DAREDEVIL #596

[ JUMPING AT A BARGAIN ] 

Do you know what the difference is between a politician and a thief? Well, the answer is pretty simple, as a politician gets paid more than a thief, allegedly, according to Charles Soule, Stefano Landini, Matt Milla, as well as those crazy cats over at Marvel Comics. It’s January, 2018, and it’s time for Daredevil in review.

TO QUOTE Shirley Maclain: 'Never trust a man when he’s in love, drunk, or running for office'.

THE REVIEW:

After the events of last month's episode, Matt Murdock, also known as the man without fear, has no other option but to evade the authorities because of the newly appointed Mayor of New York City, namely, Wilson Fisk. After all, Wilson is the brand new top dog around here, and according to him, spit-spit-spit, Daredevil attacked him while he was inside his office.

But hey, we know better, don’t we? We know that he's lying through his stinking teeth, the dirt bag, and that’s why he’s using every legal means at his disposal to take Daredevil down. This includes issuing a warrant ordering an army of policemen, undercover cops, armed helicopters, police cars, men with guns, and so on and so forth, to track him down and take him into custody. 

Don't worry though, because after a while Daredevil asks and gets a helping hand from one of his close associates. No, I won’t tell you who this person is, and no, I won’t tell you how this adventure ends either. If you want to know more then please pick up issue 596 of Daredevil today. But before you do that, here, check this out...

Part One) CHASE ME:   On the whole I thought that this was a pretty good issue of Daredevil. The artwork was very atmospheric, the story was very nicely told, and most importantly of them all, last months political undercurrent was totally taken out of the equation. From my point of view I thought that this was an unneeded addition because it was too biased, too one sided, and too forced on the page. So much so, in fact, that I was slightly dreading what we were going to get during this months episode.

Needless to say I didn’t have to worry, not one little bit, because more or less it was a pretty exciting read, complemented by a personal tone and a couple of shocks and surprises. As a matter a fact, the only negative thing I can say about it, is that the basic crux of the story was very simple by design, and centered on a fairly long winded chase scene.

Apart from that, though, all in all everything was nicely put together, as I did appreciate all of its nice little touches, ranging from the two notable guest appearances, an engrossing two-sided narrative, and a great cliffhanger ending.  Wink-Wink-Wink! Say no more.

Part Two) KEEPING IT REAL:   Something else about this story I thoroughly enjoyed was how some of it was told from the perspective of those men pursuing Daredevil. To me, this street level quality added a sense of realism to what is essentially an adventure that focuses on the police trying to capture a wanted felon. Through this, not only do we find out what they think about Fisk, Daredevil, as well as the task at hand, but in addition to this, it also gave the overall narrative a personal view rather than a political one, which was something I wasn’t too keen on last month. 

Funnily enough, this point brings me quite nicely onto the chase itself. A chase, I hasten to add, which had a real spring in its step. It was fairly 80s inspired, both in pacing and how it evolved from start to finish, almost as if Charles Soule was channelling an adolescent passion from an era where character and personality superseded plot and needless speculation.  Honestly, there were quite a few set pieces scattered throughout this book which made it very exciting, more exciting than the usual comic book fair.

In fact, one of my most favorite scenes in the entire adventure would have to be that one where Daredevil first figured out what was happening to him. It was very suspenseful, tonally, at least, because at first we the audience knew what was about to happen even though he didn’t. But when he did, Ka-Pow, Daredevil just took off like the proverbial Wile-E-Coyote, trying his best to evade the overhead helicopter which was attempting to capture him. And did it? Capture him I mean. Well, let’s just say that he gives everyone a good run for their money, and leave it at that. 

Part Three) SAY IT WITH TOWERS:   Along similar lines I have to applaud the artwork provided by Stefano Landini. What I liked mostly about his work was how well he drew certain landmarks located in New York City, including the Radio City Music Hall, Eighth Avenue, Grand Central Station, as well as other parts of downtown Manhattan. Now I must admit, I am not a native New Yorker, but that's not to say that I haven't visited this city numerous times in the past, and I couldn’t help but notice how well he drew them in both a bold and recognizable manner.

I also liked the way Stefano managed to open up the canvas by drawing large cinematic visuals in order to allow the chase scene to flow more smoothly. Occasionally he would break up the tension with the odd cutaway panel, or alternatively, he’d make things nice and personal with a more congenial close-up. In addition to this, those scenes which were more static in tone didn’t seem benign because they were greatly aided by the neon color palette provided by Matt Milla. In my opinion they aided these scenes by dramatically highlighting shadows, road-signs, vehicles, fired ammunition, and things of that nature. 

Overall this was a very good issue of Daredevil, both in art and story, and I can’t wait to see how things pan out next month.

THE MUSIC:

If this comic book had a soundtrack, that soundtrack would have to be fast paced, dynamic in tone, very 80s, very personable, and hopefully something like this...

It’s the theme tune to Beverly Hills Cop sampled by the Crazy Frog. 

THE COMPARISON:

Okay, so this may be my silly side speaking. But if you think of it, this adventure is basically one big chase scene, and to me, a chase scene can only be epitomized by a Roadrunner cartoon. Meep-Meep! Ppppttoooooo!  Comparison made.

THE CONCLUSION:

At the end of this issue Wilson Fisk offers Matt Murdock a new job opportunity. Surprising, I know, but what's even more surprising is what type of job he’s offering. So, out of the following eight options, let’s see if you can guess what Matt's new role is going to be? Could it be as a...

1. Personal Assistant: Well, you know the old saying. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
2. Hairdresser: This is wrong in so many ways.
3. Personal Dentist: See previous job for more details.
4. Chief of Police: I’m not quite sure if this is an upgrade or not!
5. Head of a Phoney Corporation: At least he’ll know the pay will be good. 
6. Deputy Mayor: Seriously? 
7. Masseur: See previous job for more details. 
8. Chauffeur: Ditto! 

Nuff said.