Broken Frontier

This complete in one tale focusing on Matt Murdock’s wife Milla Donovan provides a recap of recent events and a perfect jumping on point for new readers.

On a superficial level this issue reads like little more than a summary of storylines published over the last few years of Daredevil. However, after all the major changes and drama of Daredevil’s life of late, this story gives us a chance to take stock of everything that’s happened before launching a new direction for this outed and now "in-ed" superhero.

Told through the eyes of Matt’s wife Milla, this fatalistic romantic interlude charts the beginnings of their relationship, Milla’s experiences in Daredevil’s violent world and her reactions to the ordeals they’ve both been through. What could have been a turgid retelling of the last several years of DD history instead comes across as an important character piece that looks to ominously foreshadow events in this title in the months to come. It’s the story of a woman in love who knows she will always come a poor second to the memory of her partner’s dead lover and yet loves him enough to stay in a relationship that is almost certainly doomed.

Brubaker gives Milla some much-needed fleshing out this issue. She has more here than she’s had in many of her previous appearances combined. Most importantly he makes the reader really feel for a woman who, it would appear, is destined for inevitable heartbreak. It’s strong, sympathetic writing that pulls you into the story and makes you genuinely care about the character.

Weeks and Gaudiano provide stylish, noirish artwork throughout the issue but the real artistic highlight this month is the front cover. John Romita Sr.’s 60s-style romance comics cover, complete with thought bubble, has a quite wonderful retro vibe. I’ll even forgive the somewhat bad taste cover blurb "Not Even They Could See Their Blind Love"…

Perhaps the only disappointment with Brubaker’s run so far is that, essentially, all the supposedly "irreversible" events of Bendis’s time on the book have been undone. Milla Donovan appeared the one major change to the status quo that had survived intact and we’re left with little doubt after Daredevil #94 that it’s only a matter of time before this marriage goes the way of most comic book unions.

Daredevil #94 provides a fitting coda to all the trauma and anguish of Matt Murdock’s life of late while also serving as an intro to the next chapter of Daredevil’s life. A perfect issue for new readers to come aboard.