SHADOWLAND: DAREDEVIL by Andy Diggle and Roberto de la Torre (Marvel Comics, March 2011) Hardcover, 120 pages. ISBN # 0785149902 / 9780785149903
Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .
Matt Murdock has long played judge and jury to criminals as Daredevil, but has he now become executioner as well?! SHADOWLAND takes over Daredevil and his friends aren't about to stand by and lose him on the path he seems destined for. A major player joins the battle as Hell's Kitchen is about to live up to its name once more! COLLECTING: Daredevil #508-512
My Three-Star review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
There are many things to like here, which makes the one glaring error even more disappointing.
There’s no need to avoid spoilers here, as by now everyone who follows this character knows that the “bad, tyrannical” Daredevil has a defining moment and becomes the “good, humanitarian” Daredevil again.
The Shadowland saga expanded across several Marvel titles, and it would require an omnibus to collect them all. (Of course, that happened later). However, to leave out that one key issue or issues where Daredevil makes that transition is a major omission here.
The story flows so well from issue to issue until #511 when Foggy Nelson discovers the remains of a battlefield, a conflict that is not included in this hardcover. Even worse, #511 ends with a captured Nelson being choked by Daredevil in a killing rage, and #512 begins with Matt Murdock catching a train out of town.
The resolution/transition scenes are completely absent from this collection. I was going to rate this highly based on the first three issues, but THREE STARS is more than generous.
I later found out that the story actually begins in the SHADOWLAND limited series and jumps back and forth between that and the Daredevil issues reprinted here. Looks like I read them in reverse order. The problem could have been easily solved by Marvel by simply labeling these collections SHADOWLAND, VOLUME 1 and SHADOWLAND, VOLUME 2.
The parts I enjoyed the most about SHADOWLAND: DAREDEVIL were the scenes with attorney Foggy Nelson and detective Dakota North. Their conversations help set the tone and their friendly verbal battles are engaging.
The art by Roberto De La Torre is excellent and reminds me of the style of Alex Maleev (well-known to Daredevil fans) but completely his own, and much more colorful and vibrant.
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