Daredevil

• Title: Daredevil #18
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Chris Samnee

The Matt Murdock must be crazy storyline continues as Matt returns from a date with Kristen McDuffie to discover his crazy ex-wife Milla in his bed. Or does he? A little investigation by Foggy reveals that simply be the case as Milla is still locked up the loony bin. It should be obvious to everyone (as it has been for several issues) that someone is gaslighting Hell’s Kitchen favorite hero.

The back-up story involves Foggy’s new client, a private nurse who is the sole suspect in the locked room murder of her employer, drug kinpin Victor Hierra. After speaking to the woman’s brother Foggy believes in her innocence and, despite his recent fallout with his partner, agrees to look into Milla if Daredevil looks in on the case.

I was tired with this arc the moment writer Mark Waid introduced it. We know Daredevil isn’t crazy and despite what Foggy sees here, he should know better too. Still, Waid is a good storyteller and Daredevil #18 has good action and an unexpected cameo from a character I’d all but forgotten about.

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• Title: Daredevil #17
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Mike Allred

Rather than continue the highly questionable story arc stared in Daredevil #16, writer Mark Waid, with the help of artist Mike Allred, takes a look back into the past into a case from the early days of the law firm of Nelson & Murdock.

Waid shows his skill once again her by showcasing one of Daredevil‘s lesser foes, Stilt-Man, by admitting to his ridiculous nature but also pointing out how troublesome and dangerous the super-villain could actually be. Allred is a interesting and fun choice for the art of this issue, but I wasn’t quite sold on his design of Stilt-Man.

The rest of the story features a disagreement between Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson and the case of an inventor who is able to give Murdock a moment of true happiness with an invention that allows him to see his father’s final fight one more time.

Although the issue doesn’t come close to resolving the pieces put into motion last issue, Waid delivers a strong (if somewhat sappy) story that’s certainly worth a look.

[Marvel, $2.99]

• Title: Daredevil #16
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Chris Samnee

Rarely have a seen a comic start so well and fall so far so quickly. In the first two-thirds of Daredevil #16 writer Mark Waid delivers a terrific story of Iron Man, Dr. Strange, and Henry Pym trying to save a comatose Daredevil the Nanobots implanted in his brain in Latveria.

Pym, shrunk-down, inserted into Murdock’s brain, attempts to destroy the Nanobots loose in Daredevil’s mind, but what makes the storyline work so well is the odd nature of Matt Murdock’s gift that causes both Pym and Murdock’s feeling, senses, and memories to start blurring between them. Aside from being a really cool story, it’s nice way to save the Latverian arc which was drawn out far too long.

However, the final third of the story (teased on the cover) makes so little sense I don’t know where to begin. On arriving back at his office Murdock is confronting by Foggy who dissolves their partnership after finding the bones of Murdock’s father in his desk drawer.

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• Title: Daredevil #15
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Waid
• Artist: Chris Samnee

Daredevil #15 continues Matt Mudock‘s incarceration in Latveria and the experimentation on the brain of the Man Without Fear which began last month. Daredevil slowly struggles to regain enough of his senses and work to escape Dr. Doom‘s scientists who hope to uncover the secret of his radar sense.

Although it’s an interesting idea, I wasn’t real impressed with the first issue of the arc and this one is just more of the same. It’s not bad, but compared to the storylines Mark Waid has been pumping out with regularity it feels a little flat. Even a last-second appearance by Iron Man and Captain Marvel (who apparently has forgotten she can fly as she stays on the Quinjet rather than help) can’t save the day.

However, I am interested to see what lingering (if any) effects from this arc may show up down the line, and I am looking forward to (finally) getting the skinny on Foggy‘s beef with Matt that was teased but not explained months ago. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $2.99]