TV movie of the week storytelling comes to comics as writer David Hine takes inspiration from a true story for a new murder mystery, one that incorporates super-hero elements. The artwork on this limited-series launch is superb; Michael Gaydos's style suits the mystery and maturity that serve as the foundation of the story. The jury's still out on the script, though. It's not that Hine's plot and dialogue are poor, but that they're fairly familiar and padded out. The writer sets up the mystery here, complete with scapegoat suspect, mournful mother and idealistic lawyer. I hope -- and expect -- that future issues will break away from the predictable path and offer something a little different.
A young boy is found murdered and mutilated in Redemption Valley, Alabama, and the local authorities rush to find those responsible... or at least those who look guilty. They arrest a would-be devil worshipper, his girlfriend and their mentally challenged friend because they allegedly constitute a satanic cult. The young supposed Satanist's mother rushes to New York to find help, begging blind lawyer Matt Murdock to take her son's case, to prove his innocence and to save his life.
The super-hero quotient in this story is pretty low, and as a result, Gaydos's art really thrives. His shadowy style instantly establishes tension, and there's a sense of realism in how the various characters are portrayed. This isn't a world in which everyone is a shapely model type or square-jawed hero. Greasy hair hangs naturally from a character's face; fabric drapes awkwardly over a large frame. Loughridge's colors are an excellent match for Gaydos's inky style; I love the slightly erie purple hue he uses so often in the backgrounds in this issue. It adds a great deal to the atmosphere of foreboding.
I think the biggest problem with this opening issue is a rather unnecessary scene. When Joel Flood's mother hires Murdock, there's an extended sequence in which she pleads her case, in which Foggy expresses disbelief that his partner is considering taking the case. Does the reader need this information? Not really, no. Sure, it establishes some of the title character's powers for newer readers, but his involvement is a foregone conclusion. There's no suspense in the scene; instead, the reader is forced to go through the motions.
Another challenge Hine has to overcome is getting the reader to buy into a New York and super-hero travelling all the way to Alabama to look into something that doesn't require a super-hero at all. The writer avoids the question of why the woman chooses Murdock, and he does so pretty well by focusing the reader's attention on his principles, on why he chooses the case as opposed to the other way around. 6/10
