For those not currently caught up with Daredevil, in an effort to avoid becoming another pawn in a city wide game orchestrated by the white-supremicist group the “Sons of the Serpent”, Matt Murdock was forced to admit in court, that he is the vigilante Daredevil. Murdock has been disbarred from practicing law in the state of New York, and if matters weren’t bad enough, Matt’s life long friend and partner in law, Foggy Nelson, has been battling cancer and is now without income or health insurance.
To help segue Daredevil’s relocation Marvel has released a four part Infinite Comic called “Daredevil: Road Warrior”. Written by Mark Waid & Chris Samnee, “Road Warrior” released one issue a week during the one month gap between Daredevil #36 and Daredevil #1, and tells the story of a mysterious man Murdock encounters who seems to have a knack for punching through walls and lacks a heart beat. The mini-series ends in San Francisco where Daredevil #1 picks up, so readers shouldn’t feel like they’re missing anything if they want to skip straight to Daredevil #1, but having read Road Warrior, I definitely recommend making time for it.
Ever one to roll with the punches, Daredevil is dealing with his challenges pretty well, revealing in the end of issue #36 that he still holds a license to practice law in San Francisco, and with the number of cancer-research specialists in the area, and California’s superior health insurance, it’s the perfect place for Daredevil to have a fresh start. In tandem with this fresh start the Daredevil series is being rebooted as part of Marvel’s All New Marvel NOW. Fret not though true believers, this simply means a reset in the issue numbering for Daredevil, meaning keep your eyes peeled for Daredevil #1, not Daredevil #37.
Writer Mark Waid’s Daredevil series is one that does not get enough time in the spotlight. Waid has done the impossible during his on run with the series. He’s made Daredevil cool again. Regardless of your feelings regarding Ben Affleck, or the 2003 Daredevil movie, I think we can all agree that from the eyes of the general public, post-2003, Daredevil was dead as a doornail. Sure he had some great comic adventures post-cinematic debut, but Hollywood producers wouldn’t touch Daredevil with a 10” telescoping billy club! Even the Hulk got a reboot after the Ang Lee movie that-shall-not-be-named. Over a decade later we are just now beginning to see Marvel move forward on a live action Daredevil series soon to debut on Netflix.
If you want to know more about Marvel’s Netflix Series, check out ComicUI’s article from February.
Throwback Thursday: The Defenders; and Marvel’s Netflix Series
Mark Waid’s name may not have the same weight as say Brian Michael Bendis, or Jonathan Hickman, but over the years he has proven himself a heavy hitter in both the DC, and Marvel Universes. He’s penned adventures of the Flash, Superman, Ant Man, Daredevil and most recently, Hulk. To me the appeal of Waid is he pushes the limits of spirit and soul a comic can possess. In a time where digital artwork is torpedoing comics into strange new worlds of extreme art, and constant unspoken competition exists to raise the stakes and create more apocalyptic scenarios issue after issue, Waid’s work shines because he reminds us that if we want an audience to care about a world, they need to care about the characters in it.
This is Mark Waid’s first Infinite Comic series with Marvel, but this if far from his first attempt at a digital first comic. Waid has been working on digital comics for Marvel since Marvel’s 2012 Avengers vs X-men event. Waid is also the co-founder of Thrillbent.com, is a website that focuses exclusively on Digital First Comics and showcases several free digital series, ranging the gamut of family friendly to horrific.
Daredevil: Road Warrior is proof itself that print and digital can work hand in hand. Daredevil is the perfect character for a digital first comic. To me Daredevil has always been the story of a man who sees the world differently. He teaches us that seeing the world differently is a gift, not a curse. This makes for a very interesting character to see transverse print media and segue into digital comics. Road Warrior is a fun story, and unlike some of Marvel’s other Infinite Comics titles, this one is only four issues long. So financially, it’s no where near the investment that other Infinite Comics titles have been.
A final piece of good news to Daredevil fans, as with all All New Marvel NOW titles, a free digital copy of every issue can be redeemed via the on-line code included in the issue. When Marvel NOW was launched in 2012, Daredevil feel in and then quickly out of providing readers with free digital copies. So know that from now on you may want to hold off on buying your digital Daredevil comics and grab a print copy to get the most bang for your buck.
