Tag Archives: Kirsten McDuffie

Sep 20 2013

Daredevil 31

Alternating Currents: Daredevil 31, Ethan and DrewToday, Ethan and Drew are discussing Daredevil 31, originally released September 18th, 2013. 

Ethan: The latest issue of Daredevil delivers a some shocking moments. A respected lawyer calls for blood in the streets after an unfavorable verdict, Daredevil pistol-whips a policeman, a swarm of ants controls the weather… and the final panel delivers a heart-dropping twist. To those of you who haven’t picked up this issue yet, here thar be Spoilers. Seriously, no joke, don’t read this if you plan to read this issue but haven’t gotten the chance yet. A revelation at the climax of issue has the potential to shake Matt Murdock — and we the readers — to his core. Continue reading →

Aug 27 2013

Daredevil 30

daredevil 30

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Daredevil 30, originally released August 21st, 2013. 

“You know, I always wanted to pop you one. Maybe this is my lucky day.”

“You disgust me. I hate you.”

“Are you as turned on as I am?”

“More.”

Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, Cheers

Drew: What is it about unlikely couples that makes us root for them? Antagonism is great fodder for will they/won’t they story lines, but why are audiences so interested in seeing these love-hate relationships? I ask, because while I can’t fully explain it, I’m an absolute sucker for these stories. Of course, that means I’ve been pulling for Kirsten McDuffie since she showed up, guns out, in Daredevil 1. We haven’t seen her since Matt awkwardly interrupted her date in issue 24, but she’s back in all of her fiery glory here, as writer Mark Waid takes full advantage of a one-off team-up to ramp up the will they/won’t they of their relationship. Continue reading →

Mar 27 2013

Daredevil 24

Alternating Currents: Daredevil 24, Drew and DavidToday, Drew and guest writer David “The Mast” Masters are discussing Daredevil 24, originally released March 20th, 2013.

Drew: Superhero comics are great at exaggeration. Everything is a matter of life and death, good vs. evil. It makes for exciting stories, but it also has the power to make anything less extreme seem dull by comparison. Many titles deal with this issue by avoiding it altogether, minimizing any time the heroes spend outside of their costume to brief interruptions in the otherwise endless stream of fights and explosions. Mark Waid’s run on Daredevil has always found a much more even balance between his life in and out of the costume, but issue 24 goes a step further, presenting the superhero action as brief interruptions in an otherwise normal life. Continue reading →

Jan 21 2013

Daredevil 22

Alternating Current: Daredevil 22, Drew and MikyzpltkToday, Drew and Mikyzptlk are discussing Daredevil 22, originally released January  16th, 2013.

Drew: Last month, I marveled at the reveal of Otto Octavius’s Spider-Man at the end of Daredevil 21. I thought the choice of Kirsten for that first encounter was a brilliant one, since while we expect our heroes to be in the know, we’re used to civilian friends to be kind of clueless (coughJimmyOlsoncough). Of course, Marvel is playing a much longer game with Otto in the Spidey suit, so it’s a necessity that Matt not figure things out right away, either. I’m generally wary of dramatic irony that keeps the hero in the dark — it’s too often played with an obviousness that makes the heroes come off as dumb — but Mark Waid manages to find a logical, thematically resonant reason for Matt to overlook Spider-Man’s odd behavior by tying it back to his personal life. Continue reading →

Jan 1 2013

Daredevil 21

Alternating Currents: Daredevil 21, Drew and PatrickToday, Drew and Patrick are discussing Daredevil 21, originally released December  19th, 2012.

Drew: We often chide comics for their relatively high cost of entry. It’s easy enough to pick up random issues here and there, but to really dig into a series might require an understanding of decades of stories, and how any of it might matter now. What’s worse is that any given series may have crossed paths with any number of other series over its long history (and might just be crossing paths with any of them again soon). To committed fans, this creates an immersive, almost tactile world, but to folks hoping to ease their way into comics, that dense, interwoven history can be downright impenetrable. We’re generally willing to go along for the ride here at Retcon Punch (which is why we’ve aimed to cover essentially any crossover event DC throws at us), trusting that that dedication will be rewarded. In the final scene of Daredevil 21, Mark Waid turns that expectation on its head, actively rewarding our ignorance (or at least uncertainty) about exactly what’s going on.

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Nov 27 2012

Daredevil 20

Today, Patrick and (guest writer) Ray Bari are discussing Daredevil 20, originally released November  21st, 2012.

Patrick: Let’s talk about dramatic reveals. No, no — no spoilers before the jump (but boy-howdy: spoilers after the jump). There’s nothing worse than a botched reveal — the sense that the storytellers just don’t understand the value of their own story is discouraging as hell. But a well-deployed revelation — one that alters the fundamental nature of a character or conflict — should turn your stomach just from sheer excitement. Daredevil 20 drops two such revelations, and with an uncharacteristically graphic imagery, ratchets that stomach turning up to 11.

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Nov 6 2012

Daredevil 18-19

Alternating Currents: Daredevil 18-19, Drew and PatrickToday, Drew and Patrick are discussing Daredevil 18-19, originally released September 19th, and October 17th, 2012.

Drew: You know that feeling where, for the life of you, you can’t remember where you put something you just had? When I was a kid, it was always my shoes; nine times out of ten they were right by the door, but every once in a while, they weren’t, prompting a lot of frustrated running around as we were rushing out the door to school. If it wasn’t your shoes, maybe it was your keys or your glasses — the point is, it’s a universal sensation, prompting the equally universal (though usually facetious) response of “Am I going crazy?” This is essentially the problem Matt Murdoch finds himself in as of Daredevil 18-19, only instead of the TV remote, he’s misplaced his father’s remains, his estranged wife, and his own body. Understandably, this has him — and those around him — considering his own insanity a bit more seriously.

Continue reading →