Daredevil #600 Review

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Blindspot, Charles Soule, Daredevil, Daredevil #600, Daredevil #600 review, Foggy Nelson, Hells Kitchen, Marte Gracia, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Matt Murdock, NCBD, Ron Garney, The Kingpin, The Man Without Fear, Wilson Fisk

Daredevil #600

Review by Paul Bowler

Mayor Fisk continues to wreak havoc in Murdock’s life in Daredevil #600 as the Man Without Fear rallies the heroes of New York City against the mayor’s schemes. Ever since Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of crime, was elected as mayor of NYC he’s made superheroes illegal and appointed Matt as deputy mayor to ensure Murdock was too busy to interfere with his criminal dealings. But now Muse – the Inhuman serial killer – has escaped from jail to create more murderous works of art and to stalk his former victim and one-time protégé of Daredevil, Sam Chung (AKA Blindspot). Daredevil must now do whatever it takes to stop Fisk’s plans, no matter the cost, but will he be in time to prevent all of the dark machinations unfolding around him?

Daredevil’s war against Wilson Fisk reaches a thrilling, action-packed conclusion in Daredevil #600, a special oversized anniversary issue guest staring the heroes and villains of NYC, as writer Charles Soule skilfully brings together numerous interweaving plot strands for Daredevil’s epic showdown with Wilson Fisk.

Daredevil #600’s impressive and eye-catching cover by Dan Mora and Romulo Fajardo JR (there’s also a wealth of excellent variant covers by David Aja, Alex Ross, Frank Miller & Dean White, and Daniel Acuna to choose from as well) offers a hint of the action that awaits you in this issue. The battle lines are quickly drawn as the heroes and villains on all sides get caught up in Daredevil’s showdown with mayor Fisk. Daredevil’s plan to take down the Kingpin is even more audacious than it initially seems, with DD enrolling Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Misty Knight, Jessica Jones, Moon Knight, and Echo to gate-crash a shindig between the Bronx’s super villain crime bosses – the Black Cat, Hammerhead, Diamondback, and the Owl.

As the heroes and villains clash amidst a barrage of wry asides and bullets, Charles Soule also deftly punctuates the narrative with Blindspot’s battle with Muse, while Daredevil’s heads towards his inevitable showdown with Fisk. The pace of this issue doesn’t let up for a moment. However, it is these two branches of the plot that are perhaps the most compelling of all. The fight between Blindspot and Muse is especially powerful because of its underlying sense of horror, while the face-off between Daredevil and Fisk broods with unrestrained menace, and the resolution of both encounters amid a schism of fateful decisions holds unforeseen consequences for all concerned…

It goes without saying that the artwork by Ron Garney is as impressive as ever, with crisply refined page layouts effortlessly relaying every nuance of Soule’s script, and rich characterization adorning every page. Featuring such an extensive roll call of heroes and villains Daredevil #600 is almost bursting at the seams with characters and subplots. Ron Garney does a terrific job giving this issues plethora of characters a chance to shine, imbuing the raw power and emotion of virtually every scene with gritty intensity, striking action sequences, and with color artist Matt Milla’s subtle use of tone and shade heightening the drama to maximum effect this landmark issue of Daredevil looks absolutely stunning.

Daredevil #600 certainly delivers a knockout punch as it rounds off the Mayor Fisk storyline, but even darker forces are on hand waiting in the wings, and it all builds to a shock ending that will rock Hell’s Kitchen to its core! Charles Soule, Ron Garney, and Matt Milla have crafted another superb issue of their run here, add to that the nostalgic backup story looking back at Foggy and Matt’s friendship over the years written by Christos Gage, with art by Mike Perkins and colors by Andy Troy, and Daredevil #600 becomes a milestone issue and game-changing chapter in Matt Murdock’s life that no Daredevil fan will want to miss!

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Writer: Charles Soule / Artist: Ron Garney / Color Artist: Matt Milla

Letterer VC’S Clayton Cowles / Cover: Dan Mora

“They Also Serve” Writer Christos Gage / Art Mike Perkins / Color Artist Andy Troy /

Letterer VC’S Clayton Cowles

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Daredevil #26 Review

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Blindspot, Charles Soule, China, Daredevil, Daredevil #26, Daredevil #26 review, Foggy Nelson, Hells Kitchen, Land of the Blind, Marte Gracia, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Matt Murdock, NCBD, Ron Garney, The Man Without Fear

Daredevil #26

Review by Paul Bowler

Land of the Blind begins in Daredevil #26, when a message from an absent friend sends Daredevil on a mission to the other side of the world to rural China. The Man Without Fear must not only contend with the challenges of his new environment, he must also face a new villain, someone that even Daredevil’s extraordinary hyper-senses can’t detect…

This new story-arc from writer Charles Soule, artist Ron Garney, and color artist Matt Milla kicks off in fine style as Daredevil acrobatically leaps across the rooftops of Manhattan. Having won a landmark case that will finally allow heroes testimonies to be used in court, Matt is now back in his traditional red Daredevil costume, and riding high after the Supreme Court ruled in his favour. So, with Hell’s Kitchen unusually quiet as the ramifications of this news begins to sink into the criminal community, Daredevil switches his attention towards those in Chinatown seeking the help of his former protégée Sam Chung – Blindspot.

Blindspot was one of the defining characters of this new volume of Daredevil during its early stages. Sam Chung had built a suit that enabled him to turn invisible, he became Blindspot, and Daredevil chose to mentor him. Together they took down the gangster known as Tenfingers and saved Sam’s mother. Blindspot continued working with Daredevil until he was horrifically blinded (during The Dark Art storyline) by an Inhuman serial killer called Muse. After leaving hospital, Sam disappeared, and Daredevil hasn’t heard from his since.

As Daredevil brings the latest batch of messages for Blindspot to his sister in Daredevil #26, Charles Soule scripts some extremely powerful and emotional scenes as Sam’s sibling struggles to comes to terms with the choices her brother made, and Daredevil’s reasons for continuing to bring her the envelopes left for Blindspot in Chinatown. But not all of them are calls for help; one holds an invitation for Daredevil to go to China, where a fateful encounter with a deadly new enemy waits!

Ron Garney’s artwork stylishly envelops you in this broodingly atmospheric tale right from the outset: from the moody opening scenes in Chinatown, to the interlude at the DA’s Office, and enlisting Foggy’s help, Murdock’s journey to China is vividly detailed and culminates with a jaw-dropping vista of rural China as Daredevil goes in search of a hidden temple. Color artist Matt Milla employs a sumptuous blend of cool shades, rich shadows, and earthy tones over the course of this issue to great effect. Much as I really liked the darker costume Daredevil has worn in this series, its great to see him back in his red costume again, I think it’s a good move, and it makes the character look even more dramatic when seen in such a rural setting like this.

This issue builds to an ominous cliff-hanger as Daredevil finds himself face to face with some old enemies, but not even Matt’s enhanced senses are a match for the new foe waiting in the wings… From the moment you set eyes on that haunting cover Ron Garney you instantly know you are in for something truly special with this issue. Daredevil #26 begins another great chapter in this series, Charles Soule, Ron Garney, and Matt Milla deliver a sublime mix of powerful characterization, intriguing mystery, and eerily staged action sequences to make this issue of Daredevil a thoroughly enjoyable and suspenseful read from cover to cover.

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Charles Soule / Artist: Ron Garney / Color Artist: Matt Milla

Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles / Cover: Ron Garney

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