Daredevil #15: The Devil in Disguise

So far this week, every book I’ve reviewed has been really good. Thankfully, Daredevil #15 doesn’t break my streak. Every aspect of this book is so good, I’m not sure where to start. I’m gonna pick alphabetically, so we’re starting with art.

Artists Marco Checchetto & Francesco Mobili knock this one out of the park. No, I’m not talking about a baseball stadium. They knocked it out of Central Park.  They get the chance to draw just about everything that’s ever appeared in a Daredevil comic…except for Daredevil. They do draw Matt Murdock in his “Trial of the Incredible Hulk” costume, just not the red, horns on the head costume. There’s a great MM/Elektra ninja type break-in, fight, and break-out. There’s a savage beatdown involving some mega-cops and what’s become a “normal” man. There’s also some heavy drama involving a man’s fall from grace, even though his position in the world has risen. Checchetto & Mobili do an absolutely fabulous job of portraying every aspect of the human emotional scale in this issue. The only thing I wish they would’ve gotten the chance to draw is a full-out superhero vs bad guy fight, but I’m going to guess that that’s coming before too long. After all, this IS a Daredevil comic. This art team has been on a hot streak for some time now, and it doesn’t look like they’re taking their foot off the gas in the near future. Thank God.

Author Chip Zdarsky gives us another really good issue. Like I mentioned earlier, this issue has all the trademarked Daredevil elements. Ninja type action, flips, fists, fights, and all those other F words. I was worried that the “no Daredevil” thing would get old after two issues, but I’m really liking it. I think because there’s an organic reason for it. Zdarsky led the story where it was naturally going, he didn’t tie a rope around its neck and yank it into the neighbor’s yard. Even though his run on Daredevil hasn’t lasted that long, it’s been far superior to some previous creators’ work already. Here’s hoping he doesn’t leave anytime soon.