Matt Murdock is at a complicated place in his life. He’s no longer Daredevil and the person a woman is cheating with. So, who he is then?
Chip Zdarsky’s run on Daredevil so far has been nothing short of spectacular. In fact, this issue may be the best one yet. There’s a combination of classic storytelling and modern storytelling from both the writing and art standpoints which works beautifully. Zdarsky and Jorge Fornes work wonders with this issue and create an insanely compelling read.
The story in this issue feels as simple as it can get. There are no grand costumed villains. No crime bosses for Daredevil to thwart. No Earth-ending apocalypses attacking from space. This is a simple story, plot-wise at least, that has a lot of emotional turmoil underneath the surface. Because of this simplicity of the plot, which is an escape from a police precinct, the issue can focus on the action and emotions.
On an emotional standpoint in this issue, it’s absolutely outstanding. Matt is no longer Daredevil, but he can’t stop himself from helping others. No matter if he hears people invoking Daredevil’s name, he can’t stop himself from putting himself in harm’s way. This issue provides an excellent look into that mindset of Matt’s and the way that which he views the world. It would be extremely easy for a script tackling this subject to just go off the rails and making everything way too complicated. However, because of the simple plot presented in this issue, the emotional turmoil is also simplified, which helps it feel more grounded and real.
The only part of the story in this issue that doesn’t quite land is Mindy. She’s never really felt like that interesting of a character, at least yet. Matt has always been portrayed as someone very quick to love, which is what their story feels like, but it doesn’t really feel like there’s a bond between the two characters. She feels like someone that is in the story to potentially give Matt another disaster.
Jorge Fornes’ art on this issue though is absolutely gorgeous. On both Batman and now Daredevil, it feels like David Mazzucchelli is back to drawing both characters. Fornes has such a clean style that feels like it could have been done in the 80s but still feels incredibly modern in all the best ways. His action is frenetic but controlled. His facial work is fantastic and conveys emotion extremely well. His pacing is excellent. Simply put, his art is wonderful.
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