fabilous_books's review
3.0
Not a big fan of Melvin Potter. Never was. Milla is getting to my nerves, poor woman. Love Foggy and love Matt. Wish they had more dialogue.
mark_cc's review
2.0
I get the sense that Brubaker was writing 12-issue arcs, and the first six are mostly build-up and putting the pieces in place for the action scenes in the next collection.
caitcoy's review
4.0
The first volume of Hell to Pay covers issues 94-99 and it's basically Matt and Milla time.
It opens with a look at the strain that Matt's actions and history as Daredevil put on his relationship with his wife Milla Donovan. She's been remarkably supportive of him because she understands that it's an embedded part of who he is but it's hard to blame Milla for not being one hundred percent okay with her husband risking his life every night to fight the never ending crime. There's no way you wouldn't constantly be worried every night and poor Milla seems to be having a hard time coping with it. I will admit that I miss seeing self-assured, confident Milla vs helpless bystander Milla but it's hard not to feel sympathetic towards her.
Then things start to unravel in Daredevil's world. His old foe Melvin Potter, AKA The Gladiator, appears to have snapped even more violently than usual. The troubled but otherwise gentle man has turned homicidal and claims to not be in control of himself at all. Matt decides to try to get to the bottom of it and starts finding out that someone has planned for every contingency and in no way intends to let him get to the bottom of it before the trap is sprung.
Brubaker excels at this kind of gritty crime plot that just seems to get more sinister the further you read. I had no idea who the villain was when he was finally revealed at the end of the volume and it still had me dreading what was going to happen next.
The artwork continues to be good without being on the Maleev gorgeous level but it still works very well with Brubaker's style.
Another good addition to the Brubaker/Lark run on Daredevil and had me worried about where Brubaker was taking Daredevil, with good reason.
It opens with a look at the strain that Matt's actions and history as Daredevil put on his relationship with his wife Milla Donovan. She's been remarkably supportive of him because she understands that it's an embedded part of who he is but it's hard to blame Milla for not being one hundred percent okay with her husband risking his life every night to fight the never ending crime. There's no way you wouldn't constantly be worried every night and poor Milla seems to be having a hard time coping with it. I will admit that I miss seeing self-assured, confident Milla vs helpless bystander Milla but it's hard not to feel sympathetic towards her.
Then things start to unravel in Daredevil's world. His old foe Melvin Potter, AKA The Gladiator, appears to have snapped even more violently than usual. The troubled but otherwise gentle man has turned homicidal and claims to not be in control of himself at all. Matt decides to try to get to the bottom of it and starts finding out that someone has planned for every contingency and in no way intends to let him get to the bottom of it before the trap is sprung.
Brubaker excels at this kind of gritty crime plot that just seems to get more sinister the further you read. I had no idea who the villain was when he was finally revealed at the end of the volume and it still had me dreading what was going to happen next.
The artwork continues to be good without being on the Maleev gorgeous level but it still works very well with Brubaker's style.
Another good addition to the Brubaker/Lark run on Daredevil and had me worried about where Brubaker was taking Daredevil, with good reason.
fell4's review
3.0
2.5
Very well written and the art was amazing, I'm just not super interested in this point in Matt's life. This is after Karen's death, but before him and Natasha get together. This whole volume goes by kinda fast though.
Very well written and the art was amazing, I'm just not super interested in this point in Matt's life. This is after Karen's death, but before him and Natasha get together. This whole volume goes by kinda fast though.
depreydeprey's review
4.0
There is a gravity to this story that sets it apart from normal super hero fair that I responded to. Most of the first issue is focused on what it's like to be married to a super hero. To be left home while he is in the night, putting his life on the line. It sets a good tone for this collection and Volume 2 to follow. This is a very personal super hero story where characters are motivated by their interpersonal relationships rather than megalomania and what results is far more interesting.
skolastic's review
3.0
At this point, I kind of feel like the momentum from the Bendis run is spent, and Brubaker hasn't put in a lot of his own (no shade on Michael Lark). I think I'm done at this point.
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