DAREDEVIL (2023) #1/ Script by SALADIN AHMED/ Art by AARON KURDER/ Colors by JESUS ABURTOV/ Letters by VC’S CLAYTON COWLES/ Published by MARVEL COMICS

Matt Murdock was last seen going to Hell, literally, to save his loved ones from a demon.

Now, the Devil no longer walks the streets of Hell’s Kitchen. But Father Matthew does.

Manager of the Saint Nicholas Youth Home, Father Matthew remembers nothing of his life before coming to the Church. He also has no explanation for why God has blessed him with special senses that make up for his lack of sight, or how he knows how to fight so well when his flock is threatened.

All Father Matthew knows is that he dreams of a life unlived and a woman who meant something to him. A woman who even now watches over him… along with the forces of the Hell Father Matthew sees in his nightmares…

I hadn’t been reading the most recent Daredevil comics. I knew that Elektra had taken up the Daredevil mantle, but beyond that I wasn’t sure what else to expect from this series. Yet even if I had been caught up, I suspect this issue would have been a surprise.

Saladin Ahmed brings up a number of interesting philosophical points with Matt Murdock’s amnesia. If God intended to give Matt a fresh start and a happy life, why is he still plagued by nightmares of his past? Elektra indulges in some similar soul-searching, secretly working to help support Matt’s youth home. She wants Matt to be happy, but recognizes that, for whatever reason, he’s changed. While she doesn’t believe God is responsible for Matt’s new life, she is reluctant to disrupt the peaceful life of service that clearly agrees with him for her own sake.

The artwork is not quite as fine. Aaron Kuder is a decent enough artist, but he is better suited to deep shadows and light touches. His action sequences and the bits on the rooftops look fantastic. The bits in broad daylight, however, are oddly inked and, in some cases, barely outlined with no additional shading. The colors of Jesus Aburtov, however, are suitably vibrant throughout.

It is oddly fitting to see the Man Without Fear as a Man of the Cloth. I doubt this new status quo will stick for long, but this is an engaging first issue. The art is somewhat weak at points, but there is far more good than bad in this new Daredevil.