Rereading things with fresh eyes is a trip, no doubt. But I'll push back a little here. Born Again's pacing was always kind of jagged, that was part of the fever dream feel of it, and I think that holds up if you let it wash over you instead of expecting a tight plot. The narration is definitely melodramatic, but that's Miller's voice, and it works for me because it matches the biblical, broken-down tone of Matt Murdock's story. Maybe the old dude was reacting to the hype more than the book itself, which is fair, but I've gone back to it twice in the last five years and still get chills on certain pages. Your mileage may vary, but I'd say the writing has more staying power than you're giving it credit for, even if the art is the flashier part.

My buddy Dan heard a driver say "we're all going the same way" and never checked transfer times again.