Daredevil #19

By Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, and Mattia Iacono

. Over the past year, Matt Murdock has been slowly building himself back up to the point where he can be a hero again. Matt’s intention is to not take up the mantle of Daredevil again but will Hell’s Kitchen allow that? The Kitchen is currently being assaulted by a horde of mercenaries, hired by the Stromwyns, and the people of the neighborhood are fighting back since they cannot rely on Wilson Fisk or Daredevil. The question that remains is, how will Matt Murdock choose to be there for his neighborhood?

Chip Zdarsky pens Daredevil #19 and this may be one of the best issues of the series yet. Matt Murdock is at his best when he makes a triumphant return to action after being at his lowest point and Zdarksy tells this story fantastically. In this issue, you get a lot of focus on the people of Hell’s Kitchen, which has always been Murdock’s greatest motivation. Their pain and desperation to save their home is heartbreaking and when it isn’t heartbreaking, it is inspiring. The villains in this issue feel especially evil as we get a motley crew of mercenaries tearing up the town. Bullseye gets some great moments to show how brutal he truly is as he carves a bloody path through Hell’s Kitchen. That being said, some of the mercenaries show some reservations about their job. Despite their reservations, they will still do their job. The ending to this issue only makes the reader want to binge the next and the wait for next month will feel all the longer due to the consistent quality we have been getting from Zdarsky.

The art in this issue is provided by Marco Checchetto and Mattia Iacono. To say that these two make a great pairing is an understatement and the images in this issue will be as landmark to this series as the story. Daredevil #19 gives the artists plenty of chances to showcase a lot of action and emotion. Hell’s Kitchen gets absolutely torn apart from the carnage brought about by the mercenaries and each action scene is beautifully presented. Another great aspect in the art is not only the awesome action, but also the emotion you can see on the characters’ faces. Bullseye looks crazed when he is mercilessly killing people, the people of Hell’s Kitchen look desperate as they try to protect their home, and you can easily see the pain in Matt’s face as he consoles a dying man. 

It isn’t too often that a comic with this quality comes around, but Daredevil #19 can easily be considered one of the best issues to come out in quite some time. That is saying a lot because the series by Zdarsky has been so excellent with each passing issue. Do not miss out on this series that will surely be remembered for years to come as one of the greatest Daredevil runs.