Daredevil has escaped many sticky situations before, but can he survive a full assault from the one and only Avengers?  Your Major Spoilers review of Daredevil #10, awaits!

DAREDEVIL #10

Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Devin Lewis
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 26th, 2023

Previously in Daredevil: The Hand has revealed its true schemes and along with capitalist Quinn Stromwyn have deceived the Avengers into believing that Matt Murdock and Elektra have killed the U.S. President.

A SHOWDOWN BETWEEN FRIENDS

Daredevil #10 opens up with the Avengers in full-on attack mode, laying siege to the island home of Daredevil and Elektra.  Elektra sends Daredevil after the book of prophecies she’s been utilizing, but he is pursued by Spider-Man.  Separated from the rest of the fray, Peter Parker and Matt Murdock have a tense confrontation both ideologically and physically. Elsewhere, Elektra is finally pinned down by Captain America and Black Panther and is taken into custody with the rest of the inhabitants of the island, save for Daredevil.  Having eluded Spider-Man, Daredevil then encounters Goldy, his supposed guardian angel.  The two go back and forth, before Matt turns away from him, just as the avalanche starts.

HERO V HERO DONE RIGHT

The big draw of Daredevil #10, just like every other time this comes up in comics, is the promised confrontation between heroes.  It’s a well-trodden trope, but there are still some of these encounters that rise above the rest.  This is one of them.  What’s fascinating about the fight between Spider-Man and Daredevil is how restrained it is.  It’s not a knockdown drag-out slugfest, both of them are picking their shots and they’re clearly not trying to do any serious damage because the respect is still there.  Where the big haymakers come from are with the words they use.  Their fight boils down to a disagreement about systems, Peter wants to make things better, while Matt believes that the only way to do that is to tear it all down first.  He makes the case that while Spider-Man catches robbers and throws them in jail, he’s actually not doing anything for them and is simply perpetuating the cycle, he’s basically a cop. Matt fully admits that Peter is the best of them all, but he’s too naive, that he refuses to see beneath the surface level of things, refuses to accept that there can be anything deeper than an octopus man wreaking havoc.  It’s a fitting confrontation for a series that has been very critical of capitalism and the rich. Not that Matt is poor and Peter is rich, but that the people pulling the strings are so powerful that they’ve managed to get The Avengers to fight their battle, and believe it’s just.  There are some points in this issue though where the talking gets a bit ham-fisted and just a little preachy, it’s not egregious but it is noticeable and has a negative effect on the tension. Also, when it comes to “Most Tortured Superhero,” there are very few who can compete with Daredevil, yet there seems to be this strange insistence by Chip Zdarsky to really pile on the fact that Matt is a pretty sad guy, which begins to rub up against over-the-top and repetitive.

BOTTOM LINE:  A GREAT CONFRONTATION BUT OVERWROUGHT

Daredevil #10  pits Matt against Peter and creates a great spectacle while doing it.  More interesting than the physical fight though is the ethical and ideological debates that arise between the blows.  Here the reader gets to see a lot of the themes that have been brought up throughout this series come out in a visceral way. By the end though, the eloquent and elaborate ways the creators go out of their way to drive home how much strife Matt has and will endure, starts to feel like bullying.  4 out of 5 stars.

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Daredevil #10

80%

80%

Give the Guy a Break

Daredevil #10 is one of the better examples of heroes fighting heroes that have come out in a good while. The way that the character is put through the wringer, by the creators, is becoming monotonous though.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (1 Votes)
  9.1