“Daredevil” #21 signals an end and a beginning of another…end?. beware spoilers!
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Illustrated by Marco Checchetto
Colored by Mattia Iacono
Lettered by VC’s Clayton CowlesBACK IN RED! ”TRUTH/DARE” STARTS HERE! THE BATTLE MAY BE OVER, but the WAR is far from finished! After the shocking events of DAREDEVIL #20, CHIP ZDARSKY reunites with MARCO CHECCHETTO to begin the next chapter of their definitive DAREDEVIL saga: HELL AND BACK. For weeks, Hell’s Kitchen has been a lawless neighborhood thanks to the Stromwyn siblings, but as the police are finally able to resume their patrols, they’re quick to find that they aren’t the only ones interested in keeping the Kitchen safe. Meanwhile, as Matt Murdock continues to struggle with how best to appease his sense of justice after the events of the past several weeks, a familiar enemy takes root in Hell’s Kitchen…
Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Mattia Iacono, and Clayton Cowles close the door on one chapter of this “Daredevil” run and open another in “Daredevil” #21 by returning the character back to his costume after having hung it up for the past chunk of the run. Zdarsky’s script continues to balance the soap opera of Matt Murdock’s life in the aftermath of the climactic battle of Hell’s Kitchen in the past few issues. Checcheto, Iacono and Cowles present the story in the best way they can but are somewhat hindered by dialogue. “Daredevil” #21 continues the high quality of the run so far and signals things to come.
Zdarksy’s script does a lot for “Daredevil” #21 which serves as a denouement for the last few issues and prologue for the next issues to come. Zdarky’s pacing throughout the series is something to be commended as no issue feels like it has too much going on, but manages to balance a number of running plots within one issue and leaving them all on mini-cliffhangers to be paid off in the next issue. “Daredevil” #21 continues this trend even while wrapping up several storylines. The war between the Owl and the Libris crime family is tied up rather quickly with a reveal that Izzy Libris knew her son was going to be murdered but planted a recorder on him before he dies, getting damning evidence on the Owl. Within the script, this is wrapped up in a few panels, but Zdarky sets up the fallout for this to come with Matt pondering what Mindy’s reaction would be to her mother in law sending her son the slaughter. The other major resolution is Daredevil returning to his costume, which is less of an impactful moment here than it was when he returned to the mask a few issues back but Zdarsky along with Checcetto give this moment time to breathe as it’s a huge shift from the non-costumed Matt Murdock from most of the previous issues, with Spider-Man even returning to follow through with keeping Matt in check. These resolutions feel weighty and consequential, mostly for the doors that they open that we will see coming up.
Some of these doors opened up by Zdarsky in “Daredevil” #21 are the Stromwyns returning to be a pain in Fisk’s side. After attacking Hell’s Kitchen they check in to let Fisk and the audience know that they are not going anywhere. Even the closure on Daredevil returning to his costume is opening a new door to a new story with Daredevil being put on trial for murder. This trial appears to be the new story in this series for a while and where “Daredevil” #21 leaves us. Zdarsky started this run with a “how is he going to get out of this one” cliffhanger and has not let up, with this issue leaving us with Daredevil, instead of Matt Murdock, being put on trial for a murder he definitely did. Zdarsky’s run has been so centered on real consequences that this issue leaves readers wondering if the other shoe has in fact dropped.
Checcetto and Iacono are an excellent team in “Daredevil” #21. Checcetto has proven himself to be a standout of the series artists, which have been a murderer’s row of talent. There’s a very tangible texture to his artwork and a use of hatching that gives a sense of realism, grit, and dynamism all at the same time which fits perfectly for the tone “Daredevil” #21 goes for. Particularly Spider-Man’s visit is enhanced by Checcetto’s style. The use of Spider-Man in “Daredevil” as the link to costumed heroes makes him almost an “other” in Daredevil’s gritty world and Checcetto putting him in shadow really sells Spider-Man as an intimidating figure whose presence has consequence. Iacono’s colors also back up this tone by giving the colors a painted or wash like texture for outdoor scenes. Much of Iacono’s colors are muted which fits for the grittier tone of the book.
Continued belowCheccetto’s storytelling is tested a bit in terms of the script. There’s a lot of dialogue in “Daredevil” #21 based purely on the nature of the closing of one story and setting up another, so there a couple of pages that Clayton Cowles has a lot of words to get across and Checcetto has to break a scene down in so many panels. While these panels are usually squares or stretched vertically creating a certain rhythm, they make certain moments have the breath they need in wider panels, such as Matt and Cole’s conversation in the cop car. That scene is also reliant on dialogue but is more emotional rather than exposition based. Then there are moments where Checcetto and Iocano really get to show off like the double-page spread of Matt back in costume over the city skyline. That moment is one of the ones that make this current run of “Daredevil” something special.
“Daredevil” #21 continues this run of Daredevil’s talent of knowing the moments readers want to see and making them worthwhile. Amidst some heavy lifting of setting up chess pieces for the next period of this series, the team of “Daredevil” still made space for readers to sit in their excitement for Matt being back in red and makes it feel great.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – “Daredevil” #21 is yet another shift in this run of “Daredevil”, wrapping up several storylines and setting the stage for more.
