Daredevil #501 – Review

By Andy Diggle (writer) Roberto De La Torre (art) Matt Hollinsworth (colors)

The Story: A new era in Daredevil is launched as Matt Murdock begins life anew as leader of the ninja death cult The Hand as his friends try figure out if he is behind the murder a rogue judge and two dirty cops.

What’s Good: Wow. I am really, really surprised with how good this comic was and how great a touch Diggle has for Daredevil. I was ready to give up on this series when I heard Brubaker was leaving and Diggle was taking over. But when Brubaker signed off in issue 500 by having Matt take leadership of the hand, I decided to stay on board to see what was next, and man, am I happy I did.

Diggle takes an enthralling set of circumstances and succeeds in making them even more interesting by producing a great take on Matt and his motivations. First off, Diggle essentially kills off Matt Murdoch and replaces him with a new, darker, yet more righteous Daredevil. Daredevil is not getting out of his costume and showing up to the law firm anytime soon- if ever again. Daredevil’s commitment to The Hand to be used for his own machinations and desires are set to make for all types of original and interesting dilemmas. Diggle deals with a big one here: what and who is Daredevil willing to sacrifice to protect Hells Kitchen. The short answer seems to be “anybody.”

Perhaps my favorite part about this comic was all the black panels that served as a cinematic transition from one scene to another.  The black panels are a great moment of repose in the story that allow things to sink in and also signal that this comic is dealing with serious stuff.

De La Torre’s art is alongside Lark’s and Maleev’s. There are certain moments that in this comic destined to be iconic, like the last panel. As with my concern of switching from Brubaker to Diggle, my apprehension of losing Lark to La Torre is so far fully unjustified.

What’s Not So Good: Most reviewers won’t touch on the subject of covers, but to me it is an important part of the total package. The cover to this issue was well done stylistically but the content was so ridiculous that it hurts the overall comic. Why is Izo eating Sushi on a roof as he gets choked-out by DD? Huh? The decision to have this scene is mind-boggling. Would Izo really set a candle lit Sushi and Saki dinner, table cloth and all, on a roof? Silly, silly, and silly.

Besides that, the scene with Foggy and Dakota were way too long. I was hoping the Hand would swoop in and finish them off for being so long winded and predictable. Seriously, how many times can Matt’s supporting cast have the SAME discussions about him? “Matt is really good, he wouldn’t do that” “This isn’t the real Matt” “He’s been pushed too far” “I’m his best friend” “I hope he’s Okay” “Matt can take care of himself.”  Just cut and paste those phrases into different panels and you’ve read eighty percent of all DD cast dialogue, ever.

Conclusion: I suggest anyone who has been waiting to start reading Daredevil jump on now. Once again this character is in a totally unique and insane situation. Bendis left him in jail and Brubaker leaves him as an evil ninja gang leader. Diggle has made him into “Lord Daredevil.” Great stuff that’s only looking to get greater.

Final Grade: B+

-Rob G.