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| [ DYING FOR A DEAL? ] |
To QUOTE Keyser Söze:
'The greatest trick the Devil ever
pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist'.
THE STORY:
So there he was, Matt Murdock, telling his old pal Foggy
Nelson he should fake his own death if he wants to stay alive. When
suddenly, out of the blue -- BOOM! -- A giant sized opportunity fortunately presented itself. One that involves a mechanical frog, a sneaky plan, plus an indelible
hero who will eventually make the 'ultimate sacrifice' and save the day.
Well, I think he does, anyhow.
Now how on Earth could I not love reading this issue of 'Daredevil'?
Well, being a big fan of character driven plots involving retro concepts and
visual tomfoolery, immediately I was completely blown over by what it had on
offer.
As per usual Chris' cartoon-like yet personable illustrations
aided Mark's simplistic narrative. Whilst in turn Mark's narrative helped drive
the idea behind this tale on its own merry way
You see, in essence, this story had to do three things for
you to buy into what it was trying to sell. Firstly, it had to make you believe
that Foggy needed to hide away from prying eyes. Secondly, it had to add a
personal tone to its concept -- such as the 'buddy-buddy' or the 'Ant Man'
elements -- as well as a sense of danger at the closing stages of the plot. And
thirdly, well...
THE BAD:
As much as I loved the characters, the concept, and the overall
execution of this great stand-alone adventure, the one thing I wasn't a big fan of were
the coincidences that supported the initial premise.
Hey! Let's face
it. One minute it was like, 'Hey Foggy, we need to fake your death or else my
enemies will kill you'. Whereas the next minute it was like, 'Well I be damned!
Problem solved!'. Ding!
THE MUSIC:
I was wondering if someone out there can help me answer the
following question. Why-oh-why-oh-why-oh-why did the theme tune to 'Dragnet' pop into
my mind as soon as I finished reading this issue? I have no logical explanation
for this whatsoever. Especially since I haven't watched this program in years,
plus I can't for the life of me see what it has to do with this tale.
Answer's on a post-card please. Or alternately,
telepathically would be just as nice.
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Essentially this adventure was about a coincidental
occurrence which inadvertently helped a man out with his problem. And in my
book, nothing says 'coincidental
occurrence' more than any f*cking soap opera you can see on television.
Ha!
THE CONCLUSION:
I'm sure some of you have heard the news in the press about
a new Daredevil
television series being developed. And although to some extent I'm happy
about this idea -- which is unusual for me, because I'm not normally enamored by
comic book to live-action adaptations -- in the same breath I have to say that
this sort of thing also concerns me as well.
Now as some of you may know, I'm always a bit of a sceptic
whenever a comic book character is strewn into a more visible public spotlight. Time
and again I keep on thinking to myself that 'the powers that be' will cash in on 'their property' as much as they possibly can.
Just take the new 'Arrow' television series for instance.
Even though it is a very viable and creative franchise in its own right, deep down
inside me I know the essential character it conveys is nothing like the
original Oliver Queen. He doesn't sport a goatee. He looks like a male model.
And by default the hard travelling and more frivolous aspects of Ollie's personality
has been cast off into the wind.
But do you know what the worst thing about all of this is,
dear reader? It's that this 'update' has also carried on into his comic book
series. Not that this is major-major problem, of course. From my point of view the
current creative team on that title are doing an amazing job on it. Yet --
whilst saying that -- I wouldn't like to see the same thing happening to Matt
and company over here. Character wise, that is.
Nuff said.
DAREDEVIL #5
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
July 21, 2014
Rating:
Reviewed by David Andrews
on
July 21, 2014
Rating:
