A Beginning That Lacks Finesse
Having already started the great Daredevil series, I decided to pick up the collection of the originally digitally exclusive prequel series, Daredevil: Road Warrior, in order to see this generally praised in-between for Mark Waid's two Daredevil series. However, what I found wasn't quite as good as was to be expected, especially considering the quality of work Waid tends to boast. Sure, it's not innately bad, but there's a lot of small issues and difficulties that build up on each other, resulting in a somewhat underwhelming experience.
For starters, the set-up is a bit forced and awkward. With Daredevil traveling cross-country to reach his new home after being disbarred from NYC, he comes across a rather odd individual who he begins to investigate... and by investigate, I mean chase across a large expanse of the US. It takes a while for the plot to start and take form in a way that isn't "chase, fight, rinse and repeat", and none of these aforementioned instances are terribly exciting or engaging. It doesn't help that the villains involved, in my opinion, are rather boring and tedious. That being said, the art and dialogue are still pretty solid, considering that the story itself isn't exactly up to par. There was one moment in the first issue where the text was incredibly difficult and frustrating to read, but, beyond that, there wasn't really any technical problems to be seen.
However, what really got me was just how circumstantial it all felt like it became. Things happened in just a way where things happened to work out, despite ridiculous odds, and some of the things that did happen felt like it didn't really make all that much sense. Couple that with horribly cliched cliff-hangers that resulted to no actual impact on the story, and this tale feels a bit weak, especially compared to the rest of the series. A shame really, but it has to happen every now and then.