Matt Murdock faces a darkness unlike any before! Tried, convicted and sent to prison, Matt’s life has changed forever — but the constant weight of guilt he feels is finally lifting. Meanwhile, there’s a new Daredevil swinging through the streets of Hell’s Kitchen — and her name is Elektra Natchios! Elektra is determined to fill the role that Matt left behind, but she’s never been a traditional “super hero” before, and she might be in over her head for the first time in her life. Now, as Knull and his symbiote dragons assault New York City, all hell breaks loose — and as Elektra searches for the strength to carry on, Murdock suffers a crisis of faith! Chip Zdarsky’s electrifying, expectation-defying run continues!
Chip Zdarsky is a Canadian comic book artist and journalist. He was born Steve Murray but is known by his fan base as Chip Zdarsky, and occasionally Todd Diamond. He writes and illustrates an advice column called Extremely Bad Advice for the Canadian national newspaper National Post's The Ampersand, their pop culture section's online edition. He is also the creator of Prison Funnies and Monster Cops.
Matt Murdock is in prison as Daredevil! And Elektra is now patrolling Hell’s Kitchen as Daredevil!! All while Knull invades New York!! Wait…Knull?? Aw fuck…
A Donny Cates event occurring at the same time as this series means I get some shitty King in Black tie-ins shoved into my perty little Marvel ongoing. Thankfully Zdarsky manages to keep the story moving in a semi-interesting manner while having to deal with this symbiote bullshit, but I could’ve gone without this ongoing getting sucked into the KIB nonsense.
I say semi-interesting mainly because I’m starting to notice just how over-the-top and ridiculous Matt’s storyline is getting. It could be forgiven earlier in the run at points, especially since this is a damn comic after all, but some of the shit that goes on here was just a bit too absurd for my tastes. I’ve also started to notice that most of Zdarsky’s cliffhangers at the end of issues usually resolve themselves a couple of pages into the following issue, which is just frustrating to read in a trade format. I get you need to hook monthly readers, but there are better ways to do that other than this.
I’ve also known for a while now that Elektra would eventually turn into Daredevil, but I thought the actual explanation and her motivations to do so were solid. I was surprised by how much I’ve been buying her as the character. And even in books not written by Zdarsky, like Savage Avengers, she’s a genuinely compelling and fresh version of the character. I kinda hope she stays in the role, even when Matt comes back. It really suits her at this point.
The art is more consistent in this volume than it was in the last, but it kinda sucks that some of Checchetto’s issues in this volume are relegated to the King in Black tie-ins. At least his art is incredible in those parts. He would only do the half of those issues that followed Elektra’s Daredevil, while Mike Hawthorne handled the other half of what Matt was up to in prison. And thankfully he did end up doing the rest of the volume, sans the final issue where Hawthorne still handles Matt’s story arc, and it all looks fucking incredible. If you weren’t buying Elektra as DD last volume, there’s no way Checchetto’s art doesn’t completely flip your stance. He draws some of the best Daredevil action scenes with her I’ve ever seen, and I also love the way he draws her hair both in and out of the suit.
Even if I’m starting to have some problems with it at this point, this Daredevil run by Zdarsky and Checchetto is still going pretty strong 31 issues in. I may have been more critical of this arc and dropped a star if Checchetto’s beautiful art wasn’t there to carry it, but I’m still so damn excited to start getting into Devil’s Reign at this point. Binging this run in a week’s time was such a good call, and I’d recommend this entire story arc and Devil’s Reign to any Daredevil fan. Looks like we are finally going to get a decent street-level Marvel event.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
7.3/10 Matt Murdock is in prison, but there is still a Daredevil looking after Hell's Kitchen.
This volume starts with a two issue King in Black tie-in. I haven't read anything King in Black related, so i am only vaguely familiar with what it is about. That being said, I didn't mind it (the tie-in). It gives us some cool Elektra as Daredevil action scenes. Also there is an interesting conversation between Knull and Matt, that showcases how strong and complex personality Matt is.
After the first two issues, we go back to the main story. Matt's life in prison, as you would expect is not easy, to say the least. Meanwhile Elektra fills in as Daredevil. And that's my favourite part. I like how she didn't just put on a Daredevil costume. She really tries to BE Daredevil. She acts according to Matt's methods and beliefs. You can see that she really cares for him. You can see Elektra evolving as a person , becoming a better version of herself.
With one Daredevil in jail, another Daredevil patrols Hell's Kitchen...
Zdarsky's Daredevil run has been great so far so it was inevitable that I would read this.
Things continue rolling forward. Elektra has assumed the Daredevil and duties while Matt Murdock deals with prison life. The symbiote invasion derails things a bit but Zdarsky manages to roll with it. I like how Elektra has taken on a ward of sorts.
Marco Checchetto continues to dominate things on art. Adriano di Benedetto, Mike Hawkthorne, and Marcio Menyz round out the art team. Hell's Kitchen and the prison are both places I'd never want to visit.
Was Doing Time the greatest volume in the series so far? No. I think the series is losing a little momentum but it's still great. Lots of seeds have been planted and I'll trust Zdarsky at the wheel for a long time.
Daredevil: Doing Time is another great entry in one of the best modern Daredevil runs. Four out of five stars.
I’d give this volume 3.5 stars if I could, as the writing is pretty great and the artwork is superb (other than the two incidents where they’ve had to draft in a fill-in artist to do a few pages, which is jarring). This is the only King in Black tie-in that actually managed to be legitimately scary, which was cool.
BUT!
But, I’m struggling to get past the fact that we’ve seen the whole Matt-goes-to-jail-and-another-hero-fills-in-as-DD-while-he’s-locked-up storyline before… and not that long ago, either!
However, I do like how filling in as DD is giving Elektra a newfound respect for Matt, though; it’s a nice touch.
I don’t understand how Elektra can just walk away from a fall of (by my judgement) at least seven storeys, though, as if she’d just stepped off a kerb. I mean, she’s ‘peak human’, sure, but she doesn’t actually have superpowers.
There’s one of my superhero comic pet peeves in this book, too, which is that writers seriously underestimate how fast bullets travel when fired. The (again, non-super powered) Elektra easily deflects a bullet fired at almost p0int blank range with her sai like it was nothing. Spidey can do this sort of stuff because of his superhuman reflexes and Spider-Sense, but when I see non-powered characters do this sort of thing it bugs the shit out of me. Willing suspension of disbelief is one thing but JAYZUS! Rant over.
Doesn't quite soar to the heights of the previous volumes, largely due to Knull-related (k)nonsense in the first issues but things feel like they have course corrected by the end.
The art by Checchetto really deserves a shout out, I'm loving his take on Elektra-as-Daredevil both in and out of costume.
It starts off with King in black tie in where Elektra fights Mary and rescue this girl Alice who seems to be her new sidekick. Meanwhile Matt is dealing with prison riots thanks to rampaging symbiotes and makes some interesting choice. I like how this trade just had two issue of tie in and uses it to push the story forward like Mary's trauma and Alice's fate which have dire consequences going forward.
Meanwhile in other place Elektra trains Alice, Matt is in jail and has to deal with prisoners there and his conscience gets affected after a certain incident and he has some interesting war of words with Marcus another inmate. Will he be in jail longer or is he doing to have some moral high ground or is he just avoiding the hard talk and is 2 steps behind "acceptance"? Great philosophical debates and I love how the writer brings about the question of morality here.
Meanwhile great set up of the next villains to come in the series. I really loved the whole volume but what sold me on it was the art as its just gorgeous.
The intrusion of a crossover event is never welcome, but a "King in Black" alien invasion is on so whatcha gonna do? Punch parasitic aliens of course. 'Cuz that's what Daredevil is all about, punching them aliens.
Elektra, playacting at being Daredevil, retreads an old Catwoman story, taking in a stray girl in the midst of the chaos. And punches aliens. Matt Murdock broods in prison. And punches aliens. Mike Murdock schemes, but fails to punch any aliens. Wilson Fisk wants to punch aliens, but in true one-note character fashion tries to assassinate Matt instead. Because that always works. Shoulda punched an alien, dude!
I might have gone two-stars but I'm intrigued by Matt's fellow prisoner, Marcus, and where the Typhoid Mary stuff is going.
This volume starts with Matt Murdock imprisoned, as Daredevil. Outside, Elektra has taken the role of Daredevil and she's trying to figure out how to do what Matt did. Very quickly in the first issue of the volume, the story gets interrupted by the King in Black crossover. Matt has to fight Knull in prison and Elektra has to fight Typhoid Mary who has been possessed by Knull's powers. Matt also gets briefly possessed by Knull, but he's able to set himself free from him quickly. Elektra is also able to resolve her problems in a short amount of time, but she's unable to save the life of a young girl's mother, so she takes the orphan under her wing. Typhoid Mary ends up going to the hospital, where Fisk visits her. In prison, things are hard for Matt, because the warden, as well as the inmates hate him and want him dead. So, while Elektra is trying to clear Hell's Kitchen from crime, Matt is trying to survive. At the same time, Fisk's son and Mike Murdock are trying to take control of organized crime in the city and Fisk himself wants to find a way to control Bullseye, so that he can use him to kill Matt and Elektra. This was a very nice volume. It's clear by now that Chip Zdarsky really understands Daredevil/Matt Murdock at a very deep level and that's very noticeable in this volume as well. Something I especially liked and found interesting about the way Matt's written is the fact that he feels a lot of guilt about multiple different things. He constantly takes responsibility for almost everything bad that happens around him. Since Matt is a very religious person, I think that it makes perfect sense from him to have a lot of guilt and I liked seeing him like that, because it feels very in character. Matt is also very stubborn, but not in an annoying way, more in a "Sandman" way. Because, like the classic Neil Gaiman character, he's not stubborn because of immaturity, but because he has certain values he believes in and because he feels the obligation follow certain rules. A moment with Matt I really liked in this volume is his short discussion with Knull about religion. I found it very interesting and thought provoking. Other than Matt, another character very well written is Elektra. She has always been a very complex character and that's showcased very well here. While she was trained as a ninja assassin and she's powerful and brutal, she also really cares about Matt's work as Daredevil and she's trying to do it correctly. Also, she cares about the little girl who's mother died. That part gives us the opportunity to catch a glimpse into a softer side of her personality. Furthermore, Fisk is written very well and while he's still a villain, we see that he really cares about some people, like Typhoid Mary. Something else I liked in this volume is the way that certain problems in the prison system were showcased. While the comic has many great aspects, it also has some flaws. First of all, I didn't like the crossover with the King in Black event. It felt to me very forced and in my opinion, while it was enjoyable, it pushed the story back for two issues. Another thing I didn't really like is the fact that way too many things were happening to the same time. In this volume we are following Matt's story in prison, Elektra's story as Daredevil, Fisk as Mayor and the whole situation with who's going to control organized crime in the city. Thankfully, Chip Zdarsky was able to make all of these stories interesting, but because they are too many, there wasn't enough time for any of them to really advance. Furthermore, I think that this volume had a bit too much action. That's certainly a very subjective opinion, but I don't really love action in comics, so I didn't enjoy the action scenes as much as I'd enjoy more dialogue. The artwork by Marco Checchetto is very good. He's great at drawing action scenes as well as dialogue scenes. He has a great understanding of perspective and his panel layouts are great. Elektra is drawn really beautifully and so are most characters. Something I didn't like in his artwork is the way he draws Matt with the Daredevil mask in prison. It just seems very weird. Overall, this was a great volume. Maybe not the best in the series so far, but it makes for a great read. 9/10
Oops, Matt Murdock's in prison again. Haven't we been here before? And yet, Chip Zdarsky's take on the storyline feels almost entirely different to the last time this happened, mostly because the supporting characters and their reactions to it feel fresh and new.
Honestly, the stuff going on outside the prison is sometimes more interesting than the Matt storyline. Mike Murdock's play for power, Elektra's new path as Daredevil and her protege, the Kingpin and Typhoid Mary's little on-again off-again, and even Foggy and Kristen bring something new to the table to the point that it's easy to forget that this is Daredevil's book after all.
That said, what's going on in the prison has some fun moments too. It doesn't take long for it all to go pearshaped, especially when a King In Black tie-in forces Matt to fight for his life, but Zdarsky takes it all in stride and manages to make the event work for him rather than the other way around.
Artwise, the book still looks great - Marco Checchetto and Mike Hawthorne double-team most of the issues, splitting themselves between the inside and outside prison segments.
Daredevil's still riding high, and I doubt it's going to be anything but for a long time yet.
This was a lot of moving blocks, and so not a HUGE amount happens, but plenty of set up.
Elecktra is whooping people's asses as Daredevil while Matt is in Jail. She's not having a good time, as she can't just gut people like normal she has to abide by Matt's no kill rule. She even meets a young girl who she begins to mentor. On the flip side Matt is trying to just serve his time. However, everyone in that prison, including the guy who runs it, wants him dead. This brings up a survival chapter that Matt might not be able to survive.
As always the art is fantastic. Some amazing fight scenes. I especially loves Electra's daredevil costume, looks SO good. I also really enjoyed Matt dealing with his consequences of his actions even though he's being ridiculous not taking some of these offers. I also think the Elecktra stuff is building towards big things but not there yet. So about a 3.5 out of 5.
You get just enough drip fed progression and drama each volume to be fully engaged.
The Venom alien invasion which I'm guessing is some sort of crossover I missed didn't really serve a purpose or interest me much, but at least one interesting character may have come out of it where Elektra has taken on an apprentice of sorts. With the Symbiote stuff aside this could have been nearer to a 5 star volume for me.
Daredevil Vol. 6 Doing Time collects issues 26-30 of the Marvel Comics series written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto and Mike Hawthorne.
Daredevil aka Matt Murdock has been sent to prison for his role in the murder of a criminal during a heist gone wrong and continues to turn down any help from friends and allies to try and overturn his conviction. Elektra has taken up the mantle of Daredevil to protect Hell’s Kitchen while Matt is away.
The first half of this book is not that good as the Venom/Symbiote King in Black storyline is forced into the Daredevil series even though it doesn’t really make sense or add anything to the story. The book begins to pick back up after the crossover is finished. Checchetto’s Daredevil costume for Elektra is amazing and one of the coolest characters designs I have seen in recent memory.
A good book. I liked the story and the artwork. The plans behind the plans as well, for me doing the transition of Elektra as Daredevil and Matt/Daredevil in jail, was too much during the King in Black storyline as well.
With the attack of Knull (the King in Black), nobody is safe, not Daredevil in jail, not the streets of New York or even the mayor. The last three issues are back to the main story. Daredevil (Matt) is attacked in jail, surprise? No. Elektra makes herself known in both of her identities. The Kingpin is tired of playing catch-up and being everyone's punching bag. He is going on the offensive. Then there are Mike and Butch making their play from the shadows.
I a good continuation of the series. I think they fit the best they the story into the King in Black, but the later issues/chapters were better. There is also a warning to Elektra. The book finishes with a couple of varient covers in the gallery and a sketchbook.
The story keeps the tension tight as Matt faces the fallout of his choices behind bars while Elektra wears the horns in Hell’s Kitchen. Zdarsky and Checchetto hit that perfect mix of grit and grace — crime-drama pacing, bold action, and real moral weight. Watching Elektra redefine what “Daredevil” means is electric.
4.5⭐ — one of the most adrenaline-charged arcs of the run.
I'm really nervous about the landing now cause this run as the potential to be one of the all time great runs IMO for a character with no shortage of great runs.
Merely adequate Daredevil. Chip Zdarsky's run on the character really has its ups and downs. Doing Time is mostly down, largely because Knull intrudes for the first two issues, seriously upending any momentum we had with Daredevil Prime going to prison and Daredevil Elektra picking up his role in Hell's Kitchen.
After everyone punches a boring symbiote or two, things kind of get back on track. Prison Devil hems and haws about wanting to prove he's not above the law. It's tedious. Numerous opportunities arise for him to leave prison for good reasons and yet he refuses. It would be an intriguing twist if it didn't make Matt Murdock seem so dully stubborn.
ElektraDevil takes on a ward for unclear, silly reasons. It goes poorly when she tries to show up the new crime lord in Hell's Kitchen, Butch, and the young ward Oh, also, Butch is working with Mike Murdock to take over the crime sitch. And Kingpin is mackin' on Typhoid Mary, placing yet another kill order on Daredevil(s), and .
It all feels like silly wheel-spinning. The last volume ended with a very intriguing hint at Hand shenanigans, but there's almost none of that in Doing Time. The reader, also, is doing time here, I suppose.
This is really good. Even though not a whole lot happens in this arc, I was still riveted and had a hard time putting this down. Matt's in prison, despite numerous chances to get out or be freed (the Knull crossover; an offer to inform on criminal corruption among the guards and warden). He wants to see it out to prove that heroes aren't above the law, even if he's got to worry about every meal (poison!). Meanwhile, Elektra is filling in as Daredevil on the outside and the Kingpin is not about to let a little thing like an invasion of symbiotes keep him down. Plus, we've got Mike Murdock and Butch plotting to take control of Hell's Kitchen. Lots of wheels moving and it's all helped immeasurably by the confident, masterful artwork of Marco Checchetto and Mike Hawthorne. This really is one of the best Daredevil runs going...
I do not care for the Matt Murdock story that Zdarsky has been playing with for the last 15 or so issues. I think it's silly. However, I think the Elektra-as-Daredevil half of the story is really fantastic. Watching Elektra try to fill in and play by a set of rules that is completely antithetical to her normal way of life is really great! If it wasn't for the Matt Murdock half of the book it'd probably be my favorite thing at Marvel right now. Alas, as is it's uneven, but there are some high highs when the book is at its best.
I'm OBSESSED. First we have an event tie in, King in Black, which involves an alien symbiote takeover. I didn't know the first couple of issues were an event tie in but thought the storyline was okay. Then it just abruptly ended which confused me more?? I normally hate an event forcing its way in but it was pretty good in here. I loved the way Matt handled the situation, it was metal as fuck.
The art for this ALMOST stayed Marco Checcetto the whole way except for a couple pages being someone else?? It was jarring and I don't know what that was about. I didn't even mind the other art style, it was just wild it was only a couple pages. Marco Checcetto's art is stunning and I love it so much.
I wanna make fun of the way Alice was drawn though because when we first see her she was a teenager? But then when we see her again that was a whole ass short child lol. I don't know what age she was even supposed to be.
Elektra. Oh my GOD ELEKTRA. She takes over as Daredevil while Matt is in prison and I'm in lOVE. She's trying to prove she can be better, be the hero while Matt is away. Her costume is amazing and words cannot express how well they did with it. The way it's a mix of her original costume x Daredevil is galaxy brain. I love she still has her iconic weapons but instead of being knives, they are billy clubs like Daredevil. I want to be the one to complain about how boring it is when they just take a male superhero and make them female with little effort and then pat themselves on the back but I eat that shit up every time and I was feasting here. I've always liked the character Elektra and seeing her alive and being more than Matt Murdock's love interest was great.
The storyline keeps on being well done and I really have nothing bad to say. I love she.
Demolidor na cadeia? Mas isso já foi explorado por Ed Brubaker em sua renomada fase no personagem! Sim, mas a maneira como Chip Zdarsky apresenta essa nova estada de Matt Murdock na prisão capta algumas nuances que a fase de Brubaker não trazia. Paralelo a isso temos outras tramas, como por exemplo, Elektra Natchios tentando agir como Demolidora na ausência de Matt Murdock e até mesmo cooptando uma aprendiz, Alice. Também temos a trama do filho do Rei do Crime e do irmão gêmeo de Matt, tentando se colocarem como novos "mandantes" da Cozinha do Inferno no lugar da mafiosa Izzy Libris. A fase de Chip Zdarsky no Demolidor não é consistente. Ela tem altos e baixos, mas quando chega num ponto alto ela vem pra valer, como é o caso deste volume seis e de outros volumes dessa leva. A arte de Marco Checchetto é um deslumbramento à parte, mas que fica menos legal quando os fillers precisam ser acionados para cobrir sua falta. Logo mais teremos a megassaga Reinado do Demônio. Vamos ver o que nos espera.
Zdardevil je pořád super, i když tohle volumko bylo spíš odpočinkový. První dvě čísla jsou tie-in ke King in Black a překvapivě oba sešity byli super. Potom sledujeme příběh jak si Matt zvyká na pobyt ve vězení a bavím se. Elektra je děsně cool a Fisk dostává čím dál větší polidštění. Hlavně bylo tady potřeba nějak překlenout protože nás očividně čekají ještě velké věci.
Another solid entry. Other than the occasional tie in to whatever is happening with the whole Marvel universe this has been a solid series. I like where it is going.
This was mostly incredible. The King in Black tie-in felt totally shoehorned. I get it was a huge event, but it's sandwiched in the middle of the volume and comes and goes with almost no consequence.
Other than that, I still loved the story being told. Elektra as Daredevil is so dope.