Brubaker’s Daredevil is one of my favorite titles. It is consistently good and is probably one of the best reads on the market right now. It is enjoyable getting a comic that you are confident that it is going to be well done each and every time you get a new issue. Consistency is not that common to many comic books. All right, I have already had a couple of cups of Café Bustelo and I’m ready to review Daredevil #85.
Creative Team
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Michael Lark & Stefano Gaudiano
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10.
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10.
Synopsis: This issue starts with the prisoner who shanked Foggy found dead in his cell. The guards call it a suicide, but all of the prisoners say that Wilson Fisk had him killed to cover his own tracks. All the prisoners are saying that Fisk had Foggy killed.
We cut to Matt meeting with Carlos who offers Matt any type of shank or knife free of charge so that he can kill Kingpin. Matt says he is not going to go after Kingpin. Carlos tells him that Matt’s rep will take a nosedive if he doesn’t kill Kingpin. Suddenly, we see a new prisoner being brought into Ryker’s: The Punisher. Carlos looks at Matt and tells him that he may have now lost his big rep already.
We shift to Matt sitting in his cell. Turk comes over with a message from the Kingpin that he wants to meet tomorrow afternoon in the yard.
We cut to the Daily Planet where J.J. Jameson is burying Urich’s Daredevil story on page 4. Jameson tells Urich that he isn’t being objective. That he is trying to use the paper to exonerate Daredevil.
We then hop back to Ryker’s Island where Matt is at a table by himself in the mess hall. The Punisher sits down next to him. Punisher tells Matt that he is there to see for himself what it looks like when “when you turn into me.” (Oh damn. Frank got Matt on that one.) A convict then approaches Punisher yelling that he is going to get taken down. Punisher smashes the cons face and breaks his arm and Matt stops him from snapping his neck. Punisher tells Matt “An I thought you didn’t give a damn anymore.”
We cut to Dakota North trying to locate Alton Lennox. Lennox is no longer at his law firm and kept his forwarding address confidential. We then see the receptionist telling two thugs that Dakota was asking about Alton Lennox. The thugs decide to go handle this the hard way. Meanwhile, the fake Daredevil is watching them from atop a building.
We shift back to Matt’s cell. Carlos from La Muerto placed a shank in Matt’s cell. Matt puts it in his pocket and goes to meet Kingpin. Wilson Fisk tells Matt that he did not kill Foggy. Matt can tell by Fisk’s heartbeat that he is telling the truth. Fisk tells Matt to kill him with his shank if he doesn’t believe him. Of course, he adds that Matt will spend the rest of his life here for murder. Matt asks Kingpin who killed Foggy. Kingpin tells Matt that there are so many people that would love to see them kill each other. That they are being manipulated. Kingpin states that they will always be enemies, but right now they need to rise above that because there is a war brewing in Ryker’s and he doesn’t intend to die in prison. Kingpin adds that Matt doesn’t want to die here either since the answers he is looking for are likely back in the real world outside of prison.
Matt then calls Becky and asks her to look at the Ryker’s visitor log for the day that Foggy was killed. The Punisher watches from a distance.
We then cut to late that night where Hammerhead, Carlos and the leader of the black gang are all meeting. They are planning a prison riot and that during the riot they are going to kill Kingpin and Daredevil.
Comments
The Good: This was yet another solid issue by Brubaker. He is the man! Brubaker consistently cranks out very good issues in his Daredevil run. I have a feeling that I may end up liking Brubaker’s run on Daredevil more than Bendis’ run.
I found this issue to be the beginning of Matt’s reconstruction and rise to greatness. Matt hit rock bottom last issue. He has been slowly deconstructed over Bendis’ run and the beginning of Brubaker’s run. This issue marks the turning point. In Daredevil #85, we see the Matt Murdock that we know and love start to resurface.
The Punisher is a good device to use to bring Matt Murdock back to his senses. Matt will never be Frank Castle. In his heart he knows that and Frank knows it to. And despite their differences, I don’t think that Frank wants Matt to end up like him.
I liked the meeting between Kingpin and Matt. I love that there is genuine hate and dislike between these two men. That they are enemies and always will be. There is no hope for change in the relationship between these two men. In an age where the line between hero and villain gets blurred. Where we see Batgirl become a villain and Juggernaut, Sabertooth and Emma Frost become heroes, it is nice to see two characters where one will always be a hero and the other always a villain.
The final scene makes it clear that Daredevil and Kingpin are marked men. I’m sure that during this riot that both Bullseye and Punisher will both be knee deep in this mess. I’m looking forward to the next issue. It should be one exciting brawl!
I am really enjoying Brubaker’s writing. The story is well paced and is totally engrossing. Brubaker just sucks the reader in with the first page and doesn’t let go until the end. I also dig Brubaker’s dialogue. It has a nice flow and reads well. Plus, Brubaker has a great feel for Matt’s character. I also am enjoying Brubaker’s Kingpin. He is such an unapologetic bastard. That he laughed when Foggy was killed not because he had any connection to it, but that Matt’s pain just causes him so much delight.
The artwork was well done. It isn’t really my style of art and I wouldn’t like it on too many other titles. However, this style of art fits Daredevil perfectly. I wouldn’t want any other art on Daredevil. It adds to the gritty and dark tone of the comic book.
The Bad: I’m beginning to lose interest in the entire Dakota North/Ben Urich/Fake Daredevil plotline. It is moving terribly slow and I don’t think it has been well developed. Maybe now that everything at prison is coming to a head that Brubaker will start to focus on the fake Daredevil plotline more and flesh it out and make it more interesting. But, at this point, the Urich and Dakota scenes were not very interesting.
Other than that, I have no complaints at all. Daredevil #85 is a great issue. Brubaker has made Daredevil one of the best reads on the market right now. If you don’t mind a darker storyline then I’d recommend this comic book. It is well worth your hard earned money.