Daredevil [2016] #3 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 3, March 2016

There can surely be little doubt that Charles Soule's combination of fast-paced frantic-fighting action, along with plenty of plot development for the titular character, didn’t fail to entertain the majority of this twenty-page periodical's 45,885 strong audience when it was first published in January 2016. Indeed the narrative for Issue Three of "Daredevil" contains the massive draw of depicting "the career crime-fighter" battling his old adversaries The Hand, as well as uncomfortably siding with the deadly enforcers of the "crime lord turned cult leader" Tenfingers, in a genuinely thrilling attempt to avoid a bloodbath; "This is the very definition of not my fight… On the other hand, the Hand's here to kill. There's no doubt about it. That's what they do."

Sadly however, it is hard to shake the impression that the Brooklyn-born writer has somehow frustratingly underused "the evil Order of Ninjas" potential with this storyline, especially as he has them "doing their disappearing act" mid-way through their fight with the Church Of The Sheltering Hands congregation for no apparent reason whatsoever? It certainly seems illogical that having introduced the "supernaturally enhanced ninjutsu murder cult" with such dramatic aplomb at the climax of this comic's previous edition, and then gone to such lengths as to have the Man Without Fear implore the Chinatown-based "thief" to "get your people out of here" because "it's their only hope", that the New Yorker subsequently has the mysterious martial artists abruptly depart the mêlée when, at least according to the punch-up panels' illustrations, they're seemingly well-ahead?

Equally as perplexing though, is Tenfingers' stance once the fighting has finished and "the Hand has fled". The "villain" proudly boasts that "everyone is safe, just as I foresaw" and claims that "I knew there was no danger. I protected my people. As I promised them I would." Yet during the conflict Soule clearly pens for several members of the aspiring crime boss' church to be brutally butchered by their opponents via a steel blade through the throat or a raking gash across the chest? Admittedly the Chinaman somehow has the ability to "influence the actions of people and make them do things they'd never ordinarily do." But that still doesn’t explain why the magic-user's men don't realise he's so evidently manipulating them, especially after Daredevil points out that "he's lying to you" whilst stood amongst the corpses.

Fortunately for a script which is so overly-reliant upon the artwork to do its storytelling, Ron Garney's breakdowns are convincingly up to the task in hand. Somewhat reminiscent of John Romita Junior's pencilling in places, the American certainly imbues the lengthy combat sequence with plenty of claustrophobic physicality. Whilst his innovative viewpoints of the more sedentary scenes, such as Matt Murdock's grilling in the office of the Manhattan District Attorney makes even the comic's dialogue-heavy moments engagingly entertaining.

The variant cover art of "DAREDEVIL" No. 3 by Paolo Rivera

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

Daredevil [2016] #1 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 1, February 2016

Having somehow placed “Matt Murdock mysteriously back in New York City, his secret identity once again intact and practicing law” Issue One of “Marvel’s All-New, All-Different” “Daredevil” undoubtedly proved a rather unsettling read to some of its 84,500 strong audience in December 2015. Indeed without any explanation whatsoever, except that Charles Soule’s infinitely more seriously-toned narrative is set “eight months after the events of Secret Wars”, this twenty-page periodical depicts a superhero utterly unrecognisable from the titular character who had made “a home for himself in the Golden Gate City” under the creative team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee.

Such a dramatic change in direction for the ‘Man Without Fear’ doesn’t take too long to accept however, as the title’s new writer immediately throws the masked vigilante into a no holds barred fist-fight with a gang of ‘tooled-up’ criminal heavies, and simultaneously introduces the fact that ‘his’ version of Hornhead is accompanied by a new partner; the “illegal Chinese immigrant” Sam Chung, also known as Blindspot. This ability to merge pulse-pounding action with the Milwaukee-born author’s rather edgy alterations to Murdock’s mythos is undoubtedly one of Soule’s greatest strengths and even allows him to be forgiven for ‘reverting’ Foggy Nelson back into a rather tiresome, somewhat self-centred bore, who refuses to help Matt ‘ever again’ “just because you let me remember” who Daredevil really is…

Arguably though any storyline which crams so much drama into its first half, including a wonderfully tense underwater scene where the superhero uses a wrecked car littering “the bottom of the East River” to help his radar sense pinpoint a drowning criminal, was always going to struggle not to run out of steam... And sadly the “New York Times best-selling comic book” writer’s script falls into just such a trap, with a decidedly wordy final third which dwells far too long upon the blind lawyer’s new role as an assistant district attorney; “You might know me as Matt Murdock, Defence attorney, here to help. That guy’s gone. I’ve changed sides.”

Possibly just as difficult to become accustomed to as Soule’s changes to Daredevil’s circumstances is Ron Garney’s “very dark” highly-stylized artwork. Strangely reminiscent of some of Frank Miller’s drawings of Hornhead, the motion picture costume illustrator undoubtedly provides this magazine with a very unique-looking “Film Noir” style to its panels. But whilst this artistic panache definitely manages to imbue his fights scenes with raw dynamism, it does prove somewhat disappointingly bland when portraying the more sedentary aspects of the narrative, such as Murdock’s lengthy ‘office-bound’ conversation with Ellen King.

The 'Action Figure' variant cover art of "DAREDEVIL" No. 1 by John Tyler Christopher