Walk into any comic book store these days and ask the clerk what are some of the best Marvel books out there right now and invariably you will find the person turning the conversation to Daredevil. The House of Ideas has enjoyed renewed interest and increased sales for the ol’ Hornhead due to the efforts of writer Mark Waid and talented artists artists such as Javier Rodriguez and Chris Samnee. This run of Daredevil has consistently sat on Diamond’s Top 100 Comics list for months now and even managed to snag an Eisner, so why does it sound like Marvel is going to pull the plug on this series?
From a comment made by editor Steve Wacker in the letters column of the latest issue of Daredevil talking about the “finale to this era of Daredevil” to a tweet from Chris Samnee of a upcoming cover to Daredevil #36 that has the words “DD Vol 3 2011-2013” written on a box next to Matt Murdock and which the artist described it as the “final issue,” it seems clear that Marvel is bringing this book to a close. This has sent a shockwave through the the hearts of the fandom (myself included) as well as some confusion and outcry as to the cancellation of the book, given its strong numbers.
Hope has come however from an interview Newsarama published earlier in the week with Mark Waid in which the writer said in regards to the future of Daredevil:
“They’re…interesting. And quite unexpected and quite familiar at the same time. They may or may not involve a drastic shift in Matt Murdock’s career and lifestyle. But we do know this one thing for sure: the Waid/Samnee/Rodriguez/Caramagna team isn’t going anywhere, and we’re striving for new heights!”
What this most likely means then is that Marvel will be relaunching the book with a new number one issue with the same creative team we know and love taking Matt Murdock down a new direction. The book will also probably keep the lighter and more upbeat tone Waid & Co. already set instead of returning to the well-known dark noir-ish tone Frank Miller set for the character back in the 1980s as this tonal shift is one of the main things that attracted folks back to the character. The current heads of Marvel are too crafty not to exploit the popularity this team and the buzz they have created for Daredevil, which makes this fan fairly sure that this isn’t so much an end as the beginning of a new chapter.
As always we want to hear from you, let us know what you think is going on with Daredevil in the comments below!
