Wilson Fisk Is Dragged Back Into Crime In Daredevil: Gang War

The Good: Fair artwork, Good story, Character development
The Bad: Weak coloring, Missing portions
The Basics: A decent return to form for Wilson Fisk, Daredevil is almos a peripheral character in Daredevil: Gang War


One of the things about a good villain is that, like the hero, they have character arcs. There are very few villain characters that are well-conceived enough to be developed over the long-term, especially in the long-running comic series’. But, with Daredevil, the characters do more than just show back up with a new lamebrained scheme to rule the city/world/etc. Bullseye, one of the more formidable villains in Daredevil books, actually had some arcs and suffered some consequences for his relentless pursuit of Daredevil after some of their encounters where Daredevil thwarted him.

Daredevil: Gang War was written with an appreciation of the history of the character in mind and, as a result, becomes one of Daredevil’s most perilous stories and times. Daredevil: Gang War also reflects an early 1980s attempt to explore real issues in comic books, in this case mental illness and police indifference. As Bullseye, who is suffering from a mental breakdown whereby he sees everyone around him as Daredevil, escapes hospital custody and goes on a killing spree, the police muse about whether or not it would be all right to let the villain simply be killed on the streets. Daredevil, then, faces an intriguing conflict whereby his quest for justice leads him to act to stop Bullseye and save his life at the same time.

Following his nervous breakdown, as Bullseye prepares to go under the knife, he breaks out of the hospital and begins killing people and taking hostages. Daredevil pursues leads to free the hostages and learns quickly that there are more nefarious activities going on in the city. Interrogating Turk, he discovers that the crime bosses of New York City have lined up a $5,000,000 bounty on the head of Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin (who has retired and moved to Japan). On the day Bullseye is released from jail, Wilson Fisk’s wife Vanessa comes to Hell’s Kitchen to retain the services of Nelson & Murdock and is promptly captured by ganglords.

Trailing Bullseye, Daredevil is thrown out a window, but comes to understand that Fisk has files to implicate all of the current crime lords in the City. Posing as a bounty hunter named Shades, Matt Murdock infiltrates Wilson Fisk’s new operation to get the files he needs to end the current crime lords’ reign. When he encounters the Kingpin directly, Turk tries to drown him and this sets off an elaborate game of cat and mouse as the Kingpin reasserts his authority, outwitting both Daredevil and Bullseye to survive.

On every front, Daredevil: Gang War is a satisfying return to form for one of the Marvel Universe’s most compelling (mundane human) villains. Dominating the story in an interesting way, Daredevil: Gang War truly is the story of Wilson Fisk’s return to Hell’s Kitchen. A compelling villain must have motivations, just like a reasonable and good super hero. Wilson Fisk retired, managed to escape prosecution and incarceration and his wife, Vanessa, became a reasonable force of grounding for him. Daredevil: Gang War explores how Wilson reverts to his old ways when he loses that tether. The writer Daredevil: Gang War, Frank Miller, is smart in creating multiple layers to the story and the character. As a result, Wilson Fisk does not simply snap from one change in his environment and life. Daredevil: Gang War is smart enough to create a perfect storm of events that come crashing down around Wilson Fisk.

Wilson Fisk is characterized in Daredevil: Gang War as exceptionally intelligent. He recognizes the plans and machinations of his adversaries because he trained almost all of them and they used to work for him. Rather smartly, Frank Miller develops Fisk and Bullseye at the same time. This allows the final turn of Bullseye to be seen as credible by the reader and the entire story works.

Throughout Daredevil: Gang War, Matt Murdock is preoccupied with the moral implications of him saving Murdock’s life in the opening chapter. Murdock saves the villain’s life and, in exchange, he becomes concerned as to how Bullseye might act now that he has his freedom. This gives Murdock a bit of an internal conflict to deal with while the book focuses on the plot machinations of Wilson Fisk and Bullseye.

The final chapter follows Daredevil’s attempt to find Vanessa Fisk in the literal underground of New York. It is an afterthought that ties up the loose end of Vanessa Fisk’s missing body from the main story in Daredevil: Gang War. The result is interesting and enough to leave one clamoring for the next chapter (Daredevil is a highly serialized storyline).

The artwork in Daredevil: Gang War is good, with a decent sense of movement throughout. Like most Daredevil books from this time period, though, it lacks any subtlety or realism to the colors, so the monotones are fairly unsophisticated. The only other serious issue is the fact that the book – as a compilation of individual comic books – redundantly reminds the reader each chapter of Matt Murdock’s blindness and his super-powered sonar sense.

Still, it is not enough to make one not want to recommend Daredevil: Gang War. Though plot-heavy and lacking in deeper themes, Daredevil: Gang War makes for an entertaining and fast read that is enjoyable.

For other Daredevil books, please check out my reviews of:
The Essential Daredevil Volume 1
Daredevil Vs. Bullseye
Daredevil: Visionaries Volume 1 - Frank Miller
Marked For Death
Born Again
Typhoid Mary
Guardian Devil
Parts Of A Hole
Daredevil: Yellow
Batman/Daredevil - King of New York
Daredevil Noir
Daredevil: Golden Age
The Devil: Inside And Out, Volume 1
The Devil: Inside And Out, Volume 2
Daredevil: Hell To Pay - Volume 1
Daredevil: Hell To Pay - Volume 2
Daredevil: Shadowland
Shadowland
Daredevil: The Official Comic Adaptation

7/10

For other book reviews, please check out my Book Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the book reviews I have written!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Less Auspicious Return To Daredevil Reviews: Daredevil: Marked For Death.

The Good: Artwork and colors are good
The Bad: Melodramatic dialogue, Ridiculous plot resolution, Light on character
The Basics: Daredevil: Marked For Death is a lesser anthology that shows off Frank Miller’s issues of Daredevil.


As I have a whole new local library system (which is basically the entire state of Michigan’s library network), I decided it was a good time to get back into Daredevil books, as my Daredevil Year was surprising stunted by my library’s inability to keep me “well fed” on Daredevil books. So, it was with a heavier heart than I would have liked that my first Daredevil book back was such a complete dud. Daredevil: Marked For Death is essentially a shorter version of the stories contained in Daredevil: Visionaries (reviewed here!). While that book had comic books 158 – 167, Daredevil: Marked For Death only has 159 – 164, less 162.

Daredevil: Marked For Death largely focuses on Bullseye’s latest attempt to kill Daredevil, this time using Natasha Romanoff. But, after that, the book falls apart into vignettes that feature the Hulk or retell the Daredevil origin story.

Beginning with “Marked For Murder,” mercenaries are hired to kill Daredevil and they, of course, fail horribly. In the process, Daredevil learns that Bullseye has resurfaced and is the one calling the play. Eager to stop the villainous Bullseye, Daredevil leaves the Black Widow wide open and he must once again risk his friends and loved ones to put Bullseye away.

“Blind Alley” follows as a pointless one-shot in which the Hulk returns to New York City and Daredevil tries to reason with him. Beaten to within an inch of his life, Matt Murdock is crippled and left for dead, which is where “Expose” finds him. In that chapter, Ben Urich reveals to the wounded Daredevil that he knows his mundane identity and the origin of Daredevil is recounted yet again in the guise of Urich’s story which he must decide to print or to sit upon.

Daredevil: Marked For Death instantly suffers, not because of the artwork which is well-drawn and magnificently colored in this book, from the lack of character development. Daredevil is so formulaic in this volume that it becomes irksome to read. There is no thrill in watching Daredevil dispatch stop Bullseye because it does not seem to be that much of a challenge. In fact, the ultimate resolution to that is unfortunately droll. The Hulk chapter is baffling because it begs the question, “hasn’t anyone else ever tried to reason with the Hulk?!”

In terms of plot, the only engaging chapters are the ones with Bullseye. Given that the Black Widow is not native to Daredevil, there exists the real threat that Romanoff will be killed by Bullseye in the book. So, as Daredevil does his usual acrobatics to try to get to where Bullseye has taken Natasha hostage, there is a decent sense of pacing and movement, as well as storytelling tension.

Because there is an entirely different volume that has quite a bit more to it than this one, there is not enough to recommend Daredevil: Marked For Death. Frank Miller’s artwork is good, but there is another volume that has all this and more.

For other Daredevil books, please check out my reviews of:
The Essential Daredevil Volume 1
Daredevil Vs. Bullseye
Born Again
Typhoid Mary
Guardian Devil
Parts Of A Hole
Daredevil: Yellow
Batman/Daredevil - King of New York
Daredevil Noir
Daredevil: Golden Age
The Devil: Inside And Out, Volume 1
The Devil: Inside And Out, Volume 2
Daredevil: Hell To Pay - Volume 1
Daredevil: Hell To Pay - Volume 2
Daredevil: Shadowland
Shadowland
Daredevil: The Official Comic Adaptation

3/10

For other book reviews, please be sure to check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Daredevil: Born Again Is Not Really A Rebirth, But It Is A Decent Daredevil Anthology!

The Good: Some decent artwork, Surprisingly vital story, Good character development.
The Bad: A few real niggling character questions, Divergence with Captain America near the end
The Basics: Daredevil overcomes my general loathing of superhero invincibility with a story wherein Fisk finally learns Daredevil's mundane identity and he sets out to ruin Matt Murdock's life with increasingly successful results!


I have a real problem with invincible superheroes. Truth be told, Marvel Comics does it better, giving liabilities to virtually all of their major heroes so there aren't Superman character running around with contrived circumstances needed to take them down. But even Marvel suffers from a commercialism that annoys the crap out of me for a simple conceit they share with DC, which is the unwillingness to diminish their brand. Yup, I'm talking about the Big D. Death. It comes for us all and it seems like most superheroes - save Wonder Woman, who comes from an immortal race and is a godly creature, and Wolverine, whose superpower of exceptional healing ability - have a mortality and yet the comic manufacturer's refuse to kill them off. Yes, I am an advocate of permanent, irrevocable death for superheroes and not the cheesy faux-deaths like Batman: R.I.P. (reviewed here) or the commercial event currently going on "The Death Of Spider-man." The irony being that Wonder Woman has died a couple of times now, while mortal characters like Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan, and Matt Murdock never seem to stay dead all that long.

So, it was with pretty low expectations that I picked up Daredevil: Born Again as part of my Daredevil Year. The graphic novel, written by Frank Miller, is considered one of the classic Daredevil stories by the fans and it holds up fairly well for those who are more casual readers of the series. Outside changes in some of the artwork and a few niggling character questions Daredevil: Born Again only truly suffers because of how rushed the story seems. With a basic premise that involves the Kingpin slowly dismantling Matt Murdock's life, Daredevil: Born Again suffers some from how fast that downward spiral is presented, when conceptually it ought to have been drawn out more.

In the 1980s, Karen Page - former lover of Matt Murdock and secretary at Nelson & Murdock - is in Mexico, strung out on heroin. Crazy for a fix, she sells out Daredevil's mundane alter ego to a dealer for a fix. Six weeks later, that information comes to Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin and he spends six months studying the information and Matt Murdock. While all those who had knowledge of Matt Murdock's ties to Daredevil are wiped out, Fisk has the IRS audit Murdock, his mortgage company threaten eviction and a police officer accuse Murdock of criminal activities. This comes on the heels of Nelson & Murdock disbanding and Matt's girlfriend, Glori dumping him.

When the trial costs Matt Murdock his law license, Murdock despairs and he is clued into the Kingpin's involvement when his home is destroyed. Murdock, alone and pushing away Ben Urich, Foggy Nelson and a concerned Glori, heads into the Kingpin's lair where he makes a sloppy attempt on Fisk's life. With Murdock presumed dead by everyone but Fisk after an attempted drowning, Murdock slowly heals among the nuns while Ben Urich tries to expose Wilson Fisk's empire, at peril to his wife and his hands. As Matt Murdock puts his life back together, he prepares for an ultimate showdown with Fisk, which forces the Kingpin into a reckless arrangement with a madman.

Daredevil: Born Again had me up until the last chapters . . . and the rushed beginning. It might not be Miller's fault, but the book feels like it is coming in in the middle of something else without a recap before the beginning. At the outset, Nelson & Murdock is no more and I had no idea how the law firm collapsed. That said, the bit involving Fisk hiring Nuke felt like a desperate attempt to have Daredevil connect with the larger Marvel Universe. It becomes a pretty cheap attempt to have Captain America make an appearance and that feels positively lame. Had the book stayed as focused upon the Fisk/Murdock conflict without the distracting fight that felt more like a Hollywood special effects throwdown than part of this particular story, I would have scored the book even higher.

That said, Daredevil: Born Again does quite a bit right. The book has Fisk smart enough to figure out that Matt Murdock probably isn't dead, whatwith the lack of a body in the far he sent into the Hudson River. That's the sort of detail I enjoy. Fisk figures that Murdock is still alive, so while he sets his forces against Ben Urich, he physically prepares for the battle with Murdock he knows is coming. Unfortunately, the Nuke portion of the graphic novel - that could have nicely played to Fisk's desperation in the circumstances - does not read as quite as vital or character-derived.

As for the artwork, Penciler David Mazzacchelli does a fine job. For the anthology, the colors are rich, but Mazzacchelli deserves a lot of credit. All of the characters are recognizable and he has a great eye for the details of human expression. So, for example, on page 139, Glori's expression of loss and hurt is great. Similarly, on page 113, Karen Page's skeletal visage is a perfect representation of a drug addict that would be far more effective than "Just Say No" to youngsters!

Daredevil: Born Again is a decent graphic novel and the standalone of issue 226 "Warriors" helps to make the Melvin Potter portion of the main story make more sense. The graphic novel might not be perfect, but it is exactly what it claimed to be from the press on the back: one of the truly essential Daredevil storylines.

For other Daredevil books, please check out my reviews of:
The Essential Daredevil Volume 1
Daredevil Vs. Bullseye
Daredevil: Visionaries Volume 1 - Frank Miller
Typhoid Mary
Guardian Devil
Parts Of A Hole
Daredevil: Yellow
Batman/Daredevil - King of New York
Daredevil Noir

7/10

For other book reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller – Volume 1 Might Have Introduced A Master Artist, But The Stories Still Meander.

The Good: One or two moments of character, Artwork and colors are good
The Bad: Melodramatic dialogue, Pointless/unmotivated villains, Repetitive plots
The Basics: While Frank Miller’s artwork arguably is the selling point of Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller – Volume 1, the stories inside do not encourage the reader’s attention.


As my Daredevil Year progresses, I have gotten to a nice place where I actually have a little time to keep up with my reading and regularly review the Daredevil books I am encountering. The more I do, the more I am finding that Daredevil is a one-trick pony. In fact, arguably the real problem with Daredevil is that he was not ambitiously enough created. Daredevil is the guardian of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City in the Marvel universe and when one considers that New York City is also guarded by Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four (at least in the comic anthologies I have been reading), Daredevil’s myopic little corner of the world seems pretty inconsequential. I mention this at the outset of my review of Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller – Volume 1 because the main selling point of the volume is the penciler Frank Miller as opposed to any Daredevil plot points.

There is a reason for that weird plugging of Daredevil. Frank Miller went on to draw and/or write Kick-Ass, The Dark Knight Returns and Sin City. So, Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller – Volume 1 is selling the early works of the artist and that’s about all it has going for it. The anthology, which features Daredevil comics 158 – 167 and they are a surprisingly meandering collection of Daredevil stories that are more connected by the melodramatic personal life of Matt Murdock than by any criminal enterprise threatening Hell’s Kitchen.

Beginning with “A Grave Mistake,” Matt Murdock is juggling life as Daredevil with being reunited with Natasha Romanoff (the Black Widow). While Matt expresses interest in both Romanoff and Heather Glenn, he is coveted by a wheelchair-bound employee at the office. Kidnapped by the ridiculous Unholy Three, Matt is turned over to the time-bending Death-Stalker. While the backstory of Death-Stalker is intriguing, he is fairly easily dispatched and Daredevil once again goes on with his life.

This is followed by the three-part arc where mercenaries are hired to kill Daredevil and they, of course, fail horribly. In the process, Daredevil learns that Bullseye has resurfaced and is the one calling the play. Eager to stop the villainous Bullseye, Daredevil leaves the Black Widow wide open and he must once again risk his friends and loved ones to put Bullseye away.

“Blind Alley” follows as a pointless one-shot in which the Hulk returns to New York City and Daredevil tries to reason with him. Beaten to within an inch of his life, Matt Murdock is crippled and left for dead, which is where “Expose” finds him. In that chapter, Ben Urich reveals to the wounded Daredevil that he knows his mundane identity and the origin of Daredevil is recounted yet again in the guise of Urich’s story which he must decide to print or to sit upon.

As pointless as the Hulk episode is, the equally out-of-synch “Arms Of The Octopus” finds Doctor Octopus wreaking havoc in Daredevil’s neck of the woods when an adamantium shipment is passing through and the super-villain decides to hijack it. Eager to create adamantium arms for his contraption, Doc Ock tries to kill Daredevil and take Heather Glen hostage. The only point of this chapter seems to be to make the relationship between Matt Murdock and Heather more murky once again and to give Romanoff the reason to leave that she needs to put her back wherever in the Marvel Universe she is supposed to be. But outside the fight scenes, the chapter reads like a very lame soap opera where the female characters are needy and dripping all over the male lead and it’s just insulting to everyone to read it now.

“’Till Death Do Us Part!” has Foggy marrying Debbie Harris at the inopportune moment when the Gladiator resurfaces and takes hostages in a museum. Motivated by love for his psychotherapist, the Gladiator still needs to be put down by Daredevil. This leads to the final chapter, “The Mauler” where a party Matt Murdock is at is interrupted by the Mauler. The Mauler is a remarkably sympathetic villain whose point seems to be to show that economic downturns truly do lead good people to a life of crime. Unfortunately, what it actually illustrates to readers is how bratty Heather is to Matt and it is tiresome to see near-invincible men being treated like complete tools by the most ordinary female foils.

That brings me back for the analysis of the entire volume. Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller – Volume 1 instantly suffers, not because of the artwork which is well-drawn and magnificently colored in this book, from the lack of characters that pop and plots that are entirely, disappointingly, repetitive. Daredevil is so formulaic in this volume that it becomes irksome to read. There is no thrill in watching Daredevil dispatch Death-Stalker, The Mauler, The Gladiator or Doctor Octopus because there is absolutely no doubt in the reader’s mind that he will succeed. The Hulk chapter is baffling because it begs the question, “hasn’t anyone else ever tried to reason with the Hulk?!”

In terms of plot, the only engaging chapter are the ones with Bullseye. Given that the Black Widow is not native to Daredevil, there exists the real threat that Romanoff will be killed by Bullseye in the book. So, as Daredevil does his usual acrobatics to try to get to where Bullseye has taken Natasha hostage, there is a decent sense of pacing and movement, as well as storytelling tension.

On the character front, only “The Mauler” is an interesting villain with a real developed story to him. While Death-Stalker’s tale fits into the larger Daredevil universe well, the Mauler has a more universal and sympathetic character to it.

Even so, it is not enough to recommend Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller – Volume 1. Frank Miller’s artwork is good, but given that one of the villains is more interesting than any of the protagonists, the volume flounders some. For those who want soap opera super heroes, this is a worthwhile book. For the rest of us, it can be passed by safely.

For other Daredevil books, please check out my reviews of:
The Essential Daredevil Volume 1
Daredevil Vs. Bullseye
Typhoid Mary
Guardian Devil
Batman/Daredevil - King of New York

5/10

For other book reviews, please be sure to check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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A Lousy Daredevil Anthology That Ends Well: Daredevil Vs. Bullseye

The Good: Moments of character, Moments of story, Moments of artwork.
The Bad: Bullseye's origin is pretty lame, Fractured stories in between, Missing "episodes," Static artwork.
The Basics: Right before the feature film Daredevil, Marvel Comics reprinted the "essential" Bullseye-related comics in an anthology that falls pretty flat.


Unlike many people, I enjoyed the cinematic rendering of Daredevil (reviewed here!). I thought it was a cool idea that was well-executed by a pretty amazing cast. It might be because I appreciated the film that I have made 2011 my "Daredevil Year" as I try to make my way through the collection of assorted graphic novels and trade paperback anthologies on the market pertaining to the hero, Daredevil. Unfortunately, I'm finding many of the works are dated, campy, repetitive or just plain bad. The latest to follow that trend is Daredevil Vs. Bullseye. Daredevil Vs. Bullseye was actually released right before the film Daredevil hit theaters and in many ways I am glad I did not find this volume before I saw the film.

Daredevil borrows much from Daredevil Vs. Bullseye, both in terms of story and in visual style. There are key moments that appeared in the comic books anthologized here that ended up in the movie and the truth is, they worked better in the film because they were given more time to breathe and resonate, like Bullseye impaling Elektra on her own weapon. The first real strike against Daredevil Vs. Bullseye is that it is not a single story, nor is it truly all of the best of the conflicts between Daredevil and the villainous Bullseye. Instead, it is a compilation of six comics from 1976, 77, 81, 82, and 83 which feature the origins, some of the recurrences and demise of Bullseye. What is particularly annoying is that some of Bullseye's adventures happen in the middle of other storylines or there are missing bits - like, apparently, a chapter where Bullseye kidnaps Matt Murdock - which are not included in Daredevil Vs. Bullseye.

More than that, some of the dialogue is dated and there is a campy quality to much of the interactions between Daredevil and Bullseye that reads as awfully cheesy. The two men banter as they fight and one has to wonder if the late-1970's audience truly needed that much exposition. As it is, Bullseye is one of Daredevil's most formidable recurring villains and Daredevil Vs. Bullseye features some key struggles between the vigilante and the villain.

The book opens with the two-part story of Bullseye's origins. For those who don't know, Bullseye is a simple robber who extorts his victims for money and if they do not pay, he kills them by throwing objects at them. Bullseye's villainous gift is the absolute ability to hit anything by throwing it. He tosses paper, knives, cards, and shoots firearms all with the exact same lethal intensity and accuracy. He arrives in Hell's Kitchen and makes a demonstration of holding up two rich people before Daredevil intervenes. The blind vigilante encounters Bullseye and must attempt to stop him, though Bullseye's sense of theatrics puts the pair in the middle of a circus ring to fight publicly to the death.

It is that sense of theatrics which rules the story that follows, almost a year later. Daredevil is tracking the man he knows to be Bullseye and stops him from stealing a rare firearm, though the man gets away. Irked at being delayed by Daredevil yet again, Bullseye takes hostages at a television station and threatens to kill his hostages if Daredevil does not show up for a battle to the death.

"Devils" finds Bullseye going mad. Suffering from hallucinations wherein headaches cause him to see everyone around him as Daredevil, Bullseye begins a random spree of killings. He finds his way to a movie theater where he takes two men hostage. Following the cough of one of the two old men, Daredevil tracks Bullseye and finds himself in a position to reveal his flawed humanity when he must choose to kill Bullseye or get him the medical attention he desperately needs.

That choice pretty much comes back to bite Daredevil in the ass in "Last Hand" when Bullseye makes a prison break and discovers that the Kingpin has replaced him with Elektra as his chief assassin. Enraged, Bullseye decides to hurt Matt Murdock and crush Daredevil at the same time by killing Elektra, an act which puts Daredevil in a moral quandary explored in the book's final chapter.

Daredevil Vs. Bullseye is missing key elements, like how Bullseye and the Kingpin ever end up doing anything together. That is entirely absent from this book, despite it being a key motivation in the later chapters. So, there is a very fractured sense throughout Daredevil Vs. Bullseye.

Add to that, outside the moralizing of the final chapter, Daredevil Vs. Bullseye suffers greatly because there is no real character development. While Bullseye is given a fair amount of characterization - in fact, quite a bit more than most comic book villains - it is presented largely through initial exposition and it never moves beyond the original scope of the character. In other words, he is set in stone at the beginning and never changes from that in this book. On the hero front, what leads Daredevil to his decision in the penultimate chapter of this book is not clear because so much of the story in between the chapter prior and the battle between Bullseye and Elektra is absent.

What the book has is fairly good artwork, though even much of that has a surprisingly static feel to it. There is much better movement between panels than within each panel. Like many of the older comic books I have read of late, Daredevil Vs. Bullseye reads like a series of snapshots with dialogue instead of a fluid experience, like a filmstrip.

In the final analysis, this book is good in that it explains and explores the essential Daredevil villain and it ends well with a less-action oriented story that takes on the always timely problem of children with handguns. But it is not a satisfying reading experience and while the colors have been restored to look bright and potent, it does not improve the frequently banal series of conflicts between Daredevil and the showboating Bullseye.

For other Daredevil books, please check out my reviews of:
The Essential Daredevil Volume 1
Typhoid Mary
Guardian Devil
Batman/Daredevil - King of New York

4/10

For other book reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.




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