Storytellers Mark Waid and Chris Samnee bring the cosmic forces of the universe to the streets of Hell’s Kitchen in yet another excellent issue of “Daredevil”.
Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Chris SamneeWhen soars the Silver Surfer! What weird menace unites Daredevil with the Cosmic Rider of the Spaceways?
This issue of “Daredevil” begins with Matt Murdock adjusting to changes in his personal life, before quickly becoming caught up in an intergalactic cat-and-mouse game. While his best friend and partner Foggy Nelson bravely battles cancer, Matt has to deal with former assistant District Attorney, and his former girlfriend, Kirsten McDuffie temporally joining his firm to help keep things afloat. Suddenly, an alien appears in Matt’s office, who wants Daredevil to contact the Avengers and get him asylum on Earth. It soon becomes apparent that this alien is being pursued by an immensely powerful being: the Silver Surfer. Daredevil is immediately thrust between the two opposing extra-terrestrials, and finds himself squaring off against the Surfer in the skies of Hell’s Kitchen.
On paper (no pun intended) “Daredevil” #30 should not work at all. Daredevil is very much a street-level hero. Yes he does have super powers, but he is still more similar to Hawkeye than Mister Fantastic. He fights mob bosses, drug dealers, assassins and his own tremendous guilt. The Silver Surfer is a being literally filled with the power of the universe, who betrayed a nearly omnipotent master to save the entire planet from destruction. Daredevil barely leaves his neighborhood, while the Silver Surfer travels through galaxies. What could these two guys possibly have in common? In the genius hands of Mark Waid, it turns out quite a bit. The link used to connect these disparate individuals is that the set of senses which they use to perceive the world are completely unique to themselves. Daredevil uses sound waves and echolocation to form a mental picture of the world, while the Surfer identifies people by their inner sentience, their very souls. Both Daredevil and the Surfer have heightened level of senses that also have drawbacks and restrictions, forcing them to work together. Waid does a tremendous job showing the reader a different side of the Surfer’s personality. Here dealing with one of the few types of prey that can constantly elude him, the Surfer is frustrated and has a short temper. Not what one would typically expect from a cosmically powered being.
One of the best elements of “Daredevil” #30 is that it is a one-and-done story. Multi-part storytelling is essentially the norm within the Big Two companies, and has led to accusations that creators are are just writing for the eventual collection. This issue should be held up as a shining example of what can be done within a 32 page framework. Waid manages to bring in new characters, have conflict and resolution between the heroes, give new insight into a nearly fifty year old character, touch on longer running plot threads, and have a couple great action scenes, all in a couple dozen pages. It’s truly incredible.
Chris Samnee’s art on “Daredevil” has received much acclaim, and rightfully so, but it remained to be seen how a character as distinctive looking as the Silver Surfer would it into his more cartoonish style. The result is a classic looking Surfer, combined with Samnee’s excellent use of light and shadow. While an artist with a more photo-realistic style would likely draw the reflection of every building and object in the Surfer’s exterior, but Samnee proves that with some shading and a few choice colors, the character can look just as dynamic and arresting while fitting perfectly in with the style of the rest of the book.
The big splash pages of art are saved for the big Daredevil/Surfer fight, which quickly takes the form of a classic Marvel team-up. The energy of the art explodes when Daredevil jumps through a window, but Samnee keeps the same feeling of excitement and energy in the art when Matt gets to pilot the Surfer’s board through the sky. But without a doubt the best part was the expression on the Silver Surfer’s face as Daredevil zipped around on his board. Matt is having the time of his life, while the Surfer is unimpressed and (again no pun intended) bored. Samnee perfectly captured the mood of a being who has become completely blasé in the use of his own extraordinary powers.
After more than two years on the book, Waid and Samnee’s “Daredevil” seemed to have received so much critical acclaim that it was impossible for them to set the bar any higher, but issue #30 does just that. It has character development, serious and affecting subplots, action, and a gripping story told through gorgeous art, all in 32 pages. Mark Waid and Chris Samnee deserve to counted among the all-time great “Daredevil” storytellers, along with Bendis, Brubaker, and Miller. “Daredevil” #30 is just a great comic book from start to finish, and the whole series is one of, if not the, best at Marvel right.
Final Verdict: 9.5. A truly excellent comic from master storytellers which proves that single issue stories can be just as good has multi-part epics.
