Take streetwise Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, throw in some space aliens and you’ve got the surefire formula for… the exact opposite of what a good Daredevil issue should be, right?
Hold on a second there, hoss. Did you forget Mark Waid is writing? That means even if Daredevil is washing dishes, waiting in line at an amusement park, or trying to wipe his own ass for an entire issue — you give the damn thing a chance: Daredevil #30, is it good?
Daredevil #30 (Marvel Comics)
“Mr. Murdock, there’s an alien in your office to see you: Something about Achians, extraterrestrial bills of rights, interstellar cultures.”
DJ Daredevil: Suck it, Skrillex.
So begins Daredevil’s cosmic adventure and self-professed first meeting with the Silver Surfer — who is there to warn him that the Achian visitor at his doorstep might not be the amiable alien he made himself out to be.
Waid’s writing is nothing short of masterful; he takes the street savviness of Daredevil and Surfer’s cosmic capacities and interweaves them in a way that is both befitting and a breath of fresh air all at once.
In other words, this is no contrived team-up for the sake of filling some guest-appearance quota; each character’s idiosyncrasies are fully realized and then juxtaposed in a way that makes you wonder why the hell someone hadn’t thought of it sooner.
Waid gets his fair share of praise for his strong writing but don’t sleep on Eisner Award-winning artist Chris Samnee: His style only augments the narrative. Samnee’s work is laden with heavy lines, crisp figures and minimalistic sophistication. His depictions of the Surfer hearken back to Jack Kirby’s initial vision of the character: Raw, powerful, and majestic. Just like you’d imagine a being of pure power to look. The way that the Surfer’s Power Cosmic crackle from the pages in slashes of electric blue add to his otherworldly aura and provide a refreshing contrast to grimdark Daredevil and the muddled hues of the New York cityscape.
Equally impressive? The slices of eye candy that stem from Daredevil’s point of view. Great stuff that further immerses you in the character:
9.5
- Sleek, clean art by Samnee.
- Waid is killing it with his writing.
- Fun as hell to read.
- It’s over too fast.
Is It Good?
Sweet Jebus, yes. If you balked at the incongruous notion of Daredevil sharing the same page as the Sentinel of the Spaceways, read this issue before you judge. And if you’re sick of hearing others gush about how great Waid’s run on Daredevil is, grab this as it’s a great jumping-on point that doesn’t require much previous reading.
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