Daredevil #1 Cover by Paolo Rivera

Fan-favorite writer Mark Waid has written for publishers including Marvel, DC, CrossGen, BOOM!, and many others with memorable takes on the Flash, Captain America, and Ka-Zar, as well as creating books such as Irredeemable and Incorruptible. Now, he is the writer of Marvel’s new Daredevil #1. Westfield’s Roger Ash contacted Mark to learn more about this new project.

Westfield: What appeals to you about the character of Daredevil? What can people look forward to in this new series?

Mark Waid: I love Matt’s can-do, won’t-be-defeated attitude. I love the paradox of a vigilante by night, lawyer by day. I love the urban noir of it. But most of all, I love Matt’s powers and am diving headfirst, more than we’ve seen lately, into what the world’s like to him on a moment-by-moment basis. There’s a LOT of Daredevil point-of-view action in this series, and not just the same old radar-sense effects. Heavy emphasis on sound effects, heavy plot emphasis on what Matt can and can’t detect with his enhanced senses. A focus on how in our screen-focused 21st century, how Matt’s powers are actually maybe NOT as useful as they were 15 years ago or so–not in an era where almost everyone communicates via smartphone….

What readers can look forward to is a new Matt with a new attitude. Rather than wallow in self-pity or depression over the horrific things he’s been through lately, he’s decided to stick his fingers in his ears (figuratively speaking) and ignore the recent past and go back to being an “earlier” Matt–charming, sly, witty, sexy, hungry for adventure. Unfortunately, the rest of the Marvel Universe, including Matt’s supporting cast, isn’t as eager to give Matt that chance. What he sees as a coping mechanism, they see as denial, and horns will lock very quickly.

Daredevil #1 Variant Cover by Neal Adams

Westfield: Is there anything you can say about some of the new characters who will be appearing in Daredevil?

Waid: My favorite is the new assistant D.A. who–like about a third of all New York–is utterly convinced that Matt is Daredevil despite his claims to the contrary. She’s constantly trying to get him to admit it–but not in a “Lois Lane trying to prove Clark is Superman” way. In a sexy back-and-forth way that’s almost foreplay to them.

Daredevil #1 Variant Cover by Marcos Martin

Westfield: You’re working with artists Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin on Daredevil. What can you say about their contribution to the book?

Waid: Oh, my God. Two better artists I could not be luckier to find. Both of them are reinventing the entire visual language of the book, and they’re both STUPENDOUS.

Westfield: Any closing comments?

Waid: Yeah. For those who like a darker book, fear not–there’s plenty of dark edge to the series still. We’re not turning Daredevil into Spider-Man. All we’re doing is tweaking the adventure-to-depression ratio a bit and letting Matt win again. We’re really excited!

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Daredevil #1