Matt Murdock is back to his "old self" in this new Daredevil series, and drama never seems to be far behind. From crashing a mobster wedding to fending off annoying bloggers, where will this new creative team take ol' Hornhead?
The Good
Before I get to the issue itself, I'd like to point out how gorgeous the cover. It really captures what Dardevil is, which I think is the whole point of the reboot.
Seeing Matt Murdock "back in the saddle," so to speak, is a breath of fresh air. This issue has it all: a brief recap of Daredevil's origin, his latest activities and what makes him important to the Marvel universe. This book kind of harkens back to a simpler time where things weren't as crazy; this is definitely a step in the right direction for a character that's as messed up as Matt.
I really didn't like what Shadowlands did to the character, so to see him deal with "normal" hero problems again just seems like Mark Waid has brought the character back on track, where he needed to be.
The art in this issue is superb, in a "simpler Chris Samnee" kind of way. There's a really creative use of panel flow in a sequence where Murdock and Foggy Nelson are crossing the street: we get to see a bunch of noises and how Murdock perceives them, which really lets us get into his head a little bit. I'm also a big fan of how some panels are drawn to represent how his powers would look visually: it's definitely a treat.
The Bad
This series seems to gloss over the recent weirdness of Shadowland in favour of a fresh start with Matt Murdock; while I'm not arguing that Shadownland was a bit less-than-perfect, it's shortsighted to avoid its existence altogether. It does pay homage to the more noir-ish Dardevil series of the early-to-mid 00's, which is a definite plus.
The Verdict
I've never been a big Daredevil fan, but I went into this book with an open mind and was definitely surprised by its quality. Hopefully Mark Waid has a long and productive run on this title: lord knows it could use it.
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