Daredevil (Marvel's Finest)

Rating:
Summary: From Spudmunkey Dot Com
Review: Title: Daredevil:: Parts of a Hole
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: David Mack
Artists: Joe Quesada and David Ross
For Fans of: Kabuki, The Hear No Evil See No Evil movies, pulp heroes,Greek Tragedies, Irony

After Matt's loss in the last chapter of his life, we find a pensive hero who is about to get his world turned upside down once again. We are also introduced to Maya Lopez, who was born deaf but later found ways to compensate for this loss. She can duplicate the any action she sees exactly. Anything from piano playing to martial arts can be duplicated by simply watching the masters of these activities. Also like Matt she is driven by her father's murder and seeks vengeance. Her father was an associate of the Kingpin's, who was also his executioner and this is how Kingpin was able to take her under his wing. Maya's trust in him is the reason he is able to pull off the ruse that Daredevil is her father's killer, not himself. Since Kingpin also knows Matt's identity, it is a simple matter to have these two similar individuals meet, without Maya knowing who Matt really is.

This story has romance, super heroics, tragedy, symbolism, irony, life, death, and the one of the biggest shake ups in the status quo of a BIG member of the Daredevil cast. Mack's first venture into writing already established characters is inventive as well as creatively paced. Known for his award winning creator owned book, Kabuki, Mack must have felt some intimidation coming in after a very popular and well received run by film-maker Kevin Smith. However, he didn't show his intimidation with this chapter. He actually tried to one up Smith's shock ending with a interesting bit of irony which will be explored further by Brian Michael Bendis in issues to come.

Quesada's art in this book is not only his best work, but wildly creative. It was like he was in the mood to read some Sienkiewicz and got caught up in the style! If you only know Quesada as Marvel's Editor in Chief, then you need to see that when he has time, he is also one of the best artist in the industry.

The best aspect of this story was the humanization of the Kingpin. You see what motivated him and how his achieved the position he resides in. To make a character come off as both frightening and tragic is a rare feat.

Rating:
Summary: Another Epic Daredevil Tale!
Review: What is it about Daredevil that seems to bring out the best in a writer and artist..? Miller and Janson, Kevin Smith, Quesada & Palmiotti, Bendis & Maleev, and now David Mack....

Parts of a Hole tells the triangular story of Daredevil, The Kingpin, and a new character, Echo. Echo was the child of one of The Kingpin's enforcers, and she blames DD for the death of dear old Dad....even though The Kingpin pulled the trigger. Echo is kind of the dark reflection of Daredevil- Where he is blind, Echo is DEAF, and the dichotomy this presents is perfectly presented by the talented David Mack. Add to this stew a romance between DD and Echo in their civillian identities, and you have the makings of a Greek tragedy....

The art, by Joe Quesada and others, is great; Quesada manages to stretch his palette in new directions, tipping the hat to David Mack's art, while still maintaining his own recognizable style.

A prevoius reviewer stated that the fill-in issue spoiled the pacing of the book, and shouldn't have been included in the collection. I must respectfully disagree, and say that I loved the fill in issue, and applaud it's inclusion. I found the way they were able to craft a tale that took place in the minutes-long span between issues AND make it thoughtful and exciting, to be nothing short of amazing, and I think that it was a highlight of the story for me. The great thing about including the story is this: If the reader gets a few pages into it, and finds it's not to their liking, they can just skip right by it and get back to the main story. (Don't skip it, though! I think you'll be pleasently surprised.)