Daredevil #600 (March 2018)

Writer – Charles Soule

Artist – Ron Garney

In the mid-2010s, Marvel Comics was fledging with their direction and storylines but turned the ship around with their soft reboot spinning out of Marvel: Legacy. One of the comic series that really grabbed by attention around this time was Daredevil. In a shocking turn of events, Wilson Fisk was elected the Mayor of New York City. One of my first comic book reviews was Daredevil #595, the issue where Fisk wins it all.

In this milestone issue, Daredevil has a plan to take down Wilson Fisk once and for all. A meeting of crime bosses is slated to take place in the Bronx. Fisk has a plan to give these leaders a place in his administration. However, their meeting goes awry when they realize it’s a trap. Daredevil, leading an all-star group of Marvel’s street level heroes, intervenes to avert this gang war, unaware that they too are caught in a trap as well. As Fisk’s PX Force arrives to arrest the heroes and villains, Daredevil escapes so he can join Fisk’s rally in Central Park as his mild-mannered alter ego. However, a face-off between Mayor Fisk and the Man Without Fear ends with Daredevil being loaded into the back of a police van. In the middle of his speech, Fisk is shot with numerous arrows by ninjas. As police officers try to stop the Hand, Daredevil learns that with Fisk hurt and incapacitated, the line of succession falls to Deputy Mayor Matt Murdock!

This issue also contains the final battle between Daredevil’s protégé Blindspot and the Inhuman serial killer Muse and a special back-up dedicated to Foggy Nelson. Muse was an interesting supervillain and I’d like to go back and see when he was first introduced to learn more about his powers and evil machinations. The short story about Foggy does a great job honoring this second banana by retelling how Foggy and Matt met in law school and all the tragedies and triumphs they endured together as best friends.

Wilson Fisk being elected mayor was an interesting plot twist that ended up lasting a lot longer than many anticipated, including yours truly.  His term in office would last until the Devil’s Reign storyline, roughly three years. The rivalry between Daredevil and Kingpin is epic and adding this wrinkle to the mix kept things fresh and interesting. Fisk’s election win not only affected Daredevil but every other vigilante that calls New York City home. By the time Devil’s Reign started, Fisk would go after other heroes like the Fantastic Four and X-Men. Pride comes before a fall and Fisk’s time as mayor would draw to a close, as he set sail for calmer waters with his wife/bodyguard Typhoid Mary. It’s only a matter of time before he and Daredevil cross paths again.

This run by Charles Soule is underrated and deserves a second look. After reading Daredevil #600, I borrowed Daredevil Volume 7 – Mayor Murdock via Hoopla. I ended up skipping over a few issues of this run before coming back for The Death of Daredevil. It will be nice to fill in some gaps I previously missed.

I’ll finish my review like I sometimes like to do by asking two questions. Where does Daredevil vs Kingpin rank in your personal list of hero/villain rivalries? What is your favorite run of Daredevil?