I wasn't sure if I'd continue to adore this even with the more serious bent, although I had loved the first one.  I was very optimistic, and by the time the second came out, some of that new-series glow had faded a bite nd Was like 'well, maybe this will hold up for a short time?'   Then I got this issue and that glow came back: the story, the art, it's all just fantastic. 

The author, from what I've read, is mostly a comic writer.   There tends to be hints of humor in Daredevil runs, even just one-liners, no matter how somber the storylines get, so picking a writer who excels at humor makes sense for Daredevil. 

This is all somber.   I'd say it makes sense: the last ongoing series left Daredevil at a low point, physically battered for years - with no hospital visits, may I add, at least for the most part.  I won't spoil specifically what happens, but an incident leaves him dealing with that ongoing physical trauma, possibly dead, then hey, maybe unable to walk.   He has to painstakingly build himself up again. 

But Daredevil series are a matter of finding new low points for Matt Murdock, and there's always been that hint of humor, if not full out laugh-out-loud lines.   (Almost always?   I think Miller got a little more nihilistic, but for the most part this series was built on humor in the face of adversity.)   It got to the point with the Netflix series that my sister, frustrated, said 'it's like Supernatural, but he gets MORE shit thrown at him, and it's even more depressing.'   (She also knows a bit about the comic book series, so....   I'd argue that the DD series may not live up to the river of shit known as the lives of the Winchester brothers, but, yes, he's got them beat in the comic book series.   I'd also point out, as a matter of pure pride, that I could school her on DD.   But I'm a DD fanatic.   And yeah, a man tried to out-nerd me on DD based on the movie.   When I rattled off pretty much his whole comic book history, he pretty quickly was awed at how much more I knew.)

So I was pretty shocked at how humorless this was.   That isn't to say it bad; my star rating proves that I loved this.   I'm still hoping this gets funny at some point; Zdarsky does funny so well that I consider him mostly a comic writer.   (A writer of comedy as opposed to a writer of comics.  It's pretty unfair: he does other things quite well, his strong point to me is just comedy.)   Shocked - and pleased.   This put Matt through the wringer, but I'm hoping things get better for him, and it was just flat out well done, a pleasure to read after the new Man Without Fear mini-series.

More adventures for the sex criminals. If you're looking into reading volume three by now you know what to expect from both the writing and art style (although this volume seemed extra meta, in a funny way). This volume introduced an asexual character, and I thought handled that exploration really well. It also had a side rant about how shaming people for what they are into (or not into) is pretty shitty, as well as some feminist theory sandwiched in between story/weirdness. All in all a good volume, even if I have no idea where any of this is going anymore.

Hmm. I absolutely adored the first volume, but this one was a bit flat for me. I still liked it, but I didn't love it. Perhaps part of what felt lacking is the contrast. The first volume is more fun and lively as our two heroes get to know one another and explore their powers. In this volume they've hit a slump, and I'm right there in the slump with them. If the first book is about giddy early relationship fire this one is about depression and stagnation, which...not super funny. I still love the art, really like the ideas, and dig how the characters break the fourth wall constantly. I'll absolutely be reading the next volume, especially given where this one leaves off, but going forward I'm hoping for a bit more comedy and a little less drama.

Pros: Juggie is asexual. I find that refreshing. I love seeing characters of all the rainbow.

Cons: the dream sequence things. That's really not doing it for me. 

But this is making me really wish my library would hurry up on my Archie request.