Richard Gratton's Fantastic Reads 4 U
Daredevil #6
Marvel Comics
Release Date: 04/27/2016
When Elektra first appeared in Daredevil #168, during what is arguably one of the best runs in DD's long history, fans were treated to a story that was filled with emotion, tension, action and suspense. Writer Charles Soule has started something by bringing back Elektra in Daredevil #6 that has so much potential for greatness. Daredevil and Elektra – what could be better, right? This story could be better. Is it bad? Absolutely not. Is it great? No, but it could be depending on what Soule does with it; the pieces are all there, the characters are there; and all we need now is for Soule to put it together and mold it into something magical.
This installment begins with Daredevil awaiting Elektra's arrival on a rooftop in the early morning hours. Matteo Buffagni's rough images, and colorist Matt Milla's darkened courtrooms and shadowy lawyer bar enhance our ominous anticipation of what is to come. Tension is built in this issue through a fight between Daredevil and Elektra mixed with a series of flashbacks to earlier in the evening, leading to the final page that should make any reader want to know more.
The problem with this issue is in the characters. Daredevil and Elektra are usually great, Blindspot could be great, but even great characters need depth. We need to see these characters as more than just a costumed crime-fighter and lawyer, a side-kick, and an elite assassin. They don't become real until we see a more vulnerable, everyday human side to them, one we can identify with, or at least empathize with. Soule subtly hints at this, but really needs to show us more of Matt Murdock's humanity and his weaknesses so we can root for him again. We get a spark of Elektra's humanity and vulnerability at the end of this issue, so there is definitely hope. But Blindspot needs something more; we need to know who he really is, what defines his struggle in Hell's Kitchen, and what makes him want to train with an anonymous, costumed vigilante. If Soule can give us these, then this story will transform into so much more than what it is right now.
Scale of Awesomeness: 4 out of 10
