Review: Daredevil: The Target - *no spoilers*

[lighthouse]

Well after four years of wondering and a couple months of staring at the poster on the wall, the UPS man was kind enough to deliver a copy of Daredevil: The Target a few minutes ago.

 

I approach this book with a little more apprehension than most. Smith's first Daredevil issue is largely responsible for my status as a shop owner today. I bought nearly 100 copies the first week it came out and found there was a market for hot moderns, not just older material. One thing led to another and I went from being a part-time internet dealer to full-time store owner... So for the last four years I have been anticipating the conclusion to the story Smith began in DD v2 1-7...

 

I am not sure what I expected from this series. Fabry's art is far more visceral than what Quesada was doing for Smith's first run. So I expected to feel like I needed to wash my hands after reading it. Fabry's DD, as seen on posters in shops around the country, sports a physique that puts body-builders to shame. I remember laughing out loud when I saw the belt Murdock wears. That suit is so skin-tight it's not going anywhere...

 

But the appeal here is Smith's writing. No one is ever going to buy a Daredevil book on the basis of pretty art. Tales of Medieval Karen Page, maybe... but not Daredevil. And I think Smith comes through here...

 

Tales about heroes are defined not by the hero, but by the villain. Spidey's the same from one story to the next, but his battles with the Green Goblin are epic, his fight with Firelord was laughable. It's very difficult for Smith to break new ground with his hero, but Bullseye is another matter. I have to say, with the exception of the "Perfect Strangers" reference, Bullseye is scary as all get out.... and I think this series is going to be very, very good.

 

I just hope we see issue #4 by next April....

[Darthdiesel]

I bought nearly 100 copies the first week it came out and found there was a market for hot moderns, not just older material

 

Careful with that last statement...people will accuse you of propping up the spec market with hype and words of disillusionment...you snake oil seller you...

[lighthouse]

Yeah, but I was doing it when no one else was... that's the key to being a contrarian investor... no one was speculating on new books in 98 which made it the perfect time to do so... But don't tell anyone... shhh...

[delekkerste]

I was wondering whether to pick up this series given Smith's very disappointing Spidey/Black Cat mini-series (I have been debating whether to even pick up the remaining issues), but you have convinced me to check it out.

 

I'm glad to hear the comments you made about the art in this new series. Frankly, I was hugely unimpressed by Joe Q's pencils on DD 1-7. Not enough detail and too tinged with that cartoony/mangaesque influence of 1990s Marvel. I felt it did not do justice to Smith's story. Which, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed, but at the same time feel has been overhyped by the fanboy crowd beyond the story's actual quality. IMHO, it was not as good as either of Miller's two runs and I'm not sure if Bendis' Kingpin/Mr. Silke storyline wasn't superior either. And I am still outraged that Marvel could let a rookie writer, even if it was Kevin Smith, kill off Karen Page. To me, only Frank Miller should have been able to get away with that.

 

Gene

[delekkerste]

SPOILER WARNING!

 

S

P

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S

 

I could have done without the long flashback/9-11 homage, but overall, I agree, the series shows promise. The art was great and the writing was pretty good UNTIL the part where the reader is asked to believe that (a) terrorists can just drop $20 million to Bullseye at the drop of a hat (if terrorists really had this much money to waste, they wouldn't be terrorists) and (b) Bullseye can kill someone 100 yards away behind a glass window...with a plastic cocktail toothpick. I am willing suspend a lot of disbelief when it comes to comics, but this, no way. Let's face it, flicking a cocktail toothpick isn't going to kill anyone, period, but it wouldn't have looked out of place in a comic book if Bullseye had killed one of the terrorists across the room with the toothpick to prove his point. But across the length of a football field behind glass? That is just a flagrant abuse of creative license - a 15 yard penalty for Mr. Smith. Anyone with the power to kill like that simply wouldn't have gotten his @$$ whupped by DD as many times as Bullseye has!

 

Gene

[Darthdiesel]

Gene you r forgetting this is ULTIMATE Bullseye This Bullseye's got mad skillz and you just sweatin' him...

[blowout]

yeah he's the ultimate bullseye alright, ultimately lame

a white man's blade jr.

[Darthdiesel]

the intro help parrallel the readers into feeling the pain that Matt feels when he thinks about Bullseye killing Karen Page. this issue doesn't paint a pretty picture of Middle Easterners - Smith uses every stereotypical perjorative short of sandn*****...Fabry's art is dark and it works...don't like when DD squats - looks like taking a dump...different looks of Daredevil transition panel - nice idea, workjed well...

bmwfilms.com - nice site cool shorts...

 

Paying respect to Karen - done my Loeb and sale in Yellow mini...funny transition to DD kicking the out of the Owl...poor ...

 

ques. In flashback of dd thinking back to last meeting with Bulls, why does Bulls look like a hockey player (w/ missing teeth ) in panel after he throws stars, with full set of teeth?

 

Classic scream reminiscent of Kirk's "KHAAAAAAAAAAN' in ST II

 

some rich old scumbag hanging with terrorist types...makes one think Smith is blaming this country's recent ragedy on those types of people who are willing to make money no matter what, regardles of who gets hurt... like Enron CEOs and Arthur Andersen shredders

 

Terrorists speak broken English, yet heartless to the core...

 

Bullseye's move with the toothpick shocked the out of us...good move by Smith - he uses simlar shocking cliffhanger with Spidey/Black Cat in # 3 as we leave as she's all doped up on the horse, and about to be raped..

 

The homage to the movie Bullseye - classic and well done! Gets the interst from saps like me going waiting for next episode.

 

Glad I picked up 20 copies. will be well worth it when the heat catches on this baby! it's EN FUEGO!

 

 

analyze that!

 

[Guest]

****SPOILERS****

 

 

 

 

Bullseye can kill someone 100 yards away behind a glass window...with a plastic cocktail toothpick. I am willing suspend a lot of disbelief when it comes to comics, but this, no way.

 

Suspension of disbelief..... and suspension of the laws of physics. No way a plastic toothpick has the physical properties to shatter apartment window glass (almost certainly double pane) and kill a person inside.

 

I'm srtarting to wonder about Smith.... does the emperor have no clothes?

 

 

Glad I picked up 20 copies. will be well worth it when the heat catches on this baby! it's EN FUEGO!

 

Didn't you notice the cardstock cover, DARTH? Not exactly the easiest stuff to wipe with.

 

 

[delekkerste]

Suspension of disbelief..... and suspension of the laws of physics. No way a plastic toothpick has the physical properties to shatter apartment window glass (almost certainly double pane) and kill a person inside.

 

I'm starting to wonder about Smith.... does the emperor have no clothes?

 

I wouldn't say that the emperor has no clothes, but he certainly isn't sporting much in the way of vestments! Smith's Spidey/Black Cat series should have been an "Ultimate" title, because it is Ultimate-ly lame - packed with all the sophomoric hi-jinx a 14-year old could want. I also think his Daredevil run has been lauded way, way, way beyond its inherent quality. That point was hammered home to me recently as the first storyarc of the current Bendis/Maleev run absolutely blew Smith's run out of the water in terms of quality, IMHO. I wonder if we would even be talking so much about Smith's DD run if Quesada hadn't green-lighted the death of Karen Page (which insured the lasting "importance" of the run).

 

Didn't you notice the cardstock cover, DARTH? Not exactly the easiest stuff to wipe with.

 

Maybe Darth owns a birdcage that he can line it with?

 

Gene

[jens25e]

I don´t like that Quesada art as well. Maleev is my hero. Smith´s and Bendis story are both equally godo though I´d say...maybe Bendis is a bit better. I didn´t read any book of the Miller arch yet, because I don´t know where to get them in friggin Germany.

[Guest]

On the bright side, I did like the organic Fabry art.

 

As for Smith's first DD run, I enjoyed it at the time. However, the overall selection of quality comics has markedly increased since then. I wonder if the Smith run in '99 benefitted by comparison in a then weaker environment for well written comics.

 

I didn't read the Green Arrow run. Scottish, if you're out there, how did you find Smith's Green Arrow stuff?

[Guest]

jens, your best bet for the Miller stuff is to buy the Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller tpb's. There are volumes 1-3.

[Darthdiesel]

I didn't read the Green Arrow run

 

Not Scottish - but I liked the run as a fan of Kevin Smith's movies and at that point I hadn't read the DD 1-6 Smith Run - art on the GReen arrow was amazing! Hester and Parks interior art was awesome and the covers were done my Matt Wagner - real cool painted feel to them. The writing was witty and verbose - reparteeing where possible btw Supes and Bats, GA and Bats - everyone reacts genuinely to the return of a long thought dead hero and especially his relationship with Black Canary...how she had moved on and fellings of ambiguity in trusting this new shel of Ollie - very accurate I thought. Smith vcovered it well. What got me hooked, a Marvelite all the way, was Smith and the preview for the series in Wizard..then I picked p the first issue andbought since. I'm trying to read 16 ion with new writer Metzer but this hunter's Quest is kinda weak compared to Smith run b4.... you can tell the difference.

[Guest]

The new guy on G.A., Brad Meltzer, is a NY Times bestselling author. I think it's great that outside talent is finding its way into comics. Now all we need are the outside readers.....

[blowout]

isn't meltzer only on board for like 6 issues though?

another problem new comics are facing is all the creator changes that go on, seems like no one can commit to long terms runs anymore

[Guest]

Yes, Meltzer is only with G.A. for 6 issues. Too bad... reviews of his first issue were generally good.

 

Ironically, his work and exposure in the comics medium prompted me to pick up his latest novel , The Millionaires. Ironic because I'm hoping the transition will bring new readers to his comic work...