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Last issue, Matt Murdock attempted to escape from Latveria, but due to some procedures done on Dr. Doom’s behalf, he started to lose his senses one by one, including his radar sense. Captured and (literally) senseless, how is Daredevil to fare in Latveria when he can’t even call the Avengers for help? 

Read on for my review!

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It would be interesting to see any character lose usage of all their senses, really, but Matt Murdock losing them is something that just makes for a great story. Mark Waid especially knows how to characterize Matt as he slowly realizes that—along with his usual loss of sight—he can no longer hear, smell, speak, or even feel. With all his senses gone, he’s helpless, and we get nothing from him but thought, and it’s in those scenes that this issue strives. The black panels with Matt’s inner monologue give a great insight into how he functions when he literally has no idea of anything surrounding him. Something about a completely helpless Daredevil is incredibly entertaining. 

All that, though, doesn’t mean this issue is at a lack for action as we see plenty of Matt fighting to regain his senses and be free of Castle Doom. Just as it’s interesting to see Matt lying helpless, it’s also fascinating to see how Waid depicts him in full action when he’s unable to utilize his radar sense. It’s an entertaining issue from start to finish, and the finish will leave readers on the edge of their seats to see how Matt will recover from the events of this issue. There’s also a bit of a hint that maybe Matt will come out of this different than he’s ever been before. 

The issue wouldn’t work nearly as well, of course, if it weren’t for the fantastic artwork from Chris Samnee. Last month he came on as the series new regular artist—since Paolo Rivera stepped out—and he proved that he was a worthy replacement. Samnee’s representation of Matt’s lack of senses in the first-person panels give Paolo a run for his money, and his version of Castle Doom is a dark and dreary yet fantastically beautiful one. 

Overall, this issue marks another solid installment for the series, with A+ marks for both story and art, and an ending that I can’t wait to see elaborated on. As always, it’s safe to say that Daredevil is one of Marvel’s most consistently great titles and everyone should be reading it. My only complaint is that it came and went too quickly.

GO Rating: 4/5