Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Marcos MartinTHE MOST CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NEW SERIES OF THE YEAR CONTINUES!
Matt Murdock relives some of his late father’s worst nightmares as Daredevil meets Bruiser, a fighter who can’t be put down and won’t fall! How will Matt survive–and how will doing so make him the most dangerous man in the Marvel Universe?
Matt Murdock is back in the guise that’s not really him (or so he says!). He’s taking on several of the Marvel Universe’s premiere terrorist cells…all at once! Mark Waid has made one of the best new series’ in recent memory, but does this book get a bull’s-eye, or does it miss the mark?
Check the jump to find out!
This book has a special place in my heart. Now that Herchas bitten the dust, it’s my single favorite solo title coming from Marvel. It took an existing character that has been in a decade long slide into a figurative oblivion and not only easy to jump into, but tons of fun to boot. Waid was one of the best people for the job, as he’s one of the most knowledgeable creators in the business who can navigate a tricky continuity and make it through those rapids unscathed, somehow with a book in his hand.
And wouldn’t you know it, he did it again!
This book continues the level of fun that’s been conspicuously missing from many comics today, with operatic adventures told in a beautifully tongue-in-cheek fashion. The direction of the book is also a breath of fresh air. Daredevil has always been a noir-esque book set in theStreet-Level Universe, taking on criminals in the famous Hell’s Kitchen district of Manhattan. But now he’s expanding his universe to include organizations like A.I.M. and HYDRA, among others (likely to fit the Avengers’ bigger picture),the book’s scope takes shape to possibly include the entire world with a massive espionage arc that might have grand implications on the world at large.
The character work in the book is some of the best in the business. Murdock and the hostages are all extremely fleshed out,three-dimensional characters with real problems that come from this international conspiracy. Possibly the most interesting (and likely never used again) characters is the villainous Bruiser, who was co-opted by all of the terrorist organizations together to help them achieve their goals. Despite his mort-ish name, his abilities make him a menacing opponent and also show one of the best fight scenes in the series so far, all rendered by the indomitable MarcosMartin.
Marcos Martin is one of the best in the business, and he proves it in this issue. What he did in this issue is show you less can absolutely be more. There aren’t any bulging biceps or overly realistic characters in the book. Even Bruiser, who’s a hulking freak obsessed with MMA(and somehow taking on The Hulk), he’s not drawn like an over muscled freak. He looks like a big brawler might look as a comic book character, think Brock Lesnar, but not SO real that he…well, looks like Brock Lesnar. Another aspect of the art that makes it stand out is the fact that Martin knows how to play with the space given, showing how a person who does not see in the way we see might perceive the world around himself. Much more symbolism finds its way to the page, which makes for a synergy between art and language that doesn’t get used nearly as much as it should. Martin’s composition and sense of movement also display a love of the character and most importantly, of artists like Steve Ditko and Bill Everett, who worked on the character when he was first created. That kind of reverence deserves all the accolades it gets, and I imagine it’ll get a lot.
Hands down, you should be picking up this book. It maintains the spirit of the character while pushing him in a new direction that reaches for new paths while respecting the ones already taken. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Final Verdict: 8.0 — Check it out!
