Resurrections abound in Daredevil #33. Written by Chip Zdarsky, drawn by Marco Checchetto, inked by Adriano Di Benedetto, colored by Marcio Menyz, and lettered by Clayton Cowles, Daredevil #33, part 3 of “Lockdown,” sees Elektra barely surviving a battle with Bullseye(s) – with a little help from Spider-Man and Iron Man – while an explosion at the Stanworth Prison lab prompts Matt to make a very spectacular, very unnerving power grab.
Anna Peppard: Part of me feels like not a lot happened in this issue, even though technically, a lot of things were explained or came to a head. It could just be a symptom of me struggling to focus on everything that happens before the issue’s final page, because holy crap – that page. I’ll gush about it more in due course, but for now – it’s been a while since a superhero comic made me snort-laugh at its pure and wonderful ridiculousness, and I did that in response to this comic’s final page. Thank God for comics (and returning regular penciler Marco Checchetto!).
Justin Partridge: OH, ABSOLUTELY! And I think the more we talk about this in the micro, we still start to see that, narratively, this ISN’T the most “substantial” of issues, but still one that stokes the fire for the title really well. We’ve got old faces and new ones coming back to the title. We have more electric Elektra action. And a final page that portends another REALLY fun turn for “Old” Daredevil and his continued incarceration. Did we really get THAT far forward, plot-wise? Not really. But I still had hella fun with it.
Anna: Let’s dive in!
Past and Present Bullseyes
Anna: The issue opens with a “ten weeks ago” flashback that explains at least some of what’s been going on with those multiple Bullseyes we were introduced to in the last issue. In the flashback, Fisk orders a super-scientist to perform “behavior modification” surgery on Bullseye, in the hopes of controlling the “world’s greatest assassin” (debatable, but okay). Because super-scientists allied with supervillains always make the best choices, scientist 1 decides Bullseye’s personality is too “intense” to be modified, so he recruits a buddy to make a whole bunch of clones, thinking this will be way safer. Unsurprisingly – this ironclad logic backfires spectacularly. The real Bullseye wakes up, cuts his arm with his fingernails to make the scientists crack open his stasis tank, and then… yeah, we already saw that in previous issues. Lester kills everyone, and presumably steals an army of Bullseye clones. There’s still some mysteries involved, related to the angelic spirit we’ve been Bullseye talking to, and how he’s managing to avoid being tracked by the likes of Tony Stark. But at least we know why there’s so many Bullseyes!
From there, we cut to the present, which is the immediate wake of the scene that ended the last issue, featuring Elektra getting impaled by Bullseye in a Frank Miller homage neither of us was particularly thrilled by. But thankfully, we get to leave the past in the past, as Elektra is very much not dead, though she is, as you would expect, badly wounded. With the help of some flash-bangs and good old ninja skills, Elektra fights off three Bullseyes, at least long enough to call for help; she loses consciousness with a smile on her face as the silhouettes of Spider-Man and Iron Man appear overhead.
It’s an attractive fight scene – this is Checchetto we’re dealing with, after all – but I’ll confess I found some of the action a bit confusing, largely because of the multiple Bullseyes. I understand some of that disorientation was intentional, aligning us with Elektra’s own disorientation, plus the added disorientation of the flash-bangs. But I did have to read it about four times to piece together who’s-doing-what-where, and I’m still not sure if I have it exactly right. But it doesn’t really matter. I’m more interested in Elektra’s interior monologue.
I’ve been thinking about this monologue for a while, trying to decide whether it feels authentic – whether it feels like an accurate representation of how I imagine Elektra’s voice sounding. I don’t have a definitive answer; because Elektra has, historically, been so inscrutable, almost any voice could be her voice. But reading this issue’s monologue closely, I sometimes found individual moments a little too plain-spoken, as well as a little too emotional. I can’t quite buy into the idea of Elektra swearing to herself after making a mistake. She’s surely too stringently trained to react that emotionally to almost anything, especially minor setbacks. This isn’t a complaint, per se; like I said, because Elektra’s voice has never been consistent, and has often simply been absent, almost any choice is valid. I just thought it was an interesting question our readers might also be pondering. If you’ve got thoughts, let us know!
What was your mileage on this opening fight scene, Justin?
Justin: I think I might have an argument FOR it, slightly, but overall I was VERY into this opening scene. If anything because it very entertainingly gets Elektra OUT of last issue’s cliffhanger in an interesting way, but still keeps her on the backfoot slightly. As she’s having to deal with the literal triple-threat of 3 Bullseyes (Outside of Ebbing, Missouri).
But getting through some housekeeping first, I really appreciate how the opening pages just gives up the ghost on how and why we have a gaggle of Bullseyes now. Obviously, the idea of cloning a street-level baddie is not really that groundbreaking of a story for Marvel, but I liked how Chip is trying to find a narrative reason around why Fisk can’t just “mind-control” Lester. It’s a little flimsy on real-world science, for sure, and also a touch convenient that Fisk just HAS a whole ass team of cloning engineers under his payroll (probably some leftover contractors from The Jackyl), but I wasn’t too mad at us getting at least a partial explanation.
But, focusing back on “New” Daredevil, I really liked the drive of the sequence; her having to keep escaping and switching up her tactics in order to create space between her and the 3 Bullseyes (By Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok). I also think Chip’s take on her is starting to shore up for me. I think the scene with her and Tony is a better version of it, but I think her somewhat chasigating herself and having scattered thoughts in the opening fight might be Chip trying to sell some of her exhaustion at this point in the volume. Because remember, she’s been operating now for days with little to no sleep. And now we pick up #33 on the tail end of a week-long terror spree by the 3 Bullseyes (Of Melquiades Estrada) DIRECTLY AFTER a pretty vicious attack that just keeps multiplying. I am okay with her being slightly harebrained and scrambling in the narration for the moment, considering all that as well.
BUT I also understand where YOU are coming from too! You would think that Elektra would be unflappable even in the face of this multi-fronted attack (and operating at less than her peak) because we have SEEN her be unflappable in the face of similar circumstances. I suppose you could argue that her facing 3 Bullseyes (of the Condor) makes the fight much more personal and raw for her, which could translate into the narration. But you still want her to be consistently “in-character” with her voice and it’s not been as solid as one would expect it to be (even though I’ve been enjoying it here more than I have during her inclusion in other books recently).
Anna: Love that reading, Justin. I was partly bringing up questions about the fight mechanics and Elektra’s voice because I was interested in hearing your take, and everything you’re saying makes sense. I also have to add that I love how Elektra’s Daredevil mask gets knocked off midway through the fight, presumably so Checchetto can do what he does best – draw Elektra’s glorious hair. I’m being facetious of course – Checchetto draws a great many things extremely well. But by now, I do consider Elektra’s hair one of his artistic signatures. The hair’s great because it’s beautiful, but also because Checchetto uses it to amp up drama and movement. And while I’m trying really hard to avoid saying something corny like “the hair is a character in its own right,” it is a bit like that, since the hair adds a dreamlike quality to Elektra’s violence that perfectly suits her as a character who’s been, for better or worse, fairly mystical in the past, and has to be a bit mystical in the present for us to believe a woman without any actual superpowers can go toe-to-toe with the rest of the Marvel Universe. (I like the hair, is what I’m trying to say.)
Justin: NO GOD SAME. Like I do love the design of her DD costume and the way it’s incorporated elements of her old The Hand togs too. But I GOTTA see that hair more. It adds so much more expressionism to Checchetto’s already intensely emotive character models. Her AND Mary’s locks have just been treats upon treats so far. I could and would look at them forever.
Setbacks and Stasis
Anna: Most of the series’ regular antagonists remain in introspective mode in this issue. First, we check in with Izzy Libris, Butch, and Mike Murdock. Izzy tells Butch that her son Dante has gone missing; as you’ll recall, he’s been abducted by a mysterious player whose identity remain… well, mysterious. This is bad news for Butch and Mike, who were planning to kidnap Dante to force Izzy’s compliance with their takeover of her empire. Things get worse for Butch and Mike when they take a gander at the news and realize Stanworth Prision, aka the prison where Matt’s supposed to be safely locked away, is in the midst of a prisoner-led uprising (more on that shortly).
Elsewhere, Mary wants to investigate the prison riot, but Fisk’s having none of it. He says Daredevil’s brought him nothing but pain, his city’s dying, and he’s tired and going to bed. Basically – he’s depressed. (Which would be deeply sympathetic if Fisk weren’t a truly reprehensible person whose current problems, including the lockdown and all the people being indiscriminately murdered by Bullseye, weren’t all his own doing.) Mary doesn’t respond to Fisk’s sentiments, but she does longingly eye her sheathed swords, leaning against a bare wall. I’m guessing she won’t be staying put for long.
Thoughts on this month’s sub-plotting, Justin?
Justin: STILL, VERY GOOD. And even though some of this stuff plays into the slightly stilted forward momentum of the title right now, I am still so happy that Chip and company are fleshing out these side-characters more.
The complications of Butch and Mike’s plan is a lot of fun. Seeing how they not only have to adjust for the Libris son being gone now but also how they have to account for the “Old” Daredevil’s place in the prison riot. The Fisk/Mary stuff I think I am more into, however. I think the idea of Wilson starting to realize that his obsession with Matt has brought him nothing but pain is a good one. As is the idea of MARY, in turn, realizing that Wilson might not be as committed as she is, forming a neat parallel to the Butch/Mike moment last issue.
I wish they maybe had a biiiiit more to do this issue, but I am still happy to see them around and getting time on-panel.
A Little Help From Some Friends
Anna: Following her near-fatal battle with the Bullseyes, Elektra wakes up in Tony Stark’s lab, where nanites are stitching her back together. Like all the best and baddest action heroes, Elektra insists on getting right back to business instead of resting in bed like some lesser human. Elektra gets some great lines in this scene, telling Stark, “Look, I don’t really know you… but I know enough… to say that the way to your heart is to ask for an upgrade.” She then proceeds to demand he make her a “Bullseye-killing machine. Figuratively, of course.” I’m assuming “killing” is the figurative bit; Elektra’s definitely right about Tony being fundamentally incapable of turning down a challenge to build something awesome.
Finally, we get to Stanworth Prison. Detective Cole North and Kirsten McDuffie are on the scene, and what a scene it is. A smoky – and extremely spooky – black cloud hangs over the darkened prison, and each time the cops surrounding the site try to illuminate it with spotlights, or even get too close with car headlights, the lights are shot out by snipers. Detective North is told there’s some type of mysterious gas spilling out of the prison, making it a biohazard scene as well as a prison riot. They know Daredevil is in charge, but he doesn’t make his first demand until North shows up, at which point, DD demands to see him. Alone.
North dutifully dons a gas mask, and enters the eerily quiet prison. Everything about this scene is just so well done. The mystery and menace slowly builds as North makes his way through the haunted landscape, wandering through clouds of red and gray smoke scattered with fluttering debris, as though the clouds are physically thick, or else the laws of physics don’t apply in this increasingly surreal space. North sees restrained guards in the throes of silent fits; one guard’s eyes roll in opposite directions as his clenched teeth spit blood. North fights off a prisoner who tries to restrain him, and then, on the final page of the issue, Matt Murdock makes his first, spectacular appearance.
Dang, this page. I don’t even want to describe it, because it’s obviously better seen than described. But I’ll try to hit the highlights. In the foreground, we’ve got more prisoners with blood streaming from their eyes and projecting from their once-again painfully clenched teeth. They’re standing guard over an impossibly tall tower of folding tables and chairs supporting a throne backed by a magnificent orange glow of smoke and fire flecked with the same surrealistically suspended debris. Atop the throne sits – you guessed it – Matt freakin’ Murdock. Is it a bit Shadowland-esque? Yes. Is it a thousand times cooler than anything that happened in Shadowland? Also yes. Matt has completely surrendered to crime kingpin badassery, and it is beautiful to behold.
To be clear – this is obviously also horrifying. There are psychotropic drugs involved, and people are clearly suffering terribly. But it’s beautiful because, as I suggested in the intro, it’s over-the-top ridiculous in exactly the way I love superhero comics be – with complete and utter commitment. Matt’s gone full cartoonish supervillain and I am here for it.
Did this ending hit you as hard as it hit me, Justin?
Justin: OH IT ABSOLUTELY DID. And framing this turn against the return of Cole North and Kirsten McDuffie, two absolutely unbending paragons of Right/Wrong in Matt’s life, God, it’s like MARVEL KNIGHTS CHRISTMAS.
But trying to take this beat-by-beat, I think these sections of the issue are absolutely the strongest. First off, pitting Elektra against TONY ‘EFFING STARK, and further showing that she absolutely has his number immediately. That’s some GOOD STUFF. I was hoping we would get more touches of “New” Daredevil interacting with larger “A-List” heroes and this did not disappoint. I love that Chip’s Tony is aloof, but still unavoidably vainglorious, playing directly into Elektra’s hands without being made the sap. I loved it.
But NOT as much as I loved seeing Cole and Kirsten coming back to the title! I know Kirsten has gotten a bit of play before this issue, but Cole coming back was a real delight for me. Especially since he’s come back and instantly had to face the man he put away. Who now seems to have become a sort of gen-pop despot after facing down the corrupt warden last issue? Again, we don’t even KNOW much about how and why it’s happened, but I am just ACHING to see what Cole does next. Hell, what MATT is going to do next? Is he going to lash out or is Cole going to try to appeal to the man he stood next to as The Kitchen burned? Is that man even still THERE, inside Matt, any more?
HOW long until the next issue again? I may need it…right now…
Anna: I KNOW. I’m beyond excited for any of the hundred different directions this latest development might go.
Marvelous Musings
- Speaking of monologues: I can’t decide if North’s monologue as he’s walking through the prison is good-ridiculous or bad-ridiculous? “Daredevil made me see that our hearts are the law.” I’m just… not sure.
- And see I (Justin) REALLY loved it. That’s kind of the neat line between po-faced and genuinely effective Chip walks sometimes. The most obvious example of this is his Invaders mini series (which I also enjoyed a lot), but I understand how jarring it can be when Chip plays things heartfelt.
- I really wanted to come up with some kind of “Tables, Ladders, and Chairs” joke to go with my commentary on that final page, but decided it’s too good to be sullied with punnery.
- OH MY GOD, is Kirsten going to have to confront psychotropic supervillain Daredevil?? I want this yesterday.
- Elektra calling for help is an important moment; gets back to those themes of community vs individualism we’ve been talking about in the last couple of columns.
- It’s WAY MORE THAN MATT HAS EVER DONE IN COSTUME, FOR SURE. Like, can you even imagine Matt asking TONY STARK for ANYTHING?! Much less HELP. I think ultimately this might be the defining aspect of Elektra’s tenure as Daredevil. Operating as a hero who is willing to ask for help, instead of being finally forced into it by circumstance (and getting his ass kicked too many times alone).
Anna Peppard
Anna is a PhD-haver who writes and talks a lot about representations of gender and sexuality in pop culture, for academic books and journals and places like Shelfdust, The Middle Spaces, and The Walrus. She’s the editor of the award-winning anthology Supersex: Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero and co-hosts the podcasts Three Panel Contrast and Oh Gosh, Oh Golly, Oh Wow!
