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Marvel
Writer: Charles Soule
Artists: Ron Garney & Goran Sudzuka
Color Artist: Matt Milla
Now hold on. When you read this comic (and you need to read this comic), you’re going to hit a page filled with 5 vertical panels, stretched from top to bottom, filled with word balloons. And you’re going to want to throw up in your mouth a little bit. Because. Ya know. Talking heads. Voluminous word bubbles. No action. I will tell you, just take a deep breath, and remind yourself that this is a Charles Soule joint. Then stay calm, and read on. Because, quite simply, no one does verbose dialogue like Soule. The guy is simply a master. And you can rest assured that whenever you see a page like this in one of his books, what is about to unfold is a definitive chat that reveals some of the most savvy statements about the human spirit, and defining snippets that reveal a wealth of insight into the characters that has not been revealed in countless pages before.
Typically, when Soule has a scene like this, it is point-to-point between two characters. Superman and Wonder Woman. Jenn Walters and Patsy Walker. In this case, it is a scene between Matt Murdock and Steve Rogers. There are few more moral and tortured characters to have such a scene between, and if you only read that one page, you will have gotten your $3.99 worth.
Let’s rewind a bit. Our favorite demon is back in New York. And somehow he has caused everyone to forget that his alter ego is
As solid a bit of scripting work as this is for Soule, the art is equally da bomb. Who the hell are Ron Garney and Goran Sudzuka?! Somebody get those gentlemen an Eisner. Stat. OK, maybe I’m building them up too much. It is very early in the season to be evoking the spirit of the most prestigious award in comics. But damn it’s good. And a lot of that credit actually goes to Colorist Mat Milla, whose shadows and shades will the spirit of The Man Without Fear right off the page. I will admit that I’m confused as to whether DD’s costume is actually now black with red accessories or if that is just stylistic shading. Panel work here is superb, and uncanny in that it is entirely symmetrical. There’s not a ton of slants, just perfect right corners, and lots of inlays and overlays. Perfectly paced via structure, and not so hog wild as to be distracting. It is almost clinical story-telling.
Daredevil has never been one of my favorite heroes. In fact, there was as time when I simply would not pick up a Daredevil comic because I found the character boring. But over the last couple of years, I’ve grown fond of the treatments he’s been given. This is no exception. In fact, it tops the cake. I have been a bit conservative in my final score, simply because this issue did not have any big reveals or especially heart-warming (or ripping) moments. I know those are coming. And since I’m most certainly adding this book to my monthly recurring pulls, I need to give Soule time to ramp. Because I know he’s not blown the cap on the potential he has working on this classic character. I consider it a high mark, regardless, when an issue gets me to add a book to my pulls, so consider that a high compliment. Mr. Soule? Ya got me.