Daredevil #111 – Review

By Ed Brubaker (Writer), Clay Mann (Penciler), Stefano Gaudiano (Inker), and Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

Sigh… I was that close.

I figured this was the perfect issue to stop buying Daredevil. A mediocre storyline had just wrapped up, there were no big subplots boiling, and Matt Murdock’s wife was catatonic… and only slightly less dynamic because of it. On top off all that, this issue’s villain bears the godawful name of “Lady Bullseye”.

Sadly for me, this issue is actually pretty good. Mann’s art is perfect for the book, clean yet full, like David Mazzucchelli’s work on Miller’s “Born Again” storyline. And Brubaker doesn’t feel like he’s phoning it in anymore. There’s some great dialogue at the beginning over whether Feng Shui is real or not, between Iron Fist and Dakota North. Remember when Dakota had her own series, back in the ’80’s? Nah, me neither. But I like the chemistry between her and Danny, her and Matt, her and… well, anybody. She’s a nice change of pace from the trainwrecks Matt usually dates. That’s right, folks; there’s a new complication in Daredevil’s love life. It’s not a spoiler if it’s the best reason to buy the book.

And what of Lady Eyesore herself? I guess no one will be surprised to learn she’s a psychotic ninja assassin with a Miller-esque interior monologue. Frankly, I’m not sure if Brubaker intended to create a new character, or wanted to use Bullseye and found he was tied up with the Thunderbolts. Anyway, she’s part of a larger scheme by the Hand to bring down Iron Fist, Black Tarantula, Wolverine, and “the Old Man”, (Stick, maybe? Last time I heard, he was dead, but that doesn’t mean much these days.)

To be honest, I’ll probably wait to see what the next issue looks like before I pick this one up, but this new storyline might actually be a good one. (Grade: B)

– Andrew C. Murphy