DAREDEVIL #18

[ A MUST BUY BOOK ] 

It's finally time to say goodbye. Goodbye. It's finally time to heave a sigh. Heave it baby-doll, heave it! It's finally time to sail, away. Until we meet again, some sunny day. So goodbye, goodbye, I'm leaving you Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, but not Marvel Comics, in September, 2015.

To QUOTE Mark Twain: 'Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please'.

THE REVIEW:

OK. So as this is going to be the last issue of Daredevil created by Mark & Chris for the foreseeable future (touch wood, hopefully not), we've all now got to sit back and ask ourselves one simple question: what can we expect from reading it? Some smashing pieces of artwork illustrated by the one and only, Chris Samnee? An amazing adventure cobbled together by the king of cool, Mark Waid? Plus how about a very thematic based narrative which is one part action, one part resolution, and one part stepping-stone to whatever else may pop up next?

Yes. To all of these questions I have to reply, yes-yes-yes. Like always, Chris's artwork was full of character and stylistically was film-noir meets Austin Powers. Like always, Mark managed to devise a narrative that put Matt in the spotlight, both on an adventurous and personal level. And like always, wow, ka-pow, Shazam! What a story! What a finale! And what an amazing issue!

To me, this was one of those issues which teased us, entertained us, and kind of led us down a garden path we always knew was there. As you most probably have gathered by now, I can't really give you any details pertaining to this so-called path or else I may spoil it for you. That said, however, what I can say is that this issue starts off with a tease, a very special tease, which we all know is false, although the other characters involved believe it to be true. Then, as expected, the tease is revealed, and we're next presented with the final fight between the two main combatants, coff-coff, resulting in an aftermath that's been at the very heart of all of Mark and Chris's story-lines.

I'm talking about the heart of Daredevil, of course, reflected through the eyes of these two great creators. It's always been there, staring at us straight in the face, showing us that Matt, well, this version of Matt, is all about the adventure, the fear, and the truest meaning of the term hero.

Once again, I can't expand upon this too much for the sake of spoilers. Though, from my point of view, it's in the telling which the heart shines through the most. A heart of a hero that we all know is visually impaired yet uses it to his advantage. And that's what Daredevil is all about. Using whatever other people find alarming to the best of his abilities.

THE MUSIC:

For those of you who didn't quite get my somewhat zany introduction, here it is again in a more video based form. My intro, plus for fairly obvious reasons this months musical match-up: 'Goodbye' by Pete and Dud.   

THE COMPARISON:

Would you think it cheeky of me if I compared this Daredevil comic book to a memoir of sorts? You know... a memoir of a great person who had to overcome grate odds in the face of trials and adversity.

No? No you wouldn't? Why thank you most kindly.

  

THE CONCLUSION:

When a series normally comes to an end I try my best to write a list of things we may have learnt from it. OK, I must admit, this may not be the end of this particular series of Daredevil. But that doesn't necessarily mean I shouldn't write a list, this list, of thing's we may have learnt. 

1. San Francisco is a city in America, and New York is a city in America.
2. Mark Waid is really good at getting into the heads of any hero wearing a red costume.
3. Foggy Nelson may look like a fool, but he sure knows how to head-butt people in the chest.
4. You can twist anything.
5. When he was a kid, Chris Samnee must have watched a lot of film-noir and cartoons.
6. Ikari sucks eggs. 
7. Despite his weight, Wilson Fisk will now go on a low-fat no-hero diet.
8. Matt Murdock isn't the man without fear. He is the man who knows fear, and uses it to his advantage.
9. Information may be key, but you still need the key to get the information in the first place.
10. Kirsten McDuffie is a babe.
11. Writing a book is very therapeutic.
12. Some villains are stupid, where as some others are misguided.
13. Stepping into the shoes of Mark and Chris must be very daunting for the next Daredevil creative team.

Nuff said.