Writer: Chip Zdarsky / Pencillers: Marco Checchetto, Francesco Mobili / Colour Artists: Nolan Woodard, Rachelle Rosenberg / Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles / Editors: Danny Khazem, Devin Lewis and Nick Lowe / Collects Daredevil #11 - #15 / TP / Marvel Comics
17th June 2020
The Pitch: Daredevil goes through hell! As Matt Murdock struggles with his inner demons, Detective Cole North continues hunting the vigilantes of New York. And his first target is...Spider-Man! Meanwhile, the Devil still runs the Kitchen, but who - or what - are they? And what happens when dirty cops capture a fake DD? When the ongoing saga of Mayor Wilson Fisk takes a brutal, bloody turn, Matt soon finds himself with no choice but to investigate the corruption in New York's police force.
Long-standing characters must present both writers and editors with a nightmare. After a while, having had so much talent on a book over the years, there must be very little that hasn't been done both to and with much-storied greats. Short of doing something utterly wild (“That hero you love – but in space!”), there must be a limit to how much you can do that hasn't already been done and still stay true to the character’s mood, origins and setting. Sure, transplant them somewhere else. Environment does breed change and development after all. But if you're intent on keeping the character who works best in the dark in the city never sleeps right where he is... Then as an editor, who do you call? Well, you call the comedy guy of course! Mr Jokes! Then you watch him get serious...
To say that Chip Zdarsky's announcement as writer on Daredevil was a surprise is, well, no surprise. His sly humour as an artist and co-creator on Image’s Sex Criminals had marked him as the weird comedy guy, something his Twitter profile did nothing to dispel. A master of irreverence, we had to wonder if this would be the Daredevil of Waid and Samnee? Would this be... fun? Well, judging from this folks, the answer is no. I mean, who does Zdarsky think he is?? Bringing his storytelling A-game and modern political outlook to this book? We wanted jokes!! Don't worry, you'll soon forget about all that as you read this. Zdarsky presents us with a series of people who are turning away from all they know in an effort to be better than they were before, making life-changing decisions, but then watching everything crumble into the void they've left. Matt has decided that Daredevil is a mistake and is easing into life as a parole officer. Mayor Wilson Fisk is no longer Kingpin and sets his sights on new corridors of power. And Detective Cole North finds himself having to not be a cop, despite wearing the badge. Or at least not being a cop in Hell's Kitchen.
What this volume offers is escalation, mirrors, replacements and reaffirmation. As Matt realises how weakened he is, he's forced back into a partnership with Elektra, who becomes his mentor. That alone I could happily read a whole volume of. With others filling the void as ersatz Daredevils, Matt realises that people need a role model, regardless of how flawed he might be. When he and Elektra attempt to steal from their enemies, they're faced with ersatz ninjas, skilled combatants who approximate the things Elektra and Matt have learned. This theme carries over to Fisk, too. As he takes the stairs to the next levels of power, he finds old habits – like murder – die-hard and that as bad as he is, there's always someone worse. Someone who will take the hard-earned lessons of the Kingpin and apply them in unexpected ways, but really there can only ever be one Wilson Fisk. And Detective North also knows he has to move backwards to move forwards, rather than stay under a morally compromised status quo as forces drive cops out of the kitchen. This run deals with some very pressing and modern issues: policing with compassion versus force, the use of the media as a complicit partner in large-scale, organised crime, redistribution of wealth and rehabilitation of criminals. As always, Matt is tortured by both his and others’ actions, forced into dangerous deals as a result, yet managing to do some good, all whilst maintaining his healthy sense of catholic guilt.
The real test for any Daredevil writer is the degree to which they can torture Matt Murdock and still have him get up from the canvas and ask for more. Zdarsky seems to have this well in hand. His writing is pleasingly gritty without lurching into a tough-guy cliché. His villains and his heroes are aware of who they are and operate without pretence. The art by Checchetto and Mobili is smooth, clean and dynamic. The colours by Woodard and Rosenberg seep in nicely to the art giving you a real sense of the world the characters inhabit now and Clowes' letters are on point. All in all, there's not much fun in this book, despite Zdardsky. But there are plenty of grim pleasures, the kind you get from looking down dark alleys knowing you don't have to take them as a shortcut home, or seeing the rain pelt the streets whilst you're at home, safe and sound. Life for the power players in Hell's Kitchen is not safe. Good thing they start taking their predicament seriously in this book.
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