since his writing brought up a lot of neat new situations that invited analysis, and your analysis is always excellent. So ditto– since you are by far the best source around for information on Matt’s hypersenses, I definitely agree those posts should be featured! I also love your lists of Matt’s changing dark glasses, hair styles, etc. through the years. They’re a lot of fun.
I’m really excited about the new creative team too, and you probably already know this, but Zdarsky wrote Matt cameos into his Howard the Duck and Star-Lord runs (issues #7 and #3-6, respectively). I love his sense of humor, and he seems to write Matt well. Can’t wait!
I also agree that Soule’s run has been really hit-or-miss, and I feel strongly that he was the wrong person to follow Waid. However, I’ve always been weirdly into the concept of Mike Murdock, and I’ve found Soule’s reinvention of the character to be fascinating. I generally assume people don’t share that area of interest with me since uh… it’s Mike Murdock (though I’ve been surprised by how many people on my own DD blog have been excited about it too). Since you say you’re a few months behind I don’t know if you’ve run into Soule’s Mike yet, but I’d be curious to know how you feel about that story arc if/when you get around to reading it. I give Soule credit for making such a wild, out-there storytelling choice and then running with it.
But yes, thank you for everything, Christine. I’m excited about the archive renovation and to hear your thoughts on volume 6 in a few months!
Thank you so much for commenting! I hope you’ll find that this is a friendly place to express your views, whatever they may be.
I will definitely have to check out Zdarsky’s other Marvel work.
As a fanfiction writer, I really love your posts where you get into the nitty-gritty details about what Matt can and can’t do. During Waid’s run, I believe you frequently called attention to assistive devices that Matt was using/could be using that have helped me in my writing.
I also love your reviews. I came to DD around the middle of Volume 3 and worked my way backwards to the start of Waid’s run. But when I wanted to go back earlier, sometimes reading your review/breakdown/analysis of an older issue would intrigue me enough to check whether Comixology/Marvel Unlimited had it available.
Thank you, Ellen!
Don’t you worry that amazing mind of your’s, not one li’l bit.. You’ve been THE single most invaluable asset in guiding me (us?) through a REAL understanding of our most beloved concept.. (talking not strictly comics either).
If not for your relentless tackling of the actual inner working’s of what make’s Matt tick, with the utmost conviction/ardor I’ve had the pleasure to witness, and from.. ha!.. just about every conceivable angle, I’d (we’d?) still be in the same proverbial “dark” as much as is our hero himself.
I’ve found nothing here off the mark of the overall picture you take into consideration and have enjoyed.. no lie.. everything you’ve posted so, doing as you feel is right is alright with me (us?).
That split icon is Checchetto?.. Bravo Chris, and I’m in complete agreement there IS something special transmitting from his work (appear’s quite the perfectionist).. You surely do have an eye on and for the other 1/2 of the medium (and I guess you already know that I’m rather stuck on the same refrain when it come’s to visuals, as a couple of my rather overly ambitious posts regarding same have betrayed me to be).
This IS indeed promising news, thank’s a bunch (again).. More power to you.
I really enjoy TOMP and I share part of its love for Daredevil. Most of the articles are real amusing!
About the new team in Daredevil, I can’t give any opinion, becouse I don’t know them but I’ve a suggestion… No more Elektra, please! Having Murdock still in… love? lust? for his psycho college girlfriend is dull. I’ve never understand the fascination many people has with Ms Natchios. I mean, exept for the aesthetics and some good histories 30 years ago, the character is shallow. Murdock has had much more meaningful relations. Heck, even Heather Glenn was more interesting than that obsession!