DAREDEVIL #13

[ BLOODY BARGAIN ] 

There once was a politician called Fisk, who was apprehensive whenever taking a risk. So to turn things around. He acted aloof and profound! Until he whipped out his very floppy disk. Want to know more? Then please ignore the following adventure created by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, and published by Marvel Comics in November, 2019.

TO QUOTE Jerome Hines: ‘This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour, all the day-long’.

THE STORY:

At the end of last month’s episode, both Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk found themselves in dire straits. Well, not only did Matt have some difficulty fighting against a group of kidnappers, but in addition to this, Wilson also had some difficulty controlling his own temper. So much so, in fact, that Matt only managed to win his fight thanks to Elektra's intervention, whereas Wilson, on the other hand, went nuts and killed a man in cold blood. 

Up next, Matt gets involved with a training session while Wilson gets involved with a cover-up. Want to know more? Then please pick up issue 13 of Daredevil today. In the meantime, though, here, have a look at this…

THE REVIEW:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this episode of Daredevil because Marco Checchetto’s artwork was nicely composed and appropriately atmospheric, whereas Chip Zdarsky’s storyline was bold, suspenseful, and fun to follow. In many ways, it was a story of two halves, with one half focused on Elektra teaching Matt how to get back in shape, while the other half centered on Wesley cleaning up after Wilson’s mess. In addition to this, there were two other scenes thrown in for good measure: one featuring a shoot-out between The Owl and The Libris Crime Family (Ouch!), and the other one touching upon Detective Cole North’s unfortunate hiatus (Oops!). Nothing too in-depth, mind you, but just enough to break up the narrative and keep us up to date with what's going on with Cole, the Owl, and Izzy, while the main brunt of the adventure dealt with those other two miscreants. To see what I mean, let us go over the main points, question and answer style…

1) So what was so special about the Wesley/Fisk cover-up?  Personally, I thought that it was a very suspenseful read because it attempted to solve a very serious problem that had some fairly major repercussions. I mean, the first thing that sprang to mind, was how was Wesley going to save Fisk without either of them getting caught in the act? And if they did get caught, whatever next? Would Wesley snitch on Fisk or would Fisk crack under the pressure? Either way, the entire sequence was a right blast to read, that’s for sure, and I for one particularly enjoyed the gory sight of those blood-soaked walls (Splat!) as well as the pensive way Wilson held himself throughout the whole ordeal (Sob!)! In fact, he seemed so pensive, I almost felt sorry for the schmuck, especially since he’s trying to change the error of his ways and live a more legal life. I was also impressed with the way Wesley held himself as well, as it was rather surprising, seeing him act so professionally, considering that he’s always been a bit of a toad. Now, though, he's a professional toad, who’s gone up in my estimation due to his spiteful mind and loyal manner!

2) So what did Elektra teach Matt? She taught him how to massage his monkey with a pointed-stick. Ha! Only joking! In all seriousness, folks, Elektra came across as a pretty good teacher, up to a point, because she was able to teach Matt how to concentrate and use his mind before getting into a fight. Essentially, he needs to try to focus on a goal, so he can obtain appropriate knowledge and act accordingly! Otherwise, his aim and his intentions will never be fulfilled and he will continue flailing in the wind! Which makes sense, if you think about it, because up till now, Matt seems fairly directionless, like a broken compass, despite his best intentions! My only concern, though, is that he will stop training with Elektra too soon and end up making the same old mistakes, again, and again, and again. But then again, maybe he won’t revert back to his old ways. Not when you take into account that he spoke to Cole at the end of this issue!

3) What? Did you say that Matt had a chat with Cole? And if they did, what did they speak about? Well, from the looks of it, Cole’s Auntie has a great recipe for lamb casserole, and of course, Matt wants to make this meal for Mindy so he can impress her with it! Ha! Only joking! Again! This time, though, I can’t really divulge too much information as I can only speculate about their tête-à-tête. You see, within the last couple of pages, we are presented with a scene where we see Cole defend a homeless man after he leaves work. But then, on the very last page, Matt pops up, out of nowhere, in order to have a discussion with him. Not a fight. A discussion, which will hopefully allow them both to air their differences and then elevate their relationship up to the next level. Which to me, personally, can only mean either one of two things! They either continue as they are (and fight amongst themselves), or they join forces (and attempt to take down the bad guys). Ideally, I would prefer that they take the latter of these two options because, well, why not? What have they got to lose? Nothing. Nothing that they haven't lost already. Besides, it would be nice to see Matt have a confidant in the police force for a change (just like Batman has with Commissioner Gordon). So what do you think, dear reader? Do you like this idea? Or for that matter, did you enjoy reading this issue? In any event, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

THE MUSIC:

For this month’s musical match-up, I’m going to align this adventure with The Beatles song, ‘Help!’, because that’s precisely what Matt and Wilson received throughout their respective storylines. Help, a lot of it.

THE COMPARISON: 

To some extent, the way Wesley conducted himself in issue 13 kind of reminded me of the way Winston Wolfe conducted himself in the Quentin Tarantino film, ‘Pulp Fiction’. Calm, collected, and extremely professional! So without any further ado, I’m now going to compare this comic book to -- yes, you guessed it -- the main man himself. Hooowwwlllll!!!!!

THE CONCLUSION:

At the end of this episode, Matt Murdock approaches Detective Cole North and says to him... what? What do you think he says? Something like...

1. Spare any change, governor?
2. Do you believe God is the redeemer of humankind?
3. Buy you a coffee?
4. Have you ever thought about going into porn?
5. Can you smell asparagus?
6. Why are you scratching your nuts?
7. Did you just fart?
8. Can I interest you in life insurance?

Nuff said.