Daredevil #1 Review: A New Status Quo Shows Great Promise

Writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Aaron Kuder's new Daredevil run, which kicks off this week with a fresh issue #1, faces three major hurdles for potential readers. But if you manage to look past all of three, it's well worth it. 

Hurdle #1: The new volume picks up right after Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto's four-year run with the title, delivering the character yet another in an already long list of critically acclaimed runs. Trying to live up to the hype of that run alone without even bringing up names like Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, or Brian Michael Bendis is a challenge for any creator.

Hurdle #2: Zdarsky's tenure ended with Matt Murdock being inexplicably revived from his recent trip to Hell. Not only is his memory erased, leaving his entire supporting cast unaware of his resurrection beyond Elektra, but now he's also a priest. If you're a new reader looking to finally dive into Daredevil with a new #1, then you're walking into a wildly different status quo compared to expectations. 

Hurdle #3: The question of how Matt wound up in this new setting isn't really Ahmed's concern, at least in this first issue. The closest we get to an answer from Matt is "God did it," more than halfway through the comic, which feels less like a concrete answer for long-time readers and more of a passing shrug. 

Despite all of that, Ahmed still manages to make this feel like a bona fide Daredevil story. He may have swapped legal proceedings for sheltering orphans, but he still nails Murdock's internal struggle between his moral code and his ceaseless desire to combat evil. Some adaptations lean a bit too heavily on Murdock's "Catholic guilt" and thus make him constantly question and regret his actions, but Ahmed seems to have found the right balance between Murdock's sense of justice and faith. 

Speaking of faith, the character's run with the supernatural clearly isn't over. The big villain of the issue is a demon who possessing Elektra, forcing Matt to get back in the game even if his memories as Daredevil are only fragments. It's here that Aaron Kuder's artwork truly shines, showing off a wholly unique interpretation of demonic possession that is as creative as it is unsettling. And while the final fight feels like it'd fit right into a Ghost Rider or John Constantine story, it's fun to see that Matt's status as a priest isn't just for window dressing.

Is the comic book a little too eager to get Matt to put back on a Miller-era mask and eventually return to full costume (as though it's telling readers, "don't worry guys, this is still a Daredevil book")? Perhaps. But Ahmed is clearly sticking to his guns and is willing to take the character in a brand-new direction. And in a world where Marvel is bending over backward to develop pieces of the MCU's Netflix series for their updated MCU appearances on Disney+, why not try something new?

Published by Marvel Comics

On September 13, 2023

Written by Saladin Ahmed

Art by Aaron Kuder

Colors by Jesus Aburtov

Letters by Clayton Cowles

Cover by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz