Collecting issues #1-6
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martin
Inker: Joe Rivera
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Daredevil’s been in a funk for several years now, with each new creative team that takes over the book putting Matt Murdock through ever bleaker adventures. These stories resulted in a grim and gritty outlook for Daredevil. This new series from writer Mark Waid comes as a breath of fresh air. Daredevil has a light, breezy tone throughout as he bounces back from his lowest point.
Stylistically the book stands out too. The stories here are bright, colourful and visually appealling. Regular series artist Paolo Rivera uses a range of new short-hand techniques to show how the blind Murdock navigates his world and in particular his sense of “radar vision”. Although this might sound superfluous to the spandex heroics, it’s really a central point of the book. The character of Daredevil rests upon the concept that a blind man can have such mastery of his environment that he can become a superhero – make no mistake, a little of the old suspension of disbelief is needed here. But the art on this book will make you see the world from Matt Murdock’s perspective.
Overall, this was a great start to a new series and a perfect jumping-on point for new readers. I’m looking forward to seeing where else Waid’s run takes Daredevil.
(As a postscript, I've linked to the Amazon page above by force of habit but when I checked out AbeBooks, there's a cheaper copy available here.)
