Marvel is a strange company. On any given week readers might find themselves subjected to something as cringeworthy as The Amazing Spider-Man 1.4, or as spectacular as writer Charles Soule’s Daredevil. Your friendly neighborhood blogger is late to Soule’s ballgame, but it appears as though he and artist Ron Garney are in the middle of something truly special.
For those who haven’t purchased issues 1-4 of Daredevil, the story goes something like this:
- Matt Murdock is now a New York City prosecutor (it’s about time!).
- A Chinese illegal immigrant named Samuel Chung has become Daredevil’s protege.
- A criminal named Tenfingers split from The Hand, stole some mystical power on his way out the door, and started his own cult.
- The Hand sent a zombie-like being known as The Fist to exact revenge.
- Tenfingers orders the assassination of everyone inside his church because they are witnesses to his failure. He cannot be seen as a savior if there is evidence of a setback.
- Chung’s mom works for Tenfingers.
I haven’t followed Daredevil in years, but it appears as though the last time the book looked this cool — coupled with solid writing — was the 1980s. I tried to get into Daredevil on and off over the years, but this is the first time the title appears to have that “pop” that the defender of Hell’s Kitchen deserves.
If Mr. Soule doesn’t get too weirdly political with Chung’s immigration status, then I can certainly envision myself investing in this title for the long haul. Well done, Messrs. Soule and Garney.
Douglas Ernst Blog 