Anghus Houvouras reviews Daredevil #30…
“When soars the Silver Surfer!What weird menace unites Daredevil with the Cosmic Rider of the Spaceways?”
To me, Daredevil was always the most accessible hero in the Marvel Universe. The blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen with augmented senses and a penchant for pugilism seems so minuscule next to mutants, super soldiers, behemoths, and Gods. It’s that very sense of scale that makes Matt Murdock one of the most interesting and human characters in the Marvel Universe.
For years the character has been dragged though the darkness by creators desperate to recreate those great Frank Miller stories. And yet, it was a touch of levity that has brought this character into one of the best runs in his long history. There are certain creators who feel right at home with characters. Mark Waid feels tailor made to chronicle the adventures of Matt Murdock. His stories are grand but always feel grounded. Even when the stakes are on a cosmic scale.
The latest issue sees defense attorney Murdock being visited by an alien seeking asylum. It seems some of Murdock’s speeches about justice for everybody in the universe made it’s way into space. And now he has to try and figure out how to defend someone not of this Earth. Things get infinitely more complicated when the Silver Surfer shows up at Murdock’s office trying to capture the fugitive alien.
Daredevil #30 is exactly the kind of story I love. Taking two characters with nothing in common and finding a story for them to share. The idea of pairing Daredevil with the Silver Surfer sounds crazy, but Waid manages to find the connective tissue between these two characters and deliver an engaging and just plain fun story. We get a new perspective on the Silver Surfer, seen through Daredevil’s heightened senses. It turns out the power cosmic and Daredevil’s radar senses aren’t that different. We also get the fun of watching a mere mortal getting to ride the Surfer’s board. Sometimes the Surfer is a character taken so seriously that one wouldn’t even consider how much fun surfing the stars would be.
Waid continues his exceptional run on Daredevil with issue #30. Here’s hoping he sticks around for another thirty issues.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon.
Originally published August 23, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
