REVIEW: ‘Daredevil,’ Issue #33

Daredevil #33 is published by Marvel Comics. Written by Chip Zdarsky. Marco Checchetto returns as the artist and Marcio Menyz provides the colours. The letterer is Clayton Cowles.

Bullseye is free and on a brutal murder spree across New York. The city has been locked down, and a fleet of superheroes are looking for him. Elektra is hunting him down. When she finds him, a fight breaks out between the arch enemies. But she quickly learns something even more horrifying than Bullseye: There is more than one of him. In the prison, Daredevil discovers a secret laboratory. In his battle with the guards, an explosion is caused.

Within this issue, Elektra tries to stay alive whilst under attack from three deadly assassins. Outnumbered and bleeding, the ninja is in desperate need of allies. They are on their way, but maybe too late. At the prison, the police have been unable to enter the prison as the inmates have taken over the burning building. Daredevil is still inside and unaccounted for. As Detective Cole North arrives, a message is sent out from the jail. He must enter alone.

The exhilaration of this series is unrelenting, the drama of the last issue’s huge revelations continuing into the next chapter. There are some necessary flashbacks that unveil how Bullseye ended up being multiplied. After that is the fight, and it is a terrific action scene. If readers were nervous for Elektra facing just one Bullseye, her odds are even worse now. Zdarsky introduces some clever twists during this fight that no one will see coming. As for the prison, a new mystery has started. Much of this part of Daredevil #33 is shrouded in confusion. The last issue doesn’t give many cues as the cliffhanger implied the destruction of the prison. But what follows is an ending that was completely unexpected.

Daredevil is absent from this issue, so the onus falls on Elektra to carry the drama of the book. And that she does. The fight between her and the Bullseyes highlights many of her awesome qualities. Her strategic mind, her intense pride, her disdain for the men trying to kill her, and her ability to improvise. The readers’ hearts will be pounding during this conflict as damage is dealt. There are some guest stars inside this comic that are a pleasant surprise, and they lead to interchanges between characters that may never have interacted before. Elektra is so different from most of the other heroes, so when one crosses her path the outcome is a fascinating read.

As for Bullseye, this new arc is a terrifying prospect. Just one of him is one of the most dangerous and frightening villains Marvel has to offer, and Zdarsky has introduced a way to increase this. He is a perfect villain because there is no chance of reasoning with him. Bullseye is pure evil and it is near impossible to prevent him from doing what he loves most; slaughter.

Checchetto returns on art in beautiful fashion. It is fascinating to see the different approaches this artist takes as the same fight is continued with a new style. His realistic facial features depict intricate and powerful emotions. There are individual follicles of hair in Bullseye’s stubble, just one example of the incredible detail provided by this artist. The near-constant grin on the murderer’s face is intensely creepy. And Elektra drawn by Checchetto will always be stunning. She has such an expressive face, and the design of her hair gives it a life of its own and a real sense of volume. The fight is expertly laid out and choreographed, important when taking place from multiple directions. 

The colours in Daredevil #33 are also stunning. The most notable change from the last issue is that Bulleye’s costume losing the blue as Menyz colours him. Now, he has brown trousers, a jet black top cowl with his signature target on his forehead. This reviewer prefers that colour scheme with this artist in particular. The pure black with no detailing within it has a menacing and unsettling property. In the background of the Elektra/Bullseye fight, it is common for a vibrant red and orange to be present. This illustrates the rage between the two, and the danger Elektra is in. The lettering has been consistently fantastic by Clayton Cowles during this series and is always easy to read.

Daredevil #33 is a fantastic, action-packed issue. This comic is fraught with danger and the readers are left nervous. Zdarsky continues to tell a deeply captivating story with constantly increasing threats seeking to cut one of those stories short. There are also some fascinating pieces of dialogue and plot threads around the other characters involved in the book, including one that will take the comic in a completely different direction.

Daredevil #33 is available where comics are sold.