With the upcoming show Daredevil: Born Again coming out in just about a month, now is the perfect time for fans of the Man Without Fear to catch up on a story that seems to have a few connections with the upcoming show. While the show seems to place Daredevil in a time of change in New York City, with Wilson Fisk as the Mayor and the supervillain Muse springing up, there seems to be a bit of a connection to this trade. In Daredevil: Mayor Fisk, acclaimed writer Charles Soule, Stefano Landini, Ron Garney, and Matt Milla deliver a nonstop thriller story about… Wilson Fisk becoming Mayor and doing everything possible to make life hard on superheroes. Previously, Matthew Murdock argued all the way up to the Supreme Court. But none of that seems to matter now, because Wilson Fisk’s primary job will be the criminalization of vigilantes. And while Daredevil is fighting tooth and nail to stop things from spinning out of control, Matthew Murdock has become powerless after becoming Deputy Mayor.
Marvel
Something quintessential about the many Daredevil runs is the dichotomy between the visions that Matthew Murdock and Wilson Fisk have for the city of New York. Throughout this story, the two both are just as determined as ever to save it. But Charles Soule takes their traditional cat-and-mouse way of fighting one another and puts both in a different spotlight than usual. Fisk, while more powerful than ever, is the mayor and is forced to operate in a different way than before thanks to the spotlight constantly being on him. Meanwhile, Daredevil, a man who follows his heart and intuition to a fault, is strongarmed into operating in the shadows after being Public Enemy Number One. This almost forces the two to flip roles, as Daredevil is often beloved by the city while Fisk operates more discreetly. However, the book does a great job being just as enthralling as ever. I’ve always loved Daredevil, and his unique way of both upholding the law as Matthew Murdock and combating evil at night. While Soule’s run has long since ended, the final pages, a story from Daredevil #600 by Christos Cage, does a great job both setting readers up for the upcoming arc and also paying tribute to the relationship between Matthew and Foggy.
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The story is depicted through the incredible work of artists Stefano Landini and Ron Garney, and color artist Matt Milla. First and foremost, I can’t think of a better set of artists involved for a story meant to depict how polarizing things in New York have become. Something both Landini and Garney do well is giving the book sharp line work that gives the story a more refined edge. This provides an intensity to the action sequences that help to make each punch more powerful. Additionally, Matt Milla’s coloring is stunning. With Muse back and causing problems, Milla’s coloring does a lot of legwork to give his paintings an eerily realistic edge. Also, the backup story by Mike Perkins and Andy Troy is very well illustrated, despite being a different style altogether than the remainder of the book.
Altogether, Daredevil: Mayor Fisk is a very fun read that is well timed with the TV Show seemingly planning to follow similar themes as what occurs here. While there isn’t too much back reading necessary, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to better understand what events predated this story as well as to follow-up on the dramatic cliffhanger. That said, Daredevil: Mayor Fisk is a great book that collects some of Charles Soule’s best work on the series.
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