Snap Judgements by Randy Lander (rwlander@io.com)

Marvels Comics Daredevil #1

"Angel"
Marvel Comics
Writer: Tony Isabella
Artist: Eddy Newell
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN

Recommended (8/10)

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Stuntman Jimmy Fyre and his alter-ego Daredevil watch as one of their orphaned boys' sister comes to take him away, and then take on the evil Warlord.

A Tony Isabella/Eddy Newell collaboration is a rare treat, usually seen on DC's Black Lightning. This book has a similar feel, with an urban setting and a protagonist who looks after others in his normal identity. It also blends nicely with what's known of Daredevil in the Marvel Universe, with him taking on a mysterious and powerful crime lord and protecting Hell's Kitchen. It reads like an extrapolation of what is known, and yet is completely off-target. On top of being one of the books that really feels like it could have been a comic published in the Marvel Universe, it's a self-contained, well-crafted tale.

On with the show...

WHAT I LIKED:
While the artwork here isn't as stunning as the gray-wash style that Newell has used elsewhere, it is gritty and well done. His designs of Daredevil and Warlord, in particular, are very nice.

In the space of this issue, we're introduced to a lot of characters, and we're made to care about most of them. Jimmy Fyre is the prototypical tough but kind-hearted guy, with a past to atone for and a bruiser's attitude, reminding me a bit of what Happy Hogan might have been if he'd never met Tony Stark. The boys are reminiscent of the Newsboy Legion, with an exaggerated property that makes an easy handle on their character, and Daredevil is a good example of the monster with a conscience. The scenes where Daredevil and Jimmy talk show a tender and human relationship between the two which is probably some of the best stuff in the issue.

In broad strokes, this resembles what the public would know of the Daredevil story. He's a vigilante in Hell's Kitchen who scares the hell out of criminals, and he has had an ongoing feud with a powerful and well-connected crime lord. I can easily see a writer extrapolating from that and coming up with this. Warlord is more of your standard super-villain than the Kingpin (his almost certain analogue), wearing battle armor and enacting master plans, which is perfect for the exaggerated style that Marvels Comics would use.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
Angela's story is a little rough. We're never really made to care about the character, and her criminal record seems at odds with the generally nice and kind person she comes across as. As a result, the closure of her character arc didn't really resonate with me all that well. I didn't feel like we'd gotten to know her well enough to care about it.