Back when I was a wee lad, I went to the public library and checked out a book that collected some of the old, early issues of DD’s first series from all the way back in the ’60’s. He was basically a smart-mouthed swashbuckler who liked to swing around new York city in a brightly colored costume and punch criminals in the face, but he WASN’T Spider-Man. I wasn’t all that impressed. Fast forward a few years to the late ’80’s/early ’90’s, and every issue of Daredevil I pick up has him fighting nijas or Mephisto, and intercoursing with anyone that will have him (including Typhoid Mary. Jeeze.). Fast forward quite a few MORE years later to the early ’00’s, and every issue of Daredevil I pick up has him fighting ninjas or Kingpin, and intercoursing with his way-more-blind-than-he-is wife, but with art I didn’t like to look at and writing that I STILL think is overrated. So why pick this new series up? Because Frank Miller’s and JRjr.’s “Man Without Fear” mini and Kevin Smith’s and Joe Q.’s all-too short early ’00’s run were both excellent books that showed me Daredevil could be interesting and deep without resorting to all the self-loathing that his character suffered for so many years. And that’s what brought me on board with this current volume of Matt’s adventures, the hope that the new book could be as good as those other two team’s. And by god, it is. After only 4 issues, I can say without fear of reproach that Mark Waid is a genius of detail and the revolving art team of Marcos Martin & Paolo Rivera bring a light into DD’s world that hasn’t seemed to be around since those early ’60’s issues. I can tell these creators really care about Daredevil and want this book to be the best one on the shelf, and sometimes, I think they’re getting close to it.
No more dpressive, mopey Matt means I’ll keep reading this book for as long as Waid can keep writting it, and each issue shows so much creativity in the art I sometimes find myself just staring at the pages in awe.
If you’re not reading this title, drop one of those lesser DC New 52 books and check it out. It’s Daredevil like I’ve never seen him before, and maybe it will be for you, too.