Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios face off a legion of –what else— undead symbiotes in Venom War: Daredevil #1.

The currently ongoing Venom War event is about Eddie Brock and his teen son, Dylan, fighting over which one of them gets to be the true symbiote master after seeing glimpses of their futures. (It’s Venomized Highlander.) All of that, however, is mostly irrelevant to the story presented in Venom War: Daredevil #1, which instead the issue asks the reader this: wanna see Daredevil(s) fight some zombie symbiotes?

Status quo check! Matt Murdock died recently —don’t worry he’s fine— and took up the cloth as a priest, but he still also patrols the streets as Daredevil. Elektra —who has been dead before but don’t worry she’s fine too— also patrols the streets as Daredevil now, but they’re not quite sympatico with one another at the moment and mostly keep to themselves. But when a horde of zombiotes —yes, the aforementioned zombie symbiotes— attacks Matt’s church, it’s up to them to save the orphaned children within.

As a mostly standalone, one-and-done tie-in to a bigger event storyline, Venom War: Daredevil #1 delivers on its premise. It’s Matt and Elektra fighting some zombie symbiotes. Does that sound like something you would want to read? Then go ahead. Are you not a fan of Venom and/or Daredevil? Then it’s probably not for you. To the creative team’s credit, writer Chris Condon does a good job of setting the mood and getting in the heads of the titular Daredevils, offering more of a character piece than something particularly plot-driven. But that’s to be expected for a closed loop side story — it’s an optional diversion. Artist Lan Medina also gets a lot to do here, leaning more into the horror aspect of both Venom and also Daredevil, which isn’t a side that either character gets to explore much.

Even if you haven’t been following the main storyline, Venom War: Daredevil #1 will probably satisfy any Daredevil fans on the strength of its focus on Matt and Elektra doing what they do best — fighting with and against one another in a sexually tense way. Also, there are zombie symbiotes.

4.99