"Dark Art" takes on an Inhuman Twist: A Review of Daredevil #12

written by Charles Soule
drawn by Ron Garney
colored by Matt Milla

Following Matt's encounter with the perpetrator of the grisly "art-driven" murders at the end of last issue, he briefly tussles with the killer, who appears to be super-powered, and who ultimately escapes him. He returns to the scene of the crime, only to find that investigators dispatched by New Attilan are on the scene, given that the victims are all Inhumans. Matt asks the Inhuman investigator, a former NYPD detective to share information with the human authorities, but the investigator refuses, telling Matt to take it up with Medusa instead. A tense confrontation between Daredevil and the Inhumans follows, and in the meantime the killer is still very much on the loose.

I welcomed the new creative team a year ago with some trepidation; nobody could top my beloved Waid/Samnee duo, and truth be told, Soule and Garney still aren't on quite that level. For me, however, this new story arc and this particular issue are easily the highlight of Soule's stint on the book so far. I have thoroughly enjoyed the murder-mystery aspect of it, and adding the Inhumans to the mix, rather than demystify the story and make it more "traditionally superhero," actually makes things interesting as it brings Medusa's politics into the mix; her motives are good of her kingdom of New Attilan, but not necessarily for the greater good. Soule knows the character inside-out by now, having worked on the Inhumans books for the last several years, and their integration into Daredevil's grittier, down-to-earth world is relatively seamless.

Also, in this issue, Soule and Garney manage to deliver something I've been hoping to see for quite some time: a masterfully drawn and choreographed fight sequence, in which Daredevil goes head-to-head against the Inhumans' high priest Karnak. Artist Ron Garney delivers in a big way on this one, and while I think there could have been a more imaginative use of panels, it's rock-solid storytelling that deserves all the kudos I can give it.

The issue ends on a heck of a cliffhanger, and while this book seems to have fallen off the radar of a lot of people (a Google search failed to turn up any reviews), personally this is the most excited I've been about this iteration of the title since its relaunch last year.


8.5/10