Daredevil #10

by Kalem Lalonde on November 23, 2014

Written by: Mark Waid
Art by: Chris Samnee

Snow is white, grass is green, the sky is blue and Daredevil is brilliant. No surprises here.

Mark Waid has done a phenomenal job revamping Daredevil. Making the gloomy and dark superhero jovial and fun worked excellently under Waid’s pen even though I prefer a grittier interpretation of the character. That’s why this issue resonated with me so much. Matt’s happiness, his shield has been compromised. Every failure, every loss, every moment of sorrow has begun eating Matt alive in this issue as he faces his greatest enemy of all, depression. I adored this issue and it makes me even sadder that Waid’s run is coming to an end. He knows every aspect of Matt Murdock’s character perfectly and brings out whichever one he wishes to explore and adds depth to the already insanely deep character. This issue, however doesn’t lack the usual fun that makes this comic such a joy. Matt is deciding to fight his newly arisen depression by putting on the façade of happy Matt. There’s some great humour and fun action spread throughout, yet none of it feels forced. The tones don’t clash because Matt is putting on an act of joy and this issue reflects that. When he’s surrounded by people, he’s lighthearted but when isolated to nothing but thoughts, all he wants to do is sleep.

 Samnee returns as artist and there’s nothing I can say that hasn’t been said. He works in perfect tandem with Waid. Fun, expressive, yet still capable of depicting Matt’s melancholy, no other artist can bring this comic to life as well as Samnee.

This issue was a change of pace for the usually cheerful and upbeat tone Daredevil has to offer. It evokes sadness in the reader with effective moments of silence and an astounding definition of depression. Daredevil continues to be one of the strongest comics on the stand and with Waid’s run coming to an end, he’s amping up the emotion for an explosive finale.

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside