Written by Chip Zdarsky.
Art by Rafael De Latorre; Marco Checchetto; Manuel Garcia; Matthew Wilson; Eric Arciniega; & VC’s Clayton Cowles.
Cover Art by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson.
SUMMARY:
Released by Marvel Comics in 2023, this 112-page trade paperback collects 2022’s Daredevil # 6-10. Now married, international fugitives Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios share the ‘Daredevil’ moniker and seemingly co-lead their Fist resistance group. Yet, it’s to her beloved (and possibly deranged) Matt that Elektra cedes final decision-making to, as his senses are now vastly enhanced by ancient magic.
Among their recruits are ‘Stick;’ Foggy Nelson; a former NYC cop, Cole North; and Leonard “Doc Sasquatch” Samson. Upon being broken out of prison by the Daredevils, their cult-like contingent now includes Speed Demon, Bullet, The Enforcers’ Fancy Dan, Stilt-Man, Stegron, the Wrecker, and the symbiote Agony.
Headquartered on the remote Makanrushi Island (free from the world’s radar detection), Matt and Elektra diligently train their disciples and push redirection of the criminal natures of some towards a greater good. Specifically, a showdown against the nefarious Hand cult is imminent, as a mesmerized Frank Castle’s Punisher is in command, along with the mind-controlling Aka. Also looming in the background are the evil Stromwyn siblings in league with The Hand as elderly multi-billionaires in for their own illicit gain. With video footage captured on live television, Elektra’s team evades Iron Man before she murders an Aka-possessed U.S. President at his Paris hotel.
Matt’s team next goes to Charlotte, North Carolina, to thwart a police-enforced Castlemax eviction of innocent residents from their housing. A chilling warning is further left for the Castlemax CEO at his own private residence. Aware of a mystical destiny indicating that one of them will die, the Daredevils lead a dangerous assault against The Hand in Yusuhara, Japan. Their primary objective is to rescue Bullet’s abducted young son and free Bullet himself from mind-controlled possession.
Barely escaping from total defeat, Matt and Elektra’s decimated team begins falling apart. Both of them (Matt in particular) are fully aware that their isolated group needs far more training and cohesion to stand any chance of survival against The Hand’s overwhelming numbers.
Not only are trusted recruits abandoning the duo’s quasi-religious cause, but shock comes as at least one treacherous impersonator is revealed in their midst. The worse-case scenario comes, as military jets and The Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, the new Valkyrie, Black Panther, and Spider-Man) converge on the island. In spite of the bleak odds, the elusive Matt is hellbent on not surrendering to his former friends.
Note: This title is also available digitally.
REVIEW:
Despite its slim page count, The Red Fist Saga, Volume Two becomes a wearisome read. That isn’t the fault of this art team’s solid and consistently appealing visuals; rather, blame falls upon writer Chip Zdarsky for the mostly blah storytelling.
Including a predictable battle violence quotient (where characters quickly recover from seemingly fatal wounds), fans are hard-pressed to find any fun exploring this pretentious storyline. Specifically, Zdarsky’s convoluted plotting backs the Daredevil franchise into a corner.
Case in point: Matt Murdock is conveyed once again as a sanctimonious martyr overwhelmed by his religious convictions. Zdarsky, therefore, makes sure that readers see a wounded Murdock multiple times (even literally) ever closer to the precipice of a nervous breakdown. Hence, it isn’t necessarily clear if the Volume Two’s dire conclusion is meant as a cliffhanger or as a temporary end to the series itself.
Aside from Daredevil’s climatic showdown against an outraged Spider-Man, Volume Two is at best a single read. That is, this Daredevil storyline heavy on supernatural nonsense appears exclusively geared for Murdock’s die-hard fans who prefer him as a well-intentioned yet self-righteous ‘demigod.’ For other adults, though, perusing Daredevil & Elektra: The Red Fist Saga, Volume Two at the library makes the most practical sense.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Prior to the credits page, there is a brief synopsis of this storyline-to-date. Each of Marco Checchetto and Matthew Wilson’s full-page covers precedes its issue. The variant cover gallery leads off with Issue # 6’s full-page Elektra homage by artist Peach Momoko. With three cover images then allotted to a page, the following variants are included:
- Issue # 6 (1. artist Kendrick “Kunkka” Lim; and 2. artists Checchetto & Wilson);
- Issue # 7 (1. artists Frank Cho & Sabine Rich; and 2. artist Momoko);
- Issue # 8 (1. artists Elena Casagrande & Jordie Bellaire; and 2. Artist AKA);
- Issue # 9 (1A. artist Alex Ross; 1B. artist Ross – a sketch rendition of the same variant; and 2. artist Juni Ba); and
- Issue # 10 (artists: Kevin Eastman & Richard Isanove).
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
