Daredevil Message Board

[Mike Murdock]

I'm about a month off from everyone else, but I finally got my hands on this issue. My hope is, by issue three, I'll be reading in real time.

The first issue of Volume 5. New writer, new artist, new team. New villain too, it seems. Have to say, I like the plot. I'm even OK with Matt as a prosecutor. I think Soule did a good job of capturing a prosecutor's voice and how they have to act differently from Defense Attorneys. Knowing a few former defense attorneys who went over to the dark side, I think it sounds about right. I'm glad he didn't just go down the road of "prosecutors are your friend" and leave it at that. I think the role of prosecutor works well for the prosecution of this cult leader. You can keep Matt and Daredevil on the same page targetted against this villain rather than Plot A and Plot B, which would be most legal/superhero stories. The biggest thing is the contrast in tone. He has to take on the role of the bully at times to get what he wants. There's still a bit of moral ambiguity with the way he is using his senses blindness to get the witness to testify. I'd like to see him deal with the vigilantism of Daredevil at some point (right now, Daredevil is just acting as a protector, which is fine).

I'm curious to see what the deal is with how Matt hid his secret identity. I don't think Mephisto would be the most creative, but I'd be OK with that. Certainly, whatever it is, Foggy doesn't seem pleased. I'm curious if everyone means everyone (e.g., people like Black Widow). Speaking of Foggy, I'd like to see him go up against Matt some time soon.

I feel this is a well-researched issue. Knowledge about how sound travels, knowledge about bridge heights, etc. I always have to give Soule props for that and this is clearly a passion project for him.

On the art front, I love the contrast to what came before. I think it makes it stand out. It definitely will make this volume of Daredevil visually distinct. I'm growing on the costume, although I don't particularly like the black (love the boots, though). My biggest complaint is actually with Matt. He looks a little too gruff. Also, the washed out colors don't help. I wish his hair were at least a bit more red. On the other hand, the take on the Radar Sense is absolutely beautiful (particularly when he "sees" Blindspot). It's a sort of "World on Fire" type look from the Netflix series, but it's still great. I think I like it better than the Waid/Samnee version just because of how artistic it looks.

Overall, a very promising start. I'll go Four and a Half Stars. So, should I round up to five or down to four?
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Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons