[Comic Book Review] Marvel Comics' DAREDEVIL (2019) #1

Comic Previews, Comic Reviews, New Comic Book Day

[Comic Book Review] Marvel Comics’ DAREDEVIL (2019) #1

Adrian Care

February 6, 2019

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PopCultHQ received an advance review copy of DAREDEVIL (2019) #1 from Marvel Comics. Available February 6th, 2019, the creative team for this series features writing from Chip Zdarsky, art from Marco Checchetto, colors by Sunny Gho, and lettering from Clayton Cowles.

Here’s PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of…

DAREDEVIL (2019) #1

Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Sunny Gho
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Main Cover Artist: Julian Totino Tedesco

KNOW FEAR.

PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
DAREDEVIL (2019) #1

The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen returns with authority.

Matt Murdock has recovered from his mental and physical injuries and is ready to take to the streets and the rooftops as his masked alter ego. There’s no legal drama here, no big-time super heroics. This is street-level grime and grit as the former man without fear begins to rebuild on both sides of the mask.

Writing:

Oh, Chip Zdarsky, is there anything you can’t do?

How can you be such a perfect fit on so many books? Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-man, Howard the Duck, the art in Sex Criminals, and now this. When a writer just gets a character, the fit feels beyond perfect. Zdarsky isn’t just a good writer or artist, he is a master storyteller. He packs so much into this first issue, I thought the page count had doubled. The authenticity of the street level crime. The corruption emanating from Mayor Fisk. The internal struggles of Matt Murdock. The Hell’s Kitchen nightlife and the human interactions. All of these are “A” grade level features of the issue. There’s a mix here of ticking every box, playing all the hits, respecting the esteemed history of work that has preceded him. But there’s also new. New challenges, new characters, new ideas. Chip Zdarsky should never have to buy himself a drink again.

Art:

I remember reading Marvel Knights 4 in 2004 and being absolutely floored by Steve McNiven’s pencils. There are artists you know will be superstars the first time you lay eyes on their work.

While I realise this isn’t Marco Checchetto’s first book, I feel the same way I did in 2004. Incredible is too small a word to describe the level of layout, detail, sequential storytelling, quiet moments, action and “special effects” of this issue. There are homages to Frank Miller, John Romita Jr, Alex Maleev and Chris Samnee’s work all over the issue, but Checchetto forges his own path. His realism in the conversational moments perfectly accompanies the dialogue, his eye for backgrounds and settings reminds me of the praise people used to heap on Michael Turner for the elegance and detail. The research and effort that has gone into every panel is telling, beautiful and breathtaking. If I owe Chip Zdarsky a drink, then I owe Marco Checchetto my apologies. I’ve overlooked or underrated his work on the Punisher, Avengers World, and Old Man Hawkeye. Although he’s made a quantum leap from even the most recent of those, I won’t repeat that mistake again.

Colors:

To bring color to the world of a blind superhero takes something exceptional. To breathe life into every panel so that the subconscious shares dialogue with the atmosphere is the hallmark of a gifted artist. To use a palette that blends the comic book world with reality to boot is just showing off. Sunny Gho has developed a coloring style that is always fresh, yet also signature. He is just as adept here, on the streets of New York, as he was in the depths of Aquaman’s ocean, in the skies of Power Girl, and across the globe and outer reaches of the universe on Avengers. With all his work, Gho gives you color work that fires on every cylinder. Daredevil is just the latest example of that.

Letters:

It seems like all I’ve done recently is praise the work of Clayton Cowles. See my recent reviews of Age of X-man: Alpha #1 and Die #3. The old cliché that the cream always rises to the top rings true. In the case of letterers working today, does it get more consistent or prolific than the ever-adaptable lettering provided by Cowles? I don’t think so.

PopCultHQ’s overall assessment

Everything about this issue has the makings of another classic run to add to the annals of Daredevil’s proud history. Even the parts of the book that re-tread more familiar parts of the Daredevil mythos feel fresh, either because of the pitch-perfect writing or the stunning art.

Full disclosure. I wasn’t a massive fan of Charles Soule’s Daredevil. It was fine for the most part. I thought the Man Without Fear miniseries wasn’t necessary either. I still had hopes that this would be a solid book and I was rewarded with one of the most impressive first issues I’ve read from Marvel in a long time. The whole team should be applauded and the whole comic book community should give this book the attention and success work of this quality deserves.