This week has been an art tour de force for me, as much as I hate to use that cliche. Nightwing was a surprise with the artwork, SAGA was another amazing read with Fiona Staples, and now we got a super special guest star in Daredevil. When I think of Mike and Laura Allred I don’t think of Daredevil. The character is so grim that you expect to see people like Michael Lark or Alex Maleev drawing him. But then again, Mark Waid has revived Murdock into being a bit more upbeat. So maybe the Allred’s are a great choice for him.

Is it just me? Or is the art by the Allred’s a bit….tame then usual? I’m not saying it’s bad because it isn’t. But for me it doesn’t have that wacky feel to it. Cause if you look at the cover, that is pure Allred. Inside though, it feels more like you’re reading an old school comic. Which definitely fits with the story since it is mostly in flashback. Again this probably sounds too negative so far but I really did enjoy the art in this even if it isn’t in their usual wild flare. Thank god Stilt-Man is in this issue because these two definitely put some fantastic layouts once he gets into a series. In general there are some nice layouts and I especially liked the one towards the end that takes place in the silhouette of Daredevil. There’s definitely a lot to like in this issue but if you are expecting Madman level designs here, I think you might be disappointed.

Mark Waid does a fantastic job with the story in this because the pacing in this is perfect. You think it is going to be a random flashback involving him and Foggy but it ends in a way I didn’t see coming. Sure the science involved makes no sense but it was so emotional that I didn’t really care. This is another example of why Waid is perfect for the character. He is able to blend so many type of stories into one issue and it meshes so well. I’m not saying I don’t like the Daredevil stories that came before Waid but I am surprised it took so long for anyone to write Daredevil like this. It’s basically a no brainer for me.

While I loved this issue for the most part I do admit the art was a bit conflicting. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very gorgeous issue and it is nice to see the Allred’s work on a mainstream title. But it isn’t the regular type of Allred art you’d normally see so it makes it a little disappointing. But hey, I’m basically saying this is a 4.5 rating on art then a full 5. The writing by Waid truly makes up for it.