Mark Waid continues his Eisner Award Winning run on “Daredevil” and now he has the indomitable Allreds in tow. Let’s take a look to see good this book really is.
Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Mike and Laura Allred
- Nelson/Murdock no more! Foggy’s discovered a secret Matt’s been keeping–and he doesn’t take it well!
- And a last page shock that will have Daredevil fans buzzing!
- Series Stalwarts Mark Waid and Chris Samnee bring you a turning point in the lives of Marvel’s most famous legal team!
Spoiler Alert! It really is that good.
I can’t really mince words this time. Ever since Mark Waid took over the title last year, the series has been one of the best series put out by the big two, let alone Marvel Comics alone. Every few weeks (because let’s face it, Marvel isn’t in the business of “monthly” titles anymore) I can count on Mark Waid and some incredible retro-styled artist to knock it out of the park like a juiced up San Francisco Giants left fielder (topical!).
Most of that happens to be Mark Waid’s excellent work on the title.
While “Daredevil” hasn’t had the opportunity to stick to one artist, Waid’s immense talent and skill lets him write the book to his contributors’ strengths. Issue #17 is no different, as he writes like he and Allred have been collaborating for at least 25 years in the run. Their chemistry is damn near explosive, and makes for one of the best issues of the book since the newest volume started.
The beauty of this book is that it’s a standalone issue. Dealing with the fallout of the last issue where Foggy fired Matt because he was suspicious of his sanity. Going missing for a week and a half and then being caught with your father’s remains IN YOUR OFFICE might just give people the idea that you just MIGHT Be mentally unstable after all. In this issue, both Matt and Foggy look back to another adventure they had way back when their practice first opened, and things weren’t any better than they are today. Waid’s understanding of continuity also allowed him to play around in the past without confusing any new readers. In fact, while it calls back to Karen Page leaving the practice, it’s never necessary to know everything about Matt’s backstory to enjoy this flashback. Instead we just get the opportunity to see a flashback that further fleshes out his personality for new fans of the series.
And then there’s Mike and Laura Allred. I’ve been a fan of the Allreds since Peter Milligan’s now classic X-Force/X-Statix run a little over 10 years ago, and followed what I could since then. This book looks just as good as anything they ever done in the past, and in some cases, it looks better than it ever has. Each panel looks like a stand-alone work of pop art, but never feels static either. Laura’s contribution to the book elevates the art off the page and gives Mike’s pencils true depth in a way only this team can display. For instance, Matt’s Daredevil uniform doesn’t necessarily come to life because of the red that covers him from head to toe, but rather comes from the deep use of inks and blacks in addition to the red. It’s truly a collaborative effort between the two and their chemistry is just as evident as the chemistry between the writing and the art, because they HAVE been collaborating for over that long, instead of merely seeming like they have.
Even if the book were mediocre as a whole, the entire issue is worth it because of the final pages. There is so much emotion on the page if your heart strings aren’t pulled at least somewhat, you should check for a pulse because you might as well be dead. I can’t say it enough: you should be picking up this book. It’s the best superhero book that Marvel puts out for sure and is arguably the best book coming from the Big Two.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
