‘Daredevil’ #25 Faces An Unexpected Future

Matt Murdock’s life changed forever when he took accountability for his irresponsible actions. It was a change for nearly every superhero, a story that could mean a huge shift for the entire Marvel Universe. However, Daredevil #25 reveals there’s much, much more in play.

The events of this entire run have built up to this issue. However, it reveals there’s much more in play than anyone might expect. It’s a huge leap forward from Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marco Menyz, and Clayton Cowles.

Daredevil is in prison. In the wake of his bold and irresponsible move last issue, he’s taken two years of jail time as a plea deal. However, Elektra won’t stand for that as she has other plans for the Man Without Fear…

Zdarsky simply surprised me with this issue. To open with Matt in prison, and for two years at that, it’s a shift for the character that frankly has happened before but not in this way. This is Matt at his most noble, owning up to the problems he caused, but taking action to try to inspire his allies to be more careful and take more care.

However, the unexpected star of the issue is without a doubt Elektra. This issue is already making waves for the next evolution of Elektra Natchios and to be frank, it’s easy to see coming from the opening scene. However, it’s executed so perfectly by Zdarsky and Checchetto both that it’s one of the most effective, and exciting page-turns of the past year of comics. Even better, it’s not there just for shock value, but it also signals a change for Elektra as a human being that I hope sticks.

Checchetto’s work on the issue, even outside the massive splash page that everyone’s talking about, is some of his best yet. Elektra is a dominating presence, and he uses tricks in the point of view, layouts, and even just the lines in the background to make sure the readers’ eyes are drawn to her. Meanwhile, Matt’s character acting is fantastic, giving the character a weariness that he needs for this story to be believable, but not in a way that he feels worn down or worn out.

Menys is a color artist that will be making his name in this book. His color art is moody without being too dark or muddy. He avoids the obvious choices, that some colorists might push the issue towards noir, and makes sure everything is bright and clear, while remaining realistic and even cinematic.

We all know that Matt Murdock is not going to be behind bars for two years. But how he becomes a free man, and what he does afterwards is going to be a hell of a ride.

Daredevil #25 is available now from Marvel Comics.