Catch-Up Reading: A Review of Daredevil #3

written by Chip Zdarsky
art by Marco Checchetto
colored by Sunny Gho

Last issue, Matt Murdock was trying to escape the police and ended up getting shot. This issue, cornered and wounded, he makes another bid to escape, but ends up having to try to fight for his freedom in the most literal way possible. Things do not go well for him, and for not the first time in his career, he needs a helping hand to get him through. Unfortunately, this particular hand is not one from which he might have expected, or even wanted assistance.

As strong as the last two issues may have been, with the dialogue from issue #2 in particular being rather outstanding, writer Chip Zdarsky kind of drops the ball here with a prolonged chase and fight scene and, if I may be perfectly honest, a fairly predictable cliffhanger. About the only thing about this issue that feels vaguely interesting, plot-wise, is how Zdarsky really doubles down on the fact that Kingpin had nothing to do with the death of the thug, whom Matt apparently inadvertently killed in issue #1. Zdarsky appears fully committed to his Matt-as-a-perpetrator-of-manslaughter with this issue, and that's pretty much the only thing that really keeps driving the plot forward and, for that matter the only thing that feels fresh, because having Matt get shot and then beaten to within an inch of his life is something that far too many writers and artists, including ones who very recently worked on this title, have already done for it to have any real emotional impact at this point. This issue feels a bit too much like extender, something to fatten the eventual hardcover or trade paperback, which is a shame since Zdarsky has demonstrated, time and time again, that he knows how to pack a lot of story into just twenty or twenty-one pages.

Checchetto, again, disappoints here, relative to what I know he's capable of, and in truth I often find myself looking back at his work during the Mark Waid days, especially since one of the characters he also drew in that run shows up here.

Charles Soule and his rotating crew of artists did a pretty decent job of putting Matt through the wringer, but what made their approach enjoyable was how they tried to put their own stamp on his various tribulations. This run, so far, has the one interesting hypothetical question, but little else going for it. I like Zdarsky's work and my affection for this character is definitely going to keep me onboard for more than just one story arc, but I really hope he and Chechetto (or other artists) have more in store than just this.

6/10