DAREDEVIL #1

Capsule Review

A good start on another new direction for Matt Murdock, a character who has had his share through the years. Daredevil is back to his gritty roots, battling street-level mobsters and even taking on a partner … not the Black Widow, sadly, but instead a rookie hero with a stealth suit named Blind Spot, which (yes) is a little on-the-nose, but it works. (Seeing his master-and-apprentice relationship with Matt, I was reminded that while Frank Miller wrote Daredevil as a kind of shadow Batman, he never gave Matt a Robin … and now, here you go). I like that Matt is now a prosecutor, because it sets up all sorts of conflicts. How will a crusader like Matt accepting letting a bad guy cop to a lesser charge and walk free on time served to preserve the D.A.’s conviction rate? (As Daredevil, he’s going to be sorely tempted to kneecap guys in the alley as they leave the courthouse). Gets off to a rousing start with one of the best splash pages of Marvel’s reboot, which leads to a literal splash as Daredevil dives off a bridge to rescue a mob informant — a nice bit of business that reminds us that Daredevil truly is a man without fear. Writer Charles Soule seems more at home here than in his Inhumans books, with a nice feel for Daredevil’s powers and (more importantly) limitations. Artist Ron Garney renders the world with rough edges, but it fits. Might be the rare book that works better as a serial read rather than a collection — Matt Milla’s desaturated palette is moody in small chunks, but would wear me out in back-to-back reads. The bad guy is a new one on me, and I bet he could play Rachmaninov like no one’s business.

Approachability For New Readers

Pretty good. Picks you up and carries along.

Read #2?

Yes!

Sales Rank

#12 December

Read more about Daredevil at Longbox Graveyard

• Here Comes Daredevil!
• Longbox Shortbox
• Bend It Like Bendis
• Was Daredevil Marvel’s Only Crime-Fighter?
• Who’s The Boss? Kingpin As Daredevil’s Arch-Nemesis

Read more capsule reviews of Marvel’s All-New All-Different rolling reboot.