Writer: Charles Soule / Artist: Mike Henderson / Marvel Comics
The lesson of Daredevil #605? Charles Soule has a flair for the dramatic. Drawn by Mike Henderson, this comic concludes the attack on New York City by the Beast and the Hand. Soule weaved together genres in one story like the movie The Pagemaster. Let’s outline. We start with a political intrigue story: Wilson Fisk becoming mayor and legally attacking vigilantes. Enter the Hand: a clan of zombie ninjas lead by a hate demon, are thrown into the fray. Who will come to the aid of our hero? A secret society of medieval paladins, lead by Murdock’s priest.
Soule and Henderson have been taking us for a crazy ride. They deserve credit for keeping the story coherent, despite the twists. I would’ve preferred the Defenders be utilized more than a couple panels of fan service, but that can’t be laid at Soule’s feet. All of the insanity prepped me for the deus ex machina used to save a pinned-down team of heroes hinted at by the cover. Suddenly, we have Daredevil. On horseback. Riding on a white horse into the final battle with the boss wielding a GLOWING. FUCKING. SWORD.
I’d like to take a break from the excitement to talk about my favorite parts of this book specifically, and these past couple arcs in general. The last comic ended with Kingpin waking up from his ninja attack-induced coma. This comic has Fisk attempting to relinquish Murdock of his newly inherited office. Fisk gets all into Foggy’s face, accusing them of orchestrating the attack on the city. He sounds like J. Jonah Jameson! “Murdock . . . brought in his . . . assassins to . . . to”. He doesn’t even believe himself.
Seeing Foggy hold his ground against the giant was a great appetizer for the main course: Fisk confronting Murdock. Matt’s at the mayor’s desk. Fisk is standing before him. We’re not sure whether he plans on relinquishing the position or if he’s going to straight-up start a coup. At the conclusion of the comic, we’re led into the next arc…which promises to be nice and political.
I don’t know if this is Mike Henderson’s last stint on Daredevil as next issue is being drawn by a different artist. In case it is I’d like to tip my hat to him. His style has suited this book. I particularly appreciated the scruffy style of Daredevil’s face. He rocked stubble and even out of costume he looked like he could give Fisk a right hook at any moment. The story also opened the door for some fun scenes. The glowing sword horseback sequence feels like the epic cumulation of the feel of this arc. I continue to have a ton of fun reading and looking at the book!
Reading Daredevil? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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