Post by Derrick on Sept 12, 2012 21:29:09 GMT -5
My usual policy regarding new fan fiction series is to give the series three issues before making up my mind if I'm going to continue reading it. I think three issues is more than enough wordage for a writer to hook me in. Oh, yes...I've had writers tell me that I'm being unfair and that I should wait around for issue #10 or #12 because that's The Issue Where Everything Happens!!!! Okay, I get that but is it too much to ask that you have something interesting going on in the issues leading up to The Big Moment?
Such is not the case with anything Michael Franzoni writes. I've known Michael for some time now. We've been hanging around the community long enough to be legitmately called Old Timers and I've read and enjoyed his work (fan fiction & original) for years now. So my Three Issue Rule doesn't apply to him because I know that right from #1, Franz is going to engage me in a story that's rich in characterization and plot.
DAREDEVIL#1 didn't disappoint me at all from start to finish. First of all, Franz makes the gutsy move of never having Daredevil appear in the issue. This is all about Matt Murdock and I appreciated that. Trust me, if this issue had started off with Daredevil sitting on a rooftop brooding about Karen Page or contemplating a 'final showdown' with The Kingpin or Bullseye I'd have went on to read something else right then and there. But Franz makes the entire issue about Matt Murdock doing what Matt does best: being a lawyer.
And by taking readers inside the offices of Nelson & Murdock, we're brought back to what makes Matt Murdock/Daredevil truly stand out among superheroes. Matt Murdock is a man who has taken a sacred oath to uphold and defend the law. But at night he puts on a costume and violates that same oath in the pursuit of justice, not law. It's this that really makes Matt Murdock and Daredevil unique. The radar sense is just the icing on the cake.
And speaking of the radar sense I liked how Michael reminded us that Matt is blind by having everything described from Matt's POV in terms of what he hears and what he touches. I've read far too many fan fiction Daredevil stories (and professional as well, let me be fair) where Matt's radar sense is the only thing he uses to get around and it works better than sight. Writers forget that Matt uses his radar sense in conjuction with his amplified senses to get around.
But the best development for me in the entire issue was the tantalizing hint that Matt might become a judge. That's what character development is all about: taking a familiar character into unfamiliar territory. Franz got me hooked good with this and I'll be very interested to see where it goes.
As far as the supporting cast goes, I'm perfectly happy with just Foggy Nelson being the only familiar face. As for villains...please no Kingpin, no Bullseye and for Odin's sake, no ninjas. I'd be delighted to see The Owl, Death-Stalker and yes, Stilt-Man, just for old times sake...stop snickering, you.
So should you read DAREDEVIL#1? If you don't you'll miss one of the best written first issues I've read in a long time. Excellent job, Mr. Franzoni and I eagerly await more.
Such is not the case with anything Michael Franzoni writes. I've known Michael for some time now. We've been hanging around the community long enough to be legitmately called Old Timers and I've read and enjoyed his work (fan fiction & original) for years now. So my Three Issue Rule doesn't apply to him because I know that right from #1, Franz is going to engage me in a story that's rich in characterization and plot.
DAREDEVIL#1 didn't disappoint me at all from start to finish. First of all, Franz makes the gutsy move of never having Daredevil appear in the issue. This is all about Matt Murdock and I appreciated that. Trust me, if this issue had started off with Daredevil sitting on a rooftop brooding about Karen Page or contemplating a 'final showdown' with The Kingpin or Bullseye I'd have went on to read something else right then and there. But Franz makes the entire issue about Matt Murdock doing what Matt does best: being a lawyer.
And by taking readers inside the offices of Nelson & Murdock, we're brought back to what makes Matt Murdock/Daredevil truly stand out among superheroes. Matt Murdock is a man who has taken a sacred oath to uphold and defend the law. But at night he puts on a costume and violates that same oath in the pursuit of justice, not law. It's this that really makes Matt Murdock and Daredevil unique. The radar sense is just the icing on the cake.
And speaking of the radar sense I liked how Michael reminded us that Matt is blind by having everything described from Matt's POV in terms of what he hears and what he touches. I've read far too many fan fiction Daredevil stories (and professional as well, let me be fair) where Matt's radar sense is the only thing he uses to get around and it works better than sight. Writers forget that Matt uses his radar sense in conjuction with his amplified senses to get around.
But the best development for me in the entire issue was the tantalizing hint that Matt might become a judge. That's what character development is all about: taking a familiar character into unfamiliar territory. Franz got me hooked good with this and I'll be very interested to see where it goes.
As far as the supporting cast goes, I'm perfectly happy with just Foggy Nelson being the only familiar face. As for villains...please no Kingpin, no Bullseye and for Odin's sake, no ninjas. I'd be delighted to see The Owl, Death-Stalker and yes, Stilt-Man, just for old times sake...stop snickering, you.
So should you read DAREDEVIL#1? If you don't you'll miss one of the best written first issues I've read in a long time. Excellent job, Mr. Franzoni and I eagerly await more.
