Since taking the reins of the series, Mark Waid has infused Daredevil with a sense of swashbuckling adventure and optimism, turning the book into one of the most critically acclaimed on shelves, a far cry from the dark, somber, noir-esques storylines the title was previously known for. But the past can’t stay buried forever and Daredevil (2014) #10 sees the darkness return to this happy-go-lucky book, but can the Man Without Fear survive going back to it’s darker roots?

Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Chris Samnee (art), Matthew Wilson (colourist)
Price: £2.49/$3.99 from ComiXology

Daredevil (2014) #10 concludes the purple children storyline which began two issues prior. Having been incapcitated by the purple children’s emotion altering powers and subsequently being thrown off a bridge, this installment begins with the without fear getting to grips with his sudden onset of depression, thoughts and feelings he believed had been buried deep quite some time ago. Now, Daredevil must come to grips with his newly returned dark mood all the while finding the children responsible before they can hurt others, or be hurt themselves by their vengeful father, the Purple Man.

Since taking over the writing duties on this title 46 issues ago, Mark Waid has produced some of best work on the title in quite some time, but issue 10 of this most recent volume is quite possibly the the best installment yet. What makes it so great is the fact that being a superhero comic comes second to the main plot of Matt fighting his demons and depression, aspects to the characters personality which Waid has, for the most part, ignored since beginning writing on the book. However, despite keeping the book bright and optimistic, Waid has no problems in returning to the dark and, in fact, excels at it as he gives an extraordinarily accurate depiction of battling depression.

Meanwhile, Chris Samnee continues to show why his work on Daredevil is so popular as once again he knocks it out of the park with fantastic panels from start to finish. Not only is his now standard, and truly awesome, depiction of Daredevil’s Sonar Vision beautifully rendered throughout, but the facial expressions are second to none, particularly when Daredevil is attempting to hide his fracturing mental state with grit determination. Then there is colorist Matthew Wilson, who really amps up the light vs dark notions of the story with his work as each panel appears bathed in either lighter or darker colours to match what emotional state is present in the story at that moment.

“Daredevil has been a fantastic series with its current creative team, but issue 10 is truly something special. While the book ends a story arc which is both interesting and compelling in its own right, it’s Messrs Waid and Samnee’s focus on what makes Daredevil tick as well as correlating his darker character roots with the character’s current status quo which is what makes it an incredibly terrific piece of literature.