Daredevil by Mark Waid, Vol. 5

Daredevil by Mark Waid #10-11

by Mark Waid (Writer), Chris Samnee, Marc Guggenheim

The shocking climax of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's beloved, Eisner Award-winning run! One of Daredevil's oldest enemies makes his return -but which one? A mystery that's been building since the very beginning is about to pay off big. Meanwhile, writing his own life story has forced DD to face his darkest demons -what will his closest friends think of the man he is becoming? He's fought hard to build a new life, now he must prove he has what it takes to keep it.

Collecting: Daredevil 11-15, 15.1, 16-18

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

216 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2016

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

And this series comes to a close. Book starts off with a small arc about a motorcycle stuntman who tries to pull a fast one on everyone that was actually pretty dark. Then we get into the meat and potatoes of the book. Some story beats that started in a previous volume with the Shroud and Owl comes back into play. What Shroud is doing with the Owl is crazy. This brings in the Owls daughter, a previous Spider-Woman, a foe Daredevil could never beat named Ikari, and Kingpin to all collide for the big finale. I enjoyed the departure from the normal dark and gritty Daredevil to Waid’s more colorful (thanks to Samnee’s amazing art) and adventurous tone. Fun stuff. Now on to see what Charles Soule has to offer for the character.

[The Lion's Share · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of my GR friends know how much I love the Brian M Bendis run on Daredevil and the following run by Brubaker was arguably better! It was dark, gritty, realistic (for comics) and the artwork was beeeeeee-utiful. Miller put Daredevil in the big screen, but Bendis put him in the big league.

When Mark Waid took over, I enjoyed the refreshing colourfulness, the new villains, such as the Spot and even though it was less gritty and a bit cartoony, I really liked the fresh approach. DD was getting a new direction.

However, coming to end of Waid’s final run I can’t but think that he ran out of ideas for the character and he lost my attention. It’s definitely a good run, but it’s just not great.

In a perfect world, I would have Brubaker on him for a good 5 omnibuses worth. C’est la vie, Marvel is a workstation of idiot fat cats.

Well done Waid, you gave it your best shot.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting and fun conclusion to this version of Daredevil. I enjoyed my journey through these comics.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

No matter how much we can love a thing, it has to come to an end, something I've learned recently from watching the final film from Studio Ghibli. Once again, that realisation is said about the conclusion of Mark Waid’s wonderful run on Marvel’s Daredevil, which was about making a flawed hero’s life into a happy one, with stories that embraces Matt Murdock as a superhero, albeit one without a secret identity.

Given his celebrity status as San Francisco’s superhero sensation, Matt has been propositioned by his girlfriend’s father, a well-to-do publisher, to write an autobiography chronicling his life as the Man Without Fear. Meanwhile, old enemies have been popping up, seeking revenge against the blind lawyer.

Following the previous hardcover volume which raised the question about the big move from New York to San Francisco, so as to how this volume features of the climax of Waid’s run, that question is never answered, with the story focusing on reaching an emotional end. As throughout Waid’s run, Murdock is attempting to lead a happy life after years of suffering and through his relationship with Kirsten McDuffie, he’s found some light in his life which already he has doubts about.

As before with the previous volume, the stories here feature the reprisal of classic DD villains from Stunt-Master to the Owl who is now some digitised entity. Although it is a delight to witness the return of known rogues, they don’t get as much development as the hero who is going through a new status quo.

Celebrityism can be a dangerous thing and for a superhero with no secret identity, it is completely reckless as Murdock (in typical flawed Murdock fashion) takes advantage of the lifestyle as established in #14 where Matt steps into a courtroom with a new outfit stating he is both attorney and vigilante at the same time. Despite this sudden shift and the potential to take the character into different territories, the story is approaching its climax and based on the pages from Charles Soule’s current run, it seems we’re stepping back in time. To quote Daredevil himself: “Old habits do die hard.”

Chris Samnee as always shines as the book’s primary artist with his simplistic ink illustrations provide impressive action set-pieces, while the vibrant colouring from Matthew Wilson enhances the visual experience.

Volume 5 concludes with #15.1 where he take a departure from the main plot as Matt, Foggy and Kirsten discusses Matt’s past for the purposes of the autobiography. The issue then tells two past stories with the former (written by Arrow co-showrunner Marc Guggenheim) exploring Matt’s still-developing mind set into how his lawyer/vigilante persona can undermine his faith in people. There is also a nice call-back to the classic yellow suit, beautifully drawn by Peter Krause. As for the second tale which is wrote and drawn by Chris Samnee, he again shows off his visual talent with DD wrestling with his ultra-senses during his old time in New York which is a riotous environment. However, the final page features a cameo from Karen Page and things come wonderfully full circle.

Not the best climax but a nice send-off from Mark Waid who wanted to show that Matt Murdock can have such happiness and we, the readers, feel happy for it.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

And that's a wrap on Mark Waid's character-defining run on Daredevil! To be honest, this volume didn't utterly thrill me. I think Waid's best ideas were behind him, and moving Matt Murdock to San Francisco didn't really do much to reenergize the character. But, that said, Chris Samnee's fantastic art paired with Waid's joyful-with-dark-tinges writing really work perfectly together. So much so that I'm willing to forgive the relatively soft landing this final volume puts out there. It's just such a joy to read!

Now, the villains in this San Francisco run have been kind of weak. I never fully knew how to feel about The Shroud, and The Owl was never truly threatening. Then, in this volume, because it's a Daredevil finale, Kingpin shows up out of nowhere. It's pretty abrupt and unjustified but is written to feel like a big reveal. It just doesn't really work.

What DOES work is Waid's character work, which more than makes up for the awkward plotting. Matt and Kirsten are a great couple, and I love how he makes them push each others' buttons. Matt Murdock has always been a man surrounded by damsels in distress, and it's nice to finally see him with a woman with agency, who doesn't only exist to be rescued every ten minutes. Waid's approach to the Matt/Foggy dynamic is also one of my favorites in all of Daredevil, and Waid's run gets a fitting "ending" to that in this volume.

All in all, I've been thrilled to read this run. It hasn't been perfect, but it has been consistently entertaining throughout. Charles Soule has some huge shoes to fill with his take on Daredevil.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daredevil by Mark Waid Vol. 5 collects issues 11-18 and 15.1 of the Marvel Comics series written by Mark Waid with art Chris Samnee and Mark Guggenheim.

Matt Murdoch continues to practice law by day and act a vigilante by night in San Fransisco. As Matt embraces his new public persona and works on writing a biography, his old enemies continue to come after our hero who is finally embracing his happy side.

Mark Waid’s run on Daredevil comes to an end in this final collection. It is a very solid run but it does feel like it just comes to an end that I’m sure will be (at least partially) rebooted by the next author. I liked how Waid gave Matt Murdoch some happy moments for a hero who seems to constantly be living the worst day of his life. Samnee’s art was great throughout and had Daredevil literally popping off the pages.

[Bryan Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid entry in the series, and the final entry in the series by Waid. I liked how the stakes were raised throughout the book and the climax paid off.
The story leaves some loose ends and uncertainty, which I’m sure will be picked up in the following run by Soule. So while this didn’t come across as a big final conclusion of the whole Waid run, it left the story in a good spot.
Art and writing were great once again.

[Jorge Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 estrelas

[Alvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Brini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mittlerweile bin ich ein großer Fan von Daredevil Comics geworden und finde es schade, dass dies nun der letzte Megaband sein wird. Die Illustrationen gefallen mir sehr, vor allem das Spiel mit den Farben und der Einsatz von Schwarzflächen, welche die Situationen und Emotionen gut darstellen.
Die Idee einer Daredevil Biografie geschrieben von Matt Murdock (oder besser Ghostwriter Foggy) ist meiner Meinung nach mit den Rückblicken super umgesetzt und ehrt gleichzeitig noch einmal Daredevil. Ich bin zudem froh, dass in den Rückblick-Geschichten Karen nur einmal kurz auftaucht, da sie im letzten Band eine sehr negative Stimmung mitbrachte und dieser Band im Vergleich eine recht positive Stimmung darstellt. Matt Murdock ist selbstbewusster und nimmt seine Indentität als Daredevil nun vollständig an. Ein Comic, in dem der Held sich nicht irgendwelche Vorwürfe macht und eine Hommage für Daredevil. Foggy ist für mich ein Pluspunkt obendrein.

[Mr. Stick · Rating 5 out of 5]

"JULIA! WHERE ARE YOU? I'LL KEEP YOU SAFE--"
[SAID THE ZOOKEEPER TO THE TIGER.]
- The Shroud to Julia Carpenter (a former Spider-Woman and absolute badass).

All good things must come to an.... F@#$ THAT!!!
I want more, dammit.
I need more.
All this time immersed in some really great character development and now I'm left with a pointy red hole in my soul. My favorite "handi-capable" vigilante litigator will probably be ruined by some overated literary hack.
I can only hope the next writer will love Matt Murdock half as much a Mark Waid clearly did.

[Helen (they or he) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The finale kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was a fantastic run and I'm so glad that it ended this way.

[Larakaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besser als Band 1 mit ehrlichem Ende.

[Sevki · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this book was not from Waid, I would most probably round up to 4 stars, but for the first time, a Waid book from DD series has 3 from me. I would have expected a better finale from him.

Since this is the last volume before Secret Wars and ANAD period, the loose ends are solved. But there are overmuch average cliches and boring coincidences, and for this legendary period of DD, I would have loved the final stories with more quality. This made me feel that as if Waid just got bored, or found a subsitute for himself for the last story arcs.

But regardless, I am more than thankful to Waid & Samnee for creating one of the most enjoyable series out there. I don't think the new duo will be able to catch up to them, because this is pure gold.

I will make one more comment below yet it contains spoilers from the future run, but since I have to make a comparison, it's needed. So read at your own risk; thank you :)

PS. (Somewhat spoilers regarding Soule era, a.k.a. ANAD Daredevil: Back in Black)

-SPOILERS FROM THE FUTURE-

I glanced through some comments from the Back in Black period, and some of the facts disturbed me a lot. For instance, Kirsten is written off without a proper story or reason, Matt's identity is again HIDDEN out of nowhere, and as far as i understood from the criticisms there is not an explanation for this either. Just WHY?! Why would Marvel/Soule ERASE all the character development from the Waid era?! And especially right after they managed to make the series less gloomy and dark, which fitted Matt's current character quite well. And I also saw Matt moved back to NY, and has a partner. What the actual F-word is going on? Matt, having a partner? All the San Francisco plots and developments are trash for me upon seeing these. After Bendis and Brubaker eras, Waid did a fantastic job with Matt, but even when looking at a few things I mentioned above, I don't think there is a point to continue reading this. NOW! period's finale seems like a good choice for me to leave off.

-SPOILERS END-

[Pruett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for a good ending.

Mark Waid and Chris Samnee scored a record with their run on Daredevil as the longest unbroken string of DD comics by a single creative team. That was later upended, but it was a major accomplishment for the time.

Whether the summation of that story comes to a profound place or not is up to your interpretation. There are pieces of their story I thought were luminary and transcendent.

The decision to make Matt cope with his depression through repression was a pretty great one, and in sharp contrast to what DD comics usually are. The Kirsten McDuffie character is a great counterweight to Matt. Foggy’s cancer arc tested the relationship of the two partners. Matt’s radar sense was creatively expanded and expounded on in nearly every issue. Generally, the relationships are what made this series work. At the end of the day, I just wanted more of that.

The Daredevil stuff wasn’t quite as fun, but that’s hugely due to my taste, I think. I don’t love the goofy designs and comics of the 1960s, but Mark Waid clearly has great affection for them, and assigned Chris Samnee a lot of their emulation over the course of their run. This caused a great deal of retro costume design and preposterous villains. Eh. Not for me.

However, bringing Kingpin in at the eleventh hour was a weird choice. It worked, because their dynamic is Batman/Jokerian with how well the two characters contrast, but it felt unearned. It proved that Waid CAN do the modern Daredevil things too, though, and I wish we saw more of that in this series.

The run ends where it’s strongest, however: Kirsten, Matt, and Foggy having a conversation about their feelings. This last volume was a particularly effective one, and Waid and Samnee pulled out all the stops to finish strong.

I recommend this Daredevil arc to anyone who has an affection for old school comics and clearly passionate creators.

4 star experience. The end.

[Kyle Berk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s run on Daredevil is different from the years and years of Daredevil comics before because for the most part it isn’t constantly dark, tragic, and obsessed with kicking its hero while it’s down.

This run has a happy end for once and the ending really pulls it all together. It’s a bit sloppy, yes. And at times the pace moves too fast for its own good.

But hell its go some fantastic fucking visuals and strengths in its storytelling. Overall I don’t think this would be ,y f virtue run on the character but one very well worth reading.

After the purple man in last volume you get stunt man here and the shroud.

But you are in luck Kingpin shows up here for what are among my favorite issues in the run. Elements from Waid’s run all show up again. More so from the San Francisco half then the first half.

It’s a good ending and I enjoyed the stories before it got into its endgame.

It’s nice to see the end.

4 stars.

[José Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A not-so-perfect perfect ending

Waid's run in general is superb all across the board and this is one hell of an ending to it.

It’s Mark Waid's final statement on ol' Hornhead and I think he goes out with a bang, I love how he gets into Matt's head and really explores his character in a super fun way.

That being said, I do have some grievances regarding some of the things happening towards the end, I won’t spoil it too much but there’s a certain character that shows back up and it feels like it comes out of nowhere as a necessity to bring everything back to semi-Status Quo after Waid has written himself into a corner in that regard, there’s another character who gets a hand wave-y resolution without much explanation because of this

Whoever, still being beautifully drawn and as tightly written as ever, it’s still a great conclusion to such a great period in DD's publication history.

[Miss Johnsto · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art in this one was as beautiful as Waid’s entire run. I enjoyed the short stories of early daredevil we got through Matt writing an autobiography especially him arguing against himself in court, I wish some of the short stories we got were more connected especially to the end of the comic but they were enjoyable so it’s not too bad. This was a great ending to Waid’s run with Matt dealing with the consequences of his secret indentity being public and Kingpin was a great addition along with the return of Ikari. My one complaint is I feel daredevil comes across a bit naive at times especially when it comes to the shroud and how his being public with who he is affects his loved ones and clients, but overall I still loved this comic. Also buzz cut red suit daredevil is haunting and I was so happy when he put his old suit back on.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

My epic Mark Waid Daredevil read is finished. The San Fran section of his run is probably a little less interesting than what came before, but there was still a lot to like. Great art by Samnee, of course. And near the end of this book, there was some good Kingpin stuff (Samnee draws Kingpin just like I imagine he should look!) I really liked DD's red suit and tie look, I just wish his time as an open lawyer/superhero was longer, it felt like just a few pages of montage were devoted to it when it could easily have been several issues. Oh well. Still pretty great.

[Jdetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's sad to see this amazing run on Daredevil end, but Mark Waid and Chris Samnee end it very strongly, with the writing and art that have made this run a classic. I've never enjoyed Daredevil more.

[Sebastian Song · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art and storyline, keeps one at the edge of the seat.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid round up to the Mark Waid error. I liked this a lot.

[David Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful end to a delightful series.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way to stick the landing though. What a ride. Waid and Samnee really did that work in a big bad way here.

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satisfactory though not spectacular end

[Hank Mardukas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great end to my favorite run of Daredevil yet.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A messy end to a run I mostly loved. Still had heart, and some great moments, but lacked a lot of what made the first few volumes so great.

[Rockito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't remember the last time a Daredevil run ended on a positive note.

[Sadiel Giron · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good ending to a solid Daredevil run.

[Jinji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daredevil Deluxe Edition Vol.5!!! Mark Waid’s last installment for his run on the Man Without Fear! Overall, he maintained a fun run with Murdock, and it played through ‘til the end. Now, with his base of operations in San Francisco, Murdock is enjoying the life of a celebrity lawyer, well more like a superhero lawyer, since his identity was publicly exposed with an autobiography coming out. However, unlike in good ole’ Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil is still figuring out the underworld in San Francisco. Characters like the Shroud, Owl, and Stunt Master come up quite frequently in the streets, but he was not expecting somebody else moved his base of operation, the Kingpin. However, these guys just seem to be a precursor to Matt’s ultimate struggle in this series. An awesome end to an awesome series. Mark Waid and Chris Samnee did a great work on this. I bet this’ll make another fast selling omnibus someday. Good thing I already have it in deluxe editions.

Hey, the whole creative team from here is now doing Black Widow. Wonder if I should read that? Might try it out.