Early Days: A Review of Daredevil Annual 2018

written by Erica Schulz
illustrated by Marcio Takara
colored by Marcelo Maiolo

Crime writer Erica Schulz and Incredibles artist Marcio Takara bring us a tale from Daredevil's past, to a time before his longtime ally Misty Knight started working with him and other superheroes.

Both DD and Misty Knight find themselves on the trail of a mobster who's been hiring chemistry geniuses in his desperate search for someone who can synthesize a cure for his cancer, based on a formula purloined from S.H.I.E.L.D. Misty doesn't trust DD, or superheroes in general, but comes to realize that DD (who in his secret identity as attorney Matt Murdock, knows the law just as well as she does) can be handy to have around in the fight against crime.

It's a simple enough story, one that, if I'm honest, seems a little thin to stretch over an extra-sized issue. Even the Amazing Spider-man annual from last year (which I didn't review), managed to justify stretching its story out over all the extra pages, and there was even a bit of a payoff as a little detail from that story featured in Dan Slott's final story arc. Also, I'm generally not a huge fan of stories in which the lead character is basically a guest star in his own book, but Misty Knight is a compelling enough character to sustain interest throughout.

The real highlight here, though is Takara, whose detailed work hearkens back to the stunning renderings of 80s icon Mike Golden. Everything about his art, from the basic figures to the rendering to the action, is a real treat. This guy's got some old school flair, especially considering how he's actually relatively young. It's really gratifying that most of the current generation of superstar comics illustrators have well and truly broken away from the worst excesses of the 90s like cross-hatchings everywhere and an overabundance of pouches.

I am enjoying Charles Soule's current story, but this flashback is also a pleasant enough distraction.

7/10