Daredevil Noir #1 – Review

Alexander Irvine (writer), Tomm Coker (artist), Daniel Freedman (colors)

Before the Review:
I like Daredevil.  A lot.  I’m not a long-time fan, but I hold the “Born Again” storyline to be some of the finest work of any comics professional.  I dig the Brubaker stuff, and  love the character dearly.

As soon as I heard Marvel was doing a Noir take on it, I immediately put it on my pull list. But unfortunately, I was disappointed come release day.

The Story:
Matt Murdock, a blind ex-vaudeville performer, works as an errand-runner for a local private investigator , Foggy Nelson.  But when he’s not tracking down a lead, he’s punishing the vast criminal element of the 1930’s Hell’s Kitchen.

The Good:
The art.  Tomm Coker goes to town on this, making it depressing, pulpy, and gritty at the same time.  Freedman’s colors heighten the dark moods and run-down attitude that the comic has.  As it stands, Daredevil : Noir is a prime example of how a comic can be artistically fantastic, and prosaically flawed.

The bad:
The writing.  Nothing can be done to cover up the fact that this comic has little going for it to save the art; the writing strives too hard to be noir-styled, mistaking abbreviation and clipped speech for actual storytelling.  What’s worse, the dialogue lacks the characteristic punch of crime novels, and doesn’t even aspire as high as duplicating Frank Miller-esque diatribes.

But nothing, nothing is a worse indication of a bad noir story than unintentional laughter.  And when the line, “Home is a prison I carry in my head” – which, for all intents and purposes, should be striking and poignant – instead brings derisive chuckles, the author’s missed the point, and the editors should’ve known better than to let this out the door.

Also, I’d like to know what “IRT” feels like under my feet, especially when it feels “like a monster clawing its way up my shinbones.” I know it should be “DIRT”, but considering that “IRT” is what made it to print, I feel like I’m missing out on an essential life experience.

Grade : C-. Good art only gets you so far, and IRT won’t get you the rest of the way.

-Brian Lynch