The years and world have been beating down on Daredevil; it’s time for him to fight back. Your Major Spoilers review of Daredevil: Cold Day In Hell #1 from Marvel Comics awaits!

DAREDEVIL: COLD DAY IN HELL #1

Writers: Charles Soule and Steve McNiven
Artist: Steve McNiven
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Editor: Nick Lowe
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $6.99
Release Date: April 2nd, 2025

Previously in Daredevil: Cold Day In Hell: A mysterious war has gripped the US, and the old superheroes are few and far between. Matt Murdock, who was once Daredevil, has resorted to a quiet life since his powers have faded.

GETTING INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1 opens with an elderly Matt Murdock in a cemetery speaking to a grave. He gives it an update on some familiar people before it’s revealed that it’s Wilson Fisk’s grave. Back in New York City, Matt is stopped by someone asking for money. He attempts to give them some but is then attacked by muggers and, without his powers, can’t fight back. Afterwards, he arrives at a soup kitchen and runs. The day is going normally until an explosion in a subway tunnel fills the street with radioactive gas. Matt realizes that his powers are back. He runs towards the scene to help people when he recognizes a heartbeat. He finds Steve Rogers holding up debris to help people escape. Daredevil helps get people out but realizes he no longer hears Steve’s heartbeat. He catches the scent of the perpetrators of the explosion and chases them down, re-learning how to run across the rooftops like he used to. The criminals escape, but Daredevil has their scent. The crooks show up at their boss’s hideout with Captain America’s shield so he can add it to his twisted trophy wall.

FAMILIAR IN MANY WAYS

Comics showing superheroes past their prime have become so abundant over the years that they’ve developed their own blueprint of sorts, one that Daredevil: Cold Day In Hell #1 follows. The world is in a bad place due to some collection of ambiguous things, your favorite characters are either dead or out of commission in some sort of way, and the main character is a jaded and downtrodden version of themselves. This is all true here, except for one thing that keeps this from being lost in the mix, and that is that it has a sense of hope. This world sucks, it doesn’t shy away from that, there’s some pretty nasty stuff going on, but seeing characters like Steve Rogers and Daredevil not hesitate to still be heroes and seeing them help people as just people is a noticeable shift from the typical nihilism that these types of comics tend to have. That being said, the plot in this issue is still a bit thin, mostly due to the expedience that it has. It doesn’t linger on the state of the world or the characters within it. In fact, it very quickly removes the obstacle keeping Daredevil from being a hero, and what we get is a pretty straightforward DD comic afterward, with just some more wrinkles. Of course, there’s a nice cliffhanger at the end, but it is by no means shocking, but it could make for some interesting stuff down the road. Also, while this is a slightly bigger comic than normal, coming in at 41 pages, a $6.99 price tag is steep for what you get here.

CAPTURING AGE WELL

Whenever the premise of a comic centers around a character getting old, I’m always curious to see how this is done. Most of the time, the extent of the aging only goes as far as putting some grey on them and calling it good. But in Daredevil: Cold Day In Hell #1, Matt looks legitimately old,and Steve Rogers looks legitimately old. Of course, they’re still capable in a way that pushes the limits of belief, but if we’re talking just visuals, the commitment to aging comes through. I also liked the world design here. It really doesn’t look all that different from just modern-day New York, but the color palette used adds a bleakness to everything and the environmental storytelling done by posters and background elements is a nice touch.

BOTTOM LINE: IT’S WHAT YOU’D EXPECT, WITH SOME KEY DIFFERENCES

Daredevil: Cold Day In Hell #1 is going to feel familiar in many ways if you have read any of the stories out there that feature aging superheroes in a dystopic world. But it does manage to not relish in its own misery and by the end is a pretty heroic story. The world building is well done and the effort to display aging as being more than just going grey is easily seen. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.