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by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey    Writer- Frank Miller Artist- David Mazzucchelli Colours- David Mazzucchelli (R. Lewis) Letters- Joe Rosen Editor- Ralph Macchio Editor In Chief- Jim Shooter Publisher- Marvel Comics synopsisMatt's descent into despair continues apace and Wilson Fisk gleefully celebrates as his psychological warfare truly starts to break 'The Man Without Fear.' Isolated from his friends and his loved ones, Matt becomes increasingly bitter and paranoid, resulting in him making the questionable decision to face Wilson Fisk on crime lord's home turf, where a crushing, near fatal defeat is the inevitable outcome. Dave So, the second part of 'Born Again,' what do you make of the cover? Kev I like it. It's an interesting cover. It's got a nice close-up of Matt's face with the cracks in it, showing his cracked and broken psyche, also with an extreme use of light and shade. Once again, it's very noir-ish. What do you make of it? Dave It is certainly a bit in-your-face with the close up, but it does show that this is really about how broken and damaged Matt Murdock is in this issue. Kev I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by just how well this issue deals with Matt's mental breakdown. Dave The second page, the full page panel of him on the bed in a seedy motel room which is not much more bigger than a prison cell, shows exactly where Matt is at the moment, mentally. He's a prisoner in his own tormented mind.  "Tired of being admired. Tired of love, uninspired." Kev That's a good point. I never thought about the room as a mirror for Matt's mind. And it's a horrible room alright. Glorianna's use of "Ye" is quite amusing. Dave Yeah, I found the "Ye" quite amusing too. Slight overuse of stereotyping maybe. It is horrible, yeah. The next couple of pages show just how defeated Matt feels with all that's going on and how tortured he is internally, which results in him reflecting upon the build up to these events. "Just the little things at first, the kind you try not to notice.” He is obsessively going over all the things that have gone wrong, enhancing his feeling of despair. Kev I thought it was a bit stereotypical too. I also agree with you on Matt's mental state as well. He's completely paranoid, thinking everyone has betrayed him. He's calling Glorianna and hanging-up and he's completely isolated himself from those he loves and who love him. "I'd much rather stay with a friend. Show me one and I'll stay with him." He's completely depressed and he's not thinking straight at all. Miller makes a good fist of showing Matt's abilities not as a gift, but a curse. ".....who fate gave the ability to hear and smell and touch better than anybody in the world can ---- which is a great way to catch all the misery of being alive." Dave Plus, the final panel on the fourth page culminates in him going back to bed, which shows how mentally weak he is feeling. Kev Yeh, definitely. I love the "camera" pulling-in on the doorknob. It really heightens the fact that Matt has become a prisoner in this tiny, rat-infested motel room. And his own mind. "I'm tired....." Contrast that with the Kingpin, when you turn the page, overlooking New York, smoking a cigar.  "Half-steppers travel twice the distance to their destination." Dave It’s a real character driven piece. I wonder if the writers of the Netflix Daredevil series took the whole character study idea and incorporated it into their writing for the show. Those are three great panels of the Kingpin standing there. Three different angles of the man standing at the window. I love the choice of colours used in this. It's like a sunset. It could be a metaphor for how devilishly happy he feels at this moment.  Wilson Fisk, indulging in a post-coital cigar. Kev Yeh, it's a man on top of the world and a man at rock bottom. ".....with a few brief phone calls, the Kingpin shattered Murdock's life beyond all hope of reconstruction." Not "beyond reconstruction," but "beyond all HOPE of reconstruction." That's a powerful villain, right there. The glee Mazzucchelli manages to infuse Fisk's face with in that last panel of page 34 is beautiful. Glee at discovering Matt was already nearly mad. "The Kingpin looks at his city....." Says it all, right there, in black and white. Show AND tell. ".....his city....." I think you're spot-on with the Daredevil season 3 link. The writers definitely took this run as inspiration.  Look at that face. Why wouldn't you buy a used car from that face? Dave He's a broken man on an internal journey to madness, is Matt. That panel where he is standing over a bloodied Kingpin shows exactly where his mind is at. Kev Definitely. It's a vivid depiction of manic depression and psychosis, with Matt's fantasy being of beating the Kingpin to a bloody pulp and getting revenge and his life and reputation back. And we're pulling focus on that doorknob again. "Walk out the door." "Must've dozed. Was going to leave. Turned the doorknob."  If the bar ain't bendin'..... Dave He is clearly losing it in his psychosis and paranoia, choking out the hotel owner, believing him to be a henchman of the Kingpin. He is completely isolated in his own mind and on a clear path of self-destruction. However, his paranoia is not completely unjust, as we see the Kingpin is having him closely followed. That’s a good panel of The Kingpin lifting weights and I love those 80's subway panels. They're such an iconic 80's image, don't you think? It’s the classic playground for the vigilante/enforcer to operate. Plus, I like the narration by the Kingpin's lackey, who is possibly wearing one of the dodgiest looking 80's coats I have ever come across. Do this guy and Alaric from 'Punisher: Circle Of Blood' go shopping together?  .....you're just pretendin'. Kev Ha, ha! Possibly. That checked jacket has not aged well, has it? I love that he has his finger in his ear in panel 3 of page 40. That's a nice touch. Kingpin working those shoulder presses. Gotta get those gains on the shoulders. Mazzucchelli's depiction of an 80's subway carriage is just spot-on, isn't it? It’s like something out of an episode of 'The Equalizer,' or a documentary on early hip-hop graffiti.  Do you even lift, Bro? Dave Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. ‘The Equalizer’ and the ‘Death Wish’ films. Nice set of moves by Matt, in taking out the guys on the subway. That's a good showcase for Daredevil’s fighting ability. Kev It certainly is. New York was so run-down in a lot of ways at this point, that it made it a perfect setting for these kind of stories. And yeh, Matt's not giving a damn about the other passengers on the subway as they are being robbed, but he is vicious in the justice he dishes out when it comes to him personally. Dave Even taking down the cop as well. It also reminds me of the arcade game which was out in the 80's, "Final Fight." I could not get enough of that game. Kev Right enough, yeh. 'Final Fight' and its Sega counterpart, 'Streets Of Rage.' You're right about the cop as well. Matt's not holding anything back here and he seemingly has no regard whatsoever for that officer's well-being. The way these scenes are cutting between Matt's actions and Wesley's description of them to Fisk is excellent. It's extremely effective storytelling. Dave I love that line by the Kingpin to his lackey, "I envy you, you blessed little worm." It shows how little regard in which he holds the people who work for him. Is that Wesley? Kev I think so. I just assumed it was. Ha, ha! You're right though, it does show how Fisk views even his most valued of employees as beneath him. Dave That panel of him talking down the phone to the speaking clock, shows how Matt has lost the plot at this stage. Kev It's tragic, isn't it? The fact that we're led to believe that he's called Foggy, his true friend, or at least, Matt thinks he has, but he's actually just called the operator. It's heartbreaking. Great reveal in that fourth panel, in the top tier of page 43 though.  "Don't leave me hanging on the telephone." Dave Do you remember the sub-plot that was happening with Karen Page? Clearly she's on the run. Kev She's a strung-out junkie, who's been working in the porn industry to feed her habit at this point. It was her who offered up Daredevil's identity for a fix and now she's a loose end that needs tied-up. This is all her fault, essentially. Dave Ah, right enough. Nice little cameo here by J. Jonah Jameson. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. JJ's looking like he can't be bothered with Urich here. Again, nice use of the operator to link the scenes here. It's hard to feel any sympathy for Karen. She's brought this all on herself. And to betray Matt the way she has, then run to him for help, is just a user's move. Miller and Mazzuccelli up the pace here with the cuts between, Matt and Fisk, Jonah and Urich, Foggy and Glori and Karen on the run as well. It's fantastic building of tension towards the end of an issue, once again. Dave Yeah, the cutting back and forth is a great build up to the inevitable. And Matt stupidly walks into Kingpin’s office, with a big welcome by his secretary. You just know this is not going to end well for Matt. He's completely in the wrong frame of mind. Kev Definitely. He's been so masterfully manipulated by Kingpin here, it's unreal. "Come right in, Mr. Murdock. Mr. Fisk is expecting you." Isn't he just. Dave I love those two bottom panels of Matt walking to the Kingpin’s office. Spatially it has a lot of room in it, the bare walls, the bright colour purple contrasted with the green plants, then the far away shot of him entering through the doors. It's actually a great bit of storytelling. Kev It's fantastic, isn't it? It's like the sprawling, widescreen shots in a Sergio Leone western, which, come to think of it, this story has certain parallels to. I also like the slight colour variation in the caption boxes here to differentiate between the perspectives of the narrators.  The corridor leading to Wilson Fisk's office is spacious, airy..... Dave There are a variety of different colours used throughout this story, yet it still has a noir-ish feel to it.  ".....And purple. Oh, I love purple." Kev Oh, for sure. The fight between Matt and Fisk is pretty brutal. Matt breaks Fisk's nose with the club and Fist just smiles at him, but as soon as Fisk gets in close enough to get a hold of Matt, his size and power ultimately make the difference. It's over pretty quick. With Matt proclaiming, "Never give up----Never--" Fade to red. Dave Yeah, it's a good rumble. Clearly Matt was not in the right condition, physically or mentally, to take on the Kingpin. Even at the top of his game, the Kingpin is a hard one for Daredevil to take down. It's got some good bone crunching moves in it, but ultimately Matt was going down with a few solid punches and the splatter of blood to enhance how brutal this fight is. Plus, a quick jump to a strung-out Karen in despair. Nice use of the red subset colour in her panels. Fisk's not finished with Matt yet though. Kev Yep. Matt was doing fine whilst he was outside of Fisk's reach, but as soon as The Kingpin got a hold of him and pulled him in close, it was game over. Yeh, and I love how it cuts to that green hue of the East River. It looks fantastic. Dave Yep, it’s a few good panels, those. All the crap down at the bottom of it. I wonder how much of that is Kingpin's doing?  Should've got an Uber or a Lyft, Matt. Kev That's a good point. I wonder how many people or incriminating evidence he's disposed of in that river. “He has disgraced, destroyed and murdered the only good man he has ever known. This is his triumph of the spirit.” Those two lines tell you everything you need to know about Wilson Fisk, right there. Dave I wonder if he would actually miss Matt, as he is his sworn enemy. It’s almost like he needs him to be around. He just repeats, "There is no corpse." How does he really feel about this? Is the game back on for him? Kev I think Fisk loves the challenge of such a worthy opponent, but he also likes to win. I wonder if the repetition of "There is no corpse" is fear or frustration. Or both. I also love the phrase “.....what must have been a hideous effort of will.” This also tells you everything you need to know about Matt Murdock here. Will. A force of nature. Unrelenting. Indestructible. Unstoppable. And then that last, full page panel; Matt is alive. Dave It could be the shock also. Fisk always carefully plans everything and this didn't end-up neatly wrapped up after all. The Kingpin is an OCD person. Kev True. He's also a control freak. Dave This is how Matt functions. He has a point where he really comes to and his true nature emerges in the wake of such a tragedy occurring. The man without fear!  "My persistence overcomes resistance with determination. Listen to the master at his craft." (D) & (K) Next: 'Pariah.' 
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