Daredevil #6: No Devils, Only God (pt 1)

I want to get my critique of the art for this new arc out of the way. Because right off the bat, it’s not at the level that Marco Checcetto’s was in the initial arc.

But that doesn’t mean the art team should be punished for simply having to follow such stellar work.

It’s fine in parts. In a story focusing on character moments, there are some panels that really shine as highlighting a trivial movement. A small inflection. A subtle smirk.

The coloring by Java Tartaglia really rescues it across the issue. A colourist who can really thrive on street level, community settings and play up the seedy underbelly that looms large in the lives of the people is a colorist who has decisively done their job.

The layouts are nice in parts too.

It’s just the overall execution that lets things down. The unevenness and inconsistencies are what prevent this book from another perfect score. It’s reminiscent of some of the more average or journeyman efforts of ‘90s comics without going full-Image or aping any particular style at all. It’s not bad. It’s just that the great character pieces and set up of the writing deserved better.

Did you read the compliment in that?

The writing (and this is starting to get sickly repetitive) just goes from strength to strength.

Even the story elements that appeal to me less (Cole as a character I can take or leave) are handled with such purpose and control that I can’t help but invest in it.

The level of detail given to displaying Matt’s reprise of his sense of self is astounding. Zdarsky perfectly communicates how each element of the character informs the whole.

The scenes where he becomes smitten by a new character not only speaks volumes of Matt’s ego and how his thought process works (as well as his abilities) when he encounters the opposite sex, it also perfectly explains how we all feel in the moments we become smitten by someone so “intoxicating”.

On top of this, Matt’s new job is genius. It’s logical, perfect for where this story and the character is going and allows another chance to show the growth and change in Matt Murdock without painting him as a bleeding heart.

If the last arc was the story of a hero who has lost his way and gone too far. This beginning, for all of its ominous feels, is a depiction of a man on the mend. Learning to live within himself and find a better purpose for himself. There’s an air of hope permeating throughout the story, but there’s also the sliest note that this isn’t going to be the status quo for long.

If there is now only God, there’s a real sense that at any moment the Lord is about to taketh away. It’s not telegraphed by any means, but I bet my sight it will happen.

I’ll bet my remaining senses that the journey there will be just as engrossing to read as the writing in this issue.