Pre-bionic arm Misty Knight, Hydra’s mutant genetic hormone, and a tale of respect in this week’s DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1 as Erica Schultz makes her debut with the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Let’s dive in and see how it was!
WRITTEN BY: Erica Schultz
ART BY: Marcio Takara
COLORS: Marcelo Maiolo
LETTERS: Clayton Cowles
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
DAREDEVIL SPOILERS TOO!
To see what happened the last issue, click on the writer’s name below.
Summary
This annual is a simple tale of when Misty met Matt Murdock, but as Daredevil. The story opens with Detective Misty Knight working the streets as a body falls on her car from a building above. After tracking down the perpetrators responsible, Detective Knight finds Daredevil trying to stop the two criminals. Of course, Misty and Daredevil don’t see eye to eye, and the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen manages to escape without getting taken into the station.
Later, readers find out that Frankie Fear, one of the perpetrators, is dying and wants to create a formula that will save his life. So, he’s been kidnapping ESU students and forcing them to make a serum. As fans would expect, Frankie takes the formula and hulks out into a huge monster leaving Misty and Daredevil to take him down. The Devil and Detective work together, lock up Frankie, and Misty gains Daredevil’s respect by the end.
The Goods
Schultz’ debut on DAREDEVIL had a couple of good bright spots to highlight. Schultz’ story had an element of simplicity that was refreshing and down to Earth. Often, comics tend to step WAY outside the box to grab the readers attention. However, Schultz made this issue more of a detective story with shades of crime drama, kidnapping, and murder mixed in. Misty had to find the killer and work with a vigilante, who she didn’t trust, to solve the investigation.
In general, Schultz’ plot was clear and uncomplicated, which isn’t a bad thing. Now, the story dipped into the ”super” realm once Schultz explained to fans that Frankie Fear needed Mutant Growth Hormone (MGH) to attempt to cure his cancer, but the story didn’t get nuts until the end. Plus, the ending wrapped up well, and the story ultimately showed Misty beginning to accept and respect Daredevil, which was a great plot thread to wrap around from the start of the issue.
The Art
Marcio Takara did a fantastic job showing movement throughout the issue. Every punch, kick, leap, and 5-foot fall emphasized directions and force in each motion and panel. Also, Clayton Cowles letters showed impact, intensity, and anger behind all actions throughout the annual. Furthermore, Cowles lettering led the reader perfectly from panel to panel while Takara emphasized the characters movements by focusing on the interactions between the heroes and villains while dropping out the background to concentrate on the important elements of each fight. Overall, the art contributed to Schultz’ story and complimented the annual well.
Should you buy this issue and/ or add this series to your pull list?
Annuals are generally difficult to get into because often, they are separate, stand-alone stories that have nothing to do with the current overall arc. Also, Charles Soule has been killin’ it with his run on DAREDEVIL telling some crazy-awesome stories. Therefore, Schultz had an uphill battle to grab the readers attention in the first place. The issue told an entertaining story, but it was basically, a one-shot taking place in the past that doesn’t affect the current run at all. If you don’t buy it, you aren’t missing anything from the overall story.
If you do buy it, it had some cool moments, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily required. Even though the story was a refreshing change of pace, nothing stood out as exceptional. However, this shouldn’t sway you from adding DAREDEVIL to your pull list. Overall, Soule’s run has been stellar. So, save the money this week but add DAREDEVIL to your pull list going forward. If you need proof, take a look at my last couple reviews of DAREDEVIL. Soule and Phil Noto are doing amazing things with the character right now.
What did you guys think of Book DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #1? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu. If you would like to read more of my reviews, click HERE!
