Daredevil [2022] #7 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 7, March 2023

Containing an interesting take on the titular character’s personal war against the “Laws of Man”, as well as setting up a potential roller-coaster of a ride for its subsequent instalment, it is easy to see why Issue Seven on “Daredevil” was the sixth best-selling comic in January 2023 – at least according to the online trade magazine “ICv2.com”. Indeed, despite the Man Without Fear teaming up with a band of minor league super-villains against Charlotte’s Police Department during an eviction exercise, there probably wasn’t many within this book’s audience who were particularly supportive of the ‘Thin Blue Line’ as the authority's threaten, bully and batter the unhappy occupants of a high-rise flat.

In addition, Chip Zdarsky’s script does a first-rate job in showing Matt Murdock’s costumed alter-ego using his ‘supporters’ to the best of their special abilities, such as when Speed Demon is directed to defuse a series of explosive charges set up throughout the building just before they’re detonated with the tenants and cops still inside. This command clearly comes rather easily to a seasoned crime-fighter such the red-hued Defender. But it isn’t penned too over dramatically, at least until Hornhead ‘spots’ an unfound bomb on the roof with just seconds to spare, and simply just shows Bill Everett’s co-creation taking on the additional responsibilty of leading an army in his stride.

Likewise, this twenty-page periodical’s plot provides its readers with plenty of evidence as to just how good the blind lawyer can be by having him tackle Castlemax’s illegal eviction notices at both the source, and in the courts. This two-pronged attack appears to work really well, and again adds an element of legitimacy to Matt’s somewhat ‘holier than thou’ claims that he is now answering a far higher calling than simply being the protector of Hell’s Kitchen; “Sometimes fear is the only weapon -- The gentlest weapon. We needed to stop him from doing more harm.”

Similarly as successful as Zdarksy’s penmanship is the artwork of Rafael De Latorre and Marco Checchetto, who along with inker Elisabetta D’Amico and colour artist Matthew Wilson, manage to imbue all the outraged and angry residents with a palpable sense of injustice. Furthermore, the illustration team impressively imbue the oafish government officials with all the arrogance required for so-called justice department agents to justly receive the odd smack in the mouth and kick to the head – especially when they’ve pencilled whacking a kid just because the adolescent bit one of them in defence of his terrified mother.

Writer: Chip Zdarsky, and Artists: Rafael De Latorre & Marci Checchetto

Daredevil [2022] #6 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 6, February 2023

Featuring an unbelievably tiring thirty-two panel sequence depicting Matt Murdock chopping up some tomatoes in a kitchen, Chip Zdarsky’s script for this comic probably did cause its readers to believe it was “the most shocking issue” of the author’s “landmark Daredevil epic yet”. However, such an accolade is arguably not a good thing when its due to a severely sedentary narrative, which only occasionally pops into life whenever the spotlight moves away from its titular character; “Would you mind prepping some garlic? Knives are to your right.”

Indeed, despite the pre-publication promises of "Marvel Worldwide", the actual highlight of this twenty-page periodical solely rests upon the shoulders of Elektra Natchios’ so-called “international incident” concerning an apparently undead incarnation of the United States Commander-In-Chief. This well-penned and intriguing confrontation between the deadly assassin and Frank Castle's presidential puppet is made all the more dramatic when an overconfident Iron Man smashes his way into the fracas, and gets swiftly ambushed by a pair of stooges armed with one nanometre thick Symkarian steel swords.

Unfortunately though, so pulse-pounding a predicament is just as short-lived as the rest of the publication’s rambling plot is long-winded, so soon gets swallowed up amidst the Man of Fear’s bemusing dialogue-driven desire for redemption with some of the world's more notorious B-List criminals. In fact, many a bibliophile will probably be left scratching their heads in wonder at just what the blind lawyer’s overtly-religious plan is for the likes of Stegron, Speed Demon, Stilt-Man, Agony and Bullet – Unless Murdock genuinely believes in simply busting the mass-murderers out of their lawful imprisonment on the Raft he is somehow doing God’s work..!?!

Desperately attempting to hold the audience’s attention with his drawings is Rafael De Latorre, who appears to squeeze as much action as an artist can manage from the aforementioned broth-making debacle. This conversational piece does admittedly contain one moment of melodrama when the Brazilian illustrator pencils felon Buck Cashman being asked to use a kitchen knife whilst Daredevil has his back turned to him. But even this potential threat is quickly quashed as flat as the vegetables being prepared for dinner once the felon quietly sets about crushing the plant with the flat of the blade.

 The regular cover art to "DAREDEVIL" #6 by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson

Daredevil [2022] #4 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 4, December 2022

Swapping the dangerous streets of Hell’s Kitchen for arguably the even more inhospitable mountains of a secret island somewhere south of Russia, Chip Zdarsky’s narrative for Issue Four of “Daredevil” must have proved a curious experience for long-term fans of Hornhead. Sure, the Man Without Fear is still depicted battling ninjas towards the end of this twenty-page periodical’s plot in a genuinely pulse-pounding finale. But many a bibliophile will also feel as unfamiliar with the super-hero’s new surroundings as a trepidatious Cole North clearly does.

Indeed, one of the Canadian author’s greatest strengths in telling this comic’s story, is by doing so through the eyes and experiences of the “highly regarded detective”. Supposedly ‘stinking of regular people’, the police officer is clearly still unsure as to whether he’s made the right decision by following Matt Murdock’s alter-ego to this isolated location, and this uncertainty, evidently heightened when he encounters the formidably-sized Doc (Samson) Sasquatch, cleverly imbues the audience with similar reservations as to the titular character’s resolution “to leave his city behind” and “save the world from the violent and ruthless Hand.”

Also quite cleverly adding to this atmosphere of unwelcomeness, is the incredibly dislikeable Jab, a mercenary recruited by Elektra Natchios, who clearly feels the need to ‘stamp his supposed authority’ upon the newcomers – unwisely even trying to intimidate Daredevil himself with his fake bravado; “We’re supposed to follow some guy in a Halloween Costume who beats up muggers?” This disagreeable bully is ultimately put in his place by a sense-shattering sock to the jaw by North, after the one-eyed goon stupidly attempts to beat him up in the practice arena, and in getting bested helps settle both the reader, as well as Cole, into the ongoing tale’s foreign environment.

Equally as enjoyable as Zdarsky’s proficient penmanship though is Rafael De Latorre’s prodigious pencilling, which really helps ‘sell’ the unease experienced by Murdock’s friends and allies. In addition, the Brazilian illustrator’s layouts, combining the New York City cop’s fisticuffs alongside Daredevil and Elektra’s vicious scrap against a disconcertingly dark den full of undead warriors, is marvellously handled - imbuing every blow with a bone-crunching reality, and debatably fooling any onlooker into believing they're witnessing Matt overcoming his doubts rather than North.

The regular cover art to "DAREDEVIL" #4 by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson

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

Daredevil [2022] #1 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 1, September 2022

Excitedly proclaimed “an all-new era of Daredevil” by its New York City-based publisher, Chip Zdarsky’s storyline for this opening instalment of “The Red Fist Saga” was probably rather positively received by the majority of “Hornheads” in July 2022, as the twenty-page periodical contains a plethora of fascinating plot-threads for them to follow. In fact, it’s arguably difficult to keep track of so many competing narratives, whether it be “Hell’s Kitchen’s guardian devil” departing his stomping ground for the last time, an old law school friend shockingly becoming a seemingly omnipotent villain, or a genuinely scruffy-looking Matt Murdock being repeatedly questioned by a mysterious ‘out-of-shot’ interviewer/interrogator.

Perhaps the most eye-catching scenes though, are those involving your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man - who both webs his way into an altercation between the Man without Fear and Butch Pharris, as well as accompanies the costumed acrobat on a nocturnal rendezvous with Hammerhead’s criminal organisation. Oozing an almost palpable aura of desperately restrained savagery in their conflict with Wilson Fisk's son and the opposing sides' subsequent stand-off, these extremely tense skirmishes are perhaps only slightly marred by the brevity of their actual coverage in the comic book. 

Given much more 'screen time' is a genuinely depressing demise of a man who is cold-bloodedly shot simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then Robert Goldman’s aforementioned revelation as some all-powerful 'angel' who plans to look out for the blind lawyer. Pencilled by “superstar collaborator Marco Checchetto”, these events undoubtedly come as something of a surprise to the reader and set-up a captivating confrontation between the two former attendees of Columbia University which helps end the publication with a bit of a bang.

Similarly as sense-shattering is this comic’s secondary tale, “The Island”, featuring Elektra Natchios and Stick. Energetically sketched by Rafael De Latorre, and depicting the two martial arts experts initially tackling a heavily-armed contingent of Soviet Special Forces, before they turn upon each other. This ten-pager is debatably perfect in its mixture of adrenalin-fuelled action and tantalising mystery as to just why Murdock plans to build a secret base in the middle of nowhere.

The regular cover art to "DAREDEVIL" #1 by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson

Daredevil [2022] #5 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 5, November 2022

For those readers simply dipping into this ongoing series to witness its titular character completely ‘clean the clock’ of the ever- egotistical U.S. Agent, Chip Zdarsky’s script for Issue Five of “Daredevil” should have quite quickly brought them up to speed with Matt Murdock’s present-day life. Indeed, the Canadian author rather succinctly shows the Man Without Fear to have utterly embraced both his marriage to Elektra Natchios, as well as his seemingly formidable mission to establish “a new world order” as The Fist’s king.

Of course such bizarre cameos as Doc Samson making an appearance as a green-hued, giant yeti-turned-camp psychologist, and Foggy Nelson doing a disconcertingly acrobatic landing from a multi-storey rooftop takes a little bit of getting used to. But once these surprises are laid to rest and it’s firmly established that the now heavily-bearded horn-head is forming an army to fight a similarly-sized force of ninjas lead by a clearly crazed Frank Castle, the multiple Harvey Award-winner dedicates the rest of his narrative to simply telling a good old-fashioned tale of jaw-socking, covert infiltration; “You know the plan. We only have enough time to clear Block D.”

This edgily-penned penetration of The Myrmidon prison facility really lies at the heart of "The Red Fist Saga", and should wholly enthral its entire audience just as soon as Daredevil’s aircraft disgorges numerous bat-gliding warriors over the penitentiary's security perimeter. In fact, by the time Bill Everett’s co-creation actually confronts John Walker and a troop of Guardsmen in a dark, highly claustrophobic corridor, the tight tension in the air is already positively palpable; especially once the cocky West Coast Avenger begins piously claiming that God is on his side, and brazenly challenges Murdock’s alter-ego to simply “fight me like a man!”

Also helping to carry their fair share of this book’s storytelling duties is artist Rafael De Latorre, who provides some impressive, pulse-pounding panels throughout this publication’s climatic contest. Furthermore, the Brazilian illustrator’s layouts add plenty of pace to the proceedings, as well as somehow imbuing an onlooking Captain America with a genuinely dislikeable ‘holier than thou’ swagger when the Sentinel of Liberty sides with Tony Stark against Matt’s movement, and arrogantly declares that the Avengers are “bringing Daredevil in.”

The regular cover art to "DAREDEVIL" #5 by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson