In Daredevil #10, it was Daredevil and the Fist vs. Spider-Man and the Avengers, with Matt Murdock barely surviving and escaping. We know the Fist was disbanded, and to add to that loss, the heroes captured Elektra; all that survives of the cause is Matt, and sadly, he seems pretty broken. Issue #11 will give us some aftermath of the big battle, and we get to see what is coming next for Daredevil to add to the hype – check out this teaser for issue #12.
This issue is pretty neatly split into three parts. The opener with Detective Cole was just terrific (check out the preview for some of those pages). You can tell you’re getting older when certain things hit you way differently than before – the issue opens with Cole looking at leaving the force, and his supervisor is trying to help Cole find a way to at least preserve his pension and benefits. Comics aren’t supposed to be about that. Still, that real-life situation allows me to appreciate what happens in this series and grounds situations after dealing with supernatural wars.
The scene also works to help us get into Cole’s mindset. Chip Zdarsky crafts excellent dialogue for Cole, and the way Cole describes working for Internal Affairs was terrific. “It feels like tears over a house fire” hits all the right buttons with frustration about jobs, making a difference, and changing the world. I know Zdarsky and Company will be leaving the series sometime soon, but I hope Detective Cole has a future, somehow, some way.
Rafael de Latorre returns to this issue as an artist, and his style works for the realism this issue calls for. There won’t be any big battle scenes, except for a PTSD-style flashback, but overall it is very grounded at its core. Latorre perfectly captures the guilt and pain as he showcases his characters walking in solitude, taking the moments to the next level. When Cole leaves the office, you can almost hear his sigh of relief, but then he quickly bows his head after a flashback, and you can see the weight on his shoulders. The lone figure of Matt Murdock works beautifully to showcase the many “hits” this series has delivered to the main character, along with Matt’s never-ending source of Catholic Guilt.
I won’t spoil the second part, but I will say this is a side of Matt Murdock that isn’t easy to see; you want to embrace it, but it’ll leave a burn. The last part of the issue is a Lin Lie Iron Fist adventure that guest stars Daredevil. When it takes place in continuity is a question, probably before or early in Zdarsky’s run, but the lesson is more important than history. Writer Jason Loo has the two characters come together with their sense of Justice and overcoming pain. I enjoyed how Daredevil responds to the new Iron Fist, and it feels very welcoming to the new legacy character. The ending does leave itself open for a revisit, but the big question is, which comic series will that be in?
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