Quick Looks Part V: Daredevil #8 and #9

(writer) Mark Waid
(artist) Chris Samnee
(colorist) Matthew Wilson

After taking two issues off, regular series artist Chris Samnee rejoins Mark Waid for this genuinely chilling story arc which sees the return of longtime Daredevil foe Zebediah Killgrave, otherwise known as the Purple Man, who gathers up various children he has sired by women using his mind-control powers. He has two goals: one being to rule the city or something like that, and the other and apparently more primordial one being to enjoy the affection of people who aren't forced, by his "talents," to love him. It all goes horribly wrong for him, however, as his kids have other ideas. Meanwhile, Daredevil's blossoming romance with his law partner and life coach Kirsten McDuffie takes a turn for the interesting when Kirsten's father, a self-made publishing magnate, offers Daredevil a book deal for his life-story, with a hefty advance. The problem, however, is that for all of his eloquence in the courtroom and acumen in hand-to-hand combat, Matt is apparently a terrible writer. He's about to have about several bigger problems in very short order, though.

While I certainly missed Samnee during the last two "Original Sin" issues, I'm more than happy for his time off, because his art on both of these issues visibly benefits from his brief hiatus; the level of rendering is quite impressive, even by his already considerably high standards. It perfectly captures the decidedly dark atmosphere Waid has set for this particular story line.

Killgrave, like most of Daredevil's original villains, was actually kind of goofy when he came out (Kingpin, often regarded as DD's ultimate nemesis, was originally a Spider-Man bad guy), but in the last ten years or so, thanks in large part to Brian Michael Bendis, who reworked the character in the now defunct series Alias, he has metamorphosed into a rather frightening character in the mold of Hannibal Lecter. Waid teases the reader with the prospect of Killgrave using his army of kids to make life very difficult for Daredevil, before taking an abrupt, very interesting left turn and setting the stage for what could not only be an interesting showdown, but a very interesting team-up as well. That's all I'll say on the matter.

This storyline kind of eschews the swashbuckling tone that has pervaded this series for the last half decade or so, but rather than revisit its more famous noir roots it goes for a more gothic horror, "Children of the Corn" kind of approach, and I'm very interested to see what Waid and Samnee, joined by new series colorist Matthew Wilson, have in store.

9/10