InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "the traveler be with you"

colonel_green (colonel_green) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-06-25 08:50:00

Entry tags:

char: bullseye/hawkeye, char: dakota north, char: daredevil/matt murdock, char: elektra natchios, char: kingpin/wilson fisk, char: lady bullseye/maki matsumoto, char: master izo, char: owl/leland owlsley, creator: clay mann, creator: ed brubaker, creator: michael lark, creator: zeb wells, publisher: marvel comics

Daredevil and Elektra

Four scans apiece from Daredevil #119, the penultimate issue of the Brubaker run, and Dark Reign: Elektra #4.

In the course of this issue, Matt is shocked (shocked!) to discover that perhaps the Kingpin isn't the most trustworthy ally he could ask for.

Meanwhile, after Foggy awesomely told Matt to go suck it last issue, he immediately caves, because he is Foggy, and that is who he is; he begs Dakota to look into what's going on and try to help Matt. She tails #1 chump Turk for a while, leading to where the Kingpin is meeting with LB (who saw through the Kingpin's ruse of using the Owl to hire the Hand to kill people):

Yes! I've been waiting for her to throw those things at someone ever since she was introduced!

Taken down by the Owl, Dakota; that's gotta be embarassing.

Over in Elektra, the title character faces off with Bullseye in his fake-Hawkeye guise. She snatches one of his arrows in mid-flight to stop it from killing another person, only to find that the arrow was laced with poisonous barbs.

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	moneyless_jew 2009-06-25 10:51 am UTC (link)
	I've actually really enjoyed Bru's DD, but Dakota North? No. (Reply to this) (Thread)

inboots.livejournal.com
2009-06-25 10:27 pm UTC (link)

Are you enjoying these last few arcs as well? I ask because, while I don't think Matt has ever been the sort of all around likable guy like Peter Parker, I do think he's been incredibly unlikable ever since he got back from Europe.

Sleeping with North right after what happened to Milla? Pining for North while requesting for Milla's guard at the same time? The thing with Fisk? Ugh.

I don't usually like Foggy, but when he told Matt off last issue, I was cheering him on like whoa.

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moneyless_jew
2009-06-26 12:48 am UTC (link)

I think Matt is generally difficult or at times downright unlikable. His shaky mental and emotional state is what makes him one of Marvel's most fascinating heroes to me.

I don't really care about Milla, never did, but Dakota was clearly a Bru Mary Sue so I hated the telegraphing on her.

In any event, I'm behind and am still back in the "lawyer beheaded some kids" arc, so I'll get back to you on the rest.

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kagome654
2009-06-26 08:19 am UTC (link)

Motto on your first point. We make fun of Peter for his angst, but he just visits that gloomy state periodically, Matt (since the 80's) has pretty much set up permanent residence there. That's just how he is, and a lot of his gloom and unhappiness is self inflicted, but he can't really help being that way. He is a hero, but he always finds a reason to come down on himself, and if he can't find one he almost seems to manufacture a reason through his behavior or perception of himself. That does mean he's inclined to be a self involved dick at times and while I wouldn't say he's necessarily self destructive he is complex.

I just wish there was a bit more of a balance. Cheating on Milla was a real low, I'd like to see the next arc/storyline be something a little lighter and genuinely heroic, just so Matt can reestablish who he is as a man and what he stands for (before it all inevitably gets torn down again).

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inboots.livejournal.com
2009-06-26 12:48 pm UTC (link)

Yeah, but you see, it's not the gloomy part I have much of an issue with, it's the dick part. And my point is that, in these last few issues of Brubaker's run, he's crossed the dick line from tolerable to 'ugh, diaf, jerkface' (in *my* opinion, of course). He isn't just self-involved, he's doing shit like sleeping with another woman right after his WIFE had been hospitalized. And then he prances around North's rooftop full of self-pity, and I'm not sure if it's the author's intent for me to feel sorry for him, because seriously, I DO NOT. There's NO sympathy, which sort of sucks, because, like, he's the hero and title character?

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kagome654
2009-06-27 10:20 am UTC (link)

Oh, I get that. I can sympathize (sort of) with him wanting human contact and something simple after the entire thing with Milla, which is why I would be willing to forgive him being tempted. The fact he went through with it is too much. That goes from 'human and fallible' into 'dick' territory, no matter how low he was feeling. I have no idea what Bru expected to accomplish with that. Readers are (often) able to forgive cheaters, but less so if they are cheating on a spouse and they're certainly not going to be quick to forgive someone who cheats on an already victimized and sick spouse.

At the end of the day I have more sympathy for everyone else in the book than Matt*, and that's a sign its gone too far and Bru's lost the essential balance. I think Miller was much better, his Matt could be a dick, but he was still essentially a good man. Bru's Matt...he's got to do a lot of work if he wants to even reach 'decent' man.

*Except Dakota. I really can't stand her.

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inboots.livejournal.com
2009-06-26 01:08 pm UTC (link)

I think Matt is generally difficult or at times downright unlikable. His shaky mental and emotional state is what makes him one of Marvel's most fascinating heroes to me.

I get that, the problem is that there are two kinds of unlikable/"difficult" characters - the ones that you can sympathize with and root for despite their assiness, and the ones you want to diaf. Right now, Matt is in the diaf group (for me).

I don't really care about Milla either. I don't know in what universe Matt Refrigerator Murdock marrying a blind civilian was a good idea, especially after less than 6 months of dating, but whatever. He married her.

Am also with you re: Dakota North.

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