I can’t believe I almost missed this issue. My “to read” comics had really started to pile up, and it wasn’t until after I’d read Daredevil #11 that I realized I hadn’t finished the two-part arc with the Purple Man. Digging back through my pile, I found and read what is probably my single favorite issue of a comic in 2014.
While the Purple Man storyline wraps up in a satisfying way, it’s the larger issue Mark Waid and Chris Samnee tackle here that makes this issue special. This is an issue all about depression, and what it does to someone who’s in the throes of it. As someone who has dealt with depression myself, this issue really resonated with me, and the way Waid and Samnee handle it is not only respectful, but important. There’s a clear message to be taken about letting other people help you, and it results in some of the most emotionally powerful pages I’ve read in a long time.
Even if you don’t read Daredevil, or if you missed the first issue of this arc, it’s worth picking up Daredevil #10. This issue is a shining example of how powerful a medium comics can be, and that having a powerful message doesn’t have to come at the cost of an entertaining story. In this case, it elevates a story from entertaining to special.