DAREDEVIL #15

[ I DARE YOU TO BUY ] 

Don't blame it on the sunshine. Don't blame it on the moonlight. Don't blame it on the good times. Blame it on editorial edict, spearheaded by a prime time television show, which caused Mark Waid and Chris Samnee to create the following comic book, published by Marvel, in April, 2015. Oogie!!

To QUOTE Jean Racine: 'There are no secrets that time does not reveal'.

THE STORY:

Word to the wise. If you're ever thinking about pissing off the Shroud, please don't. Because if you do, I bet you anything he'll find a way of electronically broadcasting all of your secrets across the city.

I mean, you just ask our pal Matt Murdock what he's done to him! Not only did he show how Matt helped fake Foggy Nelsons death, but on top of that, he also highlighted Kirsten's parental loss, as well as a number of other secrets relating to his past clients.

Oh! And if you think that's bad, to make matters even worse, once the Mayor of San Francisco spots Matt hanging out with the daughter of a known felon, the Owl, she too wants to hang him out to dry.

But don't fret, my friend. Matt being Matt, eventually he hatches a cunning plan that might be able to get him out of this mess. A big fat plan involving a big fat crime boss who he thought was long dead.

THE GOOD:

On the whole I'd say this issue of Daredevil was one of those issues where we see Matt jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Basically, it's a dire series of events, and relays these scenarios showing Matt loosing his hope, his status, and his face with those people he's grown fond of over the years (like Kirsten and Foggy). Resulting, surprise-surprise, in Matt having to do something he doesn't really want to do.

Obviously, I don't want to tell you what this particular something is for the sake of spoilers. Yet what I will say, dear reader; is that thanks to Chris, once again theirs some amazing set-pieces on offer, where he manages to draw an emotion filled comic with some real emotion behind it. And of course, where there's a Chris there's also a Mark. That's Mark Waid: As Mark's great tale also manages to heighten this emotion without making it feel too staged or too fake by default.

However, whilst I did enjoy this incremental development in the story-line, particularly those scenes where Matt and Owl Junior swapped life stories and such, in the same breath....  

THE BAD:

... I wasn't too keen with how the overall narrative was structured. Well, as I said previously, in essence this tale depicts a number of dire situations for Matt to encounter, and each of them were very one-note in tone (Bad. Badder. And badder still). Furthermore, to make this specific one-sided tone even more monotonous, it isn't really explained why Matt is willing to team-up with the Owls daughter, especially when it seems fairly apparent she's a very shoddy character.

THE MUSIC:

Essentially this story is about exposing secrets under duress. So, with that in mind, how could I not musically match it up to the Fleetwood Mac classic, 'Tell me lies'?

THE COMPARISON:

Do you think it would be cheeky of me to compare this comic book to Julian Assange and the whole WikiLeaks scandal? What with the way they both leaked out information not everyone wanted leaking?

Yes? You do think this would be cheeky of me! Oh! Sorry. I promise I won't do it again (allegedly).   

  

THE CONCLUSION:

At the very end of this issue Matt goes to see someone hoping they'd be able to help him out with his problems. So, just for fun -- fingers crossed -- lets see if you can guess who it is out of the following eight options?

1. Doctor Ruth: Well, Matt's problem might be sexual?
2. Barack Obama: Or even political?
3. Jerry Springer: Better yet, something to do with broadcasting!
4. Captain America: Carrying a shield?
5. Montel Williams: Growing a mustache?
6. Angelina Jolie: Growing a pair of tits?
7. Justin Bieber: F*ck off!!!
8. Wilson Fisk: Damn. Say no more.

Nuff said.