REVIEW: THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

I never thought I would be reviewing a book (I tend to stick to comics) but this one has two things going for it: 1) it is a book about comics and 2) it is a book about the my favourite superhero, Daredevil. That’s not to say it was a given that I would pick it up. I had a quick glance at the contents page and it seemed to offer quite a variety of topics related to the man named Matt Murdock. I’ll give a quick summary of each essay:

      1)  “A Different Daredevil” looks at the various creators who were involved at the very beginning (Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita Sr and so on) and ponders various what ifs including one that John Romita Sr seems to ponder himself of what if he stayed on the book he seemed to really enjoy working on (He was moved to Spider-man after Ditko’s departure).

2)      “Grabbing the Devil by the Horns” examines Daredevil’s early rogues gallery and how week and weird they were.

3)      “Being Mike Murdock” looks at Matt’s fictional brother and what it says about the psychology behind his creation.

4)      “Daredevil and the Missing Father” is an examination of the relationship between Matt and Jack Murdock while looking at father/son relationships in Western Literature.

5)      “There Will Be Blood” is a discussion of the violence in the book and why Daredevil’s villains are more bloodthirsty.

6)      “Science Fact!” looks at the Marvel Physics behind Daredevil’s powers and how they hold up in the real world.

7)      “Daredevil: Not Ready For Primetime?” ponders why Daredevil works better alone and not as part of a group like the Avengers.

8)      “The Life and Times of Foggy Nelson” takes a look at Matt Murdock's law partner and best friend.

9)      “Blind Dates and Broken Hearts” is a look at Matt Murdock tragic love-life.

10)  “Daredevil and Spider-man”. Is Daredevil a dark Spider-man? A comparison of the two early 60s creations.

11)  “Daredevil and Punisher” asks are Daredevil and The Punisher polar opposites?

12)  “What Fall From Grace?” takes another look at the much maligned Daredevil run by Daniel Chichester.

13)  “.22 Caliber, a Girl’s gun” takes a look at Vanessa Fisk’s role in Brian Michael Bendis’ Daredevil run.

14)  “When Things Fall Apart In Hell’s Kitchen” looks at Brian Bendis’ run.

15)  “Daredevil: Intermediate Super-Hero Filmmaking” looks at super-hero movies and Daredevil (2003).

16)  “The Only Way Is Down” examines Ed Brubaker’s run and how it is akin to 1970’s Film Noir.

I enjoyed the variety provided. It is a book that you can pick up and read a chapter and get something different each time. It never looks down on the subject matter (I was worried that “Science Fact” might but it tends to highlight where the powers are factually correct) and it examines various aspects of the storytelling that has had me picking up Daredevil in interesting ways. I think it is a must for all Daredevil and comic fans in general.