#matthew brodsky

[athena5898]

What The Media Hides: (https://x.com/narrative_hole/status/1844053470195945682?s=46) White House advisor Matthew Brodsky suspended from X after calling for Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon to be burned alive

[nofatclips]

All I Know of Love, a film by Emma Ruth Rundle and Geert Braekers

[llovelymoonn]

favourite poems of july

knar gavin strindberg grey

dahlia ravikovitch the love of an orange (tr. chana bloch)

danez smith summer, somewhere

hannah gamble your invitation to a modest breakfast: “your invitation to a modest breakfast”

claire schwartz lecture on the history of the house

joseph brodsky collected poems in english, 1972-1999: “a part of speech”

ralph angel twice removed: “alpine wedding”

bob hicok insomnia diary: “spirit ditty of no fax-line dial tone”

caleb klaces language is her caravan

philip good & bernadette mayer alternating lunes

hester knibbe light-years (tr. jacquelyn pope)

tracy k. smith life on mars: “the universe as primal scream”

rigoberto gonzález other fugitives and other strangers: “the strangers who find me in the woods”

stephen edgar murray dreaming

james schuyler other flowers: uncollected poems: “light night”

amy beeder because our waiters are hopeless romantics

diane seuss backyard song

tomás q. morín love train

safiya sinclair the art of unselfing

carol muske-dukes skylight: “the invention of cuisine”

peter gizzi the outernationale: “vincent, homesick for the land of pictures”

william matthews selected poems and translations, 1969-1991: “onions”

c.k. williams butcher

mark mccloskey the smell of the woods

jennifer chang the age of unreason

richard blanco city of a hundred fires: “contemplations at the virgin de la caridad cafeteria, inc.”

bob hicock the pregnancy of words

j. allyn rosser impromptu 

carl phillips then the war

stephanie young ursula or university: “essay”

gloria e. anzaldúa the new speakers

kofi

[ao3feed-tyrus]

Disney Channel One-Shots

by Fan_of_many_things

Just some One Shots for some of my Disney Channel Ships

This is a mix of Canon and Non Canon ships while also having Crossover Ships

Summary for this One Shot:

Matteo and Gwen decide to finally go on a date away from camp

Words: 1093, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Andi Mack (TV), Girl Meets World, Bunk'd (TV 2015), Mighty Med (TV 2013), Lab Rats: Elite Force (TV), Lab Rats (TV 2012)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Amber (Andi Mack), Andi Mack, Buffy Driscoll, Cyrus Goodman, Iris (Andi Mack), Jonah Beck, Libby (Andi Mack), Marty (Andi Mack), T. J. Kippen, Walker Brodsky, Riley Matthews, Maya Hart, Lucas Friar, Farkle Minkus, Isadora Smackle, Isaiah "Zay" Babineaux, Jessie Prescott, Emma Ross, Zuri Ross, Ravi Ross, Xander McCormick, Lou Hockhauser, Griff Jones-McCormick, Noah Lambert, Ava King, Matteo Silva, Destiny Baker, Finn Sawyer, Gwen Flores, Bree Davenport, Chase Davenport, Skylar Storm, Kaz (Mighty Med & Lab Rats: Elite Force)

Relationships: Cyrus Goodman/T. J. Kippen, Maya Hart/Riley Matthews, Griff Jones-McCormick/Zuri Ross, Gwen Flores/Matteo Silva, Bree Davenport/Skylar Storm, Chase Davenport/Kaz

Additional Tags: Lesbian Amber (Andi Mack), Pansexual Andi Mack, Bisexual Jonah Beck, Trans Marty (Andi Mack), Pansexual Libby (Andi Mack), Lesbian Iris (Andi Mack), Pansexual Walker Brodsky, T. J. Kippen & Amber Are Siblings, T. J. Kippen & Marty Are Cousins, Bisexual Chase Davenport, Bisexual Leo Dooley, Gay Kaz (Mighty Med & Lab Rats: Elite Force), Lesbian Skylar Storm, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, One Shot, Fluff, Angst, One Shot Collection, Lesbian Bree Davenport, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

from AO3 works tagged 'Cyrus Goodman/T. J. Kippen' https://ift.tt/SdLNIXF via IFTTT

[htsxtra]

this is a sideblog to htsdfferent. this is where i'll be posting all extra things for my main blog. mostly it will be dossiers and lore for muses, and occasional graphics. below the cut is a list of original muses with links to their dossiers posted here ( if they've been completed ). last updated : 01/23/25.

** you can find my full muse list here at my google doc **

primary muses ( open for any and all interaction )

eilinora mortensen emma kane eric brodsky melody auclaire noah morielli sylvia caro

secondary muses ( don’t necessarily have to have plotting before interacting, but must be requested )

anya ruzicka avery senta cordelia st. emrys hayden clark layla brodsky matthew rolland odette dupont spencer moravec

tertiary muses ( must be plotted with prior to any interactions )

abbie graves evelyn burgess tempest fairleaf

private muses ( these muses are here for specific people, and will likely only be written for them )

brandon colman henry barnes lori emerson

[manmetaphysical]

Tomorrow, 21st November, is the solar return of Icelandic singer Björk who is a triple Scorpio- a 'strange fascinator'. So here's a full analysis of her chart along with asteroids and dwarf planets. It's split into parts so here is Part 5 as an example.

5: The Call to the Sacred Shimmering

Photo credit :Bjork Face Book post on the ‘Cornucopia’  Book release (October 8th, 2024)

Polyhymnia is the muse of sacred and choral music and her prominence in Björk’s chart validates the search for these lesser-known asteroids- as there she is prominently conjunct Bjork’s Venus in Capricorn. That is an outstanding connection to have for a musician. Venus is the love of art and beauty and in Capricorn is classy, status conscious, professional and tends to age very well, but with this added touch of the sacred includes yearning for the ineffable, the celestial, which brings about a purer and more mystical state of mind. That gives stature and gravitas to the lush style of a classical composer to all the string arrangements she weaves into her songs. Sometimes this orchestal sound is when she uses the Sibelius computer software and other times, it involves actually being accompanied by the Brodsky Quartet or a clarinet sextet as on the album Fossora (2022).

In 1999 Börk was selected by British composer John Taverner to premier a 15-minute version of a spiritual and devotional piece of music,  ‘A Prayer of the Heart’ which is Kyrie Eleison sung in Greek, Coptic and English. Tavener has a powerful kite formation in his chart and the asteroid of sacred music Polyhymnia is conjunct Chiron in mid-Virgo which just happens to conjunct Björk’s Pluto/Uranus so this was a good collaboration. Thrown into the mix here with Bjork’s Venus with Polyhymia by degree are the asteroids Kaali and the asteroid of the poet Sappho. Sappho gives the personal ‘intimate’ touch to the sacred sound implying there is no difference between lower and higher for her.

If this is reflected in her art then visuals predominate almost as much as sound in her work. She has had some extraordinary looks as she is somewhat of a total performer using multi-media and costume to paintbrush her ideas as visual metaphors. Sometimes this is not subtle at all as with the caterpillar dress, but somehow you never question her honesty in attempting the unthinkable. She has in her time been linked to numerous fashion designers from Junya Watanabe, Hussein Chalayan, Olivier Roustieng, Iris van Herpen and especially to Alexander McQueen who created one of her most iconic looks for the album cover for Homogenic. She is also associated with several musician lovers/frieds Tricky, Damon Albarn, Thom Yorke, Goldie and surrealist artist and video maker Matthew Barney of the Cremaster video series. All her other collaborations are too numerous to mention.  

[gerardt10]

🇱🇧 🇵🇸 🇮🇱 🇺🇲 🇬🇧 🇨🇵 🇪🇺 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘴𝘬𝘺

Matthew Brodsky, conseiller principal de la Maison-Blanche, a été suspendu de X suite à des commentaires suggérant l'utilisation de bombardements massifs et de napalm contre les Casques bleus de l'ONU au Liban.

[ulkaralakbarova]

The story of the Buckman family and friends, attempting to bring up their children. They suffer/enjoy all the events that occur: estranged relatives, the ‘black sheep’ of the family, the eccentrics, the skeletons in the closet, and the rebellious teenagers. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Gil Buckman: Steve Martin Karen Buckman: Mary Steenburgen Helen Buckman Lampkin Bowman: Dianne Wiest Frank Buckman: Jason Robards Nathan Huffner: Rick Moranis Larry Buckman: Tom Hulce Julie Buckman-Lampkin Higgins: Martha Plimpton Tod Higgins: Keanu Reeves Susan Buckman: Harley Jane Kozak Garry Buckman-Lampkin: Joaquin Phoenix David Brodsky: Dennis Dugan Marilyn Buckman: Eileen Ryan Grandma: Helen Shaw Kevin Buckman: Jasen Fisher George Bowman: Paul Linke Taylor Buckman: Alisan Porter Justin Buckman: Zachary La Voy Patty Huffner: Ivyann Schwan Cool Buckman: Alex Burrall Stan: Lowell Ganz Dean at College: Rance Howard Young Gil Buckman: Max Elliott Slade Lou: Clint Howard Fotomat Clerk: Lamont Lofton Amy: Erika Rafuls Matt: Jordan Kessler Eddie: Billy Cohen Barbara Rice: Isabel Cooley Opposing Coach: Walter von Huene Kid in Classroom (uncredited): Howie Dorough Doctor Lucas: Greg Gerard Kevin Buckman – Age 21: Paul Keeley Student 1 at College: Claudio Jacobellis Umpire: W. Bruce O’Donoghue Student 2 at Collage: Hillary Matthews Screaming Co-ed: Sherry Ferguson Track Official: Todd Hallowell Young Frank Buckman: Richard Kuhlman Nurse at Hospital: Charmin Lee Film Crew: Story: Ron Howard Director of Photography: Donald McAlpine Story: Babaloo Mandel Story: Lowell Ganz Unit Production Manager: Joseph M. Caracciolo Editor: Daniel P. Hanley Editor: Mike Hill Producer: Brian Grazer Costume Design: Ruth Morley Production Design: Todd Hallowell Songs: Randy Newman Casting: Jane Jenkins Casting: Janet Hirshenson Stunt Coordinator: Artie Malesci First Assistant Director: Joe Napolitano Second Assistant Director: Tony Adler Art Direction: Christopher Nowak Set Decoration: Nina Ramsey Assistant Art Director: Beth Kuhn Set Dresser: William A. Cimino Set Dresser: Linda Marais Set Dresser: Nicklas Farrantello Camera Operator: Tom Priestley Jr. First Assistant Camera: Gary Muller Steadicam Operator: Robert Ulland Still Photographer: Phillip V. Caruso Camera Trainee: Mollie S. Mallinger Sound Mixer: Richard S. Church Boom Operator: Glen Gauthier Music Editor: Dan Carlin Sr. Supervising Sound Editor: Anthony J. Ciccolini III Supervising ADR Editor: Michael Jacobi Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Rick Dior Script Supervisor: Cynthia Streit Unit Publicist: Andrew Lipschultz Makeup Artist: Fern Buchner Makeup Artist: Peter Wrona Jr. Makeup Artist: Frank Griffin Hairstylist: Linda Trainoff Hairstylist: Romaine Greene Hairstylist: Donna Battersby Greene Location Manager: Peggy Coleman Negative Cutter: Ray Sabo Color Timer: Bob Hagans Color Timer: Dale Caldwell Movie Reviews: Peter McGinn: Parenthood is a great movie, and has aged well after 30 years have passed. The writing team included the writers who also gave us two other movies I like: City Slickers and Fever Pitch. Parenthood accomplishes in general what the movie Rain Man did for my wife and me. It reminded us of our autistic daughter And made us laugh at stuff that frustrated us in “real life.“ Similarly Parenthood touches upon a lot of hotspots in the parenting experience and helps us laugh at them. Their is a fine Ensemble cast. I particularly like KianU Reeves as Tod, who seems like an inappropriate boyfriend for the daughter but who proves to be valuable in mentoring their disaffected son. There are many memorable situations but one line my wife and I often quote even after all these years occurs when the other son Larry is pushed out of a still moving vehicle by people he owes money to. His father, played straight by Jason Robards, asked who they were. Tod replies that they were just some friends. The memorable line by Robards’ character is, “Friends. Friends slow down; they even stop.” The movie is full of good one-liners, as well as more in-depth sources of humor. You must ...

[comicsforyall]

Stan Lee’s Daredevil Begins

Origins

In the early 1960’s Stan Lee was hoping that the people would see the light, and superhero comics would ramp up in popularity. The likes of Fantastic Four and Spider-Man were captivating the masses, and importantly, their pockets. As outlined in Sean Howe’s Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, Lee was frantically capitalizing on recent growth in the market in an attempt to court both financial stability and overall legitimacy for himself as a writer and storyteller. Perhaps more impactfully he was striving to have those attributes applied to the comics as a medium itself.

Fans of the emerging Marvel universe were as caught up in the names behind the characters, than the costumed adventurers themselves. The likes of Steve Ditko, Stan himself, and certainly Jack Kirby, were attracting readers in an early form of fandom. In an effort to expand past the limited roster of both heroes and creators, Marvel comics began trying out fresh faces both off and on the page.

It would turn out that the faces really only needed to be fresh to the readers for the most part, as a good number of those recruited into the business at this time were veterans of sorts of the comic book industry. Along with himself and Kirby, Lee recruited artist Bill Everett to help with the creation of one of the new superheroes. Leaving right after the debut issue, creation would turn out to be the main contribution from Everett.

Slightly conflicting accounts of the design of Daredevil exist from all three of the regularly credited creators, as described by Mark Evanier on the Jack F.A.Q. at POVONLINE. Suffice to say Lee, Everett, and Kirby all seem to be wholly worthy of a co-creator credit. The full truth is most likely lost to the time, but the seemingly plausible explanation, as told by Marvel Comics’ former editor-in-chief Joe Quesada is that Lee, Everett, and Kirby significantly contributed to the initial character production. Artists Steve Ditko and Sol Brodsky also came in to help at least finish the issue, but their exact contributions have not been reliably expounded on. The starting point for Daredevil is precisely known however, as he originates from a former comics superhero named… Daredevil.

The original Daredevil was a Liv Gleason Publication character, created by Jack Binder in the 1940’s, and was slightly reworked early on by writer and artist Charles Biro. This costumed crime fighter would begin mute, equipped with a boomerang, and wearing a spiked metal belt over his superhero tights. The mute angle would quickly be dropped, and a background of being raised by an aboriginal community in Australia would be established, presumably to explain the boomerang shtick. The modern Daredevil would inherit the concept of a disability, though he would persist being blind, as opposed to his counterpart’s muteness. This, coupled with his evening status of costumed vigilante, were about all the shared crossover from the two heroes besides their moniker.

Early on in Lee’s run, Daredevil may appear to rip from the in-house hit of Spider-Man more than even the progenitor of his name. Using his billy clubs to swing around the city in lieu of webs, coupled with the signature quippy nature of Lee’s dialogue, it would take a bit for Daredevil to really break the mold. Many villains would be borrowed or generic, and honestly a lot of early Daredevil feels like it is re-treading ground a bit. As the series develops the relationships between the main characters do shine through, and that is where a lot of the title’s charm is derived.

For twenty four issues, the first half of the first volume of Daredevil only focuses on three characters in any depth. Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson are best friends and law partners, who start up the office of Nelson and Murdock. Karen Page is brought in immediately to act as their secretary. This small group and the overly dramatic connections between them, are the heart of the series.

Matthew Murdock

Matthew Murdock, The Man Without Fear, the titular Daredevil. Matt is a blind lawyer by day, and a crime fighting superhero by night. He has a superhuman radar sense that gives him increased perception abilities, and a vast array of related (and unrelated) powers. He received his blindness and radar sense from a truck spilling nuclear waste onto him as a child, while he was trying to save an old man. Also as a child, he was kept inside by his father relentlessly, in an attempt to keep Matt safe and successful in school. Matt’s physical prowess and fighting abilities are a combination of his radar sense and an intense training regiment he engaged in as a youth, in defiance of his father’s will.

Matt’s father, Jonathan ‘Battling Jack’ Murdoch was a boxer, who knew the dangers and downsides of a life of fighting for survival. These drawbacks would eventually end Matt’s father’s life and inspire the creation of the Daredevil persona. “Battling” Jack Murdock was ordered to throw a fight by the mob boss known as The Fixer. He refuses to do so in part because his son was in attendance of the fight and he felt a need to set an example. Jack would be taken out in a hit organized by The Fixer for this, and subsequently Matt would create his alter ego. This all happens in the first issue, prior to the climactic finale.

While hunting down The Fixer, Daredevil gets the villain into a pursuit, on foot and barrel. In the excitement, the mob boss has a heart attack and dies, but reveals that it was his lackey, Slade, who actually pulled the trigger on Jack Murdock. Daredevil finishes the night by turning Slade over to the police, announcing his name as Daredevil and running off into the night, promising to return. It’s a bizarre and weirdly tragic story that in many ways would define Stan Lee’s run on the title.

In the well-known origin of Spider-Man, Peter Parker’s refusal to act against a criminal results in the heartbreaking death of his uncle. This instills in him the responsibility of using his powers when they can make a difference. For Matt the situation is a bit different, as he actively trains and equips himself with the goal of going against a specific person. He does so, and from his own view he is quite successful. There is little to no worry over the death of The Fixer, and Matt seems to be having more fun than anything else towards the end of his introduction. He does not labor over guilt from the death at his hands, instead he throws himself fully into the Daredevil alter ego, even when it is not convenient in his day to day life.

Taken at face value, after becoming Daredevil, Matt is a callous jerk who routinely acts in defiance of basic decision making. He is much more concerned with quips and flips than being effective. This of course is all in service of playing the part of bouncing, energetic superhero. In many ways this archetypal personality would be reflected years down the line in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the headliners of Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel. The witty, headstrong protagonist is something the Marvel fan base will continue to gravitate to time and time again. There’s nothing all that unique about the characterization of Matt, as compared to other similar main characters that permeate the industry, especially at his origins. He becomes much more of a flawed individual, when viewed as a human who often hides his own intent and emotions. Sometimes from himself, intentionally or otherwise.

Matt experienced the terrible murder and loss of his father as well the traumatic accident of losing his sight early on in life. These events obviously deeply affect him, as he makes the decisions to train and reach physical peak, while running around doling out vigilante justice with billy clubs.This is clearly eccentric, but is also self sabotage, as his endeavors consistently jeopardize his day job of the ostensibly upstanding defense attorney. He is almost obsessed with his vigilantism, as he continually throws himself into mortal danger, risks his financial stability, and deceives those closest to him, all while gleefully offering never ending puns and sarcasm.

Accepting the main character’s behavior as erratic and manic makes the entire reading experience more enjoyable, and is encouraged by the plot. Future developments, such as the introduction of yet another alter ego for Matt Murdock further play into the idea that he is a bit more disconnected from reality than he realizes.

From the main presentation, it could be said Matt comes across as a boilerplate protagonist, a bit generic. This is subverted in a couple of notable ways, but foremost amongst them in terms of notoriety is the disability that spawns his superhuman abilities.

Despite it being his most famous characteristic, it can hardly be said that being blind is a focal point of the series in any way. Matt can’t see, but with his radar-sense it’s demonstrated that he has far greater and more precise perception than his sighted peers. This is the crux of his ability to be a superhero, but also could be seen to undermine his integrity a bit. Since he has the capabilities, he isn’t really needing the extra concern and care he is given from those around him. He is omitting parts of the truth.

Following that line of interpretation is shallow though, because the reality is those with disabilities are indeed capable, they just face individual obstacles that severely impede them. Matt does not go into depth on the real day to day hardships he faces, despite his radar-sense, but then he is not exactly the most self-aware at all. Matt as a character, much like the entire series, comes across more fleshed out when taking into account the struggles he, as a fictional personality, would omit when retelling. The small moral conundrums and stark dichotomies in Matt’s life come together to create someone who, at the very least, is an excellent vehicle for melodrama.

Foggy Nelson

The other half of the law office, Franklin ‘Foggy’ Nelson is Matt’s best friend as well as coworker. He is petty, jealous, and overall a bit immature. He constantly feels inadequate, comparing himself to Matt despite the fact they are of very similar means. Add on top his pining over their secretary Karen Page, who is more interested in both Matt Murdock and Daredevil each, and Foggy can come across as an unlikeable guy. Irrational at times, and frequently self-serving, the quirks of his character thankfully come across as lighthearted thanks to the light hearted tone of the series. The problematic nature of much of Foggy’s behavior is rendered at least comical and at most justified in relation to the context of many of the convoluted situations. Foggy deceiving his friend’s by pretending to be Daredevil is forgivable and funny when juxtaposed to the fact that Matt does the opposite on a daily basis.

Appearing slightly shorter and more portly than his superhero friend, Foggy’s realistic character design is a welcome rarity on the comics scene. Unfortunately this serves for a few cheap gags, but does differentiate Foggy from his superhero friend, and the usual muscle bound foes Daredevil goes up against. The limited cast in the series almost forces the story to push and pull the main characters around their respective moral spectrums, and being more reflective of the everyman works in Foggy’s favor.

The heart of the relationship between Matt and Foggy is complicated at times, but sort of redeems them both. His best friend is not just keeping him in the dark in an attempt to keep him safe, along the lines of Superman or Spider-Man. Instead Foggy’s bff is actively lying about his disability, and frequently using his powers irresponsibly or inappropriately. Daredevil consistently leads villains to the law office, and occasionally uses his super hearing to listen in on his colleagues private conversations, and then subsequently deceive them. While this spin is not the focus of the series, it does help to shine a redeeming light on a character some might find a bit off putting or bland at times.

Karen Page

The third member of the law office is secretary Karen Page. Coming across as relatively likable and normal, her backstory is certainly the least explored of the main cast. She is the typical comic book stereotype of a 1960’s woman, written by a man. At times immature and boy crazy, Karen can come across as juvenile frequently, despite her not being notably young or anything of the sort. In the contemporary X-Men series, Lee sometimes gets away with awkwardly misogynistic depictions of the singular woman character, Jean Grey, by specifying she is younger and less experienced than her teammates. Besides potentially an education in law gap, there is no real scapegoat in place for Karen.

Karen is immediately smitten with Matt Murdock, but laments the perceived inherent truth that a blind man could never marry a woman who can see. It’s a weird thought process that both Karen and Matt have, just patently refusing the idea of a blind person finding love. Along with her crush on Matt, she falls for both Foggy, Daredevil, and the idea that Foggy could be Daredevil.

Some of Karen’s thoughts and dialogues are seemingly results of a man trying to replicate those he has seen from others, but does not quite understand. A more practical depiction would likely touch on the power imbalance of both her bosses having romantic interest in her as soon as she is hired. Of course this is a superhero comic book from the 1960’s, and as mentioned previously there are only three main characters, so they each have to stretch and fill narrative slots. The constrictions of the format pad out the lesser writing job done for Karen, much like it softens the blow from some of the other two’s more outright malicious or nonsensical actions.

At the end of the first twenty four issues, Karen has a lot of tropes and associated baggage placed on her that has to be overlooked, but if that is possible, she has a few shining moments. She comes out a bit inconsistent and not always likable, but compared to many comic side characters and romantic interests particularly, Karen Page has a burgeoning personality and seems poised for positive character growth.

Year One

Daredevil comes right out of the gate stumbling. The first issue is drawn by Bill Everett, and while it is well done, it’s the only one he ends up completing. After the debut, Joe Orlando picks up the next three without too jarring of a change, but the first four issues as a whole leave a bit to be desired artistically. While completely inoffensive and passable, the art’s largest drawback is that it is seemingly trying to replicate Kirby and to an extent Ditko, to varying levels of success. Both Everett and Orlando’s Daredevil can look like a posed mannequin instead of an acrobat in motion more often than not.

The stilted depiction is accentuated by the signature flowery dialogue of Lee. There is a definite sense of trying to cram the product with content in the opening few issues. The scenes are rapid and all over the place, but filled with tons of text to stretch the reading time and each scene out longer. While fighting Electro, Daredevil manages to fly a spaceship into space and back down to Earth in the span of a couple of pages. These types of hijinks are the heart of this era of Daredevil. The tone is the epitome of classic costumed vigilantes and that has to be accepted and enjoyed for the series to have a positive impact in any way.

Bolstering the borderline corny setup is the monster of the week structure taken by the comics. While not uncommon to comics at the time, it is notable that storylines barely stretch over multiple issues, and the villain is usually unique for each of the first ten or so issues. This adds to the memorability of the villains since they get books entirely dedicated to both their origin and fight with Daredevil. However it can suppress interest in the established cast of the book, as they don’t make many lasting or impactful decisions during this stint. The small bits of lasting continuity tend to happen in crowded word balloons over a single page of conversation between Matt, Foggy, and/or Karen bookending the issue.

The plots can be overly melodramatic, but also compelling, such as when Karen insists Matt get an experimental surgery to cure his blindness. However since he is scared it could turn off his Daredevil powers he does not want to go through with it. The biggest drawback to these dilemmas specifically is that the crux of the problem tends to just be that Matt can’t date Karen because he is blind. The inherent idea from both of them that a relationship is out of the question is so manufactured for the plot it feels barely plausible. To be fair though,The world of Daredevil, and Marvel comics in general, does not necessarily thrive in the plausible.

One of the more notable aspects of the first half-dozen issues is Daredevil’s costume. He is sporting a garish yellow and black color scheme as opposed to his usual muted shades of red. The original suit is passable, and gets points for more resembling an acrobat costume, which is the inspiration. However as soon as the new crimson costume appears on the page, it feels more natural for The Man Without Fear. Along with the red apparel comes creator Wally Wood, who puts in a distinctly personal run on the title.

Still being the 60’s, there is no escaping the attempts to build off Kirby’s influential artistic style, but Wally Wood is the first on this series to make the style his own. Daredevil begins to move through the space a bit more like Spider-Man, making the dynamic motions appear more believable and natural on page. The ‘Marvel method’ of making comics (art done first, dialogue inserted second) clearly comes through with Wood, more so than the previous Orlando. Arguably there is a wide array of pages that are more understandable when simply parsing the art, and ignoring the dialogue altogether. Lee’s signature verbosity can just over explain exactly what has been drawn, and frequently slows the book to a crawl. Given the weight of the story which is held up by the art, it’s only slightly surprising to come across the tenth issue of Daredevil. Unlike the rest of the first fifty, this issue is not written by Stan Lee, but instead Wally Wood.

The tenth issue is a bit of a breath of fresh air, being distinct in style from the surrounding bunch. While clearly intentionally keeping with Lee’s signature tone, the plot of the issue is more complex to start. The story involves a group of villains, The Ani-Men, who should feel generic with names like Frog-Man and Ape-Man, but they each have a lot of charm. There is a more clear arc, and the writing feels more purposeful than the previous stories, which were more concerned with explaining the page rather than advancing the plot. There is a case to be made that the issue benefits from the singular writer/artist, as opposed to the usual tag team approach. The entire story is a setup to a mystery that will be concluded in the next one, while claiming that all the hints the readers need are there if they can find it. Even a small gimmick like that feels innovative given the context.

This is not to try and elevate the comic too much and say that it is some masterpiece, or even to say it is not clearly replicating Lee. However it shows, at the time especially, that Lee is not the only person who can effectively write his characters. It proves in some cases a fresh perspective brings new life to a series. By the next issue though it is clear these are not the takeaways, at least from those behind the scenes.

The eleventh issue, and all those that follow up to number fifty are given back to Stan Lee’s pen. Wally Wood departs from the book, and the second half of his story is given to Lee to wrap up, cliffhanger and all. In an awkward move, Lee decides to print in the comic a message to the readers about the situation. He proclaims that Wood left it to Lee to finish the story without giving him the ending or any notes. He was clearly both covering in case the story came out subpar, but was also publicly shaming Wood. The wrap-up is fine, and honestly would have been more enjoyable if it was not undercut by the meta commentary informing of its potential flaws.

At this point in the narrative, Matt decides to give Murdock and Nelson the same treatment Wood gave Marvel, and he gets out of there. Bob Powell does pencils with Wood, and does a few issues on his own in the aftermath of the departure.

John Romita Sr, comes in after Powell and brings a striking look to the book. Under Romita’s pen the comic gets darker, and more detailed in a borderline striking departure from form. This won’t last too long, but is another welcome shake up to the already formulaic series. The evolution and maturity of the stories does ramp up with the new art, and the second year of Daredevil ushers in a new rhythm for the title.

Year Two

Arriving at issue twelve of Daredevil, the Marvel Universe as a whole is picking up in quality and it’s noticeable. While Wood’s art was fantastic, the book just did not really ever take off on his run, possibly due to the creative challenges behind the scenes. For Romita and Lee, the chemistry seems to be there from the start, and the mindset on how to present the stories has changed up. Multi-issue arcs become quite common, and some light plot throughlines begin persisting and progressing instead of snapping back to a hard set status quo after each caper.

While the first year of comics had a tendency towards introducing and defeating villains in a single issue, the second year sees a lot more recurring antagonists. The building of storylines and slowly growing complexity of the series is starting, and welcomed. Prior, the narrative felt like it was spinning its wheels trying to establish a consistent status quo. In the second year, there is more of an emphasis on character development. Daredevil also starts to come up against obstacles that are simply too large for one man, fearful or not.

With his reputation growing, the story sees Daredevil develop into a more understood threat by those around him. His enemies, such as the Masked Marauder and the Owl, begin employing muscle to try and head off Daredevil instead of opting to face him themselves. While inspiring fear may bring him some level of respect and acknowledgment, it also highlights the sheer ineffectiveness and overall futile effort of Matt Murdock to deal with crime.

As one man, no matter how good he can punch and kick, he is unable to physically take down multi level crime organizations that are embedded into their communities. Arguably, Matt could have better luck utilizing his law degree to elicit local change, rather than punching people. This dichotomy of breaking and enforcing the law in order to better society is recurring and compelling, but rarely explored in depth.

Closing Arguments

The first two years of Daredevil’s existence are the epitome of a beginning comic book superhero. Tropes and plot contrivances are abundant, the tone swings from lighthearted to surprisingly dark, with Stan Lee’s wise cracking dialogue shepherding the story along. Compared to modern books, there is not too much from this classic that hasn’t been seen before. However with services like Marvel Unlimited, the series becomes as accessible as any app, and Daredevil comics become a fun and easy way to waste time instead of the horrors of social media.

For the most part, the audience for this in the current day is mostly folks capitalizing on nostalgia or interested in the history and development of Daredevil. Arguably there is a lot of fun to be had, the book just requires a certain approach and limited expectations. The reader who idolizes their hero, and wants a paragon of virtue or a stone cold badass, will be disappointed. However the reader who is ready for melodramatic plots, severely flawed characters, and is willing to skip some text in the never ending fights, will have a solid experience.

Citation Station

The Cover Original Article

Daredevil, Issues 1-24

1-9, 11-24 written by Stan Lee

10 written by Wally Wood

1 art by Bill Everett

1 art by Jack Kirby

2-4 art by Joe Orlando

5-10 art by Wally Wood

9-11 art by Bob Powell

12-19 art by John Romita Sr.

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe

Newsarama

The Jack FAQ

[foreverlostinliterature]

8/28 Book Deals

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week. :) How’s it going? I hope you’re all staying safe!  I figured I’d round off the week with some more books on sale! It seems they are very slowly and in a backwards fashion putting the Wheel of Time books on sale, so if you picked up the third one yesterday, now you can get the second! And then all you need is the first.... I’d also highly recommend Legacy of Ash! It’s a huge new epic fantasy (it’s a bit of a doorstopper) and it was really promising for a new series. Also, if you’ve ever had your eye on the The Bone Witch trilogy, the entire trilogy is on sale, so you could snatch the entire thing up for about $6! I’ve been really wanting to check out a lot of these, but I’m trying to restrain myself, haha. I loved Jordanna Max Brodsky’s The Wolf in the Whale (seriously, go read it!), so I’m curious about her previous books. Anyone ever checked them out?

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day and go into the weekend with some positivity and have a fantastic, relaxing weekend! Happy reading!

Here is the link to find resources on how you can help out with the BLM movement! Keep the momentum going!

Today’s Deals:

The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time #2) by Robert Jordan - https://amzn.to/32yMzgH

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst - https://amzn.to/2YIBVms

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) by Rin Chupeco - https://amzn.to/31zIklO

The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco - https://amzn.to/31Czh3O

The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch #3) by Rin Chupeco - https://amzn.to/31z2wnZ

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward - https://amzn.to/32BIBnt

Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano - https://amzn.to/3hHzEQ0

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo - https://amzn.to/3lp6YNT

The Book of Jhereg (Vlad Taltos #1) by Steven Brust - https://amzn.to/34O57fA

Olympus Bound (Olympus Bound #1) by Jordanna Max Brodsky - https://amzn.to/3hxDzih

Winter of the Gods (Olympus Bound #2) by Jordanna Max Brodsky - https://amzn.to/34FSO5d

I Sing the Body Electric! by Ray Bradbury - https://amzn.to/2Ey6iVO

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin - https://amzn.to/31AWSl3

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt - https://amzn.to/3lnFLvf

What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire by Charles Bukowski - https://amzn.to/3lvZF7o

NOTE:  I am categorizing these book deals posts under the tag #bookdeals, so if you don’t want to see them then just block that tag and you should be good. I am an Amazon affiliate in addition to a Book Depository affiliate and will receive a small (but very much needed!)  commission on any purchase made through these links.

[nofatclips]

Return by Emma Ruth Rundle from the upcoming album Engine of Hell

[flmingcheeto]

imagine andi mack and hsmtmts take place with both shows’ characters in the same high school: cyrus meets carlos and they become close gay friends and they develop feeling towards each other (tyrus is broken up at that point), buffy introduces the ghc to her twin sister, gina (who buffy doesn’t talk about), amber becomes best friends with nini, kourtney, and ashlyn, tj and ricky become best friends, ej meets tj and they instantly click, walker and seb hang out often, big red, ricky, marty and jonah have a lot of sleepovers, nini/ricky & buffy/marty have double dates.

[theinquisitxor]

December 2024 Update & 1 Year Completion!

I'll start where I left off from the last update:

October: The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky. This had been on my tbr since 2019, and I was excited to read it. It was a great blend of myths, both Inuit and Norse, and enjoyed this one a lot.

November:

-The Word for Woman is Wilderness by Abi Andrews. This had been on my tbr for six years, and was a unique novel that was a blend of nature writing and novel.

-Medieval Women: A Social History of Women in England, 450-1500 by Heneritta Leyser. Another book I had on my tbr for six years, and before I had my history degree lol.

December:

-Midnight in Everwood by Maria Kuzniar. I was happy to pick this one, since it's a christmas-y book and a nutcracker retelling. However, it was not good. at all. I barely finished it, but somewhat to just laugh at how bad it was.

-The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele. It was good I picked a nonfiction book for December, as well as another one about the middle ages (like in November).

Year End Thoughts:

I enjoyed doing this challenge throughout 2024, and I read 15 books off of my Goodreads tbr, most of which had been on my tbr for many years. I enjoyed most of these books quite a bit, and there were only 2 that I didn't enjoy. I plan to continue to do this challenge throughout 2025, and pick 1-2 books per month to randomly read!

I wanted to start a new challenge for 2024. This isn’t any existing challenge that I know of, but somewhat similar to a challenge booktuber Emily Fox does.

The problem: I have about 200 books in my Goodreads tbr, many of which have been on the tbr since 2018/9. These are all books that I still want to read, but haven’t taken action to reading anytime soon. I want to do something to start reading from my tbr list more.

Solution: I wrote down approximately 140 books that I want to read, cut out on little strips of paper, folded up, and put into this bowl. Each month I’m going to pick a random book and read it.

For Jan 2024, I picked The Throne of the Five Winds by CS Emmet, which has been on the tbr since 2019.

The challenge is that I have to read whatever book I pick!

We’ll see how this goes 😂 If I make it through the year, I’ll have 12 books read off my goodreads tbr

[paradoxarchive]

i am too in love with life, i don't want to die (i cannot fathom the absence of living)

arthoesunshine | sunlightafterdark | joseph cambell | mary oliver | amy krouse rosenthal | joseph brodsky | unknown | gregory orr | colette, tr by matthew ward | anaïs nin

[llovelymoonn]

favourite poems of october

joseph brodsky collected poems in english, 1972-1999: “the hawk’s cry in autumn”

natalie diaz it was the animals

ruth stone as real as life

muriel rukeyser the collected poems of muriel rukeyser: “käthe kollwitz”

naomi shihab nye grape leaves: a century of arab american poetry: “making a fist”

larry levis elegy: “elegy with a chimneysweep falling inside it”

emily berry arlene and esme

erika meitner copia: “yizker bukh”

aracelic girmay sister was the wolf

joshua beckham take it: “[dark mornings shown thy mask]”

dana levin you will never get death / out of your system

delmore schwartz summer knowledge: selected poems (1938-1958): “darkling summer, ominous dusk, rumorous rain”

matthew olzmann mountain dew commercial disguised as a love poem

ghazal (@dobaara) my anger and loneliness are lovers

nikki allen search party: names for my mother

ellora sutton (newborn)

emily skaja letter to s, hospital

benjamín naka-hasebe kingsley born year of the uma

hieu minh nguyen litany for the animals who run from me

brandy nālani mcdougall he mele aloha no ka niu

ai vice: new and selected poems: “cuba, 1962″

gig ryan civil twilight

troy osaki o heat we protest

nick carbó andalusian dawn: “directions to my imaginary childhood”

chen chen i’m not a religious person but

sally wen mao oculus: “anna may wong stars as cyborg #86″

srikanth reddy voyager: “book three: 19″

golden & when they come for me (reprise)

natalie scenters-zapico notes on my present: a contrapuntal

evan knoll blood makes the blade holy

jesús papolete meléndez hey yo! yo soy!: 40 years of nuyorician street poetry a bilinguial edition: “of a butterfly in el barrio or a stranger in paradise”

kofi

[kudosmyhero]

Daredevil (vol. 1) #1 - The Origin of Daredevil

Cover Date: April 1964 Read Date: May 23, 2022 || Writer: Stan Lee || Penciller: Bill Everett || Inker: Bill Everett • Steve Ditko • Sol Brodsky || Letterer: Sam Rosen || Editor: Stan Lee ||

(synopsis from: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Daredevil_Vol_1_1)

One night at Fogwell's gym, a number of the bruisers that work there are enjoying a game of cards, when they're interrupted by the arrival of Daredevil, who has come looking for their boss, the Fixer. Fighting them, Daredevil reflects back to his past, and the events that led to his becoming this new costumed hero:

Daredevil is Matthew Murdock, son of "Battling" Jack Murdock, a prize fighter past his prime, who wants his son to get a real education instead of fighting. While his father tries to find honest work, his son is taunted by his peers and so begins training in secret.

One day, while Jack has no choice but to sign up with the Fixer, a shady fight organizer, Matt saves a blind old man from being run over in the street, but gets run over himself. The chemical truck spills its radioactive waste on Matt, blinding him. Matt soon realizes that all of his other senses have been heightened from this accident and continues his training.

Meanwhile, "Battling" Jack is experiencing a comeback that restores his self-esteem. Matt goes to law school and befriends Foggy Nelson. One night, the Fixer orders Jack to throw a fight, but when he refuses and instead wins the match, the Fixer has Jack killed.

After his father's funeral, Matt graduates from law school and opens his own law firm with Foggy, and they hire a secretary named Karen Page. Meanwhile, Matt decides to avenge his father by taking up the identity of Daredevil, creating a costume and converting his walking stick into a billy club weapon to fight crime.

Returning to the present, Daredevil continues to fight the Fixer's men, while across the city, Foggy goes to find Matt to help him to work, but he doesn't find him either at home or at the office. When he asks Karen, she shows tender sympathy for Matt's condition.

Back where the action is, Daredevil finds the Fixer and tracks him down to the subway with his keen senses. Switching back to his Daredevil guise, he chases the Fixer down the subway terminal until the Fixer suffers a severe heart attack. After the police round up the rest of his crew, Daredevil returns to his civilian guise and shows up for work, his co-workers worried about his well-being.

Daredevil Yellow Colored by GatlingInks

Accompanying Podcast: