Chances are there are a number of readers out there who picked up the previous issue of this series two weeks ago, given its remarkably low price -- just a quarter (I paid two of 'em, up here in Canada... still a great price, though). Issue #41 was a great read, and if new readers were looking for a good story, they sought out this one as well. By now, they know... a rise in price does not correspond with any drop in quality. I hope Marvel's drug-dealer approach to marketing this book pays off, as Daredevil stands out as one of the publisher's finest offerings.
A new drug is being marketed on the street, and the rich and ignorant are eating it up. They've moved on from human growth hormone to the latest fad -- mutant growth hormone. Daredevil's not putting up with any kind of new drug or the people selling them, though, and he sets his sights on the man behind it all: the Owl. But the Owl's lawyer has crafted an unexpected way to keep the Man Without Fear off of their backs. Meanwhile, the blind woman whom DD saved the day before hears the stories about the hero's true identity, she decides to try and meet the object of her infatuation a second time.
Maleev's dark artwork brings the dangerous, urban setting to life, and he makes the notion of a costumed, righteous vigilante hopping along the rooftops of Manhattan a plausible prospect. Hollingsworth's colors add an almost unnatural neon glow to the visuals, making for an even more unsettling and darkly toned read. The realistic look for the non-super characters is quite sharp and reinforces the believable quality of the story quite well.
The subplot involving the smitten blind woman seems rather obvious. There have been no surprises with her so far, but somehow, I find the notion of her mild obsession and her ability to "see" through Matt Murdock's ruse to be enthralling. I like this character. She's strong and grounded. She's a dreamer, but she's also a doer. I want to see more of her, and I want to see her succeed in her quest, regardless of how predictably it's unravelling so far.
The most interesting and clever aspect of this issue is how the title character "loses" a battle with the villain, the Owl. Daredevil has always been about a dichotomy: he is a lawyer who achieves justice by breaking the law. And here, we see another twist on that theme, in that the criminal uses the law to stymie the efforts of the hero. The Owl's lawyer's "shield" against the vigilante reinforces the plausibility of Bendis's take on an implausible and fantastic character.
