The Good
Things just can't be easy for Matt Murdock, can they? Just when he thinks he's gotten things together and figured things out, everything in his life takes a turn. Everything gets flipped on its head. This is such a fantastic comic. Combined, the awesome talents of artist Chris Samnee and the great interpretation of Daredevil's character by Mark Waid make this a comic that you really don't want to miss out on. Add this to the already fantastic work on DAREDEVIL by Mark Waid.
The last time we saw Matt things were not looking good for him whatsoever, particularly in his best friend relationship department. Since the start of this series the relationship between Matt and his closest comrade Foggy Nelson have gradually been heading south, and the latest issue proves that things may have just hit rock bottom. I think one of the great things about this series is that Waid has managed to merge his own take on the character and create new stories with Matt at the center, but still reference many of the events and experiences Matt has endured in his past. He was gone for a while and had to figure things out after the events of Shadowland, and that's something that has been constantly on the horizon of this series. It's not a series of events that Waid has disregarded.
The friendship between Matt and Foggy is definitely at the center of this issue which I think is really important to the future of the direction of this series. What will happen to them? Will they be able to bounce back from this? And more importantly, what the heck is going on with Matt? Is he sabotaging himself, or is he the victim of a crazy set-up? Since around issue #9 Waid has been dropping some clues for readers about some things that are happening to Daredevil. This issue clears a lot of things up for the reader; we begin to get a better idea of what is happening to the character.
I love Samnee's art in this issue, I think it's just stunning. I personally find him to be so talented and the perfect compliment to this series. He is great at setting up a scene and drawing the focus to a character's specific features at the most appropriate times. It's really beautifully drawn,
The Bad
This is yet another brilliant issue of DAREDEVIL.
The Verdict
This is not a bad place to start reading if you are not familiar with the book because it sets the stage for things to come. It reinforces the state of the relationship between Matt and Foggy, Matt's new girlfriend and a mysterious figure from Matt's past. This is a great place to jump on board if you haven't been reading. Like all previous issue, this one is easy to read and digest and will keep you entertained throughout. Great art, story, pacing and themes make this another awesome issue.