Broken Frontier

Daredevil returns to the streets after a lengthy absence, but he soon realizes that an uphill battle must once again be waged against fighting crime.

Well, another new story arc gears up for Matt Murdock, and this time he must reestablish defending his turf, while continuing his career as a crusading attorney by day. Only now Matt finds that crime in his city seems harsher than it has been in past and this all points to a new mystery player in town at the root of it all.

To make matters worse, he is also forced to help fledgling convict Melvin Potter out of a jam after Becky’s persistence to take the case. Matt originally felt that defending Melvin would only serve to further hurt his already dwindling reputation, but Becky firmly believes the former Gladiator is innocent. Of course Matt reluctantly agrees and in between assisting Becky to help Mevlin sort out his affairs, he has to deal with the rapid incidents of violence occurring at night. All this points to a new mystery player pulling the strings and Matt is convinced that something malevolent is afoot here.

Now as far as the writing goes, Brubaker continues to layer his scripts with enough dramatic tension to keep readers glued to the page. This issue certainly lived up to that assessment, especially when the truth over Melvin’s predicament is revealed at issue’s end. It was an unexpected twist, but the thread will obviously be picked up next issue and heightened to maximum effect. It’s this kind of storytelling that allows Brubaker to shine and continue writing super charged crime fiction for the medium.

Of course Brubaker’s scripts are always supported by splendid artwork, and in this case the strong pairing of Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano streamlines a highly effective style. In fact much of the opening sequence builds quickly to a crescendo, and almost all of it is pure high octane action. I can’t say enough about this opening sequence since it set the pace for the remainder of the issue. Both artists truly understand the effectiveness of powerful storytelling, so the issue also finishes off on a high note. I can’t wait to see how they follow up this stellar job here next issue.

Ultimately though, there is not much complaint for me about this book. Everything about it right on down from the scripting to the coloring is stellar, and this speaks volumes about the book as a whole. Marvel has certainly found the right creative team to keep the title intriguing, and if anything else the character of Daredevil himself has proven to be a bona fide hero in his own right. If you want a heaping portion of crime in your comics then I suggest picking this title up just for the right fix.