David Mack has written Daredevil, and he's illustrated the book as well, but never at the same time. Until now. Mack's unconventional comic storytelling is challenging and mesmerizing, and it's not to be missed. In this opening chapter of a new story arc, he tells the reader everything s/he needs to know about Echo, making for an accessible read. The innocent, child-like tone of the script is haunting, and it's matched by dichotomous imagery that's both mature and touchingly sweet all at once.
Since fighting Daredevil, falling in love with Matt Murdock and learning the truth about her father's murder, Maya Lopez, AKA Echo, has travelled the world, but she remains haunted by events from her childhood and the more recent developments in her life. She thinks back to growing up as a deaf child, about the lessons she learned from her father and those taught to her by the shaman from her father's native American tribe. She's reached a turning point. It's time to return to the United States; it's time to face Matt Murdock once again.
There are several images in this book that put me in mind of the work of Bill Siewkiewicz, who illustrated a classic Frank Miller Daredevil graphic novel, Love and War. Specifically, Mack's take on the Kingpin and the title character are reminiscent of Siewkiewicz's work. Of course, what's really striking here is his combination of the crude line style of a child with the dark and textured painted images. I love how Mack breaks the rules, and wraps text around images, and even rotates it upside down around the page at times. There are panels within panels for the purposes of emphasis. His work is unlike anything else in comics, and it's clear why his work on Kabuki has garnered him such a loyal following.
Echo represents an interesting culture clash here. Maya is part native American, and that aspect of her heritage is explored rather extensively here. But her appreciation of European art and music is an unusual but intriguing part of her character. She's a native American who's immersed herself in the art of the people who slaughtered and drove out her ancestors. That conflict could be representative of the perpetual inner turmoil that plagues her.
There's really not a lot in terms of plot here. Mack recaps the character for the most part, and he explores the unusual nature of her perceptions, the combined result of her deafness and her superhuman ability to "read" and replicate human motion. Ultimately, what we learn about the character is that she is still -- and perhaps forever -- a child, and now, for the first time, she has no father figure to guide her.
