Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s Daredevil has consistently been one of Marvel’s best comics, and the book’s recent move to San Francisco hasn’t diminished its quality in the slightest. The change in scenery gives the hero new challenges and opportunities, while allowing Samnee to realize an environment that is considerably different from Matt Murdock’s former New York City stomping grounds. And Waid’s stories are as poignant as ever, with recent issues exploring depression in different forms. But just like the rest of this run, those moments of personal darkness have been balanced by moments of joy and love, preventing the book from ever becoming too bleak.
Judging by the cover of next week’s Daredevil #11, this new arc promises lots of thrilling action—you can check out some dynamic pages from the next issue over at Comic Book Resources—but this preview turns down the excitement for a quiet character moment between Matt, his legal/romantic partner Kirsten McDuffie, and his best friend/ghost writer Foggy Nelson. Kirsten’s father has offered her superhero boyfriend a considerable advance on an autobiography, and he gets to work by having Foggy translate his words to the page—words that aren’t afraid to take some creative liberties with the depiction of certain past events.
The scene spotlights Waid’s skill for using dialogue to create strong chemistry between his cast members, and those personal connections are enhanced by the nuanced expression of Samnee’s artwork with colorist Matthew Wilson. Waid and Samnee have done exceptional work capturing the fun of being a superhero, but it’s these smaller, more intimate moments that have brought depth to this series, devoting ample attention to the civilian life of Matt Murdock and the ways his fearless mindset is needed both in and out of his crimson costume.