Criminal, Daredevil: Father

Criminal 1-5

Ed Brubaker once again.  Fortunately, he does crime way better than he does Captain America, his flashbacks are few and far between, and they actually serve a purpose.  

This is a straight take on film noir, telling the tale of a heist gone wrong, poor decisions, and the consequences that ensue.  The flawed characters are believable, and the pages fly by quickly.  But as with many page turners, it doesn’t leave a lasting impression, which is probably why I didn’t continue buying it.

This title won the 2007 Eisner Award for best new series.  It’s certainly better than the only other nominee that I’ve read (Jack of Fables).

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty Good

Daredevil: Father 1-6

Purchased entirely for Joe Quesada’s art.  By the time of its publication, he was already Marvel’s editor-in-chief, so getting interior art from him was a rare treat.  

It doesn’t disappoint, but he makes some really interesting proportion choices:

This image has not been morphed in any way.

It's like an adult sitting on a kid's tricycle.

Quesada also calls back to Frank Miller’s Elektra Lives, where I believe it’s established for the first time that Matt Murdock is a briefs wearer when wandering about his spacious brownstone:

Miller.

More Miller.  I've always loved this shot of his house.

Very Miller-esque.

As a writer, the story’s all over the place.  The NeRo and Santerian threads don’t really pay off.  The Johnny Sockets connection to Maggie and Sean is tenuous and telegraphed at the same time.  The unifying theme of fathers is forced, and Quesada’s attempt to tie it all back to Jack Murdock at the end is abrupt and did not resonate with me at all.

I had wondered halfway through reading this why I had never read a story about the man Matt saved on the day he was blinded.  It turns out I have with this miniseries, and it turns out that I forgot about it because it was such a let down.  Sigh.  

And finally:

Really?  Randy Firkandi?  Really?

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine