Broken Frontier

In this flashback tale inspired by a true story, Matt Murdock goes down South to defend a small town’s bad boy accused of a satanic killing.

It’s seven years in the past. In the tiny hamlet of Redemption Valley, Alabama, a young boy is found murdered. The killing is gruesome and ritualistic. Soon Joel Flood, his girlfriend and her brother, members of a self-styled satanic cult, are arrested for the crime. Joel’s mother journeys to New York seeking Matt Murdock’s help. Though Foggy Nelson protests, he agrees to take the case sensing (human polygraph that he is) that Mrs. Flood sincerely believes her son is innocent. However, not only is the son considerably less convincing, but the evidence against him is so overwhelming that defending will call for every trick in Murdock’s bag, including alter-ego, Daredevil.

David Hine’s script takes what would be a contrived plot on just about any network TV procedural and gives it an interesting spin in the superhero genre. The script is solid, heavy on pathos, has a somber, foreboding tone and fleshed-out character development, while also maintaining a natural pace and momentum. Transitions fall on just the right beats, each scene picking up resonances from the last and nicely setting up the next. Likewise, Redemption’s theme thus far—clear-cut Good vs. Evil conflicts and battles that take place in places much more gray as two sides of the same coin—is interwoven throughout with a light touch. The contrast between these two "sides" is well captured in the first two scenes, the first being all black vs. white, the second going as gray as it can get for a superhero trying to make a big difference in small lives. In addition, the dichotomy is replayed again within the characters themselves. Joel’s mother is depicted sympathetically when she could’ve been a stereotype, and yet has her own dark side. And Matt Murdock is a dichotomy himself, affirming humanity’s possibilities without the mask and billyclub, yet privy to the darkest regions of the human heart as Daredevil. Overall, the larger themes in Daredevil: Redemption make it an excellent read for those who do not regularly buy the title, or want their superhero stories to tackle larger issues.

Immediately noticeable in Michael Gaydos’ artwork on Daredevil: Redemption is how much it evokes what Sean Phillips brings to Sleeper. The panel layouts are less free form, the shading has more of a gothic than urban feel and the line work is thicker, more expressive than Phillips’ is, yet all three artistic elements strive for the same tension found in Sleeper. Even the gutters—thick as the borders on old album photos—have been appropriated. Though the approach is derivative, the results aren’t bad at all. Gaydos’ panel constructions are focused on telling the story and his images carry enough emotional content necessary to keep the reader engaged. His one definite weakness, however, is faces, which in Redemption were sometimes flat and in need of more emotional nuance considering the subject matter. That said, the other aspects of his style are strong, and though unfamiliar with his work in general, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.

Daredevil: Redemption #1 is a solid set-up issue that makes an otherwise lackluster story ripped from the headlines compelling on both a personal and moral level. Issue #1 was a random pick from the shelves this month, next month issue #2 will definitely be on my list.

-Dexter K. Flowers