Just to get it out of the way: No, I am not reading Superior Spider-Man. Not because Peter Parker is dead but because I am just not a fan of Dan Slott writing. So when you are reading this review don’t go typing away that I hated this solely because I am a rabid fanboy. I might not be a fan of this new angle on Spider-Man but that doesn’t mean we can’t have an adult conversation here.

Now onto this particular issue of Daredevil:

The one thing that is bugging me about this entire series so far is Chris Samnee. I don’t deny the talent that he brings but his inconsistency on the title is really hampering the fun here. This issue looked really sloppy to me in a bunch of different ways. Partly because one page or panel will look amazing and the next it looks rushed. Case in point: The one panel of the Chef getting close to Murdock and putting his glasses off kilter was a great sense of detail. But then the next page revealing Spider-Man shows one of his hands is clearly not holding onto the pole where it should. Or there’s a fight scene in the next page that is confusing to follow. But then the action with Stilt-Man is pretty damn fun to look at. I especially loved the sequence where Murdock is trying to concentrate and Samnee paces the sequence with hundreds of word balloons. This inconsistency really ruins what could have been a fun issue to look at. I know it have nothing to do with the coloring because Javier Rodriguez has been here since the beginning and his colors are so damn pretty to look at. Either Samnee’s style just doesn’t work for Daredevil or he can’t do Spider-Man which is a shame.

I enjoyed this issue for the most part but the one thing that bugged me was the forcing of Superior Spider-Man in here. If the premise of this new Spider-Man is that everyone is too damn stupid to realize this isn’t Peter than that’s going to make for one repetitive story. Yes, Mark Waid goes through the motions to have Murdock be fooled but it still bugs me a smart guy like him can’t see the difference. Hell, Stilt-Man uses a line of dialogue Superior Spider-Man uses and I was so sure Waid was going to let Daredevil put two and two together. But no, he just makes him look really dumb. But I can’t deny the rest of the issue was fun with fighting Stilt-Man and Waid discussing why money is such an issue for a blind man. Also, that final page reveal? That’s one hell of a shock for this series.

When the last issue ended with Superior Spider-Man I really tried my best not to let it hamper my enjoyment of this issue. But I’m sorry, I’m not a fan of this direction and I think Mark Waid did some damage to Daredevil by letting him be fooled. We might have had some good stories here if Daredevil figured out this ruse but obviously Marvel isn’t going to let him do that. Luckily, Mark Waid delivers on some really fun action here as usual and the drama with Foggy and Matt continue to be the big hook for me with this series. I just hope Mark Waid doesn’t turn back into an evil bastard and tug my heartstrings with Foggy this year.