Review: Daredevil #612

Daredevil #612 marks the end of the ”˜Death of Daredevil“ storyline along with Charles Soule“s run on the character. Soule has somehow been able to create his own corner of the Marvel universe that has remained relatively untouched since he took over. Through ”˜Legacy Relaunches“ and ”˜Fresh Starts“ his run has remained consistent and focused. It feels like one of those runs that will become more appreciated as time goes by. Â Soule was able to reestablish the melancholic core Daredevil is synonymous with while never remaining static with his character progression. It is a run that is built on the legacy of what came before without being dependent upon it.

With that said it is not a perfect run. Perhaps no run of this length could be, and this ending is one that will polarize. Part of it is the nature of superhero comics. That desire to end on a significant note tends to conflict with the need to put the genie back in the bottle before the next team takes over. Soule tries to do both and in doing so ends on a note that is effective but its manufactured nature does hinder the emotional impact.

In true Daredevil fashion, he is jumping out of one fire into another. Still recovering from his encounter with Bullseye he hopes to finally bring down Mayor Fisk once and for all. Outside of the sheer legal challenge he also needs to escape from the Kingpin’s newest assassin The Vigil. Considering how injured he is that may not be a conflict he is capable of winning. It is a fight that Daredevil and Matt Murdock will both have to fight in equally for a chance of survival.

Secret identities are becoming more and more a thing of the past. Even Daredevil saw his go away not too long ago. Part of the reason is they can become a burden and often writers are so interested in telling the hero story the person is left behind. Soule realized that Matt Murdock is not only equally as heroic as Daredevil, but he can also have a major impact bringing down notorious villains. It certainly helped that Soule himself has a legal background. Here one of the biggest arcs that focused on the legality of superhero testimony came back in a major way to put a nice ribbon on this run.

Attention should also be paid to the work of Â Phil Noto. He is pulling double duty as an artist doing coloring as well. His work is a sight to behold. For some, his art man not naturally fit for something like superheroes. He draws characters with a more realistic sensibility than most, however for a character like Daredevil it fits perfectly. There is a gothic sense to his choice of color an imagery that works well in complementing the narrative“s themes. His greatest skill may be the emotion he can evoke in his faces. Looking at the final major image of this issue you cannot help but wonder if that was the very reason he was chosen for this issue. He crafted an image of tragic beauty it will absorb every fiber of your being if you dare stare at it long enough.

Final Thoughts:

There is a lot that can be said regarding Charles Soule“s run on Daredevil and the same goes for his final issue. His stamp will be one that will no doubt linger for some time and his ending opens up as much discussion as it closes. Soule took a lot of bold steps and within that boldness, you will find great success and occasional failure. Even within that failure, Soule found something of merit and because of that, he is leaving the character in just as good of a place as he found it.

[yasr_overall_rating]

(W) Charles Soule (A/CA) Phil Noto

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Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.