Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: chip zdarsky, daredevil, one more day

Chip Zdarsky Rewrites Marvel History – Daredevil Annual: One More Day

Spoilers of course. The phrase "one more day" turns up at Marvel, fans instantly regress to the infamous One More Day storyline of Amazing Spider-Man. Which saw Spider-Man's reality rewritten, no longer married to Mary Jane, Aunt May and Harry Osborn being alive, no longer having a public identity, and getting his webspinners back, all courtesy of the demon Mephisto and the deal that Peter and Mary Jane made with the devil. That reality is being revisited in the current Amazing Spider-Man series, with the character known as Kindred (possibly the version of Harry Osborn that went to hell and wasn't revived). But in today's Daredevil Annual, chip Zdarsky is creating a thematic sequel with Manuel Garcia and Chris Mooneyham. And it's all about Mike Murdoch.

Early into his superhero career, Matt Murdock sporadically assumed the identity of a fictional twin brother of his to help conceal his alter-ego of Daredevil. Matt pretended that this twin brother, named Mike Murdock, was Daredevil's secret identity. Matt eventually got rid of Mike Murdock by setting up his death (and saying that a new Daredevil had been trained). Over the years, Matt would sometimes use the identity of Mike Murdock to go undercover.[

However, after Daredevil enlisted the help of the Inhuman named Reader to form a group to take down Mayor Wilson Fisk, Reader accidentally used his ability to physically manifest anything he read while researching on Mike Murdock, which resulted in his manifestation as a real person who genuinely believed himself to be Matt Murdock's twin brother, and possessed both the abilities and brash personality he was supposed to have. Reader called this kind of creation a "fragment." Matt chose not to erase Mike, but Mike ended up working with The Hood for The Kingpin.

And that's the reality Daredevil Annual explores today. With a Mike Murdock exploring what it means to be an artificially created concept of a person.

And with The Hood, stealing a Norn Stone. Getting the instructions to use it. And then…

…using it. Not just for One More Day. But for a whole lifetime. The Norn Stones are enchanted stones often used in schemes by Loki, The effect of the stones vary from person to person, depending on whether the stones accept the user and what they desire. Norman Osborn was unable to use, move, or affect the stones in any way Following the Hood's depowerment, Loki presented him the Norn Stones to grant him back the use of his powers. Loki later reclaimed the stones during the Siege of Asgard to give the Avengers a fighting chance against the Void, by using the stones to temporarily boost their powers. This story occurs before then, one presumes.

So the stones are used to fill in the gaps, rewrite the life of Mike Murdock – and Matt Murdock – into the Marvel Universe. Retconning what once was, and giving Matt Murdock a brother right from the off. Who has his own, very different relationship with their father, One More Day…

Not just writing himself into the success of Matt Murdock as Daredevil but also the tragedy that was their father's deaths. Not like Spider-Man, making a deal with any external devil. The only devil that Mike Murdock is dealing with here is his own. And it turns out that Mike is quite the Daredevil too.

Someone is going to have to rewrite the Official History Of The Marvel Universe one more time. You know maybe they should give Buffy a call, she went through One More Day very similar with Dawn…

DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1
MARVEL COMICS
MAR201050
(W) Chip Zdarsky (A) Manuel Garcia, Chris Mooneyham (CA) Chip Zdarsky
ONE MORE DAY!
Rated T+In Shops: Aug 26, 2020
SRP: $4.99

Daredevil Annual #1 is published today from Marvel Comics. I bought mine from Piranha Comics in Kingston-Upon-Thames. Piranha Comics is a small south London comic store chain with a small south-east store in Kingston-Upon Thames's market centre, which runs Magic The Gathering nights on Fridays, and a larger south-west store in Bromley, which also runs Magic nights and has an extensive back issue collection and online store. If you are in the neighbourhood, check them out.

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