Daredevil: Love and War

Synopsis: The Kingpin has one of his hirelings kidnap the blind wife of a famed psychologist, in order to gain an edge over the only man that can help his wife Vanessa out of her catatonia.

Good Stuff: This is Frank Miller at around or near his peak; he was doing much of his best writing during this period. It also helps that Sienkiewicz was also at his best around this point as well.

The two storytellers both do an excellent job—Miller through his script and Sienkiewicz through his painted panels—of creating a mood and personality for each character. Particularly of interest is Victor, the insane killer hired by the Kingpin to watch Mondat’s wife. An outstanding job is done of illustrating his drug-induced schizophrenia, bringing the reader into his mind in a chilling manner.

This is not to say the book is humorless, however; one thing that people tend to forget about Miller’s run on Daredevil is that for every moment that was grim and gritty, there were also moments that were either tremendously humorous (particularly those moments involving the hapless Turk) or really cool in a superheroic fashion. There are times when I think Miller gets a bad rap for being one of the standard bearers in the grim and gritty movement, when all he was really doing was stretching and experimenting with the form.

Not so Good Stuff: I’m not sure whether or not this book fits into continuity, but that’s certainly not a complaint. However, one would think the Kingpin would be a little smarter than to continue hiring the likes of Victor and Turk, both of whom continually show themselves to be either incompetent or unstable and untrustworthy. Still, a minor quibble.

I give this book 9/10.