You can pickup your copy of Dareveil #8 now where all good comics are sold.
Synopsis
With Daredevil still missing, his shadow looms large over Hell’s Kitchen…and ordinary citizens are starting to feel his absence. Detective Cole North may think he’s stopped Daredevil, but there are bigger problems coming his way!
Review
The saga of Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil rolls on as Matt Murdock, once again, finds himself at the centre of trouble. At this stage you’d think the guy would be asking himself just why he always seems to be surrounded by trouble.
I’ve been a huge fan of Zdarsky’s version of Daredevil, I’ve talked at length in previous reviews about how he has systematically deconstructed the character and brought him to the point where we now find him.
Supposedly “happy” without the Devil and living a normal life, issue #8 brings Matt back in to the firing line as he tries to involve himself with Mindy, the bookstore owner met in previous issues.
What ensues in this issue feels like a slight plot contrivance considering it was Matt who sought her out after first entering the book store. Though this is still a sad story – and an awkward moment for Matt – it just feels a little too convenient that the woman he finds himself attracted to is part of one of New York’s most notorious crime families.
That being said there’s an awkward humour to the meet the parents style situation he ends up in. When Mindy invites Matt to dinner he soon learns she is married to the Libris family and confronted by a room full of its members.
It’s clear that Mindy doesn’t want any part of the crime side of the family and brought Matt in purely to annoy her husband. But the dinner scene which fills much of this issue is still filled with some brilliantly written dialogue.
The problem is that it is ultimately pointless. The issue culminates in an attempted hit on the family during dinner at which point Matt is obviously required to save the day.
When all is said and done the issue puts Matt in front of Detective North for the two to have an awkward conversation about Daredevil. Once again the issue relies on this random meeting for the Detective to inform Matt that there are Daredevil copycats on the streets of New York.
I can’t argue that it moves the plot forwards and poses Matt with a new conundrum that just because he isn’t Daredevil it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a Daredevil out there. But the journey to get to that point all feels a little unnecessary.
Hopefully it will lead in to a more exciting phase of the story moving forwards as Matt finds himself at a crossroads similar to old Ric Grayson over in the pages of Nightwing. To involve himself with the copycats or steer clear and continue to enjoy that “normal” life.
Verdict
Daredevil chooses plot contrivances to move along its plot in this frustrating but engaging read. Zdarsky’s snappy dialogue keeps the series afloat even when events are at their slowest.
6/10
Daredevil #8 is written by Chip Zdarsky with pencils by Lalit Kumar Sharma, inks by Jay Leisten and colours by Java Tartaglia. Cover art is by Chip Zdarsky.
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