Daredevil #10 Review

The last issue of Daredevil featured a guest appearance of Spider-Man, and it was a breath of fresh air in what has been a serious run of the relaunched series. With Daredevil #10, a new arc begins that returns Daredevil to the world that writer Charles Soule has been building. That could have been a letdown, but the issue features an intriguing set-up of a promising new story. Daredevil #10 also features the return of Ron Garney to the series’ art duties, and he provides a distinctive take on the story.     In Daredevil #10, Matt Murdock has returned to New York, and his new ally/protégé Blindspot is back in action. Blindspot finds an invitation, but when he arrives at the location, he finds something shocking. Someone has painted a strange picture – in blood. He calls Daredevil to the scene and confesses his concern about the situation. Blindspot is an undocumented immigrant, and he worries that police involvement will somehow lead to legal trouble for him. He does not know that Daredevil is actually lawyer Matt Murdock, who could help him.   There is a great deal of set-up in this issue since it is the first in a new arc. Some of it works better than other parts. For instance, the central mystery that Blindspot finds is pretty fascinating. Daredevil figures out through his sense of smell that the blood in the painting is from over a hundred and thirty people. Are these victim or volunteers? And why is someone painting a picture out of blood? This certainly seems to be a new adversary for Daredevil, as this case doesn’t match the style of any of his normal foes.     On the flip side, other parts of the issue are a little more mundane. We see Murdock struggling in his new role as a prosecutor. He has been a successful lawyer at his own firm for so long. So the change to being a lawyer who has sustained a major loss and has an actual boss is an interesting new path for Murdock. However, Soule hasn’t really developed that element well enough yet for it to be very compelling. There are the seeds, but most of the lawyer scenes in Daredevil #10 feel like a glimpse into a slow work day.   After a few issues with guest artists, Ron Garney returns to the pencils in this issue, and he continues his very striking approach to art. The scenes where Daredevil and Blindspot find the blood painting are very creepy and well illustrated. There isn’t a great deal of action in the issue, however, so many of the other scenes, while featuring outstanding art, are not quite as remarkable as those towards the end. Matt Milla on inks works well with Garney in this issue, as he has earlier in the series.     There are some strong moments in Daredevil #10, especially those related to the mysterious and original crime scene Blindspot finds. The character of Blindspot also continues to be a good addition to the series. At the same time, the Murdock lawyer side of the series is not really working in a compelling way. I respect that Soule is taking things in a different direction than Mark Waid, but while Daredevil does not have to be a fun series, I think it does need some tighter stories. The character work is solid and Garney’s artwork makes this issue a really attractive-looking comic.