Daredevil: Gang War #2: Claws Out

Daredevil: Gang War #2 isn’t a better chapter in this mini-series than the last, but it isn’t all that worse either. While the first issue impressed with its integration of character and action directly into the core of the story, this second issue takes that setup and dives headfirst into a blaze of tight action and suspense, propelling the plot forward with a brilliant pace. As Erica Schultz ascends on my list of fresh Marvel talent that deserves a bigger chance to shine, so does Sergio Fernandez Dávila, who becomes richer as a penciler with each book he draws. In short, everything I said about the quality of the first issue carries over here with flawless consistency.

The issue starts with a reflection on the past from Elektra that reads quickly but fills readers in on Daredevil’s recent history with the Heat, for those who may not be caught up on the book’s current status quo from both Chip Zdarsky and Saladin Ahmed’s runs on Daredevil, respectively. This opening sequence highlights some of Dávila’s strengths as an artist.

There’s a great flow of action with careful attention to detail, utilizing panel structure knowledgeably, not just employing splashes or gridded pages as superficial style, but as avenues to keep page pace fluent and pack in as much story as possible without burdening the book’s opening with too much old, but necessary, information. The same can be said for Schultz’s writing, not just in this section but throughout the issue. There’s a clever balance in pacing from both the art and writing, a balance that few four-issue mini-series achieve but is critical for the reader to derive satisfaction from what the story is trying to convey.

From there, the book resolves the climax of the last issue with an exciting yet ruinous warehouse fight that helps unravel the mystery of who the book’s main antagonist is behind their flawlessly ’90s mask. The pacing of reveals, dialogue, and the dynamic nature of the story during this scene allow the book to indulge in some pace-peddling action while remaining both entertaining and structurally important to the series’ plot development. The rest of the issue follows suit, with the ending tying the book intrinsically to Gang War but doing so in a way that prioritizes its own narrative goals.

While I do prefer Schultz’s character writing to the action focus this issue takes on, it’s still a monumental achievement to craft a story as well-rounded as a tie-in to one of Marvel’s lazier events of the last few years. What should have been cannon fodder filler is proving itself with each issue to be a story worthy of its own title, divorced from the machinations of a larger event. The only negative aspect is the coloring, which tends to give the pencils a strange, inorganic feel. A little more richness in color would have helped boost the book’s atmosphere.