Daredevil #31 Review
Storytellers: Mark Waid & Chris Samnee
Colorist: Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover: Chris Samnee & Javier Rodriguez
Review by Tom Barnett
The creative team on this book continues to hit new heights. Every issue is filled with great characters, great drama, humor and the right amount of tension.
Mark Waid rips a page from the headlines for a story of sabotage and conspiracy. Before he gets to that though, he opens the issue with a very touching and grounding peek into what is happening with Foggy and his cancer treatment. It’s these human moments that really help drive this book for me.
With Waid using a very real and divisive headline as the crux of the story, this issue could very easily have become too serious and somber, maybe even preachy, but Waid quickly turns that notion on its ear. Yes, there’s a pun there if you read the issue! Daredevil’s powers help play him right into a trap or a house of horrors by the looks of the last page. The Jester plays a huge role in this issue and is never on panel once. Hank Pym does show up to offer a helping ant or so. I love that Waid has kept Hank as a recurring character because it helps to keep Daredevil as part of the larger Marvel universe, not just in a small corner of NYC. Obviously, that notion was aided by the appearance of the Silver Surfer in the last issue also.
Chris Samnee and Javier Rodriguez leave no panel behind. The detail that Samnee throws into every issue is amazing, but this issue feels even more so. His panel layout perfectly portrays the chaos on the streets when the riots break out. When the District Attorney, James Priest, is rushed by imposter police and then a mob rushes the police, it looks like chaos, yet the reader never loses sight of the main characters. And who doesn’t want to see Samnee drawn giant flying ants!
Rodriguez is so good at coloring. What he did with the rain storm scenes is just beautiful. The colors in mob scenes flawlessly reinforce Samnee’s portrayal of the chaos. Every color seems to work perfectly, from skin tones to ant wings.
Don’t forget letterer, Joe Caramagna’s work here either. His work at the end of the mob scene really adds to the feel of what’s happening to the D.A.
Daredevil 31 starts out slow but ends with a gasp! The worst part of this book is waiting for the next issue! Read it!
Story: 5
Art: 5
Color art: 5
Lettering: 5
Overall: Don’t miss!
Tom is a contributing writer for Drunk On Comics. You can follow him on Twitter at @tphoto10.