Daredevil #25 Review

DAREDEVIL #25
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Marcio Menyz
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Release Date: December 2, 2020
Cover Price: $3.99
Publisher: Marvel Comics

What It’s about…

“DOING TIME” Starts Here!
After a landmark year that put Daredevil through the wringer, this December, CHIP ZDARSKY and MARCO CHECCHETTO are dropping the Man Without Fear into familiar territory: behind bars. But there are no conspiracies against Daredevil to be found here – just the truth that his actions led to a man’s death.
Faced with the reality and consequences of his actions, will Daredevil have the stomach to serve his term? Worse still, facing down a prison’s worth of criminals he helped put away, will he survive it?
Rated T+

What I thought about it…

The landmark Daredevil #25 opens with a flashback of Elektra and Matt back in their more romantic college days. in the flashback, Matt confesses his love for Elektra, who in return tells him she killed a bunch of guys that day. Chip Zdarsky’s dialogue makes the scene sweet, sexy, and creepy all at the same time. The scene pretty much tells you everything you need to know about their relationship back in the day.

The issue then cuts to the present day where we see Matt in prison, makeshift mask and all. That night, Matt receives a visit from Elektra who has easily broken into the prison and turned the heads of all the inmates. Elektra tells Matt that she knows The Hand is reforming, but she and Stick found something called The Fist which can defeat them. Matt says he’s not interested because he can’t trust Elektra. The rest of Daredevil #25 features Elektra pondering how to get Matt on board with her and Stick’s plan, and if you’ve been following comic book news over the last week, then you know what happens.

Meanwhile, the art by Marco Checchetto is great in this issue. He perfectly balances the straight-up superhero style of traditional Marvel comic books with the grim & gritty look that Daredevil’s title should always have. Checchetto also draws one of the most gorgeous Elektra that I’ve ever seen. I wish I could draw hair the way he does in this issue. Credit also goes to colorist Marcio Menyz because without him, Daredevil #25 would have a different tone.

There isn’t anything in Daredevil #25 that I didn’t like or would change. The Matt/Elektra dynamic has been explored time and time again, but rarely the way Chip Zdarsky does in this book. It’s an odd relationship for sure, but it has a ton of potential to tell more interesting stories going forward. Add to that the stellar art by Marco Checchetto and you got yourself one heck of an opening chapter.

Daredevil #25 Grade: A

Daredevil #1 Review

Daredevil #1  
Written by: Chip Zdarsky
Art by: Marco Checchetto, Chip Zdarsky
Cover Art by Julian Tedesco
Release Date: February 6, 2019
Cover Price: $4.99
Published by: Marvel Comics

What it’s about…

KNOW FEAR.

What I thought about it…

I was somewhat reluctant to try another Daredevil #1 from Marvel Comics. This is after all the sixth or so relaunch for Daredevil since 1998. But while I was at my comic shop this weekend, I heard good things about Daredevil’s new book by Chip Zdarsky
and Marco Checchetto, so I decided to give it a shot. And boy has things changed for good old Matthew Murdock since I last read his book.

As Daredevil #1 opens, Matt’s life is a mess. I might go as far as saying this is worse than ever before. But instead of feeling sorry for the guy, I actually liked seeing Matt down on his luck and in pain. This is something we don’t see out heroes go through often, and it reminded me that despite all his gifts, Matt Murdock is still human.

Chip Zdarsky makes that point even clearer as he writes Matt Murdock as a man recovering from a difficult physical trauma. We’re not told everything that has been happening, but Murdock is desperately trying to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Or perhaps it’s more like forcing himself back to normal?

Anyways, Zdarsky slowly shifts the story back and forth between Matt’s brooding darkness today, and Matt as a kid. This issue has some nice Daredevil action as well, but I gotta say that my favorite part of the book was seeing a young Matt Murdock before his accident.

I don’t remember ever seeing him during this period before, and it was cool to see he’s always had that fighting spirit. Also, his friendship with the priest had some very touching, and some funny moments too.

The plot in Daredevil #1 is quite good, but what really sold me on this comic is the art by Marco Checchetto. With this being a number one issue, Checchetto was able to \establish a new look and tone for the series. Checchetto did an excellent job setting the mood throughout the first issue. In some ways, it reminded me of the Netflix Daredevil show, which is quite a feat to pull off in a comic book.

Parts of the art even have a hazy, dreamlike quality that makes Matt’s world that both realistic and unsettling. Also, Checchetto’s elegant figures capture the intensity and energy of Daredevil’s world. Whether he’s fighting crime or meeting a girl in a bar, Checchetto makes every scene look incredible. The man draws beautiful women too, and some great action scenes.

I don’t know what it is about Daredevil, but he seems to be a character that always brings out the best in any creator, and that’s exactly what’s happened with Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. Their Daredevil #1 works on a number of levels which will leave regular readers happy. But this issue is also a great jumping on point for new readers who want to see what Daredevil is up to these days. No matter which camp you fall into, Daredevil #1 was definitely worth the price.

Daredevil #1 score: A+

Luke Cage Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

After two season of “Daredevil,” and one season of “Jessica Jones,” the Netflix corner of the MArvel Universe feels like home. So each time a new show premiers, it’s a welcomed sight.

For the new series “Luke Cage,” the setting changes from Hell’s kitchen to Harlem. But the change feels natural, and it makes sense if you watched “Jessica Jones” last year. The only problem I had with the first episode of “Luke Cage” was the pacing.

The first episode spends too much time exploring the neighborhood and meeting all the key characters who call this part of Harlem home. I’m not saying it was a bad episode, but it felt slow to me, especially when compared to the rest of the season whihc moves along at a nice pace. And it’s not as if all the character had something to do in this one episode, so why introduce them all at the same time?

However, I did like that at the start of the season Luke Cage (Mike Colter) is isolated and reserved, reeling from his personal history and the more recent events of “Jessica Jones.” The first episode finds Luke working as a janitor at a barber shop and as a dishwasher at a nightclub.

Luke’s story unfolds throughout the series’ flashbacks over the course of the season.  Cage’s early efforts to remain away from the spotlight play to Mike Coker’s strengths as an actor, and gives him room to flesh out the character without punching something. And to his credit, Mike Colter commands the screen in every scene he’s in.

Cage is eventually pitted against criminal cousins Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali) and Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard). Like Colter, both actors are excellent in their respective roles, and both get plenty of scene stealing moments during the season. Especially Woodard, who plays a councilwoman eager to see Harlem reinvigorated, even if it means doing so by questionable means.

The biggest surprise of the show is Simone Missick as Misty Knight. In “Luke Cage,” Missick steals the show as the dynamic, tough, and highly intelligent police detective. To comic readers, Knight is best known as a private eye with a bionic arm courtesy of Tony Stark, but “Luke Cage” shows us Misty before that.

She’s a deeply dedicated cop now forced to navigate a world full of cutthroat criminals and super men. This Misty Knight can school basketball players on the streets of Harlem in a game of Horse, and visualize crime scenes with meticulous, Hannibal-esque detail. She even sweeps Luke Cage off of his feet at Cottonmouth’s nightclub, whole at the same time matching him in the banter department. And that’s just in the first two episodes.

Unlike the previous Marvel shows, “Luke Cage” is more of a character drama. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of action too, but the action felt like an extension of whatever what going on with the main characters. I also enjoyed the way the series used music, often with the help of an actual performance.

At the end of the day “Luke Cage” is not your typical superhero show, and frankly, I liked that.

“Luke Cage” final score: 8.5

“Luke Cage” season 1 is available now on Netflix.

SDCC: Netflix/Marvel roundup

SDCC 2016 day one is in the books, and for me, some of the biggest news of the day  came from Marvel and Netflix.

Fans have already met Marvel TV’s “street-level” superheroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. And soon, Luke Cage will star in his own show,  next year we’ll be introduced to Iron Fist, and later all of the shows will collide in the Netflix crossover mini-series, titled “The Defenders.”

Well yesterday, we got our first extended look at the “Luke Cage” show, and a sneak peek at “Iron Fist.” There was also a very interesting first look at “The Defenders,” check it all out below:

Luke Cage looks awesome. Good move showing him in action, and nice choise of music too. All I really ask of this show is that Jessica Jones makes a cameo at least.

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Very quick look at the upcoming “Iron Fist” series. Too early to sy if this is going to be good or not, buy I’m hoping this show is a bit like the highly underrated “Immortal Iron Fist” comic from several years ago.

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Nothing new here in terms of footage, but I am surprised they used the Nick Fury speech from the first Iron Man movie. I figured after the Marvel movie division broke apart from the TV/comics side, they would just ignore each other. So does this mean we might get some Netflix heroe cameos in Infinity War?

The changing room

Despite a few good stories here and there, the 1990’s were not the best time for the comic book business. From gimmick covers to cheap stunts, the 1990’s were littered with bad comics.

But there is another aspect we often forget when talking about 90’s comics: the terrible, and horrible costumes. Here are a few of the costumes I hated the most in my teen years:

Daredevil

As most comic book fans know, this wasn’t Daredevil’s first costume change. Early in his career, DD switched from a yellow suit to his famous all red one, but this 1993 change was too extreme for fans.

Like many heroes during the early 1990’s, Daredevil went through a rough patch in which he suffered a bit an identity crisis. Things got so bad for ‘Ol Hornhead that at one point he faked his own death in the “Fall From Grace” storyline, making way for the all-new, all-different Daredevil!

Matt Murdock was still under the mask, but the famous red suit was gone, replaced with a red and gray scheme with huge protecting padding on his shoulders and knees.

Maybe the original idea was for Daredevil to become the new NFL SuperPro? That at least would have made more sense, and maybe a better story. Bwahahaha!

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AzBat

In 1993, Bruce Wayne was replaced as Batman when Bane broke his back during the “Knightfall” saga. Feeling that Gotham still needed Batman, Bruce Wayne turned the cowl over to not his former partner Dick Grayson, but to the mentally unstable Jean-Paul Valley, also known as Azrael, who’d only been around for about a year.

Jean-Paul Valley immediately put his stamp on the Dark Knight by adding claws to the suit’s gloves. But that wasn’t enough for young Jean-Paul, within a couple of issues, he outfitted the Batman costume with spikes, blades, guns and other assorted weapons.

The new Batman looked more like Bat-tank than a man, and how he fit in the Batmobile is beyond me. Oh wait, if I recall correctly, Jean-Paul stopped ussing the Batmobiel for a while in favor of a rocket train thing.

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Invisible Woman

A long time ago in a Fantastic Four story ,Sue Storm, aka, the Invisible Woman, was possessed by Malice, a dark part of her personality. For reasons I never quite understood, Marvel returned to the storyline in the early 90s.

From what I can remember, the remaining aspects of Malice were awakened during a battle in the Infinity War saga. The reemergence of Malice caused Sue to act erratically, becoming more aggressive as both a member of the Fantastic Four, on the battlefield, and at home.

The most ridiculous change to Sue’s character was her costume. Gone was the traditional Fantastic Four blue/dark jump suit and in its place was … well… the bad girl version of Sue Storm, I guess?

This all happened in the pre internet days, but I’m guessing there was a backlash to the costume change, because within a couple of issues Sue started wearing a jacket over the new costume. Another few months went by and now Sue’s suit had pants. I think in less than two or three years she was back in a more traditional costume.

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Punisher 2099

I had high hopes for Marvel’s 2009 line, especially for Punisher 2099. Sadly, the entire line was a disappointment for me and Punisher 2099 was painful to read.

For those of you who haven’t heard of it, Punisher 2099 was set in the future world of 2099, where the sinister Alchemax Corporation runs New York City, and only the people who can afford it are protected by the private police of the Public Eye. The series stars Jake Gallows as the new Punisher.

In the book, Gallows is a special ops officer in the Public Eye, and while he’s frustrated with his orders to only protect citizens who’ve paid up, he doesn’t act on his instincts until his own family is murdered by a psychopath who gets off with a slap on the wrist.

Jake decides to take the law into his own hands, and lucky for him, the police evidence vault has all of Frank Castle’s equipment and his last War Journal entry, which reads “you who find this — I charge you to carry on my work.” And so, the new Punisher is born. How do I know all this Punisher 2099 stuff? Because I recently found issues #1-6 in an storage bin.

Anywho, I should have known I was in for some trouble when I saw Punisher’s new costume. I know this is just a comic book, but how in the world could he move in that suit? And what the hell are those things in his crotch? If this were real life, that suit would take forever to get on and off.

Brr, the 90’s were a scary time for comic books indeed. But if you’d like to read any of the stories I mentioned, be sure to check out the dollar bins, or even the quarter bins at any comic book store.

A few thoughts on Daredevil season 2

Possible spoilers ahead!

Like many others, over the weekend I binged watched season two of “Daredevil.” Considering how good the first season was, I was very excited to see the series return so soon.

I suppose the good news is that if you enjoyed season one, then Season two will more than satisfy your need for the Man Without Fear.

The core cast of leads from last season are back, and some extraordinary new characters (more on them in a moment) are introduced. However, I’d be lying if I said “Daredevil” season two was perfect. Here are a few thoughts on the season in general:

*The first three episodes are very slow, but each one doesn have a great moment or two.

*Season two is very, very dark, and I’m not talking about tone. The cinematography this season is too damn dark. Too often, I could not tell what was going on, or who was fighting who.

*I may be in the minority here, but I loved this version of Elektra. She’s cute, funny, wild, and an assassin to boot.

*Tons of great little nods to Jessica Jones.

*Some of the fight scenes are incredible.

*Ben Urich, you are missed.

*The Punisher deserves his own Netflix series or movie. There are so many stories to tell with this version of the character.

*Stick aged a lot between seasons.

*This season has more gore and violence than ever before.

*I’m very happy Foggy had more to do this season, and that his cop friend became a series regular.

*The plot in Season one flowed easily, while season two was up and down. There was too much stuff going on at times, and not enough at others.

*The Karen Page of the comics went through a lot of stuff over the years: drug addiction, porn star, being framed for murder, etc. But through it all, I never thought Karen was dumb.

I loved the Karen Page character in season one, but something happened in season two. This time, Karen is more naive than ever, gets in trouble constantly, and got kidnapped gawd knows how many times. If there is a season three, I hope we get the Karen from season one back.

When it comes right down to it, “Daredevil” season two is not as good as the first season, but its still worth watching. There’s a lot to like, and there’s also a ton of potential for the future.

“Daredevil” season two final score: 7.5

Trailer Park: Daredevil Season 2 – Official Trailer Part 2

For the most part, I love this trailer. The only things I’m a bit hesitant about are:

1. While I’m happy she has an accent, Elektra doesn’t sound Greek.

2. Her costume is not the best, but… I’m hoping its a work in pregress like Matt’s was in season one.

Other than that, I can’t wait to see season dos.

Trailer Park: Daredevil Netflix Trailer

I’ve only seen 90 something seconds of this show, and ita already better than the 2003 movie.

Charlie Cox stars as the man without fear alongside Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, Scott Glenn as Stick, Elden Henson as Foggy Nelson, Vincent D’Onofrio as The Kingpin, and Peter Shinkoda as original character Hachiro. The all-new, all-different “Daredevil” premieres on Netflix in April 10, 2015.

The Devil you say

Marvel and Netflix’s upcoming Daredevil series has been in the news a lot this past week. First Marvel announced that Drew Goddard was out as the series show runner, but that he would stay on as an executive producer.

A short time later Marvel announced Steven S. DeKnight (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), would take over the series. And now it seems that Marvel has now found its new Daredevil.

Marvel confirmed that “Boardwalk Empire” actor Charlie Cox will be playing Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the Netflix series. In a statement, Marvel said:

Marvel is proud to announce that acclaimed actor Charlie Cox has joined “Marvel’s Daredevil,” an all-new 13-episode series premiering on Netflix in 2015. Best known for his acclaimed work in “Boardwalk Empire” and “Stardust,” Cox will play Matt Murdock, the lead role in this all-new Marvel Television series. Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell’s Kitchen, New York City.

I’ve never watched “Boardwalk Empire,” but he does look like Matt Murdock. How he looks in costume will be another question for later. The Daredevil series is supposed to start shooting in a few weeks, so hopefully we’ll hear more casting announcements soon.

Daredevil is the first of five Marvel shows produced for Netflix. After The Man Without Fear’s show, there will be shows featuring: Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and then finally a team-up of all the characters in The Defenders.

Daredevil premiers on Netflix in 2015.

Netflix Heroes

Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage are coming to Netflix as… The Defenders.

Disney and Netflix announced today that they’ve joined forces to develop a live-action “four series epic,” plus a “miniseries event,” based on a four Marvel characters. Each hero will star in a separate thirteen-episode series. Their storylines will converge in a miniseries evidently called The Defenders, which will “reimagine a dream team of self-sacrificing, heroic characters.”

The saga of the Defenders begins in 2015 with a Daredevil series which hopefully is better than the 2003 Ben Affleck disaster. Daredevil will be followed by series about Jessica Jones, then comes Iron Fist, and finally Luke Cage.

I kinda wish they’d go with Heroes for Hire instead of Defenders, but that’s the old school fan in me talking. I believe if done right, these series have a ton of potential. But if they go the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D route, they won’t work. These shows need to be a bit darker than Agents, especially Daredevil. Still, I for one can’t wait to see who is cast in the roles, who Marvel bring onboard behind the cameras.