The last issue of Daredevil looked like the end for Matt Murdock, as he had to hold his own against prison inmates looking for a fight. Usually, that shouldn’t be too big of an issue, but even a poisoned Matt does pretty good holding his own in the situation. So, for that last page cliffhanger, the Warden calls someone to report on Daredevil’s demise as Matt lays on the floor shanked. That action alone has kept me in suspense these couple of weeks for the next issue, so let us become fearless and dive in!
SPOILERS AHEAD for Daredevil #30!
I have enjoyed this current volume of Daredevil because this book has quite a few serious players. Daredevil has mostly played it as a loner, but he has a great supporting cast and set of villains, with the prime characters to focus on being Matt, Elektra, and Wilson Fisk. This issue does seem to be one of catching your breath and setting things up for the next issue and beyond. Since Chip Zdarsky and the creative team have taken on Daredevil, they have introduced new characters, like Butch and Alice, and placed them into emotional situations.
It is refreshing to see how these newer characters play in Daredevil’s world and have the potential to be allies or foes, especially with Alice’s actions of crossing the line in this issue while patrolling with Elektra. The only way Elektra knows how to help Alice is to teach her to be strong and is slowly bringing her on missions. I can’t wait to see Elektra’s reaction, but at the same time, I look forward to the potential of guilt since Elektra brought her along.
Butch has some potential, as he is the son of Wilson Fisk and is the primary enforcer for Izzy Libris, two people in the way of Butch’s rise to power. Some questions to consider, though: First, will Butch face his dad, the Kingpin? Second, will we get more on Butch’s origins, as he was a shocking new revelation to us fans after the One More Day annual? Finally, what path will Alice go down now that she is seeing and participating in the world of vigilantes? Butch and Alice bring in some new blood to this series, and as their paths are getting closer, it will be interesting to see their destinies, and I am enjoying these new characters just as much as I am the already established ones.
In this issue, we do find out about Matt’s fate after the prison fight. Matt has quite the support group in Kristen McDuffie, Foggy Nelson, and Detective Cole North as they come to Matt’s hospital bedside and are offering a way for him to get out of prison. I love the situation that Zdarsky has created here; either Matt takes a deal from the FBI to bust the Warden and get an early release, or serve his time in a dangerous situation. In true Murdock fashion, Matt will help the FBI but doesn’t want the free pass as he still feels he needs to pay for his crimes. A couple of pages later, Cole calls him out on that in the only way Matt will understand: by throwing his religion back in his face. It’s a beautiful scene.
Elektra’s moments are insightful, as we get inside her head to think about how she is “helping” Alice survive without her family. There was a dialogue in the issue that discusses the fact that Elektra isn’t hiding her identities and how they are related, which could make for heavy fallout later. Fisk’s moments are great as well as he seems to be growing in his confidence after being knocked down by the Stromwyn twins. He also gets a great moment with Typhoid Mary that could be leading, but then the mood is darkened by a phone call which gives us a rollercoaster of emotions that will continue in the future.
While Daredevil #30 is dialogue-heavy, it builds the “Doing Time” arc as the characters are set for intersections that will make for great action later. Artists Marco Checchetto and Mike Hawthorne shine with their art and the characters they showcase. However, that last page is going to make things messy later in this arc!
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