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caitcoy's review
4.0
The first volume of Hell to Pay covers issues 94-99 and it's basically Matt and Milla time.
It opens with a look at the strain that Matt's actions and history as Daredevil put on his relationship with his wife Milla Donovan. She's been remarkably supportive of him because she understands that it's an embedded part of who he is but it's hard to blame Milla for not being one hundred percent okay with her husband risking his life every night to fight the never ending crime. There's no way you wouldn't constantly be worried every night and poor Milla seems to be having a hard time coping with it. I will admit that I miss seeing self-assured, confident Milla vs helpless bystander Milla but it's hard not to feel sympathetic towards her.
Then things start to unravel in Daredevil's world. His old foe Melvin Potter, AKA The Gladiator, appears to have snapped even more violently than usual. The troubled but otherwise gentle man has turned homicidal and claims to not be in control of himself at all. Matt decides to try to get to the bottom of it and starts finding out that someone has planned for every contingency and in no way intends to let him get to the bottom of it before the trap is sprung.
Brubaker excels at this kind of gritty crime plot that just seems to get more sinister the further you read. I had no idea who the villain was when he was finally revealed at the end of the volume and it still had me dreading what was going to happen next.
The artwork continues to be good without being on the Maleev gorgeous level but it still works very well with Brubaker's style.
Another good addition to the Brubaker/Lark run on Daredevil and had me worried about where Brubaker was taking Daredevil, with good reason.
It opens with a look at the strain that Matt's actions and history as Daredevil put on his relationship with his wife Milla Donovan. She's been remarkably supportive of him because she understands that it's an embedded part of who he is but it's hard to blame Milla for not being one hundred percent okay with her husband risking his life every night to fight the never ending crime. There's no way you wouldn't constantly be worried every night and poor Milla seems to be having a hard time coping with it. I will admit that I miss seeing self-assured, confident Milla vs helpless bystander Milla but it's hard not to feel sympathetic towards her.
Then things start to unravel in Daredevil's world. His old foe Melvin Potter, AKA The Gladiator, appears to have snapped even more violently than usual. The troubled but otherwise gentle man has turned homicidal and claims to not be in control of himself at all. Matt decides to try to get to the bottom of it and starts finding out that someone has planned for every contingency and in no way intends to let him get to the bottom of it before the trap is sprung.
Brubaker excels at this kind of gritty crime plot that just seems to get more sinister the further you read. I had no idea who the villain was when he was finally revealed at the end of the volume and it still had me dreading what was going to happen next.
The artwork continues to be good without being on the Maleev gorgeous level but it still works very well with Brubaker's style.
Another good addition to the Brubaker/Lark run on Daredevil and had me worried about where Brubaker was taking Daredevil, with good reason.
crookedtreehouse's review
3.0
A massive step down from Brubaker's original story, we begin with a retelling of the back half of the Bendis/first part of Brubaker run through the eyes of his wife, Milla. You learn nothing new, and I didn't feel any more connected to Milla than I did before I read it.
From there, the story focuses on Melvin Potter, aka Gladiator, who had a small role in the Bendis run, but was a major character in 20th century Daredevil stories. The Potter portion of the story is fine. I like the ambiguity around it, and that you're not sure where the story is headed.
There is, of course, a twist at the end of the story. And whle it's not M Knight Shamylan bad, it left me scratching my head. It seemed more soap opera twist than noir twist, and I'm not sure I find it believable. I'm about to pick up the next volume and see how it gets resolved.
Overall, though, this was a big disappointment. It's three stars because the story is still interesting, it's just rare misstep in this series.
From there, the story focuses on Melvin Potter, aka Gladiator, who had a small role in the Bendis run, but was a major character in 20th century Daredevil stories. The Potter portion of the story is fine. I like the ambiguity around it, and that you're not sure where the story is headed.
There is, of course, a twist at the end of the story. And whle it's not M Knight Shamylan bad, it left me scratching my head. It seemed more soap opera twist than noir twist, and I'm not sure I find it believable. I'm about to pick up the next volume and see how it gets resolved.
Overall, though, this was a big disappointment. It's three stars because the story is still interesting, it's just rare misstep in this series.
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