Daredevil, Vol. 18: Cruel and Unusual

Daredevil (1998) (Collected Editions)

by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Mike Perkins (Illustrator)

Matt Murdock takes a new case! Still reeling from the conclusion of his battle with Mr. Fear, an old friend drags Matt Murdock back into the light of day by bringing him the last-minute appeal of a Marvel villain now sitting on death row. What will Matt do when confronted with a bad guy who is completely innocent of the crime of which he was convicted? Collecting DAREDEVIL #106-110.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2008

About the author

Ed Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.

In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.

Reviews

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cruel and Unusual covers issues 106-110 and centers on the devastation caused in Matt's life after the events of Hell to Pay.



Struggling to cope after having to place Milla in the care of professionals after her Mister Fear-induced breakdown, Matt is wallowing in self-pity. It's a little hard to blame him since one of his own nemeses was responsible for Milla's situation but Matt's friends aren't about to let him freak out like he did after Karen Page. His private investigator friend Dakota North and the superhero Luke Cage are handed an extremely interesting death row case that they hope will bring Matt back to himself.

Side note: I'm gonna admit right now that I can't stand Luke Cage. It could be because I've only seen him as a side character in Daredevil but he is such a sanctimonious asshole every damn time.



And...back to the story. A man named Ben Donovan is sitting on death row, having been accused of decapitating three children and possibly responsible for the disappearance of their father. Trouble is...as far as Dakota and Matt can tell, he's innocent. Matt and Dakota suspect him of being framed despite his adamant confessions to the contrary, which means that it's up to Matt and Dakota to find out the truth.

This kind of crazy, gritty conspiracy story totally plays to Brubaker's and Rucka's strengths and the partnership between Matt and Dakota is both refreshing and heartwarming. It's nice to get a break from Matt's fucked up love life and see how much Matt relies on and is supported by his friends, even that asshat Cage.

And damn Dakota North is badass! Totally in love with how kickass and take no prisoners that lady is. Definitely one of the strongest women in Matt's life.


I really wasn't a fan of the artwork in issue 106 so it was comforting to know that it wasn't Lark's handiwork. That one is Paul Azaceta and thank God the rest is by Lark. It's not that it's terrible, definitely not the worst I've ever seen. It honestly is probably just that I like Lark's style so much when paired with Brubaker and I just don't like Azaceta by comparison.



Cruel and Unusual is a refreshing break from the darkness of Hell to Pay and yet another great addition to the Brubaker/Lark DD run!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collecting issues 106 to 110. At Luke Cage's request, Matt Murdock looks into the case of confessed child-killer and death row inmate Big Ben Donovan, whose confession does not check out. Digging deeper, Matt and his friends quickly find more than they bargained for as a conspiracy begins to unravel.

An excellent mystery with believable layers, dire situations for the protagonists, and a satisfying ending. The story is solidly backed up by Matt's slow recovery from losing his wife Milla to mental issues caused by Mister Fear in the previous arc, giving him a reason to put on the red suit once again.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great crime story. It almost felt like a Miami Vice plot in that there were layers involved, and questions are asked about how far should one go to serve the greater good? The idea of how some people view the concepts of right or wrong is brought up, and this ends up being a very deep story. This is the type of Daredevil story that works best. It made a nice change from Daredevil just constantly getting tormented (although there's some of that here, too.)

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Brubaker at his best!!! Perfect crime story with Daredevil conflcited about right and wrong. DD is going through a rough time after his wife has been committed. Deals with the old style way. Cool plotting even if it was a little predictable.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume Matt Murdock, a la Daredevil, deals with the damage done to his wife, Milla, and goes into seclusion which results in his friends trying harder to get him out of his funk. Additionally, when Murdock actually does go out to fight crime he's especially hard on the criminals. In fact, the more I read Daredevil the more I realize he's probably the closest I've seen to having few qualms with physical torture to get what he desires (breaking fingers until people talk) though I suppose he's close to Batman who has hung people over the sides of building and threatened to drop them. Anyway, Murdock is brought out of his mood when Dakota, his model turned P.I. Friend, gives him proof of an innocent man. The investigation leads to more than expected. Action scenes were a bit better this time and we get to learn more about Dakota. The early artwork in this volume made me think of the Borderlands video game. Take that as good or bad. This is a relatively new and critically acclaimed Daredevil series by writer Ed Brubaker and various artists which won the 2007 Harvey Award for Best Writer.

ARTWORK: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus; STORY/PLOTTING: B plus; ACTION SCENES: B to B plus; WHEN READ: early March 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B plus.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good Daredevil story. Nothing great, either in the art style or the story itself, but this will certainly entertain any Daredevil fan.

The gist? Daredevil believes an innocent man has been framed for the murder of three children. Yet, that man has confessed guilty and refuses Matt Murdock's legal help. It turns out there is a dark mystery behind who really did it and, as usual in the liberal mindset of comic writers, it's some painfully complicated plot by a shadowy governmental agency *rolls eyes* But hey you get the gist. It is a story with 50% of the story revolving around Matt Murdock being a legal eagle and his handy sidekick, Dakota, discovering the mystery and 50% Daredevil kicking ass.

I reiterate this is a good story but nothing great. Truth be told, it is a borderline 2-star volume that manages to round up to a 3. Still, a hardcore DD fan won't complain.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, Brubaker introduces some hardcore detective crime fiction to the DAREDEVIL series, and with "Cruel and Unusual," he delves deeper into the concept of justice and its relative & fragile nature.

Readers will be relieved, so to write, that Matt Murdock finds a bit of relief after the last two years of bombardment by super villains and super tragedy. The question of Milla Donovan's ultimate fate remains in question and the simplest theory is to presume that Brubaker's taking the quickest steps to clear the decks of her and the convoluted burden her marriage to Matt makes for the series.

Along the way, Brubaker does an exceptional job of building up the supporting cast of characters. DAREDEVIL seems to be taking on a persona akin to a procedural drama on television (and that's not an insult), even planting seeds of a future romance, though for Brubaker to remove Milla from the equation, only to replace her with another pretty face...it remains unlikely, as most of Brubaker's stories suggest...that what we see is simply what we're getting. Time will tell.

Michael Lark's pencils may have earned an unnecessary bad rap in other reviews, and readers will have no complaints with his efforts in this volume. His style, minimalist at times, and moving at others, remains the perfect fit for Brubaker's storytelling, bridging as it does straightforward criminal drama and complex, involved encounters with the ambiguity of justice, the law, ethics, and (super)herodom.

That dichotomy...that relationship...remains one of the best selling points for the series. Brubaker's narratives and Lark's pencils: they often seem the best possible match and readers will be hard-pressed to identify another creative team more suited to working together on this title than this one.

Here's hoping the relationship continues to develop such strong stories, for as long as the team intends on staying with the series.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman broods. Daredevil mopes.

You would be hard-pressed to find a superhero more solipsistic than Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil), at least as he's depicted in this volume. We all know someone whom we like and admire, but who just won't leave the house or spend time with anyone for weeks at a time. That's Daredevil in this story.

Nevertheless, I loved this story arc. The art is grimy and cinematic, the pacing is perfect, and Daredevil's friends and supporting cast are wonderful; law partner Foggy Nelson, hangdog reporter Ben Urich, bulletproof but very human superhero Luke Cage, private eye Dakota North, and a new character, a man sentenced to die for the murder of three children who just might be innocent of the crime.

This is a great Daredevil story that balances Murdock's career as a lawyer with his activities as a superhero, and spends plenty of time developing the supporting characters and telling an involving story.

[Abu Syed sajib · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally something worthy of his name from the writer.Unlike the previous volumes this volume does not waste its pages on Murdock's personal drama.Rather the story get go from first minute.The plot is nothing new but Brubaker executes it in a good way.Recommended for all comic book reader.....

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't sure they were going to be able to wrap this one up but they did nicely. Good writing. Daredevil has never been a favorite character to me but I liked him in this certainly.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

Losing everything Matt cares for has changed the man. His morale is low, while his aggression is through the roof. He takes out his frustration on criminals, beating them to a pulp, no matter the crime. His friends try to reach him, but he shuts them out. It gets worse when even the doctors caring for Milla ask him to delay his visits - seeing him upsets Milla.

Luke Cage offers Matt a case to save Big Ben Donovan from the electric chair. The guy confessed to decapitating three kids and now has six days until his execution date, so the case is a big stretch. Dakota North begins her own investigation. She is soon assaulted and threatened into letting Ben's case go. She records his confession for Matt to hear. Thankfully, it's enough to get him involved.

Matt tries to find the victims' father who was the initial suspect. This puts him on Eric Slaughter's map - he is a crimelord who runs the docks. Dakota finds her assault came from an FBI agent. Then she is also warned by her own father, a former CIA agent, to stay away from Ben. She continues her investigation until she is shot in the street. Thankfully, she doesn't die.

Matt discovers that Ben was being used by the FBI to track terrorists. One of the big targets killed the children and Big Ben was accused of the murders to allow the FBI to catch the big fish. Matt convinces Ben to tell the truth when his son shows up. Dakota's father, pushed into doing the right thing by Matt's harsh words, takes over the docks for the CIA and forces Eric to give up the killer, his right hand man. So it's a win for the good guys - Matt sure needed it.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daredevil gets better and better.

Matt is spiraling down after what happened to Milla. Putting on his suit and beating the shit out of losers just to take his mind off of recent events. But when a man is on death row for doing something he didn't do, Matt has to become a lawyer again and work with Dekota and others to fix it. This is a cover up case, with some great moments of action, and a satisfying conclusion.

Daredevil remains one of the best, and Brubaker's run is so damn good.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible arc. It’s simple, and it’s more of a “down to earth,” crime drama than anything that Bendis was able to get away with. I kept waiting for it to get “bigger” or for a superhero twist but the real story is even more impactful than any unmasking of some traditional villain. Plus we had just had something like that in the previous arc.

[Divina · Rating 4 out of 5]

no happiness for matt murdock, only pain. irrelevant but I can't thinking about the Owl's hair, like who designed that? I get that it's his gimmick, but c'mon now. that's just comics, I guess.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

An understandably angst-y DD teams with the more-than-capable P.I. Dakota North to investigate a possible'wrong man' death penalty case. As other reviewers have noted this was a nice, hard-boiled crime story with an undercurrent of corruption and conspiracy. I loved the artwork, too.

[Jedhua · Rating 3 out of 5]

ABSOLUTE RATING: {3+/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ocenę dałem nieco na wyrost, ale w sumie omawiany tom zasłużył na to, aby go jakoś wyróżnić, bo to zdecydowanie najlepsza historia spod pióra Pana Brubakera, a któremu towarzyszy tutaj Pan Rucka. Ten duet dał nam naprawdę klimatyczną i świetną historię, której siła tkwi w prostocie. Bo i na początku mamy naprawdę mało informacji, dzięki czemu nasza własna wyobraźnia uzupełnia luki, bo przy końcu, kiedy już mamy wyraźne sygnały: co i jak, to już można domyślić się jak całość się potoczy... Niemniej przed tymi wydarzeniami bawiłem się świetnie, czytając całość jednym tchem.

Matt nie potrafi dojść do siebie po tym, co stało się z jego żoną. Po misternie uknutej intrydze Mr. Feara kobieta postradała zmysły i znajduje się w szpitalu psychiatrycznym. Dodatkowo dla jej własnego dobra i kuracji jakiej jest poddawana, było by dobrze aby Matt nie przychodził ją odwiedzać. Wyrzuty sumienia zżerają bohatera i wyładowuje on swoją bezsilność przemocą, gdy w nocy pierze przeciwników jako Daredevil. Zaniedbuje wszystko i wszystkich. Ale los nie daje mu odpocząć, gdy w zaułku pojawia się Luke Cage i prosi Matta o pomoc dla przyjaciela.

Wspomniany mężczyzna przyznał się do zbrodni popełnionej na dzieciach i czeka na wyrok śmierci. Kłopot w tym, że nie pasuje tu wiele, tym bardziej, że z całego zajścia nie ma żadnego świadka. Kto przyznaje się samodzielnie do tak makabrycznej zbrodni. Coś musi być na rzeczy i Matt rusza standardowo na poszukiwania prawdy, a które zwrócą uwagę znacznie silniejszych pionków, w tym FBI i CIA. Tą partię szachów trzeba będzie rozegrać idealnie.

Na plus zasługują postacie drugoplanowej, jak Dakota North czy Foggy. Ten drugi jak zwykle jest wsparciem dla najlepszego kumpla, a ta pierwsza... Cóż. To nieustępliwa detektyw, która jest zdolna zaryzykować własne życie aby dotrzeć do prawdy. To zasługuje na uwagę, tym bardziej, że jest tu troszeczkę rzeczy z jej życia prywatnego. Do reszty też nie mam zastrzeżeń, bo wszystkiemu towarzyszy świetna kreska Larka albo Azacety, co podkreśla jeszcze dobór kolorów. To mroczna opowieść, która powinna się spodobać tym którzy lubią zagadki kryminalne.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a fun Daredevil crime story.

Daredevil is still dealing with the fallout of Milla having a mental breakdown and hasn't been to work until he comes across a case that pulls him back. A man is going to be executed for killing children, a crime he confessed to and is refusing Matt's legal counsel but Matt knows he didn't do it. As investigator Dakota digs into it, things are much more complicated then it would seem and involve cover-ups and government conspiracies.

Bro New York doesn't even have the death penalty but okay yes we will pretend otherwise!! Daredevil himself didn't really do it for me in this - he's super emo and guilt ridden yet again over his wife and it's just the same old thing of mentioning all his dead girlfriends and how it is always his fault. I never liked Milla but we never even see her in here either, it's just him moping around and beating random thug ass. Finally he gets off his ass to do this case but man get some therapy lmao.

Dakota though!!! Hello queen!!! She's always been kinda background for me but she takes lead and crushes it. Absolutely loved her, she was giving and she looked great while doing it.

I liked the art a lot, it was simple but it wasn't the kind of ugly style I hate so I liked it.

The answer to what was happening was so overly convoluted and I'm still kinda going why tho but I still prefer this kind of crime story over whatever the fuck Mr Fear was doing.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

106 is kind of a filler issue to demonstrate the emotional toll everything has taken on Matt, but the main arc "Cruel & Unusual" (107-110) is just Brubaker and Lark at their best. It's exactly what we love about the character (and his supporting cast) - Matt as a lawyer pursuing the truth while using Daredevil as a tool to help uncover it. Just great stuff.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quality goes up again. Amazing volume, as story that seems simple portrays an interesting mystery for Matt to solve in both lives. His relationship with Dakota evolves (we knew it would happen, Matt can’t control himself). Ed was losing me a bit in the previous volumes but this got my attention right away.

[Reading with Cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Aildiin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma favorite Brubaker/Lark Daredevil story so far.

[Alex Fyffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wraps up a tad too quickly and easily, but the journey there was pretty great and intriguing.

[Fabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh... didn't particularly enjoy this one...

[Breiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

[Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting story, art still is meh
3.75 stars

[Bharat Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Nice art and it has Matt dealing with his grief and doing his actual job he’s paid to do.

[Odo · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taken on its own, this chapter is a good, kinda depressing yarn. Here, Matt is crazy out-of-his-mind with depression over his wife's newfound insanity, courtesy of Mr. Fear. The rest of DD's 'Scooby Gang' drag him kicking and screaming back into the world of the living by guilting him into not feeling sorry for himself...or something. Meanwhile, everyone wink-wink knows that Matt is DD and that causes all kinds of problems. Whatever. Taken on its own merit, it's a great tale of woe-is-me angst. In the grand Daredevil scheme of things,though, the story calls out the problem with the typical ongoing superhero series.

How many times are we telling this story? Kevin Smith did the whole depression thing when he killed Karen Page. Frank Miller did it when Elektra bit it. Bendis did the whole not-so-secret-identity thing. Brubaker's been tapping the secret ID well quite a bit, too. They're all great stories, but Jesus, how long can we keep this crap going? How many girlfriends can get capped before a guy just...stops? How many times can a Famous Lawyer get hauled into police custody for a crime his alter-ego committed before he gets disbarred? He was IN PRISON, for Christ's sake.

Anyway. Good story. Just one I feel like I've read a few times before.