Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2015, the television series Daredevil, based on the Marvel character of the same name, debuted on Netflix. The series lasted or three seasons and was critically acclaimed. It would also lead to a spinoff focusing on the Punisher, who was introduced in season two. The popularity of the series would lead to a revival/continuation on Disney+: Daredevil: Born Again. This series saw many of the cast reprise their roles, most notably Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin (Cox also cameoed as Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and D'Onofrio appeared as Fisk in Hawkeye). The first season of Born Again debuted in March 2025, to critical acclaim. Let's look at the trailer for Season 2!

Karen and Matt both freakin' love this song.

When Bullseye has worked hard killing people all day long, he likes to kick back and enjoy a chocolate shake. Mmm...chocolate shake...

And then reality sets in.

Considering how Season 1 ended, I imagine Matt is going to be in for a fight.

JESSICA JONES!

Ooh, billy club to the face. That's going to hurt.

"What I want to know is why do you have this giant ham in your trunk?!"

The trailer gives me the impression that this season is going to be a bit of a mind screw.

I admit, seeing Matt throw out that silly grin in his suit made me chuckle.

I enjoyed the first season, so...yeah, consider me hyped for this one. I can't wait to see how Matt frees New York from the iron grip of Mayor Fisk. And hopefully, Jessica's return heralds the return of a certain other pair of Defenders. And what of Frank Castle? What's he going to be up to? All I know that it's going to be bloody, and I can't wait. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Daredevil: Born Again Trailer, My Thoughts

You just can't keep the Devil down. Especially if that Devil is named Matthew Murdock. And it was true for his Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart. From 2015-2018, Daredevil got his own show on Netflix, produced by Marvel Television. The series would start a whole sub-universe within the MCU that focused on several street-level characters: The Punisher, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, which led to the Defenders miniseries. 

The show would develop a passionate fanbase, who hoped the series would be revived in some form after it was cancelled by Netflix. Charlie Cox, who played Daredevil in the original series, would reprise the role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and cameo in Echo and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Vincent D'Onofrio would also reprise his role as Wilson Fisk in Hawkeye and Echo.

In March 2022, it was announced a continuation was in development. It went through changes and revamps, as series do, and filming got suspended by the 2023 Writer's Guild Strike. Cox and D'Onofrio are returning in their roles, but so are Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, Elden Hensen as Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher. Let's look at the trailer!

Fisk: "You know, this...this is actually nice. The two of us, sitting here...shooting the breeze, enjoying some coffee (good coffee by the way)...we should do this more often."
Matt: "Yeah. We should."

Looks like we are getting a nod to the era in which Fisk became Mayor of New York City after the events of Secret Empire.

I imagine this is set after Daredevil's appearances in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Kingpin's appearance during the events of Echo, considering how that miniseries ended. 

I can imagine that ol' Rich just threw a bit of money around...and a bit of muscle. And that's why Matt is understandably skeptical of Fisk seemingly having changed.

"A line was crossed." My guess is that Daredevil killed someone. And nice little detail with the missing horn in his helmet forming a "D".

Fisk raises something interesting here. He claims that he and Matt are naturally violent men. However, I can also see that he is looking at Matt through the lens of his own ego. Fisk is himself a violent man at his core, but I can imagine that one of Born Again's themes is that even though Richard and Matt may seem similar in that aspect, they are actually very different. 

Introducing the newest supervillain tam sensation: The Rainbow Mask Gang!

The Daredevil theme in church organ is awesome. Very foreboding.

Matt in the club. 

Oh God...that dude on the white mask with the black beanie...that's Muse. He was an Inhuman serial killer who was, as the Jack Nicholson Joker would describe himself, a "homicidal artist", although I think they'll erase his Inhumanity like they did to Kamala Khan.

Frank Castle: YOU'RE ONE OF THEM! YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE COCAINE BEARS!

White Tiger!

Ooh, that guy is never going to walk normally ever again.

I just love that he has his own little Devilcave with all the different masks.

Daredevil #253 (April 1988)

Since Christmas was this week, I thought I would take a look at a Christmas-themed comic. I didn't have too many of those in my collection, unfortunately. But then I remembered something. One of my Daredevil trades had a Christmas issue, so why not look at that this week? For my final review of 2023, let's look at Daredevil #253!

The cover is a John Romita Jr. and Al Williamson piece. It depicts the Kingpin angrily gripping the mask of Daredevil. An amusing thing about this comic's cover is the masthead logo being used to wish Daredevil a Merry Christmas. It's kind of true, this Christmas is a good one for him.

"Merry Christmas, Kingpin!"
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Penciler: John Romita Jr. 
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editors: Ralph Macchio, Marc Siry
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco 

The story begins In Hell's Kitchen. Christmas may be a time associated with snow and cold, but this part of New York City? It's hot. It's always hot. And two men intend to make things hotter in the Kitchen. Not in the good way.

"IMMA LICK THE WORLD, SPIT! LITERALLY!"

Meet the Wildboys, two men who love trouble. The bearded one is Spit, and the one who can't keep his Gene Simmons-like tongue out of his mouth is named Jet. These two men's idea of spreading the Christmas spirit is to cause some damage and mayhem. 

They see an opportunity to do exactly that when they see a man dressed as Santa collecting money for homeless children. The two decide, "Hey, that money should go to our charity: The Give the Wildboys Money Fund". As such, they rob the Santa at knife point. A man tries to intervene, but since he's not a superhero, he gets an elbow to the mouth for his trouble. The two men then drive away cackling. This whole thing was witnessed by a young boy nicknamed Eightball. 

Eightball is a member of a group of young skateboard fanatics from Hell's Kitchen known as the Fatboys. We've met two of them in the past: Butch and Darla, back in my look at Daredevil #265 (April 1989). I do find it funny that they call themselves "The Fatboys" as one of them is a girl, and none of them are fat. Is it a skateboarding reference? I have no idea.

Anyway, Eightball thinks that the Wildboys are pretty cool. They do whatever they want, and they seem to always get away with it. Said Wildboys' rampage is also witnessed by the man the comic is named after.

"Time to go Grinch on these guys." 

It's Christmas Eve, and if there's something that Daredevil doesn't like, it's people like the Wildboys causing trouble on this day. So, he's going to help Santa make sure they get their lumps. And by lumps, I do not mean lumps of coal. 

But first, he needs to make sure people hit by the rampage are alright. He, well, "sees" that the man who tried to stop the Wildboys from robbing the Santa is in shock. Eightball reports to the Man Without Fear about the Wildboys, about how they were, well, wild and fearless. They wanted to "trash the family unit", whatever that means. Daredevil asks Eightball if he thinks they were cool. Eightball just stammers and runs off. It's here that he runs into two of the other Fatboys: Ralf and Darla. Again, we met Darla in Daredevil #265. 

Showing how he admires the Wildboys a bit, Eightball decides to play bully towards Darla. He knocks the helmet off Darla's head and kicks her off his skateboard. Darla's was stolen, but she'll get a new one for Christmas. Eightball laughs that off. After all, Darla's dad is a drunk and her mother is a junkie. They likely are in so much of a stupor they don't even know where they are, much less what day it is. Ralf says he's going to steal a Christmas for his family. 

Back with Daredevil, the cops are checking on the man in shock and presumably an ambulance is on the way. A cop asks Daredevil is he can help deal with the Wildboys. The NYPD is a bit stretched thin, as many on the force are spending time with family this Christmas Eve. Daredevil sees Eightball and Ralf skate by, and he shoots a look at the boy with the 8-Ball on his helmet. This creeps Eightball out, as it seems as if the Devil of Hell's Kitchen can read his mind.

Matt Murdock's thought bubble points out that he is watching Eightball, but the boy is unaware of this. Eightball decides that if Daredevil thinks he's bad, then he might as well be. 

Later, Matt is bringing a Christmas tree somewhere. He finds himself thinking about family. The cop assumed he didn't have one, and maybe he wasn't wrong. After all, Matt's father is dead, and his mother is off being a nun. Thing is, family isn't necessarily built by blood. Family can be the people you build bonds with. Daredevil has, in a way, a found family among the outcasts of the city: the rebels, the homeless, etc. As Matt Murdock heads to his destination, he switched back to civilian clothes. 

"Except Bill ate all the Fritos. Friggin' Bill..."

At this time, Matt was running a free legal clinic, as well as a hotline to help people with drug problems. The workers there all chipped in for a nice Christmas feast. Matt tells them how the Kingpin destroyed his life, but he still had his heart and spirit. This feast shows that heart and spirit are still here, and he actually pities Wilson Fisk. Why? Well, even though he's one of the richest and most powerful men in the city, he is missing something no amount of money or power will give him. 

Speaking of the Kingpin, what is he up to?

"Feel the burn!"

The man may be large, but he is not a weakling by any means. He is being briefed by one of his attorneys on how Murdock's legal work is messing up his own plans. Fisk wants to put up a new building. But not just any new building. He wants to build the tallest building in all of Manhattan Island. As such, he needs to buy a lot of property to make this new building. Murdock has rallied the community, and as a result, the lot owner is under very heavy pressure to not sell to Fisk. 

As the man continues to work out, a fly buzzes in. When Fisk is told about a lawsuit against a company called Kelco that is making headway (thanks to Murdock working with grassroots environmentalists), Fisk insists he has to win that case. The point of it was to show Murdock there is no justice, and the lawyer should apply some pressure of his own on the lot owner tomorrow.

He grows annoyed with Murdock's work, as well as the fly buzzing around. He tries to smash the fly with a barbell, but all he gets is a broken mirror and a beaten-up trainer. 

The attorney points out that you can't kill a fly with a barbell. Fisk realizes he'll need to be subtle. The attorney reminds Fisk that it's Christmas tomorrow, and he'd like the day off. Spend the day with his family, after all. Fisk channels his inner Scrooge and tells him no. He finally catches the fly in his hand. He plans to crush Murdock, and Christmas is no obstacle. He demands a board meeting tomorrow morning, Christmas or no Christmas. 

Meanwhile, the Wildboys continue their idea of "fun".

Talk about your Christmas sales.

The Wildboys have taken up "collecting" electronics, and Daredevil has tracked them down. He jumps on their car and disarms the two. He easily sends them to dreamland and leaves them as a gift to the cops. 

He spots Eightball going through the Wildboys' loot. Daredevil advises him to give the loot back, telling him if you give to others, some of that goodness will come back to you. Eightball thinks he's nuts, but he does leave the loot behind. Daredevil goes to return to the pilfered stuff, but the owners of the looted stores approach him. They tell him that he can keep the stolen items. It's Christmas, after all. And the Man Without Fear knows exactly what to do with this stuff.

Let's check in on the Fatboys, shall we? Darla is looking longingly at the skateboards in a store window. Eightball shows up and the two talk a bit. She intends to steal one of the skateboards in the shop, but Eightball tells her that you get what you give into the world, basically. It's a nice way of showing that Daredevil's words sank in. The two have a tender moment, which is interrupted by Eightball kicking his skateboard at her and running away. She tells him he forgot his board, but Eightball insists he didn't. After all, it's not his.

The next day, Christmas is here. Up in Fisk's tower, the Kingpin is alone and stewing over Murdock. The attorney comes in and reports that the rest of the board are at home with their families. Also, the owner of the lot that Fisk wants has decided not to sell. He even convinced some other lot owners not to sell their properties to Fisk. The Kingpin is enraged by this. But it's that time of year.

Over at the free legal clinic, Matt returns with the items the store owners let him keep, having wrapped them up and is giving them away as Christmas presents. 

The Kingpin is driven by in his limo, and watches Matt at the clinic. He thinks that Matt is miserable being among what the crime boss considers the dregs of society. He then realizes that to truly finish Murdock off, he needs to stab him in the heart. In the metaphorical sense, of course. The story ends with a bum asking Fisk for some change. 

I enjoyed this comic, a Christmas in Hell's Kitchen. The Wildboys weren't much as characters, but they weren't really meant to be new additions to the Man Without Fear's rogues gallery, just generic punks for Matt to beat up. I can't help but think that Nocenti also was feeling a bit Dickensian by having Fisk be a Scrooge here. I also liked the scene with Eightball giving his skateboard to Darla, showing that he may have thought Daredevil was nuts, but he's not a bad kid at heart. Even in Hell's Kitchen, there's kindness and goodwill. Murdock and Fisk are compared very well here. Murdock may not have the wealth or power of the Kingpin, but he's surrounded by people he cares about, whereas Fisk has wealth and influence, but he has no one. Perhaps the Man Without Fear truly has the wealth after all. The little subplot with Eightball was cute, and his giving the skateboard to Darla was adorable. JRJR's art has the grit to it that fits Daredevil.

All in all, this was a wonderful little tale for the holidays. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 13: A Touch of Typhoid. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time! Have a belated Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

Daredevil #265 (April 1989)

Since October is the month of scares and frights, I wanted to look at a spooky comic this week. As such, I thought it would be nice to revisit the time New York City was caught in the fires of the Inferno.

A basic primer here if you don't know, Inferno was a 1988 crossover storyline that centered around a demonic invasion of New York City. The main storyline was centered around the X-Men family of books: Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants, X-Factor, Excalibur, and the X-Terminators miniseries. However, the events of the storyline would tie in with many other books. Which made sense, as many of Marvel's many other superheroes tended to operate in New York City. 

Back in 2018, I took a look at how Spider-Man and his supporting cast were dealing with the invasion here, here and here. But there was another hero who was also suffering through the Inferno: Daredevil. It makes a bizarre bit of sense for Daredevil to be dragged into the Inferno, a Catholic man dressed as a devil fighting demons and monsters. So, how did the Devil of Hell's Kitchen get through the conflagration? Let's find out in Daredevil #265!

The cover is a John Romita Jr and Al Williamson piece. It's pretty cool. You have our man himself, the Man Without Fear, staring down a giant looming demon while standing atop a pile of demon bodies. It promises an epic confrontation.

"We Again Beheld the Stars"
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Max Scheele
Colorist: Joe Rosen
Editors: Ralph Macchio, Marc Siry
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story beings with New York City being in the midst of the Inferno, the demonic invasion of New York City. And for an unfortunate dentist named Ned Zane, it will be the beginning of some horrors, as his own devices turn on him and transform him into a cyborg demon monster.

“Honey, I mutilated the kids!”

He decides to take some lunch, carrying on some casual conversation with his patients and secretary, all seemingly not noticing that Zane is now a cyborg demon monster. Outside, a couple of cops are chilling in their cruiser, casually remarking about all the demonic craziness. They're on a lunch break themselves...and they end up Zane's lunch. Yeah, New York City has literally become a hell on Earth.

That one demon is so happy he got a hot dog.

Two truckers are stuck in traffic and decide to gun their engine and spew some smoke. Because they're idiots, I guess.

They discover that someone has bent the exhaust pipe of the truck. The perpetrator? Our man Daredevil.

Daredevil really hates polluters.

The Man Without Fear gets to work, saving lives, beating up demons, that kind of thing. He's acting rather strange, though. He's moving mechanically, emotionlessly, like he's a preprogrammed robot instead of a man. This oddness is noticed by a young boy named Butch. He's a member of a group of young skaters known as the Fatboys. First introduced in the Longshot miniseries (that was also written by Ann Nocenti), the Fatboys were a group of Hell's Kitchen kids that loved to skateboard. At this time, they were associated with Daredevil, and acted like sort of sidekicks to him. 

Another Fatboy skates up to Butch, a girl named Darla. However, Darla is acting strange, being more interested in looting a store than helping DD.

“Hey, Butch! Wanna get lunch? I’m craving baby.”

Yeah, as part of the demonic chaos infecting New York, some people started acting more monstrous or got possessed by demons. Darla is the latter. Butch explains that this started when he told Daredevil that his legal clinic closed down and Karen Page left. Yeah, that was a whole thing going on in the book at the time. The Kingpin was at it again, and he brought in Typhoid Mary to help ruin him again. Butch believes that if he can get Daredevil back to normal, then all the madness will go away, too. Good luck, kid.

Meanwhile, a regular Joe (I'm gonna call him Joe) is waking up, hearing a bunch of noise. He yells out his window to the neighboring building to shut up already.

He finds a pair of demons doing some "remodeling". He figures it's time to wake up...and he got robbed, again. 

Joe decides that he needs to get out of the city. 

Meanwhile, the demonic Zane is out on a rampage, ranting about how much he hates yuppies...this comic was from the 80s. He blows some smoke in a chained man's face, saying that's what he thinks of the anti-smoking laws. He laughs and claims that it's time to arrest the meek, cull the timid, and kill all the artists. He wants to turn New York into a chaotic hell...well, more of a hell than it is right now. Meanwhile, Joe tries to drive out of the city (chanting that he hates New York), but is caught in gridlock. He then gets a flat and calls for a taxi...that has a demon driving it. Nice knowing you, Joe. 

Let's get back to our man Matt, shall we? After all, the comic is not called "Joe". Daredevil saves a woman from some demons, but continues on his way, ignoring her thanks. Daredevil just wordlessly helps people out. Butch tries to get his attention, but the demonic Darla wants him to leave the Devil of Hell's Kitchen alone. Nearby, some demons prepare to ambush two citizens, but Matt just literally tears them apart.

Butch tries to show Darla this isn't Matt. Something is very wrong with him. Darla doesn't care. Joe continues on foot, somehow escaping the demonic taxi. He's repeating his chant of "I Hate New York". Zane continues on his rampage.

You can tell NYPD hiring standards just keep going down.

He's ranting about carbon monoxide and burning out the ozone layer. Cancer for everyone! He and Daredevil's paths then finally cross. Zane accuses Daredevil of obstructing justice, aiding and abetting criminals, insulting a law enforcement officer, and also dressing as a devil in a "No Devil Costume Zone". He blasts the Man Without Fear with a dose of what appears to be fire breath, but Daredevil is unfazed and fights back. Zane rants about how New York seduces people with its gleaming towers, and that all that matters here is money. You win if you get the most money. 

People watching this fight note that he's fighting back, but some ask why he's bothering. After all, he'll only get beaten down in the end. Like everyone else. Some have even started taking bets. My money's on Daredevil. 🎵 We're in the money, we're in the money... 🎵

As demons hurl fireballs on the streets from the buildings above, Zane and Matt continue their struggle. Zane continues ranting and raving about how you can't beat the city, how it always finds a way to win in the end. Matt seemingly shuts the demonized Zane up by impaling him with his billy club. That'll hurt.

However, even after this and Matt ripping his arm off like it was made of paper, Zane still won't shut up. As Matt beats him with said arm, Zane rants about how the city turns people into essentially robots. Numb beings who feel nothing, just going about their daily routine, and that's it. The city takes away your dreams, your hopes, everything that makes you human. Butch finally catches up to Daredevil, begging him to stop being like this. Surprisingly, it seems to have some effect on the man, as he gives Butch a pat on the head.

He then starts picking up some litter and putting it in a garbage can. This inspires some New Yorkers to do the same. Help clean up the city. That's always a nice thing. But I bet you're wondering something very important right now: Where is Joe? Did he manage to get out of New York? Well, yeah...sort of.

Joey got himself a nice little helicopter tour. From it, he's able to take a break from the chaos of New York. And he already finds himself missing it. The two then notice a giant pentagram in the sky, sucking up the demons like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dirt. This is something from the X-Books. After the Inferno, Daredevil marches into a bar, still seemingly out of it. Someone buys him a beer and offers a toast to New York City. For the first time in the entire issue, Matt Murdock...smiles as he's about to imbibe the foamy libation.

I enjoyed this comic, it was a fun read for Halloween. I do believe I've talked about Ann Nocenti's run on Daredevil's book before, and honestly, at times, I found it...weird. However, weird doesn't necessarily mean bad. This story was a good one. I see this tale as Nocenti paying tribute to New York City, the resilience of the city and its people. The main thing I noticed was Daredevil himself in this story. At this point, he was pretty battered and broken, both physically and mentally. He was literally operating on autopilot in this issue. And he was still fighting. Still trying to save the city. Because that's Matt Murdock at his core. At his heart, the man is a fighter. He never gives up. This issue is a great demonstration of that. 

It makes him a great foil to the demonized Ned Zane. Zane ranted and raved to him about how New York City grinds you down, which is shown by Joe. But ultimately, Daredevil proves him wrong. The ending helps show just how resilient (and maybe jaded) New Yorkers are. Daredevil's little smile is a nice bit of symbolism. He's survived the worst, and now there's nowhere to go but up.

John Romita Jr.'s art actually fits this story very well. His rough, jagged style is perfect for drawing demons and monsters. It really helps sell the idea that the city has been turned into something...unnatural.

Hope this helped make your Halloween a little more fun! If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 13: A Touch of Typhoid. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time! 

Daredevil #276 (January 1990)

Last time, we took a look at Daredevil #275 (December 1989). As part of the "Acts of Vengeance" event, Doctor Doom rebuilt the evil machine known as Ultron. Yep, Ultron. The robot that gave entire teams of Avengers pause, and set him against the Man Without Fear. At the time, Daredevil was hanging out with a couple members of the Inhuman Royal Family, a pair of civilians, and Number Nine. Number Nine was a young woman genetically altered to be "perfect". However, it led her to wonder who she is. Doom's rebuilt Ultron, the 13th incarnation of the killer robot, has a similar problem. Doom gave it the personalities of the previous 12 versions of itself, and as a result...Ultron's gone more wonkybonkers than usual.

While out on its Doom-programmed mission to kill Daredevil (as a way to prove something to the Kingpin), Ultron puzzled over who it was, when it encountered Number Nine. And then Daredevil and the Inhumans showed up to fight him. The three heroes got trounced. And that's how we got here. Let's take a look at Daredevil #276!

The cover is awesome! It's a John Romita Jr, and Al Williamson piece. You have Daredevil sitting on a pile of what is presumably dirt, holding up the head of Ultron on a stick, like the psychotic robot was executed and his head was put on a pike. The way Daredevil is hunched over and in shadow, it's like the battle was brutal and costly. Like he had to walk through hell to beat him. I also have to point out, I like the little corner indicator that indicates that this is an "Acts of Vengeance" tie-in. It's a great subtle way to indicate a tie-in, and it would be cool if it was brought back.

"The Hundred Heads of Ultron"
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Ultron hefting Number Nine over his head, rating insanely. As insane robots do.

He takes her to a gigantic pile of Ultron heads. He rants and raves about how he has many conflicting voices in his head (Remember, this Ultron was supposed to be a combination of the previous twelve incarnations of the killer robot), and he wants perfection. He raves about how he's a False Man, and but still a man. He desires success in his goal. And once he climbs that pile of Ultron heads, he'll find his answers. Yeah, did I mention this Ultron is high up on the wonkybonkers scale right now?

Brandy Ash finds the beaten Daredevil, Karnak, and Gorgon. The three wake up, as they were only stunned. Gorgon realizes they were fighting Ultron. As in the Ultron that has been a pain to entire teams of Avengers. Karnak is not so worried, as even Ultron has a weakness. Remember, Karnak has the ability to find the weak spots of things. Skip Ash drives up, his truck armed to the teeth. Daredevil's found them thanks to his super-hearing. Nine's heartbeat is racing, and Ultron is loudly ranting. He takes off in Skip's truck, leaving his allies behind. Skip is furious because he just bought that truck.

Ultron walks up the pile of heads, a struggling Number Nine in his arms. Daredevil arrives, and Nine pleads with the mad robot to not hurt him.

Daredevil races up the improvised mountain, and Ultron tries to blast him. You know, Matt should consider working as a stunt double. There's no doubt a certain Avenger could help out with that.... Nine screams that she'll hate Ultron if he killed him. However, Ultron's programming demands he do so. Not to worry, Ultron has the perfect solution to that mental problem. He just rips out the circuit that tells him to kill Daredevil.

The mad robot keeps going up the pedestal, ranting about how Number Nine is perfect, and must be protected. However, she argues that she's not some jewel, she's a person. What he's doing is tyrannical. She wants to be seen as flawed, as imperfect. That gives her freedom. He compares his quest to a knight going on a quest. When they found what they were looking for, they vanished.

Daredevil is able to hear this (super-hearing, remember? Daredevil is blind, but his other four senses are very strong), and he figures that Ultron intends to kill Number Nine. It's not unreasonable to assume so. Ultron has no compunction about killing humans, so...yeah.

Nine tries to get Ultron to accept his flaws. She tells him to sort out the voices in his head, and listen to the good ones. Problem is...Ultron has no idea which voices are the "good" ones. Considering the vast majority of the voices are telling him to kill humanity, you can see the problem. He goes further around the bend and starts ripping off his head...while his neck circuitry takes a billy club.

Daredevil leaps up and gets Nine out of there, but gets a Mighty Backhand from the mad machine, sending him tumbling. Gorgon tries to ambush Ultron, but also suffers the same fate. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen whacks the insane robot with a stick. Karnak, using his ability to find the weak spot of things, kicks Ultron in the exposed circuitry in his chest. Like you needed that power to notice that weak spot, buddy. It weakens Ultron enough for Daredevil to decapitate him.

"Daredevil Wins. Fatality."

Ultron's headless body tumbles down the makeshift pile of Ultron heads. And with that, the battle is finished. The group look down on the body of the broken robot. Number Nine feels terrible. She saw something in Ultron. She saw a vulnerability in the mad mechanoid. She tells the others that needs to be alone for a while, so she'll join them at the farm later. She manages to find the right Ultron head (It's still a bit warm). The story ends with her vowing to find a way to revive him. There was a good voice inside of him somewhere, and she wants to hear it again. She'll hear it again one day. After all, it's their fate.

I enjoyed this story, mainly because it was a match-up we've never really seen before. It does seem kind of one-sided at first glance. Think about it. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen is a street-level vigilante with supersenses. Ultron is a robot that has managed to bring the fight to entire teams of Avengers. Daredevil should consider himself pretty lucky that A) He had some backup in Gorgon and Karnak and B) Ultron was not at his best.

Number Nine's hearing a good voice in Ultron actually makes some sense. Ultron's twelfth incarnation actually managed to overcome his hatred of humanity and be...rather pleasant. Also, Ultron's attempt to find himself a great parallel to Number Nine, who is also trying to find herself. Her desire to revive him does make sense when you keep this in mind.

I never really had any issue with John Romita Jr's art, but his take on Ultron does come off a bit awkward to me sometimes. It looks a bit stiff and ungainly. Otherwise that, I think he turns in some fine artwork.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! See you next time, when the DC Universe becomes Legendary...

Daredevil #275 (December 1989)

The Man without Fear has swung by this blog before, mainly with my review of Daredevil #233 (August 1986). It would be the last issue of the influential Daredevil run by Frank Miller. After Miller departed the book, three fill-in issues were made. Steve Englehart (using the pseudonym John Harkness) was supposed to take over next, but lost the post after one issue thanks to a plot conflict with one of the fill-ins. Enter Ann Nocenti.

Nocenti was originally brought in to write a fill-in, but she stayed on the book for four-and-a-quarter years. This made her the series' longest regular writer. Nocenti had already cut her teeth writing for Marvel, having written stories for the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman, Doctor Strange, and Star Wars. She also wrote the 1986 miniseries Beauty and the Beast (December 1984-June 1985), a miniseries that focused on the X-Men characters Dazzler and Beast. She also wrote the Longshot miniseries (September 1985-February 1986), which was the introduction of the titular character. Nocenti's run dealt with themes like feminism (which was a regular theme of her work), drug abuse, and nuclear proliferation. She also introduced Typhoid Mary to the Daredevil mythos. This would cause her to come into conflict with editors on occasion.

Before we begin, we also have to talk a bit about a crossover Marvel was doing at the time called "Acts of Vengeance". Going between December 1989 and February 1990 (and bringing in many of Marvel's books at the time), the crossover was basically an excuse to have Marvel's heroes face off against villains they normally didn't fight. For example, Moon Knight fighting Hydro-Man or the Fantastic Four fighting the Leader. Made for some interesting match-ups. Daredevil would be among the heroes brought into the Acts, as he finds himself battling one of Marvel's most dangerous villains: Ultron. So, how did that go down? Let's find out as we take a look at Daredevil #275!

The cover is pretty awesome. You go Ultron holding Daredevil by the neck while he is standing over the beaten bodies of Karnak and Gorgon. Behind them is a what looks like a bunch of Ultron heads on pikes. It's pretty macabre, and shows the insanity of Ultron rather well.

"False Man"
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Penciler: John Romita, Jr.
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editors: Ralph Macchio, Mike Rockwitz
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with Doom holding up Ultron's head, like he thinks it will impress Reed Richards or something.

"Alas, poor Ultron. Doom knew him...not very well."

Doom rants about the Kingpin's ego always letting him get in the way of defeating Daredevil. As such, Doom will show him who is the better man, by using a robot to kill the Man without Fear. And he won't just use any robot. He'll use the robot that has given teams of Avengers trouble. No kill like overkill, I guess. Doom hasn't just got the body of Ultron, he's also got the mental systems of the previous twelve incarnations of the robot up to this point.

Doom has mixed them together to create the perfect new Ultron...Ultron 13. He places the head of the robot on the body, and activates it. Ultron is reborn, his first thoughts being that the Ultron minds are no one's servants. They serve themselves...against each other. As Doom gives him his orders, Ultron thinks about how flawed his creators have been.

Meanwhile, in upstate New York, Daredevil is chilling in a barn, where he notes that there's a lot of various different skulls there.

"If I could see, I would be rather uncomfortable right now."

Uh, Matt? You may want to run. That loooks like the lair of a psycho killer, man. Using his super-senses, he listens in on the happenings below.

We see two of the Inhumans, Karnak and Gorgon, alongside their faithful dog Lockjaw. They're with a man named Skip, who owns the farm. There was some strangeness going on with Skip's farm and Attilan, the Inhumans' home. The two are also looking for a child that is the heir to the Inhumans' throne. Likely Black Bolt and Medusa's kid Ahura. I think this was brought in as a leftover from an Inhumans story Nocenti wanted to do. She did write the Inhumans graphic novel a year earlier.

Daredevil feels like this whole thing is completely absurd. I don't blame him. I read the issues before this, and it's pretty crazy, ha ha. Matt finds himself feeling like he doesn't care about any of this, and wonders how he turned off his compassion.

Meanwhile, Ultron is making some extra weapons to fight Daredevil.

Page 159, Panel 2

Yup, he going to throw Ultron heads at Daredevil. Ultron finds himself thinking about Jocasta, his first attempt at a mate. He then laments that he himself is flawed, and all flawed creators must be destroyed. Meanwhile, Daredevil is preparing to leave. He realizes that he needs to be alone. Can't fix himself up if he's too busy helping others.

It's then that a blonde woman known only as Number Nine walks in with Gorgon. Yeah, there was whole weird story beforehand with Number Nine. It was weird. Basically, Nine was genetically programmed to be servile, the "perfect woman". A woman named Brandy (Skip's daughter) has been trying to teach her basic feminist principles, and it's left her a little unsure of herself. As I said, it was a weird story. Gorgon tries to point out that everyone is "programmed" in a way, by parents, by society, by status. And everyone struggles with it. Even Inhuman Royals.

In the woods, Ultron has...gotten weird.

And here we see Ultron perfoming a ritual to summon Calculon, God of Microchips.

You know, Ann Nocenti went on to edit a magazine for pot smokers. I'm sure that it has nothing to do with this. Ultron decides to just wander off, questioning why he's going to kill Daredevil. After all, Daredevil is just a human. Ultron hates all of humanity, and Daredevil is just another human. So why just kill this one human? Ultron 13 has the voices of all the previous 12 incarnations in his head,
and it's leading him to wonder who 13 himself is. I smell a theme...

Number Nine goes out for a nice jog. On the run, she encounters all of Ultron's extra heads. She then runs into Ultron, who demands to know where Daredevil is. She screams that she never will, and tries to flee...only to get zapped by the mechanical menace. He discovers that she survived the blast...and is already healing up. Ultron thinks he's found her: his perfect, indestructible woman.

Gorgon and Karnak get ready to leave. After all, they got a lost kid to find. Brandy offers to help out, and she wonders if Daredevil will, too. It's not like they have to worry about Number Nine. Her creators think she's dead (again, crazy story), so she's safe.

Speaking of Number Nine, she and Ultron do some talking...while he takes her to show off his totally not wonkybonkers head display.

I guess you could say Ultron...lost his heads?

She tells him she has no idea who she is, and so does he. He admits that he is flawed, which doesn't bother Number Nine in the least. Ultron examines her, while his previous incarnations argue in his head over what to do with her. It seems his urge to kill is winning out (Makes sense, the majority of Ultron's incarnations were all about killing people), and Nine screams.

Daredevil hears it (He's got super-hearing), and goes to check it out. It leads the others to realize that Number Nine is missing. Ultron starts ranting about being a mockery of man, as humanity is flawed, and since humans created Ultron, he is flawed, too. He screams he must be destroyed, and so must his creators. Nine tries to talk him down. Gorgon and Daredevil take the fight to the robotic rogue.

Karnak tries to use his power to find the weak points in objects to break Ultron, but he angrily blasts the three off of him. The story ends with Ultron grabbing Number Nine. Yup, this is a two-parter.

This story is...alright, but it feels really weird. Keep in mind, it's continuing on another storyline that also was rather weird. At least, I felt it was weird. I admit, rereading this issue, I did feel a bit lost. I got the scans for this issue from Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 14: Heart of Darkness. It had been a while since I read that trade, so I was a bit confused at first as to what is going on with the Inhumans, Skip, Brandy, and Number Nine. So, I'd recommend getting the trade to get the whole story.

The big thing about the story is the theme of being flawed. I did like the interactions between Number Nine and Ultron. They both were artificial beings in a way. Number Nine was created to be perfect, but she struggles to figure out who she is, and in a way...Ultron is as well. They were both intended to be "perfect", but have inherent flaws due to being created by flawed beings.

John Romita Jr. is a second-generation artist, his father John Romita Sr. was famous for his work on Spider-Man back in the 1960s. His art style is more gritty than his father's, and he seems a bit more..."blocky" for lack of a better term, a bit stiffer.

Nocenti's run on Daredevil, from what I read of it, does come off as different to the classic Miller stuff, but it brings plenty of weird. Again, if you want to give this story a read, track down Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 14: Heart of Darkness. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! Next time, we'll see how the Man without Fear survived the Mad Mechanoid...