Review by Ian Keogh
More so than episodic superhero serials of the past, Chip Zdarsky has structured his Daredevil series as one of constant personal progression, evident in the title of these hardcover collections. A definite staging point ended Vol. 2, with Daredevil finally accepting responsibility for what he’d done, albeit accidentally, and agreeing to hand himself in for trial.
In any other circumstances this might seem a straightforward process, but Zdarsky has entertainingly different ideas. Among the concerns are the preservation of Daredevil’s civilian identity, and with that comes the possibility of the first step Zdarsky has put wrong since beginning the series. Was there ever a clamour for seeing Matt Murdock’s twin brother Mike again? Zdarsky reminds us how the continuity implant came about, and that Mike’s ethical standards are several rungs lower on the ladder than Matt’s. Readers may suspect Zdarsky’s playing the long game, setting up the convenience of a later mistaken identity, and indeed he is. It eventually plays out satisfactorily as seen in Devil’s Reign, but it’s also predictable, and not much about Zdarsky’s run has been.
The choppiness of what was published in paperback as Truth/Dare is reflected in the art, for which many hands are now responsible. Marco Checchetto remains the star turn, drawing more pages than anyone else, but no-one else comes near to matching his compositional skill. There are concerns about Mike Hawthorne’s first contribution, and not just because of his vastly different style, but it’s just teething problems, and his art for later prison sequences is fine. The only problem is that it’s very different from Checchetto’s approach, and having each follow a character’s progress isn’t an attractive mix of styles.
Zdarsky just about manages to combine the mania of a King in Black crossover with his far more subtle exploration of superhero priorities, offering some interesting commentary, but it’s hardly a series highlight. By this time most of the previous supporting cast have been jettisoned, and Elektra has taken their place, needing to prove herself to Matt because she needs his help. It leads to a new Daredevil patrolling Hell’s Kitchen while Matt serves his time. She’s an interesting study for the frustration of not being able to resort to killing as Daredevil.
Nothing in this volume is poor, and the final three chapters (published in paperback as Doing Time) are total page-turners, but much also lacks the sheer thrills of earlier volumes. Pick this up knowing nothing about those, and it’s likely you’ll be satisfied with a very different selection of Daredevil stories, but so far getting to this stage has been more compelling than experiencing it. Vol. 4 picks up with Daredevil still in jail.
