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Friday Recommendation: Mark Waid’s Daredevil

By | August 26th, 2011
Posted in Columns | % Comments

This week on the Friday Recommendation, I’m taking a moment to provide a counterpoint to an article that was posted in this very same column last week from our EIC Matt, who suggested the new run of Daredevil wasn’t very good, and you should check out something else from the same character. While that is a very fair assessment, I disagree, and if you give me a chance, will tell you why I think you should read it.

Sometimes Matt and I disagree. Actually, lately it’s been more often than not; it’s kind of a joke to me, (“Hey, Matt likes Fear Itself, it must be garbage!”) and this title is no different. The thing is: I can’t argue that. I was never able to read it because I fell out of comics when it was going strong, and I never read it because of the feeling that I would be missing so much (I’m a completist in that sense). And with the combined runs of Bendis, Brubaker, and even Diggle, it was too much for me to attempt to get into.

But then they relaunched Daredevil with a new #1. And here was my chance to get into a character that I’ve always liked, seemingly unbound by nearly a decade of stories. And lo and behold, I loved it. Sure, the darker tones that permeated previous runs were not there, but the book was so much FUN to read I didn’t care. In fact, the team of Waid, Rivera, and Martin’s approach has been so much fun it quickly became one of my favorite books Marvel puts out. And it all starts with Waid.

Waid is one of my favorite writers. With only a few exceptions, he’s probably the most reliable storyteller in comics, with an encyclopedic knowledge of every character you love, and an ability to make the mundane seem extraordinary. And he boiled down the continuity to the basic things (life sucked, but no more!) and worked with the artists to make the book a truly interactive experience. Sometimes when you read a comic, the art simply becomes a way to sell the story (something which is important, mind you). But in this book, the art is so intrinsically linked to the writing; it makes the book many times more enjoyable. In the first few pages of issue one, Waid made perennial Spider-Man Loser The Spot into a visually interesting character to read, and made me want to see him more. Sure he can already be a visually arresting character, despite his “mort-ish” power set, but Waid wrote him well, and was brought to even higher levels by the artist on duty, Paolo Rivera.

The thing about Paolo Rivera is that, along with Marcos Martin (being what we call the Ditko Twins), the art can push boundaries that don’t get reached among “conventional” superheroes. The opportunities they take when it comes to writing a visually impaired character make Matt Murdock ironically one of the most eyepoppingly gorgeous characters out there, especially when it comes to his radar sense. And not to be left out, Marcos Martin’s portion of the story is just as lovely to look at as Rivera’s, giving us almost a Where’s Waldo scene in the first book where you look around and see the world as Matt sees it. And if that’s how he sees, then someone hit me with some toxic waste in the eyes, stat.

The sheer amount of detail that is given over the books so far is one of my favorite parts of the book, and is something that gives reader something to scour and re-read over and over again. Not because the writing is enjoyable (even though it is), but because the art gives you something new every time you see it. What happens is the book turns into that movie you love, where you can watch it again and again and find new things to take from and enjoy like you’ve never seen it before.

And like I touched upon earlier, the book isn’t bogged down by continuity and at press time only have TWO issues out. That means it’s the perfect book for you to pick up and not have to worry about picking up a fortune’s worth of books just to start reading. That’s the beauty of a new #1, right?


//TAGS | Friday Recommendation

Gilbert Short

Gilbert Short. The Man. The Myth. The Legend. When he's not reading comic books so you don't have to, he's likely listening to mediocre music or watching excellent television. Passionate about Giants baseball and 49ers football. When he was a kid he wanted to be The Ultimate Warrior. He still kind of does. His favorite character is Superman and he will argue with you about it if you try to convince him otherwise. He also happens to be the head of Social Media Relations, which means you should totally give him a follow onTwitter.

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