Review: Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky Omnibus Vol. 1 (2024)
This is a review of the first omnibus compiling Chip Zdarsky’s run of Daredevil from 2019 to 2023. The omnibus collects Daredevil (2019) issues 1-30, and the 2020 annual. This will be a compressed review, both due to my unfamiliarity with comic books as a format and the length of time since I read the omnibus. It is worth noting that I read this book in digital, which may have affected my perception of some panels negatively.
The art in throughout the omnibus is generally very good, although it does have noticeable variances in style, some of which I didn’t appreciate. The worst of these inconsistencies came up when characters appeared to change both race, age, and build between consecutive issues.
In terms of character work, I absolutely loved what Zdarsky did with Matt’s character through this half of the run: the Matt we see in this book is as deep and richly presented as the character that I came to love in the Netflix series. Much of the dialogue from Matt feels like something I could see Charlie Cox saying, which I mean as the highest possible compliment. Every incarnation of Daredevil must necessarily grapple with the cost of vigilantism, but Zdarsky pushes beyond this well-worn question and asks what happens when Matt chooses not to be Daredevil. Seeing Murdock try and immerse himself in his community without crime-fighting is fun, his struggles palpable on the page.
Zdarsky presents two major moral foils for Murdock in the book: Detective Cole North and The Punisher. Both are excellent, particularly The Punisher in the few issues he’s in: Frank Castle is one of the best members of Daredevil’s rogues gallery, and the spiralling argument that he has with Matt touches so well on the divisions between them as vigilantes. Frank’s joy at the idea that Daredevil had crossed the line and killed a man was fantastic. Meanwhile, Cole North’s laser-focus on crime reduction rather than true justice is a different approach to the same issue. It’s fun to see North being ostracised within the NYPD due to his commitment to being a “good cop” whilst the story does its best to elucidate the fact that there is no such thing as a good cop.
Something I struggled with in the book was the area where its attachment to a wider comics continuity was most obvious – the black kitchen storyline. The symbiotes from outer space coming to little old Hell’s Kitchen is a nice idea, but it felt entirely out of left field and relatively disconnected from book’s wider arcs. In total contrast to this, Spiderman’s appearance at the end of the first volume worked very well, as it tied-in to the themes of that first volume perfectly. With Matt recently resurrected, hunted, and at the end of his rope, Peter’s speech touches on topics that every good street-level superhero story should: how long can they do the job they are driven to do? How long will their bodies tolerate the work? How long will the city tolerate their activities?
Kingpin is a fun character throughout the book: initially a man on a victory lap, he quickly becomes bored and soon runs up against more powerful players as he seeks to expand his reach. Seeing Fisk attempt to play at a much higher level and truly stumble was excellent. His rage and more unhinged behaviour worked as an excellent note for the character, as it so often does.
All in all, this is a highly competent (half of a) run of comic books, and I feel most of my issues with the omnibus come from the trappings of the big business comics format rather than Zdarsky’s execution of it. I’d recommend it if you’re an existing fan of Daredevil or if you like vigilante comics.