Daredevil #28
Written By: Mark Waid Art By: Javier RodriguezStarting off the issue with a massage joke, Daredevil #28 right away set the tone for its comedic episode. The Man Without Fear faces a threat greater than any other from his past – a childhood bully. The situation is hilarious in itself, but Waid creates a heart warming scenario and reveals that while Matt looks back at history as the victim, that is not the complete truth.
The issue begins with a touching sequence wherein Matt visits Foggy at the hospital, currently undergoing chemotherapy. Waid keeps things light here, as Matt rushes off to the bathroom because he cannot stand the smell of the cancer ward. Rodriguez’s art is so cleverly drawn as a piece of step by step story, that puking never looked so adventurous.
When Nate Hackett, Matt’s bully who called him Daredevil in school, appears at his office to be represented, they deal with their past immediately and avoid any exhausting irony. While Nate admits to being a bully through a series of picturesque and amusing flashback panels, we learn that Matt was a pretentious prick who deserved a little roughing. This fun twist adds depth to their relationship, and makes us not necessarily hate Nate as we should.
The plot moves quickly to the trial where Waid wastes no time in showing the training process. We’re left with a cliffhanger that would feel outlandish in any other series, but makes sense for the strange cult crime rings that Daredevil deals with.
Daredevil #28 continues to bring pathos to the series without weighing it down. A lot of it is indebted to the stellar narration, and plenty of funny moments had with the characters Waid makes us genuinely care about.
