The End of Matt Murdock?
This may not necessarily be the end of Daredevil as we know it, but it is certainly the end of Matt Murdoch- at least for now.
The Good
Daredevil is one of my favorite Marvel comics characters. He is dark, brooding, and has a ton of depth- and those are some character attributes I generally find really interesting. But the ending to Daredevil #512, and the ultimate outcome for Matt Murdoch that has been woven over the course of the last several months was rather anti-climactic. I was a little bit disappointed. But I'll get to what I thought was wrong later; let's start with what was good about this issue. The art, of course, has been consistently good in the series since Shadowland began. Marco Checchetto does an absolutely fantastic job with his pencils, capturing the dark and gloomy tone of the book perfectly. To get the most out of this issue, follow the instructions on the inside cover and be sure to read issue 5 of 5 of the Shadowland series first. In that issue, you'll see Murdoch endure a physical and mental transformation that ensures he will forever be changed. But we're not talking about issue #5 of Shadowland, we're talking about issue #512 of Daredevil. The transition between scenes is good, but I'm not so sure the issue was altogether necessary. It's primary purpose is to tie up the events of Shadowland, which it does, and to fill in the new role of Daredevil. Sorry, spoiler. But not really, since Marvel sort of spoiled that months ago (in fact, I think it was announced on G4's Attack of the Show in September.
So what happens to Matt now? Is he dead? You'll have to read the book to find out.
So what did I really like about this issue? The scenes featuring Foggy Nelson, who refuses to give up on his old friend Matt Murdoch are really touching- and we find in this issue that the Foggy's future and his relationship/ties with Dakota North and Becky Blake are in a very rocky place. The dialogue in these scenes were really lovely, and the art that accompanied them was equally stunning. These moments were perfectly matched, and it was these scenes where the issue climaxed, at least for me.
The Bad
I don't really know how to discuss what I didn't like about the issue without spoiling it, so for those of you who don't want to be spoiled, then please refrain from reading further.
The idea of having Black Panther take on the mantle of Daredevil is just seems really weird, and the cryptic manner in which he addresses Luke Cage and Iron Fist is as well. The line where he reveals that Hells Kitchen is his turf now, was kind of corny, and has been done before.
The Verdict: 2.5 out of 5
This was kind of a filler issue. Sure it introduces a new Black Panth- erm, I mean, Daredevil (but we already knew that), and sure, maybe I would have enjoyed it more had it not been spoiled for me months ago. Unfortunately, this issue, at least for me, was somewhat anti-climactic. However, for fans of Matt Murdoch this is a must read, as it addresses the future of one of Marvel's most prominent characters.
