DAREDEVIL: KNOW FEAR AND OTHER COMICS REVIEWS

 

I’m trying to read more Marvel Comics and DC Comics of late, trying to get a feel for what those leading publishers are doing. For the most part, I’m eschewing single issues in favor of trade paperback editions and other collections. I’m also skipping over entire runs of some of the titles I’m reading because of my steadfast belief that editors and writers should make comic books accessible for new or returning readers and that enjoying a comic-book series shouldn’t have to mean reading every issue that preceded whatever collection you have in your hands. Take from that what you will.

First up this time around is Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky Vol. 1: Know Fear {$15.99] with artist Marco Checchetto, colorist Sunny Gho and letterer Clayton Cowles. It reprints the first five issues of this Zdarsky run.

A barely visible paragraph on the credits page informs the reader that “Matt’s life almost came to an end after a traumatic collision left him clinging to life. Now, after weeks of intense physical therapy, he has returned to Hell’s Kitchen...”

This is a pretty grim take on Daredevil and Matt Murdock. He’s not ready to go back out on the streets in his heroic identity, but he is too arrogant/driven/stubborn to realize that. Early on, he picks up a woman in a bar, which seemed off-brand to me. He’s hurting bad and, on one of his nighttime patrols, he miscalculates and kills a criminal. Hubris has led to homicide.

SIDEBAR: Is this really the first time Daredevil has killed? When he was leader of the Hand or going down other equally dark paths, did he never kill? Curious me wants to know.

In the aftermath of the killing, his hero buddies try to convince him he shouldn’t beat himself up over a mistake because sometimes friends say dumb things. The Punisher thinks Daredevil has finally come over to the Frank Castle way of fighting crime and is pretty disappointed when he learns that’s not the case. Adding to the mix are cops who look the other way because Daredevil has always been on their side and a hand-nosed detective from Chicago who sees the hero as just another killer, albeit more dangerous because of DD’s skills and reputation of being one of the good guys.

I found this first collection intriguing, even though I know where it will eventually end up because my not reading Daredevil doesn’t mean others aren’t reading the title, writing about it and naming key events in the headlines of their articles and reviews about it. I accept this as one of the things in the comics industry I can do nothing about. I have requested the second volume in this run from my local library system.

This isn’t my favorite take on Daredevil, but it’s well-written and well-drawn. I’m not sure I agree with the notion that it’s suitable for readers 13 and up, but today’s 13 isn’t yesteryear’s 13. I’ll leave it to the parents of those kids to decide.

ISBN 978-1-302-91498-1

                                                                                    

Dr. Strange Surgeon Supreme Vol. 1: Under the Knife by Mark Waid and Kev Walker [Marvel; $17.99] is a whole lot of fun. Somewhere in a story I didn’t read, Stephan Strange’s hands were healed and he is back to being the world’s greatest surgeon. Which is a very cool concept, especially since it likewise brings back a somewhat milder form of the doctor’s arrogance. As character flaws go, it’s a good one. We might root for a hero like this, but we also get that weird thrill when his hubris causes him problems.

Strange is juggling his medical career and his mystic hero career, which often causes anxiety among the hospital staff he works with. Adding to the fun...Anthony Druid is the new head of the hospital. As Doctor Druid, Anthony had been a hero and a villain. He seems to be on the side of the angels, but you know what the scorpion says about himself.

If I have any complaint about this collection and the six issues it reprints, it’s that the mystical stuff got more “screen time” than the medical stuff. I was fascinated by the medical stuff because it was something we never saw much of from Doctor Strange.

I do have one other complaint. There were only six issues of Doctor Strange Surgeon Supreme before it was shut down during the opening months of the pandemic. There has not been any news of its return. That’s a shame because the six issues were wonderfully written and drawn. I hope Waid and Walker get to pick up where they left off.

ISBN 978-1-302-92105-7

                                                                                       

Very slowly catching up on comics borrowed, gifted and purchased, I read The Orville: Launch Day #1-2 [Dark Horse; $3.99 per issue] by writer David A. Goodman, artist David Cabeza and colorist Michael Atiyeh. My only previous exposure to The Orville has been the first season of the TV series created by Seth MacFarlane. I enjoyed that season, but somehow never got around to watching the second season. I plan to correct that this spring.

The Orville is basically Star Trek with a bit more comedy. I don’t think that’s a bad thing because good Star Trek, even when it’s not actually Star Trek, is a good thing. Alas, the comic book is more serious than the Orville TV series.

Goodman is the Executive Producer of The Orville and has worked on Futurama and Star Trek: Enterprise. His sci-fi credentials are on point as he delivers an adventure in which the good guys (Orville) must investigate a mysterious device in the middle of a conflict between a not-so-friendly alien race and a more primitive society that seeks to remove itself from all outside contact. The tension is entertaining and the conclusion is satisfying.

My only quibble with this two-issue series is that I could’ve used a cast of characters list to identify the TV series characters. In the dawn of history when I started writing comics, ancient prophets like Stan Lee and Roy Thomas used to hand down the wisdom that each and every comic book is some reader’s first exposure to a series. They would teach us to (as smoothly as our skills allowed) write captions and dialogue that named the characters and explained their roles in the series. Alas, that skill seems to be less cherished in these modern times. Alas, indeed.

That’s all for today. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2021 Tony Isabella