Review: Daredevil by Mark Waid Trade Paperback

Admittedly, Mark Waid's first issue in the current Daredevil series didn't start off with a bang.

What I mean is, the debut of the new series doesn't feature any super powered villain engaging with Horn Head.  Waid chooses the opportunity to showcase Daredevil's abilities by having him face common human criminals and additionally chooses to provides with a deeper look into Matt Murdock's personal life, within these initial issues.  It's only a few further issues down the road, where we see Daredevil lock horns with villains deeply rooted in Marvel history. Now collected in a trade paperback format, Daredevil by Mark Waid collects the first six issues of the current series. 

The essence of these initial issues delves deep into Marvel villain history with Daredevil running against the likes of Klaw and A.I.M., Hydra and others.  It's a nostalgic walk down memory lane and readers shouldn't expect any new super villain debuts but a host of bad guys that remind us of yesteryear. It's simply Waid exploring what's available in the stable and presenting them to readers with his own touch.  You'll witness early plot developments that blossom down the road, leading to trouble for Murdock. Artists Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin add their own different perspective for Daredevil as well with their unique look. Readers will appreciate the distinct style that makes it stand out from the past look of the character and stories.

Readers are in for a treat with the included bonus material such as variant covers, sketch artwork and a interview with Waid. My only gripe with the trade paperback is the inconsistency with the placement of variant covers and of course, the proliferation of advertisements everywhere. Comparing it to a typical paperback from say, Image Comics, Marvel's books seem so cluttered. The collected edition in this format, suffers from any "spacing" aesthetics and mostly separation between the collected issues. Readers just looking to jump into any issue would get lost!

Final Verdict: B

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