Written by: Chip Zdarsky
Art by: Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 17, 2019

Chip Zdarsky has made me a Daredevil fan. I only had a passing interest in the character in the past and while he is not close to being my favorite Marvel character, he is climbing the list a bit. So, does he jump a few rungs on the fandom ladder or does Punisher make his move? Let’s find out…

We start out by with a little Cole North start and he IS a character I want to see way more of! He is a bad butt who is getting a lot of attention for his fight with Daredevil, but I’ve had my eye on him the minute he showed up. Quickly, however, it’s off to Daredevil and after the last issue, that means off to see the Punisher.

After a cool look at Matt’s powers, we see what is going on. Frank has saved Matt and is now in the process of interrogating one of the Owl’s men. This sets up an extended back-and-forth between Frank and Matt that does read a bit like a tough guy “he said, she said” thing… You killed that guy…No I didn’t…Yes you did!…I’m not like you!…Yes you are! All this is going on as Frank decides what to do to this piece of crap and Matt doesn’t seem to be able to do anything about it.

A little too late (at least for the other guy), Matt springs into action and Zdarsky shows that when he gets down to it, Daredevil can really let loose. He pretty much shows Frank that he could kill him if he wanted to, but he doesn’t want to.

Through all of this, Frank comes off as a guy who needs Daredevil to cross the line. Maybe to make himself feel better for what he does, maybe to have a partner or even a friend by the end, or maybe it’s something entirely different…he just needs it. By the end, he may actually get his wish as the cliffhanger shows that Matt is heading out on the town with some new (old) threads that look pretty awesome on him!

This is an odd issue to rate only because the overall plot doesn’t progress much. That doesn’t matter much though since this is all about character work and Zdarsky nails it! Somehow, he has Matt and Frank pretty much repeating themselves and yet I found myself riveted by it all. We do also get a really cool thing going on with Kingpin and Cole North, but this issue is all about the Punisher/Daredevil dynamic and I loved it!

I also loved the art throughout the issue. Marco Checchetto and Sunny Gho kick major butt and there are some nice little touches and easter eggs if you look carefully.

Final Thoughts:

This issue is all about the characters and Zdarsky nails the voices and interactions of Daredevil and Punisher. Frank seems to need Matt to go over the line at the exact time that Matt needs to make sure he hasn’t. It ends in a hail of bullets and a cool cliffhanger that has me pumped for the next issue. This series is a great jumping on point for anyone that is interested in Daredevil.

9.0/10