DAREDEVIL ANNUAL # 1
Written by Ed Brubaker and Ande Parks
Art by Roy Allen Martinez
This was probably the best issue of Daredevil Brubaker has done since his first arc, The Devil in Cell Block D. It hit all the right notes and the pacing was perfect in this done-in-one annual. DD #101 seemed to be more in line with these two storylines, so maybe he's finally got his groove back on the main title as well.
As you can tell from the cover, this annual features the return of the Black Tarantula, the forgotten Spider-Man villain from the post-Clone Saga era that appeared briefly while Matt was in jail. I loved this character back in the Identity Crisis days of Spider-Man and I'm just happy to see him being used again. Up until now, he had only been appearing in Spider-Girl - even though that incarnation was his son taking up the mantle.
The jist of the story is Matt, sick and feverish, is trying to take down the Yakuza that has set up in Hell's Kitchen since he went to jail and what not over the past year. At the same time, Black Tarantula is free on parole and seeks out Matt for a job to help him go straight. DD eventually ends up teaming up with Tarantula to take out the Yakuza and solve a small murder mystery as well. In the end, though, Tarantula can't escape his past and ends up on the wrong side of the law after murdering the gangbangers involved in the murder mystery. The sick DD is no match for Tarantula and he escapes.
While it sounds like a generic "villain tries to reform, but ends up a villain in the end" tale, it's actually much, much better than it sounds. Brubaker does an excellent job showing things from Tarantula's perspective and the reasons behind his reverting to form are skillfully handled. Also, Tarantula may have killed the gangbangers, but he takes all the money they had and donates it to a church and his fate at the end of the issue is left open to interpretation. It appears he might become a new Punisher-like anti-hero, but it is hard to say. Either way, it's a great finish to an excellent issue.
Verdict - Must Read. This is a great issue, hands down. You, honestly, can't go wrong picking this up. There's no back story or current events you need to know from the main series to read this. It's an excellently crafted done-in-one story and one of the best from Brubaker's run on Daredevil to date.
As you can tell from the cover, this annual features the return of the Black Tarantula, the forgotten Spider-Man villain from the post-Clone Saga era that appeared briefly while Matt was in jail. I loved this character back in the Identity Crisis days of Spider-Man and I'm just happy to see him being used again. Up until now, he had only been appearing in Spider-Girl - even though that incarnation was his son taking up the mantle.
The jist of the story is Matt, sick and feverish, is trying to take down the Yakuza that has set up in Hell's Kitchen since he went to jail and what not over the past year. At the same time, Black Tarantula is free on parole and seeks out Matt for a job to help him go straight. DD eventually ends up teaming up with Tarantula to take out the Yakuza and solve a small murder mystery as well. In the end, though, Tarantula can't escape his past and ends up on the wrong side of the law after murdering the gangbangers involved in the murder mystery. The sick DD is no match for Tarantula and he escapes.
While it sounds like a generic "villain tries to reform, but ends up a villain in the end" tale, it's actually much, much better than it sounds. Brubaker does an excellent job showing things from Tarantula's perspective and the reasons behind his reverting to form are skillfully handled. Also, Tarantula may have killed the gangbangers, but he takes all the money they had and donates it to a church and his fate at the end of the issue is left open to interpretation. It appears he might become a new Punisher-like anti-hero, but it is hard to say. Either way, it's a great finish to an excellent issue.
Verdict - Must Read. This is a great issue, hands down. You, honestly, can't go wrong picking this up. There's no back story or current events you need to know from the main series to read this. It's an excellently crafted done-in-one story and one of the best from Brubaker's run on Daredevil to date.
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