Matt Murdock is back in his old stomping grounds, with his secret identity intact once again. But there are some parts of his past that Matt can never escape — hosts like the first woman he ever loved and lost. Elektra Natchios has returned to New York with a deadly score to settle! Hell's Kitchen knows no fury like an assassin scorned! Then, Matt travels to the other side of the world to enter a poker tournament? What's going here? And how does Spider-Man fit in? All this plus the return of Echo!
Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.
Charles Soule’s Daredevil has been a bitter disappointment so far. Daredevil has had some brilliant runs in the past and Soule, who seems to do better with the non-super hero stuff, falls way short of the mark.
First, Daredevil still has a sidekick.
Well, ouch, thanks to Elektra, not for a while anyway.
And the memory wipe thing is still in effect.
So, then, everyone knew Matt Murdock was Daredevil; now, nobody does. And this causes problems.
Someone tries to blackmail Elektra with knowledge of a daughter and she seeks out Daredevil through Matt Murdock.
The old “Is-that-a-billy-club-in-your-pocket-or-are-you-just-happy-to-see-me?” line just doesn’t cut it here.
Then there’s Matt Murdock – Cardshark.
The name’s Devil. Daredevil.
He’s in the Far East for stupid plot reasons (the tux is a rental). He can’t see the cards, but, by using his nifty radar powers, he can tell what kind of hands the other players have been dealt.
And he needs help from his old pal Spider-Man.
Yep, but the memory wipe thing comes up again.
So, a bit of “splaining is in order…
Pffft.
The Daredevil Annual featuring Echo, the deaf superhero is also included.
Someone is turning people into evil sound constructs.
Of course, they are.
Bottom Line : Soule’s misbegotten run on this title is one of the worst in memory, not Kevin Smith bad, but just head-scratching. Some humor and Spidey barely put this one at three stars.
Soule's stories are... OK. They just seem to have something missing. Maybe it's because their doesn't seem to be any overarching stories to bring it all together. This is more of the same.
We have a two parter with Electra and then one with Spider-Man. They both react a little different to him now that he's made everyone mysteriously forget his identity. The last 2 stories are from the annual and they are garbage. The main story with Echo fighting people Klaw has turned into sound is really dumb with awful art. The last is a little story with Gladiator going back to being evil.
Matt Milla has picked a weird coloring style. It looks like he's trying to mimic the old duoshade process some artists used to use to save time shading their work where it fills the area in with these little dots. I didn't like it then and I don't why you'd do it now when you can use digital coloring to much better effect.
This collection is something of a mixed bag, made up as it is of a pair of two-parters with an annual slapped on the end.
I enjoyed the first of the two-parters, featuring Elektra, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it mainly seemed to exist to tease us about how DD managed to get his secret identity secret again. I know it's just going to end up being a crappy retcon but I wanna KNOW damnit!
I loved the second of the two-parters, featuring a great team-up with Spider-Man and a great callback to DD's old deep-cover SHIELD identity, Laurent Levasseur. I'm probably the only person who even remembers that story, though...
The annual was a bit... meh. It wasn't terrible or anything but it was a bit wishy-washy. Echo is apparently back from the dead post-Secret Wars with no explanation. Sigh... Also, the Gladiator's back... Well, he's in the Netflix show so it was only a matter of time. DD was wearing his old red costume in this story for no discernible reason. Pfff...
Elektra's two part story is a bad mash-up of netflix tv series with comics continuity, the annual with Klaw and Echo was lame, the short story with Gladiator sucked for good, but luckly the hilarous Spiderman team up was really great.
Daredevil: Back in Black has 46 issues total in the run. I will be reading all of them and reviewing them in 2 volume batches based on how the trades were published.
This run has a very different feel to it from past Daredevil issues. Not only is Daredevil in a new black uniform but he has somehow wiped everyone's (and I mean everyone's) memories of him being Matt Murdock. The readers will not know how this happened for quite some time but it will keep coming up.
Additionally, Murdock is no longer a defense attorney, he is working for the DA as a prosecutor. I hate this. He is no longer able to make his own schedule and he gets paid far less. These are two very big issues for someone who wants to be a successful vigilante. It doesn't make sense and it was a mistake.
A lot of the book is Daredevil facing conflicts that come up because of this job that he chose to switch to. It's very frustrating to read because without seeing a grander plan I just feel like yelling at him the whole time, "just quit then!"
Another big change is that DD now has a sidekick, Blindspot aka Samuel Chung. Chung invented an invisibility suit and DD is training him on how to fight and actually perform as a superhero. Makes sense, just being invisible doesn't help anything if you can't actually perform the actions.
I also don't like DD having a sidekick, especially when him trying to keep his identity a secret is such a big part of the plot of this run. It's ridiculous that he would keep someone so close by and have to hide that he's blind from them so they don't put the pieces together.
The story gets kind of complicated through this one and everything is in really long form. Things are mentioned in these first two volumes that I expect to come back at some point in the run but 20 issues later I still haven't seen them.
I don't think this author wanted to write Daredevil. He doesn't seem to have a good grasp of the character and he's lost quite a bit of his charm. Parts of these two volumes are better than others and I don't think it's an overall bad book it's just pretty underwhelming.
The author does the best job with the side characters. Elektra (because I'm biased) has the best two issues of these volumes and is full of emotion and turmoil. Spiderman shows up for the final issues and has a delightful levity and humor to him. Even The Hand has more personality than Daredevil in this one and they're a faceless organization of zombie ninjas.
I think they wanted to take DD in a different direction but don't appreciate how to do that in a way that maintains the integrity of the character. He's lost a lot with these changes and I haven't seen it pay off yet. Hopefully by the end of the run I change my mind.
I almost gave this a 4 star. I would have if the second half of this collection was as strong as the first half.
First half is all about Elecktra, our favorite sexy assassin ready to kill you in just a moment. Matt dealing with her is nice to see, and watching him torture himself over it because she doesn't remember him is both enjoyable and sad. The end result works well and sets up future events.
The second half of this collection is a tad weaker. It has Spider-man in the end so that saved it from being just okay to good old fun. However after that is the annual story and it's just not that fun or interesting. Gives me vibes of the bad parts of Waid's run.
Overall it's a good start, so so ending. I still am enjoying this run though, but that's because I LOVE Daredevil!
It has got multiple stories like the first one with Elektra and her fighting Matt and then finding if she has a child and asking for his help but it turns out to be a trick and then a team up with Spider-man in Beijing as they are looking for a case with info on the criminals and it was well handled, and I sorta liked it and finally a story with Echo vs Klaw and that one was rather short and surprisingly okay and one with the Gladiator which was alright.
Most of these stories were good and like harps on the fact of what happened that made everyone forget his secret identity and just shows the different supporting cast and friend of Daredevil which was cool to see and the constant art changes were a bit annoying but not that big of a deal.
The first arc of the new Daredevil blew me away; from the art to the story, it felt like the perfect fit for the creative team. This second collection of stories isn't quite as progressive in terms of story, but it's still a very solid read.
We open with an Elektra two-parter that brings back everyone's favourite crimson-clad ninja to beat up Daredevil, with the added twist that she's also one of the people that has forgotten Daredevil's identity. Charles Soule handles this new dynamic well between the two, introducing a memory loss plotline as well that teases a lot for the future, but feels a little unsatisfying when it ends. Matteo Buffagni drops in for these two issues, and he's a good fit for the characters, choreographing some great fight scenes. Oh, and Blindspot meets Elektra in this arc too, which goes about as well as you'd expect.
Next is another two-parter that teams Daredevil with Spider-Man; the first issue of this is probably the best of the volume, as Matt sets out to win a poker tournament, despite the fact that he can't tell what his cards are since he's, you know, blind. But of course, his super-senses make things more interesting as he bluffs his opponents out of the game. It's a very innovative use of Daredevil's unique skill-set. The second issue is more straight-up fight scene, but the dialogue between DD and Spidey is worth the price of admission alone. Goran Sudzuka steps up to pencil these issues to great success.
Also included here is the titular Supersonic annual, which mysteriously brings back Echo from the dead as she and Daredevil work to stop Klaw from taking over the city, as well as a back-up story featuring Gladiator, although this is a little too short to really have much of an impact on anything. Vanessa Del Ray pencils the lead story, her sketchy style working well with the hectic nature of the proceedings, whilst the back-up is Ben Torres, who, like the story, made little to no impact on me at all.
The unsung hero of this volume is easily colourist Matt Milla, who manages to make all the fill-in artists look as similar as possible to Ron Garney's distinctive style that defined the book in its opening arc. Well done Mr. Milla. (He doesn't colour the annual, but that's to be expected)
Daredevil's next big story arc is currently underway, but this collection of stories is fun, if not as ground-breaking as the opening one.
World: The art is good, that's the best part about this series. For the new tone which is the old tone it's going for it works well. The world building here is still fairly fragmented and trying to slap dash together a cohesive world without having all the pieces. We still don't know how this reboot happened and all the rules it entails and so readers are left scratching their heads when Soule wants to draw on nostalgia and pieces from Matt's past to build this world.
Story: The Elektra story on face value is good, it's a reintroduction of the character which Waid did not use. That being said the end with the wipe and the tears and the status quo realign is pretty much a microcosm of whays wrong with this reboot, a step backwards cause it's safe and done again and again. The Spidey story is okay, it's a team up but readers still don't have all the pieces and Spidey taking it in stride is a bit too much of a stretch for me and a waste of a team up. Echo was also meh, the art was great but also bringing her back and Gladiator is pretty much trying to cram the past and the TV show down readers throats to make this world work. I'm not a fan.
Characters: Matt is whiney and brooding again which is same old same old and no forward progression, it's superhero comics what do you expect. Same with the rest of the characters that show up this arc, they are simple caricatures of their more complex selves in their own series. Not the best character work.
I know this is the new status quo but it doesn't mean I can't critique it. Even compared to the darker Bendis Miller stuff this is meh.
This volume swings to the lower end of three stars.
The first couple of issues have a very thin reason for bringing Elektra into the story. The art is fine, but it isn't Garney. The color palette brightens slightly with a few more colors.
The next few issues are more "James Bond" like, with Matt having to use his powers to win a poker tournament. It's actually a fun read because the following issue he teams up with Spider-Man (during his Parker Industries phase with him being rich and having a new costume.) The story explores their relationship a little, despite the fact that Peter no longer remembers DD's real identity. Glad to see Soule still keeping their long friendship, just refocusing it under the new circumstances. This was easily the best issue in this volume.
Lastly, is the annual, which has DD teaming up with Echo, going against Klaw. Not a bad premise, just feels rushed and like a filler piece. Art wasn't fantastic either, not really even average. Finally, there's a short story about the current status of Gladiator and his motivations. Nothing really surprising there.
Po druhém volume to vypadá, že tuhle sérii vzdávám. Po všech předchozích super runech a příbězích s Daredevilem padám na hubu protože tohle je jeden velkej odpad a celkem mě utvrzuje v myšlence, že Soule je hovnař. Jediný co se mi na celý knize líbí je kresba jinak je to celý utahaný nudný shit.
Daredevil Vol. 2 Supersonic collects issues 6-9 and Annual 1 of the Marvel Comics series written by Charles Soule with art by Matteo Buffagni, Goran Sudžuka, and Vanesa R. Del Rey.
Daredevil partners with Electra and Spider-man in two separate mini-arcs. Each character is hesitant to trust Daredevil now that they don’t know his secret identity is Matt Murdock.
The continued (unexplained) story of how Dardevil somehow was able to make everyone forget that Daredevil is Matt Murdock continues to have represcussions for both Daredevil and Murdock. Each of these stories was pretty good, but nothing exceptional that will stand out over time.
Several great comics artists join writer Charles Soule. This is a good version of Daredevil, but an episodic one. I'm curious where Soule goes with this favorite character... Meanwhile, these are above average, overly familiar stories, with a range of art styles. Mildly recommended.
I'm always so happy to read Daredevil :) It was really interesting to see him interact with Spiderman - I'm never the biggest fan of him - but it was very GOOD to see him here And then of course, I always LOVE having Elektra around :D It was a very fun and enjoyable read!!!
This was okay and certainly not as bad as the average rating is giving, 3.37 damn.
Daredevil fights Elektra and then goes gambling in China before teaming up with Spider-man. The Elektra story started off well enough even though "oh she has a secret daughter" is such a stupid plotline but then it just loses steam and ends with no further explanation? I don't know if it was just setting up a longer story elsewhere but the way none of it had context and why Daredevil was involved in the first place. Like oh maybe that is his daughter too but it is given no weight and then ends lol.
Him going gambling in China was so funny because ??? bro he can't see shit what is he even doing?? But then he gets in a mental battle with a telepath and that was pretty cool. His team-up with Spider-man was fun but also I didn't get WHY they were doing any of that. The comment about a black suit phase took me out.
The art is cool and I like it. The style is interesting and the color scheme of it is great. But also Daredevil (especially his smile) is drawn like he's feral and just climbed from a dumpster which is good if that is the energy they were going for.
Review is for the single-issue comics contained in this collection. SPOILERS may follow.
3.5 stars, rounded up for the considerable improvement over the previous volume.
First thing’s first: In this installment of Daredevil, everyone has the proper number of fingers. Which is the kind of sentence I never thought I’d write in a review, much less be grateful to write, but here we are.
Soule’s first Daredevil arc was almost enough to make me cancel my subscription to the series. I was not a fan of the black suit, of Matt as a DA, of the disappearance of Kirsten McDuffy, or of the weird cult of many-fingered mystics bent on harnessing stolen Hand magic.
There are still a lot of mysteries being hinted at in this collection, and given Marvel’s leaning towards shorter and shorter runs before rebooting heroes yet again, I’m not convinced any of them will be answered in a meaningful way, but storytelling here is a bit different from the first arc, and focuses more on the familiar. We see the return of Elektra in a story which hints that whomever Daredevil made his secret bargain with isn’t entirely happy with the situation, or at least not above messing with him. In Macau and Hong Kong, Daredevil teams up with Spider-Man to track down a briefcase whose contents will have a potentially devastating effect on the crimelords and ladies of New York City. Foggy Nelson also makes his first appearance in Soule’s run, though he and Matt are no longer quite as close as they used to be. Perhaps best of all, Daredevil teams up with Echo to stop a sonic-based threat.
The return of so many classic characters in one arc feels a bit like overkill, but it’s also a welcome return to the familiar things that made Daredevil great. Seeing Spidey and Echo and Foggy and Elektra again restored a bit of my faith in the series. The shorter storytelling, with each story taking up only 1 or 2 issues, was a nice change of pace as well. Each tale was tightly written, and serves to oh-so-slightly pull back the curtain a bit regarding the mystery bargain Matt Murdock struck to erase the world’s memory that he is Daredevil.
And because I don’t thoroughly hate the story this time around, I’ve been able to sit back and appreciate the art a bit more, particularly the coloring, and realize it’s a great fit for the series.
I’m glad that I’m able to say this volume was a lot more enjoyable than its predecessor. Being without monthly Daredevil comics in my life was something I really didn’t want to consider.
Reading comics for such a long time, at this point, I am used to reading comments from fans who say that the new take on their favorite hero or team is not as good as it was in the old days. There is usually a lot of references to Claremont's X-men run, when talking about new X-men story arcs.
personally, I am one of the few who thoroughly enjoyed Grant Morrison's run on new X-men, and can appreciate the Claremont X-men books for what they did for the X-men mythos, and comics in general, but I would not be able to read through the entire run.
When it comes to Daredevil, there have been a few major runs, since I got back into comics.... You have the Bendis issues, where Daredevil's secret Identity is exposed. This is followed by Brubaker's run and Diggle's run. Neither of those two runs are as Good as Bendis' stuff. Besides Ultimate Spider-Man, I don't think Bendis has ever written anything as good as his Daredevil run. Wait, Let's throw in Alias and Powers. The guy writes a lot, though, that is actually a small amount of books compared to how much he has put out.
Then... we have Mark Waid's run, completely different from the Bendis stuff. The Waid stuff is superb. Waid is like the guy who created the amp to plug the first guitar into, he took Daredevil in an exciting new place, using his powers in incredibly creative ways. I was constantly reading, thinking to myself "I would never have thought of that.", whenever Waid showed Matt using his powers in a different way. That happened in every single issue.
Honestly, Daredevil should have died at the end of Waid's run. Everything else is just back pedaling. That is sure what the hell this book is. Back in Black.... More like Back to basics. The Netflix show was such a success, that Marvel had to make the comic book sync up with it. Unfortunately, the show is never going to be as good as the Waid run, and neither is this "Back and Black" series.
Soule, Soule, Soule... umíš psát, ale odpusť si ten crap. Těhotná Elektra? Spidey ani Elektra neznaj Murdockovu identitu? To fakt ne... Hezký číslo s pokrem, příběh s Elektrou má taky hezký tempo a akci, ale obsahově meh. 2,5*
Four short, non-connected 'DD' stories form an agreeable time-killer (in my case, for part of a two-hour early morning bus ride into NYC) of a collection. Most entertaining - in a 007 meets Ocean's Eleven sort of way - was a team-up with Spider-Man for a covert adventure in China.
Daredevil has a run in with Elektra, gambles in China, and prevents a "sound virus" from taking over New York in this one.
Soule's run has been a bit hit and miss for me. There's moments that I really enjoy. For example, in this one, I thought the issues with Spidey were awesome. The banter, the action, the characterization, all really well done. Easily my favorite story in the volume, this was a great "Marvel" tale of two buddies who happen to be super heroes.
The Elektra story started off really interesting, and just... fizzled out. Once the mystery was half solved it was like, ok we're done! It was really a let down. And the Klaw story was ok, but nothing to write home about, except the art by Vanessa Del Ray was unique and interesting.
Overall, I think this was just a filler type volume that served as quick stories from DD's world. I would recommend this only for die hard Daredevil fans only.
This volume didn't quite live up to the first. We had a story with Elektra that didn't make much sense on the surface, but I'm assume has been followed up on else where in order to tell the full story. Then we had a Spiderman apperance that wasn't bad, but wasn't anything special either. Finally we got an Echo story that was okay but the usual type of Annual story, and a Melvin Potter story that just confused me.
While I wouldn't say this was bad, it was a let down after a really good first volume.
There were a couple different stories here. The first was with Elektra. I liked the second one with Spider-Man. The third story is with Echo, although Daredevil isn't in it much. There's no overarching story here as far as I can tell.
7/10: While there are a few neat stories here, I think the overarching plot of this run is getting stale very quickly. Fine, the world no longer knows that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. But why can’t he tell the ones he’s always trusted? Why is Foggy the only one who knows yet he isn’t around much? Why can’t he trust Elektra, Spider-Man, Blindspot, Echo, and even Captain America with his identity? C’mon alreadyyyy