Daredevil #9 -Guest Starring Spider-Man (Spoilers)

“Good thing you’re one of my oldest and most trusted colleagues in the super hero biz”

You remember the good old days when Spider-Man used to web-sling. I know Daredevil remembers!

Writer- Charles Soule

Artist- Goran Sudzuka

Color Artist- Matt Milla

Letterer- Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists- Guiseppe Camuncoli & Daniele Orlandini

Editors- Chris Robinson, Mark Paniccia, & Axel Alonso

The Facts (Plot)- Daredevil #9 is part II of the Blind man’s Bluff that was started in Daredevil #8. In Blind man’s Bluff, Daredevil is trying to track down a suitcase which contains information that can help him bring down New York City’s underground. This leads the man without a fear into the Country of Macau, a special administrative region (SAR) of China and into a high stakes poker tournament. In issue #8 he wins the high stakes poker tournament using his heighten senses. He wins the tournament in order to get closer to the same suitcase. In this issue (#9) he enlists Spider-Man’s help in retrieving the suitcase from the Triad, Chinese gangsters. They fight their way through a number of thugs but the suitcase manages to elude them. The heroes nonetheless do not give up and this leads them to travel to Shanghai. They are able to track down the suitcase because Spider-Man placed a tracer on the suitcase in the initial brawl. The duo manages to retrieve the suitcase but their problems are not over. For some reason Spider-Man who is now holding the suitcase cannot bring himself to hand it over to Daredevil.

Spider-Man explains that he feels like he does not know him. That he used to trust him but cannot now. Daredevil left with no choice tells Spidey his secret (a secret he could not even tell Captain America). Daredevil tells Spider-Man that he has wiped his identity from everyone that knew it (similar to what Dr. Strange did for Spider-Man back in the day). Additionally, Daredevil tells Spidey that the suitcase holds information on most of the criminal heavy weights of New York City and that he aims to use it to take them down with it. Spider-Man after hearing all of this departs with a quip about wearing black costumes (“Watch out for those black-costumes phases. They can really do a number on you.”).

Opening Arguments (Analysis)- I found Daredevil #9 to be entertaining and well written. Charles Soule does an excellent showing how Daredevil’s world affects Spider-Man’s. I thought the way that Soule brought Spider-Man into Daredevil’s comic was believable and well crafted. Daredevil is in Macau, a country just the south of China, so it is conceivable for Spider-Man to be able to arrive there (having business in China himself). Even the reason Daredevil is in Macau is believable and within character. Daredevil has always been an intense character that would go to the ends of the Earth to protect New York City. And while not the quite the ends of the Earth (being that the Earth is round), he comes close.

Soule’s Daredevil run has impressed me so far. Soule himself aside from being a writer is a immigration lawyer and his real life experience shines through in his work. This issue for instance is an excellent example. Although Daredevil and Spider-Man are not in New York this issue feels like a classic Daredevil and Spider-Man. It feels so classic that Spider-Man is actually web slinging (not driving a spider-mobile or flying like Spider-Man 2099).

Now, I have always loved the idea of Daredevil and Spider-Man teaming up. Their teamwork has always felt so natural to me. I enjoy seeing them fighting together because of how well their ideology and powers match up. It is a joy seeing them use their powers in conjunction even for a short while (Daredevil’s radar sense and Spider-Man’s spider- sense). Additionally because of their ideology of “not killing” it is almost as if they are thinking on the same wavelength. This issue captures all of this until conflict ensues between the duo. But even when conflict arises, Daredevil opens up to Spider-Man and reveals that he erased his identity from Spidey’s and others’ minds. This was a secret that Daredevil carried for eight issues. The secret was a grave burden on him and he choose Spidey as the person to open up to. This shows how much trust and respect Daredevil has for Spider-Man. He could have lied to Spider-Man but he did not.

Spider-Man is portrayed incredibly well in this book. I think he showcases many of the reasons why most people feel he is amazing. Spidey shows foresight in using the tracer, strength in taking down Triad thugs and independence in challenging Daredevil at the end. My noting his strength is not as trivial as it may sound. There have been adaptions of Spider-Man that mistakenly depict Spider-Man as having normal human strength as opposed to his actual Superhuman strength. Another thing to note is that Spider-Man did not simply trust Daredevil. When he felt that something was off he confronted Daredevil. I respect this portrayal of Spider-Man a lot.

Lastly, Spider-Man’s quips were funny and natural. Spider-Man without quips is like a bird without wings. This issue delivers on the funny quip without it feeling forced. Some of the quips in themselves reflect Spidey’s anxiety in not knowing who Daredevil really is. Additionally the quips feel very natural. Spider-Man in this issue actually reminds me of one of friends, he felt that real to me.

In Closing- This issue of Daredevil, depicts an intelligent, capable and likable Spider-Man. I cannot ask for more in a Spidey story. The only negative or Con I had it is the glowing eyes and glowing spider symbol of Spider-Man’s suit. I know this is not the Artist or Color Artist fault given that they have to use the same design as the Amazing Spider-Man. Even though it is not their choice to use this design, it is still terribly distracting.

Grade- Overall: A-

Portrayal of Spider-Man: A