DAREDEVIL #16
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Chris Samnee & Matthew Wilson
Published by Marvel Comics
Release Date: June 24, 2015
As Matt Murdock’s new life in San Francisco continues to fall apart at the seams he is forced to seek help from his biggest enemy. It’s Mark Waid and Chris Samnee putting their spin on Daredevil versus Kingpin. The full on sprint to the end of their run on Daredevil continues with another stellar issue.
Over the past several years in Daredevil writer Mark Waid has been spinning a lot of plates, and doing so with such precision that he has further cemented his place as one of the very best superhero writers in the business today. It wouldn’t be Daredevil however if those plates didn’t come crashing down on Matt Murdock’s head. It’s crazy just how much is in play in this issue, and how the creative team is able to fit everything that they do into such little space.
First and foremost Waid and Samnee finally get to have Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk come face to face. It was only a matter of time before the creative duo got to put their stamp on this relationship, and it didn’t disappoint. Everything that happens between the two characters here feels as if it has grown organically from not only the events that have transpired in Matt’s life over the past several issues, but out of their long and storied history. A desperate Matt Murdock goes to make a deal with his personal devil. The mood, and the tension created out of the circumstances the characters find themselves in were all near perfect. The entire exchange was an example of how to use continuity that has developed between characters over years worth of comics without being overbearing for people that haven’t read every Daredevil/Kingpin encounter. It’s so great that 22 pages of just those two in a room talking would have been fine by me.
While it would have been easy to devote 22 pages to it, the return of Kingpin wasn’t the only thing happening in Daredevil #16. It’s full speed ahead with every piece of the story that’s on the table, and then some. If we didn’t already know that the creative team was starting to wrap up their run it would be obvious after making it through these pages. Waid finds time and space to not only fit The Shroud, The Owl, and Jubula Pride into the proceedings, but also manages to take their story to the next level. Then on top of all that the most shocking moments may be the ones with Foggy and Kirsten where Waid manages to bring back a loose thread from earlier in his run, and tie it in to everything that happened throughout the rest of the issue.
If this all sounds chaotic it’s because it is, but in the best way possible. Everything is connected and falling into place. This comic book is a master class in pacing and structure that could only be taught by someone with the knowledge, experience, and talent of Mark Waid. Not a moment felt rushed, and everything that’s happening feels like it’s doing so in a pressure cooker that’s about to explode. Readers are treated to a nonstop ride from the first page to the shocking final page. With the history of creators leaving Matt Murdock broken for the next creator to pick up the pieces anything can happen, and that’s a scary thought.
Not enough can be said about the contributions of Chris Samnee and Matt Wilson on the artistic side of things. As great as Mark Waid’s writing is, the pacing and mood I praise above would be impossible to capture without the amazing art work. The panel structure, character positioning, and use of shadows throughout the Daredevil/Kingpin conversation are a thing of beauty. Then there are small retro panels that are able to get across a lot of history between the two characters in half a page.
The entire issue is full of great work from the artists whether it be the awesome splash page of a returning character, or the dark blue color work done when a The Shroud’s powers are in use. However, the clear highlight of the issue was the page with just the silhouettes of Daredevil and Kingpin. You will know the page when you see it, because it is one of the more visually stunning pages of the entire series. It’s clearly Chris Samnee and Matt Wilson just showing off. While they will be missed on Daredevil once this run wraps up, I hope these two find a way to work together again sometime very soon.
For over fifteen years Daredevil has arguably been Marvel’s most consistent title. First it was Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada relaunching the character to great acclaim, and then it was the great Bendis/Maleev run followed by the superb Brubaker/Lark run. When it’s all said and done the creative team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee may end up being considered the best of the bunch. Daredevil #16 is an example of superhero comics at their best with a creative team at the top of their games. If this was just the beginning of the end, I can’t imagine what’s in store for the final few issues.
The Verdict: 10/10