In Daredevil #10, Chip Zdarsky teams with Marco Checchetto and Matthew Wilson as they take Matt Murdock down to rock bottom and then give him a shovel. I thought the last issue showed us a down-and-out Daredevil who lost his friends, army, island, and faith in humanity, but this issue takes it a step further. Prepare to experience a significant moment in Daredevil’s life.
Zdarsky gives Murdock some interesting inner monologues where Matt concluded that “God is dead” by “heartbreak” from the death of his only son. I thought that was a wild script, but Zdarsky takes it further as Matt and Elektra are pressed even further by the arrival of the Avengers and Spider-Man. Having Zdarsky and Checchetto work on Spider-Man is a great bonus in this issue, and they bring up some intriguing clashes between these two characters. Matt is usually known for his faith, and Peter Parker for his responsibility. Those traits are used against each other as they have their endgame. Peter feels Matt and Elektra need to take responsibility for breaking out prisoners and the murder of a US President. Still, Matt is tired of dealing with surface-level justice and wants to offer redemption and stop evil.
Marco Checchetto also plays with both heroes using their unique fighting styles and weapons. I enjoyed how it came down to Matt being cunning to have a chance against Peter’s spider strength. Checchetto doesn’t stop with just Spider-Man versus Daredevil, though – we also get to see Elektra take on Captain America along with Avengers fighting the Fist’s army. In those moments of battle, Elektra gets moments of caring as she helps her teammates even at the cost of her fight. Checchetto draws a scene where Captain America gets to capitalize on Elektra turning her back, and I have to say that is a top moment for Captain America’s shield causing pain.
I will continue to give Matthew Wilson props for his color work. Here he gets to push boundaries on temperature with the location and fires of war. I also enjoyed the scenes with radar vision as they added variety to the battle with Spider-Man. There were great glimpses of the location, and the energy from their fight was showcased as well. Wilson’s continued attendance on this series has helped keep a uniform feel with the different artists gracing the pages.
What sticks out about comparing Zdarsky’s arc with Born Again and Shadowland is how the situation is owned. In Born Again, Matt Murdock’s life goes to hell through the Kingpin’s involvement and actions, while in Shadowland, you could see the Hand allowed for the corruption of Murdock’s soul. In Zdarsky’s story, Matt drives himself into this situation and then allies himself with Elektra to form the Fist as they go to stop the Hand. In the other two stories, you can feel for Matt and even see a way out for him, but here the only hope that Matt has for escape or redemption falls by way of the Re-Cid drug or Goldy. If that is Matt’s hope, then this will drag Matt deeper into hell.
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