Daredevil [2022] #2 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 2, October 2022

Apparently kicking “the next year of Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto’s landmark run on Daredevil off in explosive style”, the plot to this particular thirty-five page periodical predominantly consists of an extremely heated dialogue between the titular character and the enigmatic Robert “Goldy” Goldman. Happily however, the comic’s Edmonton-born author still manages to imbue his narrative with plenty of action, courtesy of Matt Murdock understandably soon losing his temper with his mass-murdering “old friend”, and some insightful flashback sequences. 

Indeed, quite possibly one of this publication’s greatest draws is how the villain almost affectionately remembers his time with the blind vigilante when they first met whilst studying at Columbia, and how the then ‘lawyer-in-training’ unsuccessfully attempted to rescue Elektra Natchios’ father from some heavily-armed kidnappers. This specific scene proves especially poignant as it depicts one of the blind vigilante’s most significant steps towards becoming the Man without Fear, as well as indicates that Hugo’s death was actually as a result of Goldman inciting a “trigger-happy cop on the edge” to fire straight at the hapless hostage, as opposed to the Greek diplomat’s demise simply being a tragic accident.

Equally as intriguing though is the way Zdarksy cleverly shows the audience just how highly Daredevil is thought of by his local community. Trapped beneath a huge pillar of fallen masonry following a catastrophic train crash, the super-hero appears to be completely at the mercy of his so-called guardian angel. But then a group of locals arrive to establish whether any people need rescuing, and bravely see off “Goldy” with a well-placed stone to the head. In addition, this scene shows precisely why the Black Widow’s former partner is so willing to put his life on the line for his people, as they ignore the imminent danger to themselves and unselfishly band together so as to save the partially-crushed crime-fighter; “Ribs have seen better days. No internal bleeding.”

Helping to provide “this oversized epic” with a gritty realistic look is Marco Checchetto, who alongside Flashback Artist Rafael DeLatorre, helps to sell every punch thrown and kick that connects. In fact, the action sequences set high up on an under-construction skyscraper may well cause many a fan of Hornhead to get giddy from the dizzying viewpoint; especially whenever Goldman decides to fall straight backwards and rely upon God to save him from a flattening fate.

Writer: Chip Zdarsky, Artist: Marco Checchetto, and Color Artist: Matthew Wilson