Among all the conflicts in the Marvel Universe, one that keeps coming to the forefront is the ideological battle between Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, and Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. As Daredevil, Murdock not only battles criminals on the street but in the courtroom, striving to uphold the law even as he bends it. Castle, on the other hand, takes a more lethal approach. This clash has leapt from the pages of the comics to television, thanks to Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal breathing new life into Murdock and Castle respectively, and now Daredevil/Punisher: The Devil’s Trigger #1 attempts to put its own spin on the matter.
Taking place in Daredevil’s past, The Devil’s Trigger #1 sees Matt Murdock charged with defending mobster Dino Gnucchi. Dino’s the last surviving member of the Gnucci family, after the Punisher murdered the rest… yet this time, he’s actually innocent of the crime he’s been convicted of. The Punisher, being The Punisher, kills him anyway and sparks a struggle for control of the criminal underworld. Daredevil now races to stop the Punisher before more blood and chaos are spread.
The Devil’s Trigger #1 is notable for being written by Jimmy Palmiotti, who helped bring the classic Marvel Knights imprint to life. Marvel Knights helped revitalize some of Marvel’s second-stringers like Daredevil and Punisher. Since Marvel Knights: The World to Come sparked a potential revival of said imprint, it only makes sense to bring back one of the guys who helped make it happen. Yet Palmiotti’s script mostly pays homage to Garth Ennis’ Punisher run, most notably the infamous moment where Frank Castle captures Daredevil and tapes a gun with a single round to the Man without Fear’s hand. Longtime Marvel fans will probably enjoy all the shoutouts, while newcomers might be a little lost.
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This first issue is mostly setup, moving the pieces into place for a game of wits between Daredevil and the Punisher. In fact, the Punisher only mostly appears in flashbacks, so if you picked up this comic hoping to see more Murdock/Castle interactions, you’ll be out of luck. Despite this, Palmiotti has a great grasp on Daredevil’s inner voice, especially in a pair of confrontations with two different criminals. As Matt Murdock, he uses the law; as Daredevil, he uses intimidation.
The Devil’s Trigger #1 is also a gorgeous-looking comic, courtesy of Tommaso Bianchi. Bianchi rose to prominence due to his work on Thunderbolts: Doomstrike, and that same gritty yet energetic style proves to be a perfect fit for Daredevil. Whether the Man without Fear is swinging through the skies or engaging in fisticuffs with the Punisher, you can feel the impact of every blow. It also isn’t lost on me that Bianchi’s take on Matt Murdock bears more than a few visual similarities to Charlie Cox.
In addition to the main story in The Devil’s Trigger, fans will also get a “Mini Marvels” backup by Chris Giarrusso, and a pinup by Phillip Tan & Sebastian Chang. I’ve loved the Mini Marvels strips for their wit, which Giarrusso hasn’t lost – the entire point of the story is people “daring” Daredevil to do anything that leaps to their mind. Neither has Giarrusso lost his unique style, which applies Peanuts-esque visuals to iconic Marvel characters. As for the pinup, it’s perfectly ’90s in both style and function.
Daredevil/Punisher: The Devil’s Trigger #1 revisits a key era in the titular duo’s history, setting the stage for a story that attempts to recapture the energy of the original Marvel Knights imprint. Time will tell if Palmiotti and Bianchi succeed, but they’re off to a solid start.
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