Amazing Reads: Daredevil Volume 3 #16

Alright, so we get to the other reason behind Amazing Reads. Discussing the latest comics that I really like that I don't get to on the podcast. I believe I said this would be for the Spider-Man books, but the other Marvel book I grab is Daredevil. Now you may ask why I'm not doing Amazing Spider-Man 690, or Avenging Spider-Man #10. Or even Peter Parker Spider-Man 156.1. The first two is easy, I haven't read them yet. Peter Parker I just realized came out, so...don't have that one yet. 

But today we talk about Mark Waid's Daredevil. And for those who haven't read anything I've done thus far, this will be spoiler heavy. I would suggest right now you go and get this book. Read it. It's a weird jumping on point, since it's the conclusion to an arc, but it provides the backstory to Matt's Character early on, and...well, it's damn fine reading.

I love the foreboding of this cover.

Before we begin a little back story for Daredevil. As a young man, Matt Murdock was blinded after an accident with a nuclear waste truck. The side affects of this was he got this radar vision. His father, Jack, was a boxer, who pushed Matt away from boxing, and encouraged him to go for a law degree. Matt's father dies, and if memory serves, this was because of the Kingpin. Matt grows up as a brilliant lawyer and makes friends with Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, a fairly competent lawyer, and the two open a law firm together. 

Let us fast forward 50 years of comics to get to this most recent run. A one off story features the villain known as Moleman who captures a cemetery full of bodies to Frankenstein together a bride. A lil creepy, no? One of these bodies was Matt's Father. The body of Jack was never found. Cut to a few stories later, Daredevil is captured by Dr. Doom, and is infected with nano bugs that rob him off all his senses. He is later rescued by the avengers. During this time we are getting scenes back with Foggy finding something in Matt's desk, and agonizing over the decision. One should be aware, that Foggy does know of Matt's double life.

So this issue is really two conclusions in one. The first half is a tale of two men whose minds are melding ever so slightly. 

Hank Pym Ant/Giantman is roaming around inside Matt's brain, killing the nano bugs. Throughout this, they start to get flashes of each other, where Matt in his comatose state starts seeing images of Janet, (Hank's dead wife), and Hank starts to get a sense of how Daredevil actually lives. This first half of the story is a pretty good way to catch up with Matt's origins. It's pretty standard fare guest staring Tony Stack, Dr. Strange, and Hank Pym.

Now the majority of the comic is that conclusion, and if you can't tell by how quickly I gloss over it, that isn't why I want to do this issue today. Quite honestly, I would love to put the last five pages wholesale. It's beautifully emotional, the art is dramatic, and...well, It makes me love this comic all over again. I've clipped a few images though, so don't fear, not snarky though for this one.

It may just be me, but I can see the grim look on their faces, even with the radar vision.

So after nine days of being away, Matt returns to the office, trying to shrug it all off. When he returns though, everyone is silent, and won't speak to him, and we get the panel above. Foggy asks Matt to see him in Matt's office. We get a brief thing of Foggy asking if Matt is hurt, and when Matt says no, Foggy tells him to "Sit the hell down." There is a dark tension in this scene. Foggy informs Matt he's been pulled from all his cases. He tells Matt that he called into question Matt's mental state. You see, since Matt's return as Daredevil, he's been a bit more happy go lucky, as his coping mechanism for the stuff that's happened to him. 

Foggy accuses Matt of lying to him. Of abusing their friendship. And he pulls out the drawer, and we finally see what's inside.

Morbid as F***

To be 100% honest, I did see this coming, well kind of, I thought it would be his skull, just because when Foggy finds the hidden treasure there, he falls back shocked, so it had to be big time. And enough hints were dropped that it was related to Jack Murdock. We see Matt reaching out to feel the remains, shocked, denying it was he who put them there.

Foggy yells at Matt, telling him to stop lying. Matt deny's this, but you get the real sense Matt is losing it. So Foggy gives the ultimatum, let him in, let him help, or leave. And we see that Matt's life is falling apart. He refuses to admit to being behind the remains, and Foggy tells him that his name will be struck from the door. He tells Matt to seek help, and stop pretending to be okay, and we leave on the panel below.

I'll be the first to admit I was never a Daredevil fan. I slept through the film, and I never cared enough to go out and read more about him. In the end, I regret this. Mark Waid's run has made me really appreciate this character. I think what draws me most to him isn't so much Daredevil, but Matt Murdock. Almost how Peter Parker makes me more interested than Spider-Man.

In the end, I've picked up the essential Daredevil, which has been fun for it's Silver Age cheese, as a friend of mine calls it. And I would love to do more from the Daredevil, but I want to hear from my readers for that, and I may dive a bit into the Silver age with a new character to go along with the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Oh, and for a ranking, since I couldn't find any cool symbols to use on such short notice. I give this a five out of five. Read it.