DAREDEVIL BY ED BRUBAKER & MICHAEL LARK ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)
Collects
Daredevil
Nos.
82-93 (cover
dates April, 2006- March, 2007)
Writer:
Ed Brubaker
Artists:
Michael Lark & Stefano Guadiano with David Aja (#88)
Colorists:
Frank D'Armata (#82-88) & Matt Hollingsworth (#89-93)
A
fun read this is not. Daredevil gradually became a darker character as time
went on, but things are downright morose here. Matt Murdock has
apparently been outed as Daredevil and is in prison after being set
up by the FBI. They lock him up in Ryker's Prison, where the Kingpin,
Hammerhead, and any number of other criminals that he has put away
over the years are locked up in there with him, creating a powder keg
that is ready to blow.
The
term “hard-boiled” is always used to describe Ed Brubaker's
writing. I would like to come up with my own tagline for his writing
style, but I'll be damned if I can come up with a better definition
for it myself, so hard-boiled it is! This is dark, gritty stuff.
Broken bones, gnashing of teeth, white knuckled fists. Michael Lark's
artwork has a sawed-off edge to it, and both Frank D'Armata and Matt
Hollingsworth's coloring are effective at maintaining this mood
throughout the book.
There
are lots of great action sequences in this book, especially the
fights with the Matador and especially the one with Tombstone. I
have been a sucker for Tombstone ever since he first appeared in the
pages of The Spectacular Spider-Man back in the late '80s.
We
see Matt Murdock lose it all and get pushed to the edge. He has made
numerous enemies as Daredevil, and any one of them could be pulling
the strings as to the hows and whys he got caught. This book is
reminiscent of the 1997 movie The Game, where Michael Douglas
played the part of a man who has it all and is forced to lose it all.
Like that movie, there are an elaborate set of choices that he must
make, with each having their own set of consequences, and each one
bringing our protagonist further and closer to the truth. Unlike The
Game, Daredevil finds his answer, to his regret. Like The
Game, I thoroughly enjoyed each new twist and development.
As
is the case with most Brubaker books, this is a real page turner. I
sat there reading it into the wee hours on a work night, with my wife
telling me go to sleep and turn off the light. I almost went
downstairs to finish last two issues but was too tired to walk down
the thirteen steps and two landings to go down to the living room.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.
The
OCD zone- There are too many comic books being published. Try as
I may, I cannot keep up with everything going on. This run slipped by
me when it was first released. My friend has both Brubaker Omnibus
hardcovers. I missed the boat on those, and they are long out of
print and go for well over original cover price on eBay. He urged me
to buy them at the time but I passed. Coulda shoulda woulda...
DVD-style
Extras included in this book: Daredevil
#82
variant cover by Steve McNiven.
Marvel
Team-Up: Michael Lark & Ed Brubaker interview by John Rhett
Thomas from Marvel Spotlight (4 pages)
#88-93
cover sketch and pencils by Lee Bermejo (6 pages)
Paper
rating: 5 out of 5. This book boasts some really thick glossy
coated stock paper. Nice job!
Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback. The binding
always seems more solid on these chunky trade paperbacks than it does
on the skinnier ones. I have no idea why, and I'm not saying that I
am correct about it, but that's how it seems to me.
Cardstock
cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. As always, nice lamination that is scuff resistant and should help to ensure a
lifetime of reading enjoyment when handled with reasonable care.
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