A New Direction for an Old Favorite: A Review of Daredevil #1 (Mild Spoilers)

 written by Chip Zdarsky

drawn by Marco Checchetto (with Rafael dela Torre)

colored by Matt Wilson 

As Matt Murdock prepares to lead "the Fist" together with his longtime frenemy Elektra in a bid to take down the Hand once and for all, an adventure which will have him heading out to parts unknown, he embarks on a crime-fighting spree with longtime ally Spider-Man.  His first target is Butch Pharris, the illegitimate son of former Mayor of New York City Wilson Fisk, and the new Kingpin of Crime.  Also, while saying his goodbyes to the likes of Foggy Nelson, Matt discovers something unexpected about his old law school classmate Robert Goldman, the prosecutor who convinced him to serve time as Daredevil. Meanwhile, Elektra trades words (and blows) with her old mentor Stick as she firms up her own plans for her upcoming quest with Matt.

After Chip Zdarsky ended his first stint on Daredevil strongly with his "Devil's Reign" miniseries, I was genuinely optimistic for his upcoming series relaunch with Marco Checchetto, with whom he had previously relaunched the title in 2018 following Charles Soule's three-year tenure on the book. I disagreed with quite a few of Zdarsky's creative decisions, but he won back my trust with "Devil's Reign" and left me eager to see the next chapter of Matt Murdock's life. 

 

I guess it's a good thing that Zdarsky and Checchetto managed to set a pretty high bar for themselves but I have to admit that coming on the heels of "Devil's Reign" this series launch felt distinctly underwhelming, with very little happening by way of actual story progression, and with an unwelcome resort to the old "talking heads" story device that tends to rob a story of any real forward momentum. I also found it a bit illogical that Matt, while pretending to be his deceased brother Mike, basically outed himself as Daredevil to make some bizarre point.  I actually liked Checchetto's work here especially since Spider-Man, the guy with whom he started his Marvel career years ago, made an appearance, but the proliferation of panels kind of blunted his talent a little bit here.

Zdarsky and his collaborating artists have been setting up this "war" for well over a year now, so I would have thought that with this big relaunch he would have dived right into the adventure instead of treading water, which is basically what all of the characters spend this extra-sized issue doing. There's one big bang of a story twist near the end of the issue, but it didn't really make that much of an impression on me, especially considering how spoiled I've been by the sublime storytelling I've seen from Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. over in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man. 

Zdarsky and Checchetto are off to a slow start, but I hope they pick up steam real soon.

6.5/10

THAT'S How You Tell Stories: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #5 (and a look back at the first five issues)

 written by Zeb Wells

art by John Romita Jr (p) and Scott Hanna (i)

colors by Marcio Menyz

In wrapping up their first-ever collaboration on the adventures of the amazing Spider-Man, writer Zeb Wells and artist John Romita, Jr. deliver a finale that has managed to both satisfy and leave me hankering for more.

After having learned to his chagrin that he was used by crime-boss Tombstone as a bludgeon against the resurgent Rose, Spider-Man licks his wounds, grabs a coffee, and then quietly plans to hit back at Tombstone. His solution is clever, if the tiniest bit cynical, and effective, too.  Mild spoiler, though, anyone expecting the big dust-up promised by the cover art is going to walk away from this issue disappointed. Also, this issue explains where the heck Digger, the gamma-powered patchwork of dead mobsters, was while Spider-Man was busy unwittingly dismantling the Rose's crew.

While this issue may seem anticlimactic to some, I, for one, really like it when Spider-Man uses his brains rather than his brawn to hit back at his enemies.  Also, it's hard to begrudge Wells a distinct shift from the high-octane action of the past couple of issues considering how good Romita Jr.'s art looks here. If I'm perfectly honest, his art on Spider-Man hasn't looked this good since his days of working with J. Michael Straczynski.  Scott Hanna is truly one of his better collaborators, and Marcio Menyz's rich palette of colors evokes the very best of Dan Kemp back in the day.  

This issue still leaves so many unanswered questions regarding Peter's new status quo, which is fine by me because I intend to keep following this run. It is so very satisfying to get a solid five issues from one creative team, especially with one art team firing on all cylinders like this one is.  This is what many of us readers have been missing for literally years, and it's gratifying to finally see Marvel getting the hint. 

My only gripe, if you can call it that, is the misleading cover. I know it's been a staple of comic books since forever, but it's no less annoying at I can't help but feel that it cheapens the story inside just a little bit. It's like Marvel's not giving its readers enough credit. 

All that said, thank you, Nick Lowe and the rest of the Spidey brain trust, for bringing this dream team together. They have well and truly delivered. 

I know JR, Jr. is taking a break from art chores for the landmark 900th issue in a couple of weeks, but considering it's Ed McGuinness stepping up to bat I'm hardly one to complain. 

8.5/10