Pick of the Week

Story by Mark Waid
Art by Paolo Rivera & Joe Rivera
Colors by Javier Rodriguez
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Paolo Rivera

Size: 20 pages
Price: 2.99

As we wind down 2011 and I sit here to write my last Pick of the Week of the year, I can’t help but to look back and reflect on some of the trends and events in comics that have occurred over the past 12 months. One major trend that I’ve enjoyed the most this year has been a return to fun comics. After so many years of grim and gritty, dark and realistic comics, several major titles turned around and embraced the color and fun of comic books, and the title that has lead the way in this movement has been the relaunched Daredevil, written by Mark Waid, who’s been joined by artists Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin. And so, as I sat down to read my comics this week, it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that Daredevil #7 was a holiday themed issue. Of course it was. Because what’s more fun than a one and done holiday themed comic? I mean, just look at the cover of Daredevil #7 and tell me that doesn’t put a smile on your face.

For Daredevil #7, the aforementioned Mark Waid is joined by Paolo Rivera for this tale set in December as lawyer Matt Murdock gives back to his community by chaperoning a trip to the Catskills with a group of problem kids from a local school for the blind. When I opened the comic to the first page and saw the mini School Bus driving on a snowy mountain road, I could see what was coming a mile away and cringed at the thought that this bus would soon be crashing. Sure enough, after an ill timed deer ran out on the road, it did. And even though I saw it coming, Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera were able to control the tension and action of these first three pages in a way where it didn’t matter at all how obvious of a story this would be. With the bus driver slain in the accident, Matt is left to lead the group of 8 children through a blizzard in the mountains to safety.

One of the aspects of what Waid has done with this reinvigorated Daredevil that makes it so fantastic to read is the creative manner in which he’s approached Daredevil’s powers. We’ve raved about this for nearly every issue, but yet again, Waid impresses me with his approach. By taking Daredevil out of his element, Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, and dropping him in the mountains, it presents a whole host of new challenges. Factor in the fast falling snow of a snow storm, and you get a believable challenge to Daredevil as the falling snow plays havoc with his radar powers. As Daredevil explains in the narration boxes, even with his radar sense, in the snow Daredevil can’t “see” two feet in front of him. Absolute simplistic genius. Add in the use of Daredevil’s billy club/grappling hook to be used as a tethering device to have the kids hold onto so they can all stick together in the snow and Daredevil’s continued monitoring of the 8 little heartbeats to make sure all were accounted for, and you have an amazingly creative use of the tools at hand to help tell the story.

As the hype began to build for this relaunched Daredevil title earlier this year, we were all drooling in anticipation of seeing Marcos Martin draw the character. Not to take away from Martin, who is fantastic, but it’s been Paolo Rivera who has stole the show with his art on the title and Daredevil #7 is no exception. I’ve come to be a very big fan of Rivera’s clean lines and classic, almost silver age, approach to drawing the world of Daredevil. I can’t imagine it’s easy to draw Daredevil leading 8 blind kids through the forest in the Catskills, but Rivera does it with such elegance, that you truly do get the sense of the cold, the vastness of the wilderness and the desperation, wondering if they’re going to make it or not. By having Daredevil in his costume under his clothes, which have become torn and tattered in the accident, is a subtle touch that keeps us connected to the hero that Daredevil is. And building off Waid’s mastery of Daredevil’s powers, Rivera has defined the visual look of Daredevil’s radar with the simple black and red wireframe design to illustrate what Daredevil “sees.” Rivera and Waid are working in near perfect unison, exemplifying what can happen when a writer and artist click on every level.

The approach with this new Daredevil seems to be to embrace the fun that once existed in Daredevil comics, that silver age sensibility of a swashbuckling blind lawyer super hero, but not seeming like an anachronism. Waid is developing his Daredevil to be one of the best runs of the character and it’s so much fun to be able to read this week in and week out. Within Daredevil, I’m reminded of how great of a writer Mark Waid is, as he’s able to inject humor in just the right places to deliver the right amount of light heartedness. The simple touch of  Matt Murdock wearing a shirt that says “I’m Not Daredevil” to a holiday party hosted by Murdock and Foggy Nelson during a flashback sequence was just enough to make me laugh out loud. While this issue is a single, one shot holidays themed issue, Waid is still able to keep his larger story going, reminding us of the major plot point of the last arc, and continuing the romantic tension between Murdock and the pretty lady from the District Attorney’s office.

Of course, with this being a holiday issue, while the stakes were high and it seemed as if all hope was lost for Daredevil and his group of blind kids lost in the mountains, it takes the heroism and courage of the kids, not Daredevil, to save the day. After succumbing to the cold, injuries and that failed moment of hearing a truck in the distance, yet unable to get its attention, the blind kids come to rescue, telling Daredevil, “Don’t be afraid Mr. Murdock.” The conclusion to Daredevil #7 was both touching and inspiring and left me with a huge smile on my face by the end of this heartwarming issue. Exactly how I’d expect to feel after reading a holiday issue of one of my favorite comics.

Ron Richards
I’m a sucker for a holiday issue.
ron@ifanboy.com