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aceinit's review against another edition
4.0
Review is for the single-issue comics contained in this collection.
SPOILERS may follow.
3.5 stars, rounded up for the considerable improvement over the previous volume.
First thing’s first: In this installment of Daredevil, everyone has the proper number of fingers. Which is the kind of sentence I never thought I’d write in a review, much less be grateful to write, but here we are.
Soule’s first Daredevil arc was almost enough to make me cancel my subscription to the series. I was not a fan of the black suit, of Matt as a DA, of the disappearance of Kirsten McDuffy, or of the weird cult of many-fingered mystics bent on harnessing stolen Hand magic.
There are still a lot of mysteries being hinted at in this collection, and given Marvel’s leaning towards shorter and shorter runs before rebooting heroes yet again, I’m not convinced any of them will be answered in a meaningful way, but storytelling here is a bit different from the first arc, and focuses more on the familiar. We see the return of Elektra in a story which hints that whomever Daredevil made his secret bargain with isn’t entirely happy with the situation, or at least not above messing with him. In Macau and Hong Kong, Daredevil teams up with Spider-Man to track down a briefcase whose contents will have a potentially devastating effect on the crimelords and ladies of New York City. Foggy Nelson also makes his first appearance in Soule’s run, though he and Matt are no longer quite as close as they used to be. Perhaps best of all, Daredevil teams up with Echo to stop a sonic-based threat.
The return of so many classic characters in one arc feels a bit like overkill, but it’s also a welcome return to the familiar things that made Daredevil great. Seeing Spidey and Echo and Foggy and Elektra again restored a bit of my faith in the series. The shorter storytelling, with each story taking up only 1 or 2 issues, was a nice change of pace as well. Each tale was tightly written, and serves to oh-so-slightly pull back the curtain a bit regarding the mystery bargain Matt Murdock struck to erase the world’s memory that he is Daredevil.
And because I don’t thoroughly hate the story this time around, I’ve been able to sit back and appreciate the art a bit more, particularly the coloring, and realize it’s a great fit for the series.
I’m glad that I’m able to say this volume was a lot more enjoyable than its predecessor. Being without monthly Daredevil comics in my life was something I really didn’t want to consider.
SPOILERS may follow.
3.5 stars, rounded up for the considerable improvement over the previous volume.
First thing’s first: In this installment of Daredevil, everyone has the proper number of fingers. Which is the kind of sentence I never thought I’d write in a review, much less be grateful to write, but here we are.
Soule’s first Daredevil arc was almost enough to make me cancel my subscription to the series. I was not a fan of the black suit, of Matt as a DA, of the disappearance of Kirsten McDuffy, or of the weird cult of many-fingered mystics bent on harnessing stolen Hand magic.
There are still a lot of mysteries being hinted at in this collection, and given Marvel’s leaning towards shorter and shorter runs before rebooting heroes yet again, I’m not convinced any of them will be answered in a meaningful way, but storytelling here is a bit different from the first arc, and focuses more on the familiar. We see the return of Elektra in a story which hints that whomever Daredevil made his secret bargain with isn’t entirely happy with the situation, or at least not above messing with him. In Macau and Hong Kong, Daredevil teams up with Spider-Man to track down a briefcase whose contents will have a potentially devastating effect on the crimelords and ladies of New York City. Foggy Nelson also makes his first appearance in Soule’s run, though he and Matt are no longer quite as close as they used to be. Perhaps best of all, Daredevil teams up with Echo to stop a sonic-based threat.
The return of so many classic characters in one arc feels a bit like overkill, but it’s also a welcome return to the familiar things that made Daredevil great. Seeing Spidey and Echo and Foggy and Elektra again restored a bit of my faith in the series. The shorter storytelling, with each story taking up only 1 or 2 issues, was a nice change of pace as well. Each tale was tightly written, and serves to oh-so-slightly pull back the curtain a bit regarding the mystery bargain Matt Murdock struck to erase the world’s memory that he is Daredevil.
And because I don’t thoroughly hate the story this time around, I’ve been able to sit back and appreciate the art a bit more, particularly the coloring, and realize it’s a great fit for the series.
I’m glad that I’m able to say this volume was a lot more enjoyable than its predecessor. Being without monthly Daredevil comics in my life was something I really didn’t want to consider.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
3.0
LOL, okay, we get it.
Daredevil's sidekick is Blindspot, who is an undocumented immigrant, so he can't get a good job or healthcare or whatever. And Matt Murdock sort of solves this problem by hiring him, but...couldn't a lawyer figure out a better way, like maybe, I dunno, helping this dude get his citizenship so this isn't a problem anymore?
I do think this is a hilarious problem for a superhero to have. Because here's how its laid out:
A) Undocumented superheroes don't have healthcare: I guess so, but does Daredevil have, like, BCBS? No, he sends Blindspot to a secret doctor lady who patches up vigilantes. So this seems pretty much the same? Maybe Steve Rogers is like the only superhero with a pension?
B) Undocumented superheroes can't work with the police: Really? Because they seem to work with Daredevil despite never seeing his face and just showing up to a scene with a bunch of dudes with more bones broken than intact.
C) Blindspot can's patent his cool invisibility suit because he's not a citizen: This is not true! Any person, regardless of their citizenship, can file a US patent.
D) Blindspot doesn't have the money to file for a patent: Well, okay, it's expensive. But a guy who invented invisibility that runs off of AA batteries can't come up with a way to pull together $10,000? Couldn't he just beat the shit out of drug dealers, take their cash, and use that? I mean, maybe that's against superhero code, but what kind of code lets you break someone's face and would tsk when you took their wallet? ALSO, couldn't Daredevil hook this kid up with Reed Richards or something? Wouldn't that take all of 10 minutes? Peter Parker? Tony Stark? Any number of people he could trust and who have done this shit like a thousand times over?
Daredevil's sidekick is Blindspot, who is an undocumented immigrant, so he can't get a good job or healthcare or whatever. And Matt Murdock sort of solves this problem by hiring him, but...couldn't a lawyer figure out a better way, like maybe, I dunno, helping this dude get his citizenship so this isn't a problem anymore?
I do think this is a hilarious problem for a superhero to have. Because here's how its laid out:
A) Undocumented superheroes don't have healthcare: I guess so, but does Daredevil have, like, BCBS? No, he sends Blindspot to a secret doctor lady who patches up vigilantes. So this seems pretty much the same? Maybe Steve Rogers is like the only superhero with a pension?
B) Undocumented superheroes can't work with the police: Really? Because they seem to work with Daredevil despite never seeing his face and just showing up to a scene with a bunch of dudes with more bones broken than intact.
C) Blindspot can's patent his cool invisibility suit because he's not a citizen: This is not true! Any person, regardless of their citizenship, can file a US patent.
D) Blindspot doesn't have the money to file for a patent: Well, okay, it's expensive. But a guy who invented invisibility that runs off of AA batteries can't come up with a way to pull together $10,000? Couldn't he just beat the shit out of drug dealers, take their cash, and use that? I mean, maybe that's against superhero code, but what kind of code lets you break someone's face and would tsk when you took their wallet? ALSO, couldn't Daredevil hook this kid up with Reed Richards or something? Wouldn't that take all of 10 minutes? Peter Parker? Tony Stark? Any number of people he could trust and who have done this shit like a thousand times over?
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of an odd Daredevil reboot. Apparently Matt has made everyone forget that he's Daredevil. So all the people he re-meets are just a little bit confused, whether Elektra or Peter Parker. But the writing and art and stories are good. Matt gambling in Macau was especially well done, at least until the fighting started. There seems to be a little something missing. But still pretty good. 3.5 of 5.
emmafong's review against another edition
3.0
elektra and spider-man my beloveds <3 they rlly saved this volume for me
varasa's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
luxuryofsorrow's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
beorn_101's review against another edition
2.0
A little disappointing after the great start of volume 1. This got bogged down in sub plots with Elektra, and basically had no Blindspot, who I found the most interesting part of volume 1.
Hoping volume 3 is better.
Hoping volume 3 is better.