Daredevil is an interesting hero in the Marvel library. I know it may seem difficult to believe today, but when he started out he really wasn’t that popular. Sure, he had a cool gimmick and helped keep the streets of Hell’s Kitchen in New York safe, but compared to the titans of Marvel at the time like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four? He was nothing.
That changed when Frank Miller and Klaus Janson took over the character in the 1980’s. It took a while, but Daredevil went from superhero bush league to one of the most popular titles of the 1980’s. Since then, Daredevil has become one of Marvel’s most enduring and popular characters, with some of the greatest artists and writers working on the book, including Chip Zdarsky who handed the mantle of Daredevil over to Matt Murdock’s long time ninja assassin girlfriend: Elektra.
Now with that backstory out of the way, let’s take a look at Daredevil as she gets back to her street roots and tackles Marvel’s latest event comic: Gang War.
Written by Erica SchultzCover by: Sergio Davila
Illustrated by Sergio Davila
Inked by Sean Parsons
Colored by Ceci de la Cruz
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles
THE HEAT IS ON IN HELL’S KITCHEN!
ELEKTRA NATCHIOS, former assassin turned DAREDEVIL, has been recruited by the Amazing Spider-Man to stop New York City from tearing itself apart as every mobster and super villain in town go to war! And Elektra is the only thing standing in the way of Hell’s Kitchen’s annihilation at the hands of a dangerous new gang – the HEAT – whose violent schemes from the pages of DAREDEVIL unfold!
The New York City of Marvel Universe has been through a lot. From alien invasions to the literal end of the world, it’s kind of surprising that anyone would want to live in this version of New York City anymore.
The latest mess comes courtesy of the gangland assassination of a super criminal named Tombstone, who was killed at his daughter’s wedding. This, coupled with a few other “misunderstandings” and another criminal named Madame Masque who is working behind the scenes, has resulted in the super gangs of New York engaging in all out war.
This has led to Spider-Man rallying the heroes of New York to try and put an end to the fighting, which has forced the New York Police Department to try and arrest everyone for breaking New York’s anti vigilante laws. All this is the backdrop for “Gang War: Daredevil” #1 as Elektra takes on a gang of corrupt ex-cops who have taken over Hell’s Kitchen with the help of a mysterious benefactor.
“Gang War Daredevil” #1 is written by Erica Schultz, who has written some Daredevil stuff in the past and it comes to great use here. Schultz has a keen understanding of who Elektra is as a hero and as a character. This is a woman with a substantial amount of blood on her hands, who doesn’t really want to understand the finer points of human interaction, and doesn’t really feel guilty about either of those things. However, her relationship with Matthew Murdock has allowed her softer side to come out of its shell a little bit, which in this case means she made a vow to not kill or torture the bad guys…too much. Schultz does a great job of capturing this dichotomy in a very well written inner monologue. Elektra is a very capable fighter and a lethal hero who is physically worthy of donning the Daredevil mantle, but there’s a sense that she is still a stranger to the responsibility of being a hero, the social necessities of working with others, and the intricate politics and rhythm of the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. All of this is stretched over a tight, well paced, well plotted street level story that has some great action and sets up an intriguing mystery that provides a snapshot of the bigger picture while still managing to be its own story.
“Gangland Daredevil” #1 is a very good first issue, a very good story, and the fact that it doesn’t lose its ability to tell a complete and self contained story while being part of a larger event is a welcome relief. If the writing has any problems it’s that it might be a bit too verbose in some cases. As stated above, Schultz does a great job using Elektra’s inner monologue to show her character, but there are a few moments where she narrates things that are already happening. To be clear, this is a nitpick and this is a personal bias and preference creeping into the review, but in a visual medium like comics you don’t need a character to talk about how they’re opening a door when you can see them open a door.
Continued belowThe artwork for “Gang War Daredevil” #1 is provided by Sergio Davila with inks by Sean Parsons and colors by Ceci de la Cruz. If you’ve picked up a Marvel comic over the past couple of years you’ll recognize the look and feel of the artwork since it has the same realistic appearance and soft color scheme that shows up in a lot of Marvel books. Whether it’s a corporate mandate from the people who own Marvel or an internal decision, it’s something that is definitely noticeable if you read enough books over a long enough period of time. In this case, it feels like the subject matter of the book could be improved if it looked a little dirtier and edgier. This is a book set in the underbelly of the New York criminal underworld and none of the main characters in this story are nice people. It may sound like a paradox, but there is a sense that this book might be better…if the artwork was a little bit worse.
That’s not to say that Davila’s work on “Gang War Daredevil” #1 is bad. In fact: it’s really good. Davila injects a ton of energy into the action–which is certainly necessary in a street level superhero book and a character that uses their fists and real world weapons–and the fight scenes are great and a lot of fun to look at. It would be really interesting to see what Davila and the rest of the creative team could do if they were given more leeway with the artwork.
“Gang War Daredevil” #1 does three things really well. It manages to tell a complete story while being part of a larger event, which allows readers to enjoy the book on its own. Also, it’s a great character study of Elektra as she tries to be the hero she promised she would be and the fight scenes are excellent.
Final Verdict: 7.9- A solid Daredevil story that doesn’t take a lot of risks and has to fit within a larger event, but it lets Elektra be her own Daredevil and hurt a lot of people who deserve it.
