Daredevil [2016] #2 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 2, February 2016

Whilst Charles Soule’s version of the titular character in Issue Two of “Daredevil” is undoubtedly one which this comic’s 49,758 strong audience could ‘really sink their teeth into’, the Brooklyn-born writer’s narrative disappointingly doesn’t actually allow Matt Murdock’s alter ego to take the centre stage until halfway through the book, and instead starts by having the blind lawyer pontificating about it being his legal team’s “job to stop” the criminal Tenfingers in a tediously long, dialogue-heavy sequence; “People can believe what they want, and they can do what they want with their money. This is America after all.”

Admittedly this supposedly motivational, lengthy diatribe is interspersed by panels depicting the villainous visionary’s henchmen breaking into the Detention Level of the New York State Supreme Court and literally chopping off prosecution witness Billy Li’s digits. But even this rather grisly warning to any disciples considering defecting from the “crimelord turned cult leader” frustratingly occurs off-screen and thus provides little incentive for any casual peruser not to return this twenty-page periodical back upon the newsagent’s ‘spinner rack’.

Fortunately once the Man Without Fear does ‘show up’ and, having had a “bad day at work”,  begin brutally testing the combat abilities of his “great” protégé Samuel Chung with a seemingly razor-sharp oriental throwing spear, the pace to Soule’s script significantly quickens. Indeed within mere moments the grouchy Hornhead suddenly becomes convinced that instead of relying upon his judicial skills as a lawyer, he should be taking the fight to Tenfingers directly and somewhat impulsively follows an angry Blindspot to the very heart of his enemy’s church simply because there’s no point in “being Daredevil if you can’t leap before you look”.

Equally as unconvincing as Murdock’s rash motivation to face his foe in the criminal’s own lair, is arguably artists Ron Garney and Matt Milla’s decidedly unique look for this comic book. There’s little doubt that such a ‘complete change in direction’ as to the way this title was previously pencilled by Chris Samnee, has radically matured the title’s feel, and seemingly brought the costumed crimefighter “back to the gritty, noir-ish tone that defined it for decades”. Yet the Jiu Jitsu instructor’s breakdowns, coupled with the colorist’s predominantly bland choice of greys and browns, are depressingly bland-looking when used to portray the more sedentary aspects of the storyline, and even something of an acquired taste when it comes to depicting its action.

The regular cover art of "DAREDEVIL" No. 2 by Ron Garney & Matt Milla