Miller Daredevil

Daredevil 183-191

I totally didn’t realize until today, having read these issues for thirty years, that Klaus Janson was the artist for most of them; Frank Miller handed off penciling duties starting with 185.  I console myself with the fact that Janson-inked pencillers often look a lot like Janson-penciled art.  

Miller finishes his run on Daredevil with some really strong stories: A Punisher two-parter, Matt’s senses going crazy, and the possible resurrection of Elektra.  (The following panels have almost nothing to do with them, they're random things that tickled me.)

He's off to take the law into his own hands.  

That guy in the foreground is TOTALLY in Miller's later Sin City style.

Hooking up with Matt is the capper to that list?  Fury is such a sexist.

Miller understands how to write Kingpin.

I have to devote just a few lines to the insane relationship between Matt and Heather Glenn.  It’s messed up in so many ways: Heather’s completely useless as a functional human being, no matter how much she protests;  Matt is a complete dick to her, a completely controlling, emotionally abusive asshole. 

And then there are his so-called friends; Foggy and Natasha don’t think twice about breaking up their engagement.  I don’t know which is more disturbing - that they had zero misgivings about doing it, that they were totally right to do so, that they were able to accomplish it so easily, or that literally on the next page, all related parties have totally moved on with their lives.

Yeah.  Two forged letters.  That's all it takes.

By the way, that all takes place in less than five hours.

Turk continues to be hilarious.

I'm amazed Kingpin knows Turk well enough to have an opinion of him.

Thus ends his brief career as Stilt-Man

Turk's final Miller appearance.  Never change, Turk.

I still don’t know what to make of the last issue.  I get Matt questioning what he does, that part makes sense.  But what’s with playing Russian Roulette with an empty gun with Bullseye?  Is he trying to scare him?  Admitting that his resolution to not kill is a weakness?  An acknowledgement of the futility of what he’s doing?  I don’t get it.  

Regardless, this run totally holds up after forty(!) years.  Miller will obviously go on to do even greater things, but this is rightfully a classic.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good to Really good for 190

What If 28, 35

These would be totally forgettable if Frank Miller hadn’t done the art.  As such, they still don’t leave much of an imprint in my mind.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Didn’t suck