Review: Daredevil #2 by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

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Review:  Daredevil #2

Published by Marvel Comics

Storytellers:  Mark Waid and Chris Samnee

Colourist:  Javier Rodriguez

The Plot

The story begins with a little bit of a swerve as we are introduced to The Shroud.  There is a news report on t.v. about four missing men with rumoured connections to organized crime.  The Shroud awakens and coincidentally in the next room there just happens to be four men bound and mostly gagged.  He then jumps out of a window and looks like a man on a mission.  14 hours later and Matt and Kirsten are joined by Charlotte who is the Deputy Mayor.  She is there to talk about some concerns about the return of a major player and so-called “kingpin of crime”…Leland Owlsley a.k.a. The Owl.  Matt’s mood shifts from nervous to amused in about two seconds.  Matt asks Charlotte who else has been trouble in the city and she tells him about Maximillion Coleridge a.k.a. The Shroud (whose backstory does resemble that of another character in a different universe).  During the conversation, Matt is able to detect The Shroud approaching them and heads outside to intercept him.  After a brief battle, he persuades Daredevil to accompany him to see the new crime boss in town (he also uses the four hostages as leverage to do so).  Unfortunately, both Kirsten and Daredevil are able to ascertain what exactly is going on with the new crime boss, but not quite in time. 

The Breakdown

This book has been so good with Waid at the helm.  There hasn’t been an issue that I haven’t liked yet.  I like the light approach that Matt takes with everything and his relationship with Kirsten works very well too.  Kirsten continues to prove her resourcefulness and despite this she realizes that she isn’t Foggy.  Speaking of which, I like what they are doing with him for the timebeing.  It makes sense to keep him safe while he is still fighting his illness.  Also, by having him on the shelf it allows Matt and Kirsten’s relationship to develop and gives them a reason to continue staying in San Francisco.  Nonetheless, when he does make his return it’ll be great to see.  I still enjoy how Matt uses his abilities to deduce everything around him from which visitor at the door to who is attempting to attack him.  The teasing of the Kingpin was really funny because it obviously wasn’t going to be him, but the buildup along with Matt’s nervousness really made for a funny scene.  The Shroud’s backstory was amusing and I enjoyed his brief battle with Daredevil.  It was also kind of cool that two blind characters were fighting each other.  There wasn’t anything that stood out as “whoa wtf” but this title doesn’t have to rely on that because the stories are simply well told and the pacing is so damn solid.  Samnee’s art in this issue is pretty damn excellent and he’s so effective at telling every part of the story.  Rodriguez’s colours suit this title so well and even the little touches such as his use of lighting make such a big difference in the overall quality.  Another solid issue in a great series.

BUT…

The price point really pisses me off.  Since this book was renumbered and is part of the Marvel Now! thing, the price is now 3.99.  There’s still the same amount of pages too.  As for the actual story and creative team itself, I have zero complaints.

Buy It, Borrow It, Shelf Read It, or Ignore It?

Buy It.  I really hope that anyone that is trying out this title because of the number one on the cover really goes back and checks out the rest of this series.  This has been the only Marvel title where I haven’t missed a single issue over the past couple years.  Just a few years ago I honestly thought this character was irredeemable and couldn’t be saved from a decade of darkness.  Damn was I ever proven wrong on that one and I’m really glad I was.  As long as Waid is on Daredevil, I will not miss a single issue.  Needless to say Daredevil is one of the best titles on the market and I’m always looking forward to the next issue.

I have been both an avid and casual comic reader over the years (depending on the quality of books). I have been reading Comics Nexus even prior to it becoming Comics Nexus and am glad to be a columnist. In addition, feel free to leave comments whether you agree or disagree because it always leads to discussions.