Daredevil #2 // Review
To say that Matt Murdock has had a bad last few months is a vast understatement. He barely survived being hit by another truck, and even died on the table in the subsequent surgery before coming out the other end. Recovery was slow and grueling, with Matt almost giving up entirely. Moreover, now, he patrols the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, still not fully recovered from his bout with death. Has this made Daredevil sloppy and careless?
Chip Zdarsky thinks it might have. As the writer of Daredevil #2, he might have something to say about that. Artist Marco Checchetto joins him, and Sunny Gho takes on the colors. Clayton Cowles also letters the issue.
Daredevil was caught up in a fight, and in a moment of weakness, lashed out at one of his assailants. He hit the guy in a wrong way, and the man has died on the way into the ER. Considering his history with death (both his own and others), Matt figures that someone has set him up, or that someone who wasn’t he caused the death. While Matt searches for some clue that will unravel the entire case, Detective Cole North, a recent NYCPD transplant from Chicago, investigates the case as well. Both sides of the law are coming to the same conclusions, and it’s not looking good for DD.
This issue is fantastic, hands down. Chip Zdarsky may be best known for tongue-in-cheek humor and absurdism, but almost none of that is here. Sure, a grim one-liner or two sneaks in, but the pathos of the Man Without Fear is on full display. Seeing someone who once saw the world in black and white when it came to his actions slowly falter and begin to question himself is downright enjoyable, and Cole North is looking to be an excellent foil for both Fisk and Matt himself. North could have come across as some generic tough-guy who hates masks that we’ve seen in Marvel before, but there’s a core of personality given to him by Zdarsky makes him feel like a person. It’s rather refreshing.
Marco Checchetto does a beautiful job as well. Each page oozes this noir-ish personality that Daredevil has always had, and Checchetto does a fantastic job making the man blend into the shadows despite a bright blood-red costume. Checchetto does a beautiful job with the small details, like body language with emotional nuance. It’s hard to draw a character without visible eyes to the audience, but he does it well through posture. Sunny Gho’s colors work incredibly well with Marco’s pencils and inks, making for an unparalleled reading experience.
Chip Zdarsky seems to have upped the ante from where Charles Soule left the book, and he seems to have an entirely new course set up for the Murdock Crazy Train in mind. One of the best books at Marvel is as good as ever, and it’s hard to find a reason not to recommend it to EVERYONE.
