Review – Daredevil #1.50
Writers: Mark Waid, Brian Michael Bendis, Karl Kesel.
Artists: Javier Rodriguez, Alex Maleev. Inks: Tom Palmer, Alvaro Lopez.
Published by Marvel Comics.
Boasting a beautiful cover from Paulo Rivera namedropping almost every DD creator you could think of, this issue marks the man without fear’s 50th anniversary. Usually these kind of anniversary issues can be a bit excessive or over indulgent I find, Marvel are often quick to change a books numbering back to the original volumes and confuse fans who were following the series as it leaps from say an issue 47 to issue 600.
Thankfully Daredevil does not do that. Instead we’re treated to what’s essentially an “extra” issue that fits between regular issues with a host of Daredevil creators on board.
The issue itself is broken up into 3 parts after an introduction from new Daredevil editor Ellie Pyle.
The first story “The King in Red” is created by DD’s current creative team, writer Mark Waid and artist/colorist Javier Rodriguez with inks from Alvaro Lopez. After a suggestion from previous editor Stephen Wacker to look to the future during this landmark issue and not the past, Waid’s done just that giving us a story set on the 50th birthday of Matt Murdock in a possible future that seems to draw strongly from Waid’s current plans for the book. So we’ve got and older, retired DD with a more evolved radar sense and even a son named ‘Jonathan Franklin Murdock’ who couldn’t be any more different to his dad. The father son dynamic is really fun to watch as we get to see Matt fall into the same pitfalls his father endured raising him. With his own heightened radar sense poor Jonathan seems to just and the sound of a pin dropping. The man without fear now has a son who flinches at everything. This is a great story with plenty for fans to draw on such as Jubula Pride the apparent daughter of long-time DD baddie “The Owl.” I won’t give too much away though as this is well worth the read.
The next story is brought to us from fan favourite Daredevil scribe Brian Michael Bendis and the legendary Alex Maleev. A team who’s run on Daredevil is by many considered to be the best there is, right up there with Frank Miller’s. This tale is presented entirely differently to the previous and works with each page using Maleev’s art on either side of a long ‘newspaper column’ styled block of text from Bendis down the centre of each page. The story focuses on a new character Stana Morgan and her first encounter with Daredevil that gradually evolves into something more. Bendis’s storytelling here is really what makes this great; the subtle details he includes in Stana’s narration are what bring her to life for me. Maleev’s sidebars are crucial to this story too as they paint the scene and carry us from one moment to another and often, tragically shed light on details Stana’s narration seems to miss. Now, whether this is a tale set back during the Bendis and Maleev run or again in another possible future for Murdock it’s impossible to say. And honestly I think that’s what makes it all the more alluring.
Next is creative flashback themed story “The Last Will and Testament of Mike Murdock” which highlights the much more light-hearted era of Daredevil, harking back to the days of Gene Colan where Matt Murdock honestly thought he could get away with not only hiding his Daredevil identity, but also pretending to also be a twin brother named ‘Mike Murdock.’ Yes, that did actually happen. The entire story is created by former DD writer Karl Kesel with inks from Tom Palmer. There’s a nice contrast between the carefree “flashback” Murdock and the present day Matt reviewing his old tapes. Throw in some genuinely cringe worthy false dialogue from ‘Mike’ that only serves to echo the challenges he’s yet to face as Daredevil and this makes for another great read.
This issue also finishes off with a stunning preview for next weeks ‘Elektra #1’ and an extended two page letter column with fans and comic book creators alike doing their best to define what the man without fear has meant to them for over 50 years.
[easyreview cat1title=”The Arcade’s Verdict” cat1detail=”A great issue highlighting various eras of Daredevil’s diverse history. Familiar to longtime fans while being totally accessible to newcomers of the hero.” cat1rating=”9″]
