Daredevil #33

Writing Mark Waid Artist Chris Samnee

 

Introduction

 

Mark Waid has been awfully quiet as of late. The writer has been producing Daredevil with artist Chris Samnee with each and every month, really engaging readers in the incredible experience. Even with the great work being featured in this book, there is something hidden in the water here. Daredevil is set to conclude in at issue #36, which is no more than a few months away from right now. Readers may be setting the course for a massive status quota change that could significantly alter the run. With this in mind, should fans even care about this issue? Are there going be to hints setting things into motion? Those interested should pay close attention, but still try to stay engaged with this incredible series. Daredevil has rarely taken any creative missteps as of late, and remained as one of the most delightful titles currently on store shelves. The current arc featuring some of the older monsters has been fairly entertaining, but perhaps lacking some of the creative peaks the series has previously embraced,

 

Writing

 

This issue of Daredevil really pulls readers into fascinating directions. The comic does a great job of setting up a mystery that has infinite possibilities. Problems lie in the second half of the story where the book starts becoming slightly obscured, where the frayed art does not help the matter. The suspense building here from the Serpent himself is a major draw to the book right now. It also may be the cog in the wheel to move readers towards a concrete endgame teased with the new number one. Mark Waid has asked fans a really curious question in the form of who the beast behind the sons of the serpent is. The monster characters are not all that complicated, and ultimately do not lead to very much in the end. Down the road they could lead to being more important, or serve as a wider supporting cast, but right now they do not add a significant amount to the story. Many also will be curious as to what exactly is going to happen with Foggy. Daredevil is currently in a bizarre place that makes it an interesting contrast to the first issue of this incarnation of the book.

 

Art

 

What can I say about Chris Samnee that has not already been said? The artist is one of the greatest talents that the industry has to offer. Unfortunately, he is not the one drawing this issue. The art duties here are tackled by Jason Copland, and are not up to par with former heights that the series has gotten from artists like Paolo Rivera and company. He looks as if he is trying to imitate Samnee, without trying to adapt his style within the pages of Daredevil. Previous artists like Kano and Javier Rodriguez slightly altered their art approaches in smart ways that looked stunning, and in line with the previous art of the title. It would be interesting to observe Copland on a book where he had the chance to define his own visual language, instead of confining into someone elses. It is also worth noting that he is fairly adept in aping Samnee, which cannot be easy to do. Without a close eye, one could be easily fooled into thinking that is the former artist minus all the great detail.

 

Conclusion

This may not be the greatest issue of Daredevil ever, but Waid obviously has an endgame in mind. Anxious readers will be counting the days until the return of Samnee. Overall, this is still a solid entry in the series.