Writer: Saladin Ahmed / Pencillers: Aaron Kuder, Farid Karami, German Peralta / Inker: Cam Smith (#3) / Colour Artist: Jesus Aburtov / Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles / Design: Stacie Zucker / Editors: Jennifer Grunwald, Daniel Kirchhoffer, Tom Groneman, Devin Lewis / TP / Collects: Daredevil (2023) #1-#5 / Marvel Comics
Review by: Paul Dunne
29th October 2024 (Released: 17th April 2024)
The Pitch: Daredevil is born again - all over again! Industry stars Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder have laced up and entered the ring, ready to take Matt Murdock on a knockout of an adventure! But how is he back? Where does his wife, Elektra, fit into all of this? And why is Matt wearing a priest's collar? The Man Without Fear has a new calling as a man of faith, but corruption is tearing apart Hell's Kitchen! Those who have sworn to protect the city have betrayed their oaths, and Matt feels compelled to seek righteous retribution - one billy club to the face at a time! But when Bullseye makes his bloody entrance into Matt's new life and the bodies begin to pile up, Daredevil must make an impossible choice between stopping his deadliest enemy and saving the soul of his friend!
Eventually, it had to happen. Frank Miller posited the idea that Matt Murdock was a catholic. I believe the quote was: "He's a lawyer by day and a vigilante by night - of course he's a Catholic!" it could only be a matter of time before someone made him a priest! As ludicrous as it might seem to some or at the very least very on the nose, Ahmed has managed to retain elements of Matt's other identities, placing them like breadcrumbs in the story for Matt - and extension, us - to follow back to the suit. Matt is in the middle of what could be a legal battle when we find him, as the local diocese threatens to shut down the church Matt is part of - a place that has become home to foster kids outside the system, a teenage prostitute (which you can't help but think of Karen Page when you see) and of course, Matt himself.
There are shades here of Moon Knight's midnight mission, making this an interesting companion piece to the street-level supernaturals and moreover, a curious look at how Marvel handles deities. Speaking of Gods, there's a hint that Matt may have other masters: a mysterious benefactor is paying all the church's bills and bribing city officials to make sure this particular house of God stays open. Oh, and there's that mysterious actual demon-looking mo-fo that appears to Elektra (now NYC's Daredevil) as she watches over Matt one night, then attempts to kill Matt. Just what the hell is going on with Daredevil?!
With each iteration, two things seemingly have to happen with superheroes. You have to address the hinterland, the life not lived but yearned for, in most cases a 'normal life'. And you have to go back to the core, back to the beginning. In this case, putting Matt in a black jumpsuit and a blindfold before issue one hits its back page. It might have been more enticing for some of us if Matt stayed in his priest's outfit a little longer, after all, we know he looks good in black, but needs must, I guess. Before the issue plays out, he's begun to recall his old life, and threads as Daredevil. What's fun here is having seen Matt go to figurative and literal hells more than once, Ahmed brings hell to Matt Murdock. Demons get at Matt's core, his friend group, seemingly representing the seven deadly sins. All this, and Matt has to cope with the more grounded threat of Bullseye and a gang of thugs who are actually cops, bringing us a very real and timely threat and commentary on the police's use of force. Demons, we're reminded, come not single but in battalions as Matt's previous friendships get called into question, each friend disguising the possibility of something sinister. It’s an overtly religious book, but I think that what Ahmed is trying to get at is that religion can simply mean ‘a moral way of treating one’s fellow human beings’ or a moral investigation into the human condition. Just in case the presence of religion might put some off. But then, I’m always surprised at just how much religion finds its way in to American comics.
The team does well to balance street-level crime-fighting with the sinister master plans of unearthly creatures. Moreover, Ahmed balances Matt's nightlife with his day job and remembers that underneath it all, there must be compassion. There are shades of Bendis’ run and Nocenti’s work on the title, both of which are fine books to try to live up to. Kuder brings a nice, clean line of action throughout his panels, favouring big figures that dominate the frame and action. There are a lot of good, bloody fights and gun battles to remind us that Priest or not, Matt is still living at the shadier end of Marvel's New York. Kerami and Peralta make an excellent fist (no pun intended)of their fill-in issues so the whole thing feels of a piece. Cam Smith makes excellent work of the inks on #3, getting some thick, definitive lines and shading in. Aburtov's colours do a fantastic job of adding atmosphere to the book, getting the sodium glow of NYC's streets and the half-lit world Matt lives in to keep up appearances just right. His light really shines when the demons come out to play, though and the blood reds and sickly greens get brought to bear. Clayton Cowles brings his pitch-perfect lettering game to the book, conveying subtle giveaways that all may not be well, even when we hear familiar voices. As with the current crop of Marvel, we're left on a vital cliffhanger, so go find the recently released second volume once you've read this first book. A good start to this new era, Daredevil Volume One is a fascinating look at taking a major character out of the game and giving him a chance to be the person he always wanted to be, even if the past is ever-present. After all, the devil never forgets...
Daredevil by Saladin Ahmed Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are available at your local comic book shop now!
