The Good
Is anyone going to get that phone? Because I CALLED IT! I knew that when the Monster Folks, or whatever they’re calling themselves these days, showed up in the pages of Daredevil that Mark Waid would find a way to do something great with them, and here we are. The fact that he’s joined by Chris Samnee in the writer’s room is a perfect match, and while the monsters don’t play as large of a role as I was hoping, what we do get is some great banter and some hilarious interactions that take advantage of both sides’ power sets. They’re also instrumental in Murdock’s quest to get to the heart of the Serpent Society’s new rise to power, but Daredevil also has to make his way through hate itself before he reaches the light at the end of the tunnel and, as always, Waid writes the character with all the self-loathing and personal doubt, somehow tempered by raw determination and righteousness, that we’ve come to expect and his reaction to facing foes truly unlike anything he’s ever encountered is, as always, amazingly realized.
Jason Copland handles the linework with Javier Rodriguez on colors and, while this issue is short on action, it’s long on excitement as the characters emote gorgeously. There are so many tiny, specific details that the artists nail between Matty grinning mischievously to even the mostly mute Living Mummy communicating non-verbally, the reader feels like they always have a firm grasp on what’s going on in every panel and who’s feeling what. And trust me, there are PLENTY of feels to go around in this issue.
The Bad
I really wish the Mighty Marvel Monsters got a little more time in the spotlight, mostly through another issue featuring them. They get a lot of time in this issue, but it’s not really enough to give them a chance to shine.
The Verdict
Mark Waid’s run continues charging into legendary status on Daredevil, putting hornhead through the ringer while also putting him in completely novel situations. It’s one thing to take a character’s existing cast of supporting characters and tell an interesting story around those, but it’s quite another to go outside his usual run-in buddies and find stories that are not only interesting, but that make sense given the characters’ history. This run accomplishes a both and introduces a ton of new alliances and rivalries that will, hopefully, be picked up by future storylines.