Friday, April 26, 2013

Review- DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID VOL. 1


DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Daredevil Nos. 1-10, 10.1, and Amazing Spider-Man No. 677 (cover dates September, 2011- June, 2012)

Writer: Mark Waid

Artists: Paolo Rivera (penciler 1-3, 7, 9 & 10), Joe Rivera (inker, 1-3, 7, 9 & 10), Marcos Martin (4-6, issue 1 back-up story), Emma Rios ( Amazing Spider-Man No. 677), Kano (8), and Khoi Pham (10.1)

Colorist: Javier Rodriguez

I'm a casual Daredevil fan with a fair grasp of the character. Mark Waid's run so far is fun, something that has sorely been missing from most of the issues that I have read. The first 11 issues from the '60s seem to have this sort of lighthearted air about them.
Much of this book was a double-dip, since I read issues 1-6 in the trade paperback of this series, and issue 8 and the crossover issue, Amazing Spider-Man No. 677, in the Spider-Man: Flying Blind hardcover. So eight of the twelve issues collected here were a double dip. I did dump the trade on eBay but I had to keep the Spider-Man hardcover.


Daredevil battles lots of cool old-school villains: the Spot, the Mole Man, Klaw, as well as new villains like Bruiser. While every issue in this book is a winner, issue 7 was close to being a show stealer. It's a story about Matt Murdock taking a group of underprivileged blind children on a trip to a lodge, only to find out that the lodge double booked their room and turned them away. They have to drive back in a blizzard when the bus gets into an accident when the driver tries to avoid a deer. It's such a great story, even without a single fight in the issue. I love my fights as much as any superhero fan, but these offbeat stories are nice once in a while. For one issue, not an arc.
Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is made in China but is devoid of the sweet toxic Chinese fumes. Don't tell me that China is becoming concerned about the environment, because that would suck if these books don't smell as nice as they used to.

Paper rating: 3.5 out of 5. Oh dear. This coated stock is noticeably thinner than what we've come to expect from oversized hardcovers. The decontenting of books due to the attrition of digital is well underway.

Binding rating: 5 out of 5. Beautiful sewn binding. The book lays flat from the first page to the last as Godzilla intended.

Hardback cover coating rating: 4 out of 5. Hrmm. Marvel has switched from the faux-leather coating and foil-stamped dies on their covers to plain hardbacks with full color images printed on them. The problem that I have with this is that the coating isn't as thick or as durable as the old coating. Call me an alarmist, but this type of penny pinching is what helped doom vinyl records when the CD came about. Only in this case, I won't be jumping to digital comics, I'll just quit the hobby altogether. I have plenty of these books to choose from, so I'm sure that I'll find something to read.

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