Wow, I am tempted to give this five stars because I felt like Brubaker/Phillips have done something so outstanding and distinctive here. I think that for superhero/villain fiction lovers, you don't really get tired of the genre, but at the same time, you want something different. Seeing these concepts through a distinctive lens is vital and refreshing. That's definitely what Brubaker/Phillips are doing with this series. I'm not a huge fan of crime fiction, but there is something appetizing about seeing the viewpoint of a supervillain who essentially parted ways with his old life and has forged a new one, not exactly certain about who he is meant to be. However, he realizes he doesn’t want to be the man he used to be. He’s not comfortable in that skin at all anymore. He looks back at things and sees the horror evident on a daily basis in his past life, things that wouldn’t have bothered him in the least or pricked his moral compass. He’s developed a conscience and he cannot go back to being immured to the ugly deeds of his cohorts, which he finds out the hard way when asked to go undercover and retrieve an SOS operative who went native. But Zack faces the dilemma that I imagine many reformed criminals face. He isn’t allowed the clean slate he would hope for. People don’t give him a chance to be the new person, but the old cronies don’t want him back either. This graphic novel is really deep beneath all the obvious violent and off color content. It’s a character story wrapped in a fast-paced, superhero action-thriller. Zack still isn’t the nicest guy, but there is something very sympathetic about him in his journey from villain to would-be antihero. I had a horrible shock of realizing that there is no third volume in publication. I heartily hope that it’s in the works because I need to know there is more and things don’t end the way this volume ended. Zack’s journey is far from over, and this reader is not ready to disengage just yet. Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars. PS. If they make a movie, Jeremy Renner should play Zack.

Daredevil is the Man Without Fear, shaped by childhood circumstances to be a nighttime prowler and avenger/crime-fighter. His father's sad demise spurred him to seek justice, but he doesn't stop there. He disciplines his body to further his mission of protecting the innocent and seeing criminals captured, although he never goes over the line to murder.

I am in the minority, but I liked the movie with Ben Affleck. I think they conveyed the essence of the comics fairly well.

Daredevil is actually pretty noirish. The concepts, the setting and the characters. Daredevil has an interesting Rogue's Gallery, a mix of types. While some of the villains/foes that Daredevil faces are over the top and comic booky, a fair amount are amoral criminal types that you might see in the real life of any city's underworld. You can see why he is so determined to wipe out crime in his city as it's evident how far-reaching and destructive its effects are, which Matt Murdock learned intimately. As a lawyer, he sees the failings of the justice system to protect people, so he is not afraid to get physical to see justice done.

Daredevil's ability is really cool. When he was doused with radioactive waste, it blinded him, but enhanced all his other senses. His sense of hearing and smell is super-acute, but he can also see things with sonar, similar to a bat. While Daredevil does have superpowers, he also uses extensive martial arts and physical conditioning to hone his skills, along with his billy club, which is pretty darn awesome. This dude can kick serious butt.

This is an older graphic novel collection, and the coloring and artwork is a bit dated-looking, but otherwise, compelling and well-written despite the dated feel of the illustrations. Many will be familiar with Frank Miller, if not from the comic book world, than from the movie adaptations based on his work. His noir touch is very evident in the stories inked by him, with Daredevil's formidable and well-earned reputation as a denizen of the night who vigilantly protects his city. Matt Murdock is a mall-mannered lawyer by day, stricken with blindness as a child. His personality seems fractured, but he merely hides his purpose from those in his life who would no doubt be hurt by his double life. It's not one of those situations where you wonder why people don't know who he is. Clark Kent, I'm looking at you! His secret identity is rock solid.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. I guess I forgot how much I liked what I read of this series. I have read a couple of comic books with Daredevil (years ago, back when I first fell in love with comic books), with a stack of them in my garage I never got around to. I'm glad that my library had the collections that show his origins as a crimefighter. He's a compelling character that resonates with me. Not a carbon copy of Batman, but there are some similarities between them. Goodness knows how much I like Batman. I think I like Daredevil for similar reasons, and he's also a redhead, so that's another level of like.

So yes, I am grateful to the movie version for bringing this character to my attention. I am looking forward to Affleck as Batman too, for the record. I got Volume 2 which has my girl Elektra, so I'm jazzed! I recommend this graphic novel.

Burial Rites is a book that really hits you like an emotional freight train.  While I've been known to shed a tear or two during movies, I'm not someone who cries while reading.  Hardly ever, really (with the exception of a certain character dying at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince).

 

I damn well came close to tears at the end of this book. Word to the wise: do not read Burial Rites if you're in a very depressed mood.  This book will not lift your spirits in any way whatsoever.  You've been warned.

 

This isn't to say, however, that this story is a bore or a waste of time.  I intended to read a few chapters and ended up reading the book in one sitting.  If all the pages I bent are any indication, I would have highlighted an insane portion of the book had I actually owned it and not borrowed it from the library. 

 

This book is a fictional account of Agnus Magnusdottir's life after she is convicted of conspiring with others to murder two men on a farm in Iceland.  Agnes is sent to live with a family on a remote farm while she awaits her execution and during her stay she gradually reveals details of her life and what happened the night of the murders.

 

We are never led to believe that Agnus is completely innocent, but she is also not the callous evil witch history paints her to be.  Murder is a subject-matter that should be transparent.  When it happens, it is a violation so heinous that it can never be justified.  Yet, we see a lot of grey area in Agnus's story.  She may have made many mistakes along the way, but we see glimpses of her humanity and learn how she ended up in such an unfathomable predicament.  We're asked whether she is actually guilty and if so, does the punishment imposed upon her fit the crime she committed?  Is Agnus capable of atonement?

 

I'd like to think better of Agnus - that the version of her life she reveals is the truth.  However, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if other people feel differently.