DAREDEVIL #5: A City Bathed In Red

Omen has left a wake of tragedy in his path as he continues to tear out the eyes of his victims, leaving Matt Murdock frantic and helpless. Meanwhile, Foggy has returned to New York City, putting him in Omen’s sights! Matt must close off all of his senses and trust himself if he is going to save his best friend and stop Omen, who prophesies about a city bathed in Red!

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Anthony and Matt!

Creative Team: Stephanie Phillips, Lee Garbett, Frank Martin, and Ariana Maher.

Writing

Matt: I love how Stephanie has Matt’s inner monologue down to a science and exudes everything about this character that has made him my favorite Marvel hero. She’s able to capture scenes where he is half-listening to the detective while using his senses to find Foggy and Omen so well. In doing so, Stephanie brings all of Matt’s past lessons to the forefront, showing what truly makes him one of the best fighters in Marvel. Daredevil may not be the strongest or smartest, but he can and will outlast his opponents. While things seemingly wrap up with Omen, she drops hints of his true intentions as he warns Matt about how the city will be left bathing in red. It’s a chilling warning, and we aren’t sure what it means, but it has me excited for the future all the same. This issue also finally brings Matt and Foggy back together in such an emotionally crafted scene, as there is so much love between these two. Phillips continues to push the story forward while showing love for everything that makes Daredevil so incredible.

Anthony: Stephanie Phillips has done a really nice job with this series. From Matt working as a law professor to the introduction of Omen, a serial killer who claims to be able to see the future, and some new supporting characters, I have been pleasantly surprised with this new direction for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. He’s interesting again because for me, DD is most interesting when he is getting his butt whooped and has to step outside of his comfort zone to turn the tide. With issue number five, though, things move a bit too quickly for my liking, and I felt it was a bit anticlimactic. This could have been two issues, but I’m guessing that Phillips considers this arc the prologue to something much bigger. There are some really nice human moments in this issue, which Phillips excels at (Matt is the most “normal human guy” he’s been since the pre-Shadowland days), especially with how she handles the relationship between Matt and Foggy.

Art

Matt: Lee really cooks in this issue, starting with how much I love the corner boxes on the cover and how frightening the cover of this issue is. Inside the pages, I love how much bigger than life he draws Daredevil in some of these panels. When he meets with the detective, the scene is carefully drawn, making Matt stand over him in such an awe-inspiring manner. The usage of shadows and coloring that Frank uses makes use of the scenery and leaves our imaginations to fill in bits and pieces. There’s something about the way Lee draws Matt’s acrobatics that has really endeared me to this run. The motions are so fluid and smooth; I love how well they capture these moments. Ariana Maher deserves so much praise as well when it comes to lettering, capturing Matt’s half-paying-attention inner monologue or Omen’s dying words, but, most importantly, the softness of both Foggy and Matt’s tones as they stand atop the rooftop. The team is truly making something special as this first arc comes to a close.

Anthony: The art by Lee Garbett is really nice! I’d have to say it reminds me a bit of Chris Samnee’s work, but it definitely has its own flavor. It’s simple, clean, and Garbett employs some techniques that reveal a background in graphic design. Great use of shadow, and fight scenes are easy to follow. Frank Martin’s color work is very complementary to Garbett’s line work. Simple and clean. And as such, all I can really say is I dig it. While, it’s not groundbreaking, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think it speaks volumes that the colorist understands how to work with the artist’s style.

Final Thoughts

Matt: 9.5/10. Daredevil #5 brings an end to our first arc of this new Daredevil run, and it leaves us with an ominous pit in our stomachs. The team captures so much about Daredevil and Matt that makes him who he is; you can see how much love is behind every panel. Daredevil may have won the fight, but will he win the war, and what’s to come?

Anthony: 7/10 Overall, this was a good issue, but the way it wrapped was a bit of a letdown. Nevertheless, the human elements make it all worth it in the end, and I can’t wait to see where Phillips takes the man without fear next!

Overall Grade: 8.25/10

How are you liking this Daredevil run? Let us know in the comments.