DAREDEVIL #26

[ RUNNING FOR A BARGAIN ] 

It must be a pain in the ass to suddenly contract cancer. It must be like a man with no legs who wants to be a dancer. Difficult to comprehend. Hard to tell a friend. And is a perpetual question without any real answer. Yeah. Say no more. Apart from 'Hi' to the Writer: Mark Waid; the Artist: Chris Samnee; and maybe the Publisher: Marvel Comics, in April, 2013.

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 5 questions about this STORY entitled 'Broken, Bloody, Beaten '.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Panic stricken, and running scared from Ikari and his minions, Matt (Daredevil) Murdock has to try and figure out who the hell is behind all those attacks he's been involved with recently. 
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Yeah. In a manner of speaking they are. Thanks to Foggy Nelson and Hank Pym of course.
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: Matt sh*t's himself.
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With a revelation and a face-off in the making. Ka-Pow!
• WHAT'S THE BACK-UP FEATURE ABOUT: Foggy Nelson visits some children with cancer in an adjacent ward to his, and finds out that they love creating comic books.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

I loved that bit in the back-up feature, when one of the kids said to Foggy...

'Duh. It's a comic book'

... in relation to him explaining to them that superheroes couldn't cure their current cancerous condition. I mean, it was like one of those 'D'oh' moments; where the main protagonist is led astray by his or her own train of thought, only to then be brought back down to Earth again in a somewhat grounded fashion.

D'Oh!

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) The desperation omitted from Matt's being throughout this entire issue could have powered a power station for sure. Honestly, it was so tangible; it was like he was a real person with very real emotions.

(+) My God! The back-up feature was bloody fantastic to follow. It was very personal in tone, and it complemented the main story-line without impinging upon it whatsoever. Good one Mark and Chris. I especially liked your little 'in joke' about the comic book fans. That was too exquisite for words.

(+) I loved seeing all those cameos in this comic. Lady-Bullseye. Iron-man. Ant-Man. Etcetera. Etcetera. Etcetera. I thought every single one of them was a smashing addition to this book bar none.

(+) At the end of this issue it is revealed who the bad guy behind all of Matt's troubles really is. And not to give anything away, boy-oh-boy, it's one hell of a great reveal.

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) At a push, the only thing I can find at fault with this adventure is its overall pacing. Maybe it's just me, but I found certain scenes slighting lop sided in the execution, thus making the general narrative come across a bit 'topsy turvy' here and there.

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to two MUSICIANS.

CHET BAKER AS DAREDEVIL: Back in the day Chet was the coolest cat on the Jazz set. Today, you can safely say the exact same thing about Matty boy too.

JOHNNY CASH AS FOGGY NELSON: Maybe this comparison has something to do with me, because in my mind I can envisage Foggy asking someone for some cash. Well, he is a lawyer!

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?

'Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway' -- John Wayne

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'RUNNING SCARED' BY ROY ORBISON: Look at the title of this song. Go on. Loot at it. It's about someone running scared, right? So do I need to say any more than that? No. I didn't think so.

ANYTHING Else?

OK. So it's finally out. The mysterious figure that's behind all of those sordid shenanigans has finally been revealed. But how did this person return you might wonder? Could it possibly be because...

• Out of spite, DC Comics wanted to get back at Marvel, and rebooted this vile villain into continuity for the sheer hell of it.
• A new film is in the works, and the studio needs a decent enemy back on the books again.
• After hearing that her boyfriend... errr... prefers the company of other men, Kim Kardashian brings back to life a man who won't be able to run away from her.
• Colin Farrell got drunk one night, and... well... one thing led to another, and Bob's your Uncle, Fanny's your Aunt.
• The Kingpin needs someone who's good at funny accents, so...

Oh! Sod it. That's enough silliness for this month me thinks. All I have left to say is that this issue of 'Daredevil' was bloody brilliant overall. The back-up feature was surprisingly refreshing. The complementary insert was an added new bonus. And as for the main feature in itself, what can I say that I haven't said many-many-many times before. Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

GIVE IT, IT'S DUES: If This Comic Book Gave Off a Scent, It Would Be The Scent of Some Soggy Cabbage, Dried Ham, Roasted Peppercorns, and Flatulence. Basically -- Fear.