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Daredevil by Ed Brubaker Omnibus
Daredevil by Ed Brubaker Omnibus, Vol. 2
The critically acclaimed, award-winning creative team of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark continue their take on one of comics' most enduring legends! Featuring the threats of the Owl, the Kingpin, Lady Bullseye, and the Hand, plus Matt's unlikely new ally, the Black Tarantula! With one of the most surprising endings in Daredevil's history!
Collecting: Daredevil 106-119, 500, Annual 1, Blood of the Tarantula
Collecting: Daredevil 106-119, 500, Annual 1, Blood of the Tarantula
472 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2010
7 people are currently reading
350 people want to read
About the author
Ed Brubaker
1,797 books3,015 followersEd 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 16, 2017
This story is absolutely incredible.
I'm a massive fan of daredevil and I always thought the Bendis run was the best but this is now my favourite, sorry Bendis.
Wow what a story, some really good characters, I loved the black tarantula and master Izzo. Everything fell into place just right, it was like watching a movie with a satisfying ending. I just wish it never ended!
I'm a massive fan of daredevil and I always thought the Bendis run was the best but this is now my favourite, sorry Bendis.
Wow what a story, some really good characters, I loved the black tarantula and master Izzo. Everything fell into place just right, it was like watching a movie with a satisfying ending. I just wish it never ended!
April 7, 2024
While Daredevil's life going down the shitter isn't my favorite approach to the character, this is some great stuff with Lady Bullseye and The Hand gunning for Matt. Brubaker and Lark are a great team.
January 25, 2024
4.5 stars. Another awesome volume. Matt is in a depressed funk after what happened to Milla. Luke Cage and Dakota try to give him this impossible case to bring him out of it. A man on death row for a crime they feel like he didn’t commit. Make takes the job and the story rolls from there. Nice opening arc. Then we get some great character work with Black Tarantula. Now that he’s out of jail, he dons the Tarantula suit once more but in the service of good? Brubaker builds on that and introduces Lady Bullseye to the villains list. White Tiger’s story continues and we also get some wild plot twist with Dakota. Damn Matt. Kingpin winds up in Spain and has some jacked up ish happen to him out there. Brubaker does a nice job of weaving all this together for a crazy cliffhanger ending. Great stuff!
September 29, 2021
WHAT A STORY!
It deals with the case of big ben donovan and I love the way the story plays out and like has FBI coverings and Matt and Dakota at the centre and the fate of his wife Milla and then we have the story with Black Tarantula and what Matt does to assist him, the introduction of Lady Bullseye and Matt fighting against her, the coming of the hand and the return of Kingpin and the big storyline with hand and ending with a new status quo for matt: Leader of some organization maybe.
Its a great volume and has the usual thrills of a Brubaker comic but also has so many twists and turns and the art is amazing and its beautiful to read. Plus I love the tension throughout and Dakota yes and then the ending is too good, with such an interesting status quo!
It deals with the case of big ben donovan and I love the way the story plays out and like has FBI coverings and Matt and Dakota at the centre and the fate of his wife Milla and then we have the story with Black Tarantula and what Matt does to assist him, the introduction of Lady Bullseye and Matt fighting against her, the coming of the hand and the return of Kingpin and the big storyline with hand and ending with a new status quo for matt: Leader of some organization maybe.
Its a great volume and has the usual thrills of a Brubaker comic but also has so many twists and turns and the art is amazing and its beautiful to read. Plus I love the tension throughout and Dakota yes and then the ending is too good, with such an interesting status quo!
July 23, 2017
This is the weaker side of Brubaker's run, but there are still some interesting stories here.
Sympathy for the Devil (106). Things are not going well for Matt following the events of "Without Fear". There's not a lot of meat to this story, but it's interesting seeing it viewed through the eyes of three of his friends [6/10].
Cruel & Unusual (107-110). For his third year Brubaker (coauthoring this arc with Greg Rucka) goes smaller scope, telling a self-contained story of intrigue. It puts a very delightful spotlight on Dakota North, who has been a relatively minor part of the comic to date, and it's a good-enough story, but not the sort of big-picture, important and canon-y story that we've come to expect from Brubaker [7/10].
Devil May Care (Annual 1). Using Matt's prison stay as a way to give him a link to another villain is great, and Black Tarantula comes off as a very interesting character. This storyline definitely feels somewhat removed from Brubaker's other work, but it's nonetheless an intriguing character study, and a reflection of what even Matt won't do. [7+/10].
Blood of the Tarantula (Special). It's great to have this never-reprinted Special back in print, and with its companion, "Devil May Care". It's of course the continuing story of the Black Tarantula, and it continues to be a great study of his evolving character — and also a nice contrast to Matt's state, post-Milla [7+/10].
Lady Bullseye (111-115). The first half of Brubaker's third (and final) major arc is surely his weakest volume. There's great subplot involving Milla and Dakota that nicely carries along this arc of Matt's life. But the main plot, involving Lady Bullseye, is overly mysterious and totally inconclusive. Certainly this has been the model for all three of Brubaker's arcs, but story by story he's felt less need for the first half of each arc to be self-contained. The subplots and characters carry the story, but barely [6+/10].
Return of the King (116-119, 500). The biggest problem with Brubaker's third and final major arc is that it's so muddy. Still, this is better than the first half and Brubaker does the best to clear up everyone's motives in the final issue with a funs set of flashbacks that's particularly insightful for Master Izo ... but before that we spent almost a year stumbling around, and even in the end everything's not crystal clear, especially not the motives of Lady Bullseye. (I think it doesn't help that these characters were totally dropped from Matt's mythology pretty soon after Brubaker's run.)
With that all said, this is still a solid ending for Brubaker's run that closes off his major Kingpin story and also concludes his smaller arcs involving Milla and Dakota. It also puts Daredevil in an interesting starting place for the next author (though sadly Diggle's short run would never manage to tell that story is a particularly enthralling or believable way).
Sympathy for the Devil (106). Things are not going well for Matt following the events of "Without Fear". There's not a lot of meat to this story, but it's interesting seeing it viewed through the eyes of three of his friends [6/10].
Cruel & Unusual (107-110). For his third year Brubaker (coauthoring this arc with Greg Rucka) goes smaller scope, telling a self-contained story of intrigue. It puts a very delightful spotlight on Dakota North, who has been a relatively minor part of the comic to date, and it's a good-enough story, but not the sort of big-picture, important and canon-y story that we've come to expect from Brubaker [7/10].
Devil May Care (Annual 1). Using Matt's prison stay as a way to give him a link to another villain is great, and Black Tarantula comes off as a very interesting character. This storyline definitely feels somewhat removed from Brubaker's other work, but it's nonetheless an intriguing character study, and a reflection of what even Matt won't do. [7+/10].
Blood of the Tarantula (Special). It's great to have this never-reprinted Special back in print, and with its companion, "Devil May Care". It's of course the continuing story of the Black Tarantula, and it continues to be a great study of his evolving character — and also a nice contrast to Matt's state, post-Milla [7+/10].
Lady Bullseye (111-115). The first half of Brubaker's third (and final) major arc is surely his weakest volume. There's great subplot involving Milla and Dakota that nicely carries along this arc of Matt's life. But the main plot, involving Lady Bullseye, is overly mysterious and totally inconclusive. Certainly this has been the model for all three of Brubaker's arcs, but story by story he's felt less need for the first half of each arc to be self-contained. The subplots and characters carry the story, but barely [6+/10].
Return of the King (116-119, 500). The biggest problem with Brubaker's third and final major arc is that it's so muddy. Still, this is better than the first half and Brubaker does the best to clear up everyone's motives in the final issue with a funs set of flashbacks that's particularly insightful for Master Izo ... but before that we spent almost a year stumbling around, and even in the end everything's not crystal clear, especially not the motives of Lady Bullseye. (I think it doesn't help that these characters were totally dropped from Matt's mythology pretty soon after Brubaker's run.)
With that all said, this is still a solid ending for Brubaker's run that closes off his major Kingpin story and also concludes his smaller arcs involving Milla and Dakota. It also puts Daredevil in an interesting starting place for the next author (though sadly Diggle's short run would never manage to tell that story is a particularly enthralling or believable way).
October 21, 2016
This is the first Brubaker book I have rated less than 4 stars. I had so high hopes after reading the first Brubaker volume, that I think this one paled in comparison.
I am majorly peeved, as we do not get any conclusion here. Almost all the plot threads were kept hanging for the next creative team (which I am not going to read, at least not immediately). So as a reader, I do not get closer. In addition to this, the story arcs here does not show the quality I came to expect from Brubaker. No real tension, crime-noir setting, grey characters that make for a great Brubaker story. The art is top notch as the previous volumes.
This is a better than average read, but nothing jaw droppingly good. Alas, I was expecting exactly that. But even an average Brubaker book is better than majority of superhero stuff out there.
I am majorly peeved, as we do not get any conclusion here. Almost all the plot threads were kept hanging for the next creative team (which I am not going to read, at least not immediately). So as a reader, I do not get closer. In addition to this, the story arcs here does not show the quality I came to expect from Brubaker. No real tension, crime-noir setting, grey characters that make for a great Brubaker story. The art is top notch as the previous volumes.
This is a better than average read, but nothing jaw droppingly good. Alas, I was expecting exactly that. But even an average Brubaker book is better than majority of superhero stuff out there.
April 13, 2022
Didn’t want this run to end ! Brubaker never disappoints me ! What a ride !!!! Good character development, I love seeing DD broken and seeing him make some HARD choices throughout this run. There were plenty of jaw dropping moments ! Can’t wait to revisit this run again and again !
June 10, 2024
(Zero spoiler review) 4.25/5
Yet another bloody good run for Daredevil and a fitting end to a fondly remembered chapter in ol' horn heads ongoing story. Though when you have Brubaker and Lark at the helm, the end result is in little doubt. That said, I could certainly find a few things to nitpick here and there, hence the four stars and not five. The reduction in part due to the number of outstanding runs this character has received over the years. Though when the sheer abundance of quality necessitates marking down something for the heinous crime of being short of perfect, its a good problem to have.
We get what is essentially three arcs here, told over the course of one ongoing story. Yet the three endings that we got all seemed a tad rushed. Like they were steadily building to something, only to have the unceremoniously end an issue or two shorter than I expected. That and the endings rarely paid off the tension building greatness that came before. And also the character of Master Izo was a thoroughly unlikeable and rather ham fisted creation. Take him out and I'll give you the full five stars just for the hell of it.
Minor gripes aside in what is a very strong run on the character, Brubaker and Lark acquit themselves pretty bloody strongly here. I probably prefer the (also not perfect) first omnibus for reasons that are not so easy to recall given how long its been since I've read it. Even the fill in artists ape the style of Lark to maintain visual consistency (remember that Marvel), though Paul Azacetta does appear to be a little out of his depth on his issue.
The following issues have never been collected in hardcover to my knowledge, though I would be pretty interested to see where it goes from the cliffhanger its left on. Though it's likely it was given to a writer less talented than Brubaker, so it might not be anything to get too excited about.
The only other gripe worth mentioning, which is no fault of the creators, is the fact that Marvel decided to release this run as two tiny omni's rather than one regular sized book to cash in on a double purchase. Keep rinsing your fans for all you can, Disney. Definitely must read though. 4.25/5
OmniBen.
Yet another bloody good run for Daredevil and a fitting end to a fondly remembered chapter in ol' horn heads ongoing story. Though when you have Brubaker and Lark at the helm, the end result is in little doubt. That said, I could certainly find a few things to nitpick here and there, hence the four stars and not five. The reduction in part due to the number of outstanding runs this character has received over the years. Though when the sheer abundance of quality necessitates marking down something for the heinous crime of being short of perfect, its a good problem to have.
We get what is essentially three arcs here, told over the course of one ongoing story. Yet the three endings that we got all seemed a tad rushed. Like they were steadily building to something, only to have the unceremoniously end an issue or two shorter than I expected. That and the endings rarely paid off the tension building greatness that came before. And also the character of Master Izo was a thoroughly unlikeable and rather ham fisted creation. Take him out and I'll give you the full five stars just for the hell of it.
Minor gripes aside in what is a very strong run on the character, Brubaker and Lark acquit themselves pretty bloody strongly here. I probably prefer the (also not perfect) first omnibus for reasons that are not so easy to recall given how long its been since I've read it. Even the fill in artists ape the style of Lark to maintain visual consistency (remember that Marvel), though Paul Azacetta does appear to be a little out of his depth on his issue.
The following issues have never been collected in hardcover to my knowledge, though I would be pretty interested to see where it goes from the cliffhanger its left on. Though it's likely it was given to a writer less talented than Brubaker, so it might not be anything to get too excited about.
The only other gripe worth mentioning, which is no fault of the creators, is the fact that Marvel decided to release this run as two tiny omni's rather than one regular sized book to cash in on a double purchase. Keep rinsing your fans for all you can, Disney. Definitely must read though. 4.25/5
OmniBen.
September 6, 2022
Loved Omnibus 1, this second Omnibus felt a bit less focused. It also feels like it stopped half way through the story, unlike Omnibus 1 that rounded up well.
I think the Tarantula Bits were my favourite, he is very similar to winter soldier in many ways with his redemption arc.
I think the Tarantula Bits were my favourite, he is very similar to winter soldier in many ways with his redemption arc.
December 18, 2020
After the heavy emotional toll taken in the previous volume, Matt’s friends finally get him out of his violent funk and back into the world. He starts out with a case defending a supervillain convict who is lying about committing a heinous double murder. It’s a great little legal drama that’s well-written and seems like it might provide a reset in Matt’s tumultuous life.
But then it all goes to shit when the ninja-cult The Hand decides to make another play for the control of New York City, heralding the arrival of a surprising new foe and the return of an old one. Brubaker has a great handle of the characters and it makes for standout reading. And the action and suspense gets turned up to 11 here as the story barrels toward the end of Brubaker’s run, while the surprising climax sets the stage for the next creative team to take the ball and run with it!
But then it all goes to shit when the ninja-cult The Hand decides to make another play for the control of New York City, heralding the arrival of a surprising new foe and the return of an old one. Brubaker has a great handle of the characters and it makes for standout reading. And the action and suspense gets turned up to 11 here as the story barrels toward the end of Brubaker’s run, while the surprising climax sets the stage for the next creative team to take the ball and run with it!
October 23, 2023
With this being one of the smallest Omnibus I own I'm surprised how solid it really is.
Brubaker continues his run of Matt trying to pick up the pieces from the events of the last volume. No spoilers, but a major part of Matt's life got really fucked up thanks to a villain of his ruining everything for him. With Matt starting this volume in despair, basically going out in the streets fucking everyone up who ever crossed him, we see a man on the edge of a mental breakdown. And this volume smartly has Matt balance his superhero fighting with his court room drama and investigation storylines to put together a excellent first arc here.
However as we get deeper in we get introduced to a major character in Brubaker's Daredevil mythos, lady Bullseye. This one is not AS insane as the actual bullseye but very deadly. Coming after Matt but not for the reasons you might suspect. The overall final two arcs center around her ambitions and her goals for Matt but also The Hand. Leaving Matt going to darker places than ever before for the sake of himself but also everyone around him.
The ending feels a bit rushed I will say. It almost feels like Brubaker either wanted to hop off sooner or marvel needed him off sooner, and it's my only negative.
This ends in a depressing way but makes so much sense after the events of both Bendis and Brubaker's run. Out of all the runs of Daredevil these two runs back to back really feel like one big epic that I love so much. Hell you can even count the Kevin Smith run too that started the feel and it still really works.
If you liked the previous volume I have no doubt you'll enjoy this one a lot. A 4 out of 5.
Brubaker continues his run of Matt trying to pick up the pieces from the events of the last volume. No spoilers, but a major part of Matt's life got really fucked up thanks to a villain of his ruining everything for him. With Matt starting this volume in despair, basically going out in the streets fucking everyone up who ever crossed him, we see a man on the edge of a mental breakdown. And this volume smartly has Matt balance his superhero fighting with his court room drama and investigation storylines to put together a excellent first arc here.
However as we get deeper in we get introduced to a major character in Brubaker's Daredevil mythos, lady Bullseye. This one is not AS insane as the actual bullseye but very deadly. Coming after Matt but not for the reasons you might suspect. The overall final two arcs center around her ambitions and her goals for Matt but also The Hand. Leaving Matt going to darker places than ever before for the sake of himself but also everyone around him.
The ending feels a bit rushed I will say. It almost feels like Brubaker either wanted to hop off sooner or marvel needed him off sooner, and it's my only negative.
This ends in a depressing way but makes so much sense after the events of both Bendis and Brubaker's run. Out of all the runs of Daredevil these two runs back to back really feel like one big epic that I love so much. Hell you can even count the Kevin Smith run too that started the feel and it still really works.
If you liked the previous volume I have no doubt you'll enjoy this one a lot. A 4 out of 5.
March 26, 2021
With this second omnibus by Brubaker and Lark, we got to a sort of ending of a run that began with Bendis his vision on DD and taking him through hell and jail, and Brubaker basically keeping the same vibe on the book on his run and even with some help story wise from Bendis. Ed Brubaker started his first omnibus with a stellar story of Matt Murdock in Jail, and a great but at times bit uneven tale of redemption and of course all troubles that seems to follow Matt more then other superhero's. This second omnibus is the same in style but i think its a bit more in balance story wise. We have a great cast with Foggy Nelson, investigator Ben Urich and Becky Blake and Dakota North. And of course a couple great DD villains, the art by Lark is good and this together with Bendis and Maleev their run, are top tier books and must reads for any hornhead fan.
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April 23, 2024
Quality stuff. Very bleak, and Brubaker evidently had a lot of fun tearing Matt's life apart.
February 20, 2011
Another incredible Daredevil run comes to an end. While the first storyline in this massive collection drags and enters the realm of the melodramatic, it quickly picks up the pace to run headlong into an astounding, game-changing finale. Andy Diggle is picking up this series after 2 of its greatest authors, so good luck to him.
May 15, 2020
Brubaker ends another stellar run of a character with the doors being wide open to where the characters can go. This is a great run that, much like the previous omnibus treads the same waters that Bendis did but offers a fresher take on things. Matt continues to be an absolute horn dog and adds another woman to his bedpost but as always it goes wrong and leads to more man pain for the Daredevil. It’s a solid story with great art and sets up the next author for Daredevil!
March 29, 2025
Ed Brubaker count your days.
June 24, 2010
Lady Bullseye - what an unecessary creation! Just because Bullseye worked so well in the Daredevil saga, doesn't mean it was mandatory that another similar bad guy(girl) be created!
October 19, 2024
Daredevil by Brubaker volume 2 is a great book that just falls short of the previous volume in its excellence.
Sympathy for the devil (#106) - 5/5: somewhat of an epilogue to the last story, we get to see Matt struggle with how to help Milla who is in the mental institution and take all his anger out as Daredevil. It’s a really strong issue where we get to see the perspective of all the side characters as well as Matt’s and it sets the tone for the rest of the book.
Cruel and unusual (#107-#110) - 5/5: another strong story arc where we get to see Matt channel his rage into defending “Ben Donovan” a man accused of killing three children. I love how subtly personal this is for Matt with him only beginning to care when he hears the man’s surname.
It’s a story where Dakota gets to shine and we deal with a lot of police corruption in the story. I don’t want to spoil the ending so I’ll keep it brief but this is a perfect balance of Matt Murdock courtroom legal drama and Daredevil action.
Daredevil annual 1/blood of the tarantula - 3/5: this is sort of a two parter about the black tarantula and his redemption arc. It’s ok but considering the role he plays in future stories I feel this was a bit of an unnecessary story to tell. Not bad but one that I’d skip on a re-read
Lady Bullseye (#111-#115) - 3/5: now I’m not a big fan of the hand! I have to be honest I find them out of place with Daredevil and suited more to someone like Iron Fist. I think this is highlighted when one of the main ninja characters in this story spends more time with iron fist than daredevil in most issues.
I also think lady bullseye is a weak villain. She has no connection to the main bullseye besides seeing him kill someone as a child and now she works for the hand.
It still kept me wanting to turn the page mainly for the relationship drama between the Donovan’s and Murdock. Master Izo is a comedy character and I feel that there’s less of a focus on the crime noir aspects I was loving in favour of stories with the hand.
Return of the king (#116-#119) - 3/5: I loved this up until the last issue. So the hand attack kingpin when he’s living his life in isolation. He comes back and teams up with Daredevil to beat the hand .
Great! This was the stuff I was really enjoying in the book. Seeing these two enemies team up to beat a common foe and how this isolated Matt further from his friends, foggy going so far as to fire him.
But then the final issue SPOILERS and it’s revealed the kingpin has been intending to just kill the man who ordered the hit and join the hand and betray daredevil SPOILERS END I just think that was a real let down and a bit of a predictable twist and I was hoping we’d keep away from the typical “kingpin tries to kill daredevil” but apparently not.
Issue #500 - 3/5: another damp squib of an ending I have to say. We get a lot of flashbacks and a few retcons into Matt’s life as daredevil but they don’t really add anything to the story. At the end Matt joins the hand all in set up for Shadowland and I don’t think that it was a natural progression for Matt to join them, all because Master Izo who he’s known like for a few weeks told him to.
Overall I feel bad for Brubaker who I can imagine was forced to make certain things happen by the editorial overlords at marvel, much like JMS with one more day. Brubakers second volume was almost as compelling as the first but the hand story really brought the book down towards the end. Still an amazing run but I’m sad it fell off in the final act.
Sympathy for the devil (#106) - 5/5: somewhat of an epilogue to the last story, we get to see Matt struggle with how to help Milla who is in the mental institution and take all his anger out as Daredevil. It’s a really strong issue where we get to see the perspective of all the side characters as well as Matt’s and it sets the tone for the rest of the book.
Cruel and unusual (#107-#110) - 5/5: another strong story arc where we get to see Matt channel his rage into defending “Ben Donovan” a man accused of killing three children. I love how subtly personal this is for Matt with him only beginning to care when he hears the man’s surname.
It’s a story where Dakota gets to shine and we deal with a lot of police corruption in the story. I don’t want to spoil the ending so I’ll keep it brief but this is a perfect balance of Matt Murdock courtroom legal drama and Daredevil action.
Daredevil annual 1/blood of the tarantula - 3/5: this is sort of a two parter about the black tarantula and his redemption arc. It’s ok but considering the role he plays in future stories I feel this was a bit of an unnecessary story to tell. Not bad but one that I’d skip on a re-read
Lady Bullseye (#111-#115) - 3/5: now I’m not a big fan of the hand! I have to be honest I find them out of place with Daredevil and suited more to someone like Iron Fist. I think this is highlighted when one of the main ninja characters in this story spends more time with iron fist than daredevil in most issues.
I also think lady bullseye is a weak villain. She has no connection to the main bullseye besides seeing him kill someone as a child and now she works for the hand.
It still kept me wanting to turn the page mainly for the relationship drama between the Donovan’s and Murdock. Master Izo is a comedy character and I feel that there’s less of a focus on the crime noir aspects I was loving in favour of stories with the hand.
Return of the king (#116-#119) - 3/5: I loved this up until the last issue. So the hand attack kingpin when he’s living his life in isolation. He comes back and teams up with Daredevil to beat the hand .
Great! This was the stuff I was really enjoying in the book. Seeing these two enemies team up to beat a common foe and how this isolated Matt further from his friends, foggy going so far as to fire him.
But then the final issue SPOILERS and it’s revealed the kingpin has been intending to just kill the man who ordered the hit and join the hand and betray daredevil SPOILERS END I just think that was a real let down and a bit of a predictable twist and I was hoping we’d keep away from the typical “kingpin tries to kill daredevil” but apparently not.
Issue #500 - 3/5: another damp squib of an ending I have to say. We get a lot of flashbacks and a few retcons into Matt’s life as daredevil but they don’t really add anything to the story. At the end Matt joins the hand all in set up for Shadowland and I don’t think that it was a natural progression for Matt to join them, all because Master Izo who he’s known like for a few weeks told him to.
Overall I feel bad for Brubaker who I can imagine was forced to make certain things happen by the editorial overlords at marvel, much like JMS with one more day. Brubakers second volume was almost as compelling as the first but the hand story really brought the book down towards the end. Still an amazing run but I’m sad it fell off in the final act.
April 5, 2025
I poured through this one a lot quicker than Volume 1! I'd say Volume 2 reaches some of the same heights as the masterpiece that is the Bendis/Maleev run. What a stellar read.
'Lady Bullseye' is such a simple, gimmicky concept that if she first popped up in the current Marvel landscape, I would conceivably roll my eyes... those certain comics Youtubers would be in an uproar, and the variant covers would be popping off like crazy. But in the capable hands of Brubaker and Lark, the character design is excellent, and she is exactly the 'main event' level threat this book needed. A refreshing addition.
That being said, I found myself being most absorbed by a lot of the little things that Brubaker was delivering on throughout this volume, and when a book is operating at both those levels, the supervillain chicanery as well as the grasp on character and nuance... that's when you get a legendary comic book.
Here are some examples. There is an excellent twist in a sub-plot, where the reveal is that the villain isn't a part of some conspiracy against Daredevil, and Foggy cuts-to-the-quick saying "Not everything is about you, Matt". The title of the book IS Daredevil, but with Brubaker's attempt at realism and interpersonal relationships, I thought that was a brilliant piece of writing. Matt Murdock isn't ACTUALLY the main character, he just likes to think he is and sweep everyone up in his self-important personal dramas.
And Lady Bullseye preys upon his conflicted nature, 'clearing' his problems for him, removing things in his life that were unresolved or sources of pain... including his wife Milla and her tragic circumstances, as she goes into the full-time care of her parents instead. As far as 'retcons' go, Matt couldn't remain married forever... I think this is pretty clever way to do away with the character of Milla. But what a cruel fate that this stuck! Now all Matt has to do is let her go, and fall to the temptations of the darkness, lose ties with the outside world and become the new leader of The Hand, succeeding Elektra. Another new low, another new status quo. He's just recently come off being the new Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen in Bendis' run, so hey, why not try leading the undead ninjas as well??
Before we get into that, just some other quick things I enjoyed that I felt were noteworthy, Daredevil being the street level hero who confronts the corrupt cops and their out-of-touch 'big picture' vision, a nice contrast and social commentary. Matt IMAGINING the pain on his father's face the day he went blind, because he would have never seen it for himself, that is BRUTAL. The Kingpin prologue chapter was excellent. I enjoyed the PI focus with Dakota and the way it briefly turned into a noir comic with the stylised, yellow coloured diner (Brubaker should really write more noirs, hey?) And of course, Master Izo calling Daredevil the "Whiniest superhero" he ever met. That is so accurate, and I'm right there with you, Izo.
So, at the conclusion of this omni, we once again have a new curly premise, where Matt Murdock is the new leader of The Hand. Everyone on the Internet turned me away from purchasing the Shadowland omnibus... I was wrongly under impression it was some event that tied into the CHARLES SOULE run and was double dipping... Now I realize despite its middling reputation, I need to get a hold of it to finish off this era of DD!
Overall, excellent stuff. My only criticism is Brubaker has two 'Who is the mastermind?' story arcs run back-to-back which seems like an oversight, but other than that, wow. This team understands the character, and carries the quality of 2000s Daredevil comics forward. Kudos.
'Lady Bullseye' is such a simple, gimmicky concept that if she first popped up in the current Marvel landscape, I would conceivably roll my eyes... those certain comics Youtubers would be in an uproar, and the variant covers would be popping off like crazy. But in the capable hands of Brubaker and Lark, the character design is excellent, and she is exactly the 'main event' level threat this book needed. A refreshing addition.
That being said, I found myself being most absorbed by a lot of the little things that Brubaker was delivering on throughout this volume, and when a book is operating at both those levels, the supervillain chicanery as well as the grasp on character and nuance... that's when you get a legendary comic book.
Here are some examples. There is an excellent twist in a sub-plot, where the reveal is that the villain isn't a part of some conspiracy against Daredevil, and Foggy cuts-to-the-quick saying "Not everything is about you, Matt". The title of the book IS Daredevil, but with Brubaker's attempt at realism and interpersonal relationships, I thought that was a brilliant piece of writing. Matt Murdock isn't ACTUALLY the main character, he just likes to think he is and sweep everyone up in his self-important personal dramas.
And Lady Bullseye preys upon his conflicted nature, 'clearing' his problems for him, removing things in his life that were unresolved or sources of pain... including his wife Milla and her tragic circumstances, as she goes into the full-time care of her parents instead. As far as 'retcons' go, Matt couldn't remain married forever... I think this is pretty clever way to do away with the character of Milla. But what a cruel fate that this stuck! Now all Matt has to do is let her go, and fall to the temptations of the darkness, lose ties with the outside world and become the new leader of The Hand, succeeding Elektra. Another new low, another new status quo. He's just recently come off being the new Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen in Bendis' run, so hey, why not try leading the undead ninjas as well??
Before we get into that, just some other quick things I enjoyed that I felt were noteworthy, Daredevil being the street level hero who confronts the corrupt cops and their out-of-touch 'big picture' vision, a nice contrast and social commentary. Matt IMAGINING the pain on his father's face the day he went blind, because he would have never seen it for himself, that is BRUTAL. The Kingpin prologue chapter was excellent. I enjoyed the PI focus with Dakota and the way it briefly turned into a noir comic with the stylised, yellow coloured diner (Brubaker should really write more noirs, hey?) And of course, Master Izo calling Daredevil the "Whiniest superhero" he ever met. That is so accurate, and I'm right there with you, Izo.
So, at the conclusion of this omni, we once again have a new curly premise, where Matt Murdock is the new leader of The Hand. Everyone on the Internet turned me away from purchasing the Shadowland omnibus... I was wrongly under impression it was some event that tied into the CHARLES SOULE run and was double dipping... Now I realize despite its middling reputation, I need to get a hold of it to finish off this era of DD!
Overall, excellent stuff. My only criticism is Brubaker has two 'Who is the mastermind?' story arcs run back-to-back which seems like an oversight, but other than that, wow. This team understands the character, and carries the quality of 2000s Daredevil comics forward. Kudos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2019
A relatively strong conclusion to Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark's run on Daredevil. Brubaker continues to put Daredevil through the wringer first with a questionable death row inmate and then the arrival of the Hand, return of the Kingpin and introduction of Lady Bullseye. Just like the previous volume, the scripting, dialogue and art remain highlights throughout. Lark's consistent art has a dark tone to it but he still finds ways to portray the dynamic nature of New York City and Hell's Kitchen in surprising ways. The issue where snow falls in the city is an artistic treat.
Daredevil and his supporting cast remain as engaging as ever and Brubaker gives characters such as Dakota North excellent moments to shine. Lady Bullseye is effectively introduced in the final arc with just enough of a back story and mysterious motivations. I thin she remains a highly underutilized villain with a lot of potential.
The conclusion of this volume left me wanting more of Brubaker's interpretation of the character. Since I know how unsatisfactory the cliff hanger ending is concluded in the subsequent volume (by Andy Diggle) I just couldn't give this series 5 out of 5. Despite this, the overall omnibus is a strong example of the true depths a super hero story can explore and what can be achieved when a writer and artist collaborate successfully for an entire comic run.
Daredevil and his supporting cast remain as engaging as ever and Brubaker gives characters such as Dakota North excellent moments to shine. Lady Bullseye is effectively introduced in the final arc with just enough of a back story and mysterious motivations. I thin she remains a highly underutilized villain with a lot of potential.
The conclusion of this volume left me wanting more of Brubaker's interpretation of the character. Since I know how unsatisfactory the cliff hanger ending is concluded in the subsequent volume (by Andy Diggle) I just couldn't give this series 5 out of 5. Despite this, the overall omnibus is a strong example of the true depths a super hero story can explore and what can be achieved when a writer and artist collaborate successfully for an entire comic run.
April 3, 2025
The second half of Brubaker's run is every bit as good as the first. Brubaker leaves his mark on the character of Daredevil history with the introduction of Mr Izo and Lady Bullseye.
The opening arc is an interesting crime drama story focusing more on the legal side and was a nice break from the personal drama that engulfed Matt's life in the first half of Brubaker's run. The story does some interesting work with the villian Black Tarantula, giving the character a new direction.
As if Matt hadn't faced enough turmoil in his life, he once again has to deal with the machinations of the Hand. Brubaker did a great job pacing the plot and the dialogue was strong and effectively characterised the major players in the story.
The story ends with a shocking status quo that carries on to the Daredevil Shadowland story by Andy Diggle.
The opening arc is an interesting crime drama story focusing more on the legal side and was a nice break from the personal drama that engulfed Matt's life in the first half of Brubaker's run. The story does some interesting work with the villian Black Tarantula, giving the character a new direction.
As if Matt hadn't faced enough turmoil in his life, he once again has to deal with the machinations of the Hand. Brubaker did a great job pacing the plot and the dialogue was strong and effectively characterised the major players in the story.
The story ends with a shocking status quo that carries on to the Daredevil Shadowland story by Andy Diggle.
December 3, 2017
The cream of the crop as far as Daredevil writing goes. Where Brubaker exceeds even Bendis's run is focusing on the ensemble, as characters like Dakota North and the Black Tarantula receive some character development to iron out possibly the only flaw in the book, which is Matt Murdock's flat personality (at the time at least, this gets remedied in the stellar Mark Waid run). David Aja draws a fantastic issue about Wilson Fisk, and the concluding issue #500 is pure gold. The only downside to this run is the fact that the story concludes with a rather mediocre run by Andy Diggle.
July 10, 2020
This second omnibus maintains the high quality level of the Brubaker and Lark's run. The story arcs included in this book deal with most of the aspects of Daredevil's life, such as trials, love affairs, ninjas and, of course, his relationship with the Kingpin. All of it put at the service of keep torturing Murdock. In artistic terms, apart from Lark's usual excellence, it is worth mentioning David Aja's work, especially in the issue on Fisk's exile.
December 16, 2023
Volume 2 of this omnibus set left much to be desired. This run doesn’t come remotely close to what Bendis created. I felt the subplots became rather uninteresting, all while Matt “suffered” due to Mila’s mental demise. Lady Bullseye was a weak villain, and the other arcs simply sucked. All in all, Daredevil becoming or on his way to becoming the leader of “The Hand” was just meh.
The art was great though. Thats about all.
The art was great though. Thats about all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2025
Después del pequeño bajón que supuso el Daredevil World Tour alegra ver como, de nuevo en la cocina del Infierno, los acontecimientos se precipitan en una terrible espiral destructiva para Matt Murdock. El buen ritmo de la historia hace que perdonemos la introducción con calzador de lady Bullseye o Tarántula e Ito. El camino que lleva a Darevil al liderazgo de la Mano es duro y tortuoso y hay que reconocerle a Brubaker que aprovecho al máximo el potencial callejero de los héroes urbanos.
June 1, 2017
Not as good as the first half of Brubaker's run. The first few arcs are a bit boring in comparison but things pick up once the large arc kicks in. Art is still high quality and fits the gritty nature of this Daredevil run. Brubaker sets the story up for the next writer to continue so you don't get a lot of closure to any plot threads. Still worth reading for any daredevil fan.
August 2, 2018
It's not that these aren't excellently written and drawn comics, because they are. It's just that this incredibly depressing version of Daredevil gets difficult to read after a while. I wish that there was more of a break from the monotony of oppressiveness.
February 11, 2025
As some other reviewers say, I felt this as weaker than volume 1.
I enjoyed it, but it didn't click as the previous arcs.
Still recommendable of course, with a great art all over and Brubaker is still Brubaker :)
I enjoyed it, but it didn't click as the previous arcs.
Still recommendable of course, with a great art all over and Brubaker is still Brubaker :)
January 5, 2019
Outstanding! Loved the first volume, and this second one did not disappoint! Leads right into the Shadowlands storyline.
April 6, 2020
106, Sympathy for the Devil, ☆☆☆☆☆
107-110, Cruel & Unusual, ☆☆☆☆
Annual 1, Devil May Care, ☆☆☆☆
Blood of the Tarantula, ☆☆☆☆
111-115, Lady Bullseye, ☆☆☆☆☆
116-500, Return of the King, ☆☆☆☆
107-110, Cruel & Unusual, ☆☆☆☆
Annual 1, Devil May Care, ☆☆☆☆
Blood of the Tarantula, ☆☆☆☆
111-115, Lady Bullseye, ☆☆☆☆☆
116-500, Return of the King, ☆☆☆☆
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