Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: charles soule, daredevil, defenders, foggy nelson, HRL, Kingpin, Marvel Comics, marvel legacy, matt murdock, stefano landini

Marvel Legacy Daredevil #595 Review: A Good Comic Weighed Down By Continuity

Daredevil has returned to New York City to discover that it has nominated his most dangerous foe, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, as its mayor. He can't believe that this was done in earnest by the city; Fisk must have cheated his way in somehow.

Matt immediately goes to the DA in the hopes that a case can be put together against Fisk. Unfortunately, the District Attorney has another job for Matt: start compiling a case against the superheroes of New York City, starting with Daredevil.

I want to start with saying that this comic is quite good. Charles Soule continues to carve out his own legacy in the history of Daredevil. The premise of Kingpin being elected as the mayor of New York seems so straightforward and genius that I can't believe it hasn't been done before. Fisk prioritizing ousting the heroes makes a lot of sense, considering the years he spent fighting against them.

That latter detail does bog down the comic some, though, and it has nothing to do with the comic's plot or characters. It's Marvel comics in general. With stories like the two Civil Wars, Initiative, Dark Reign, and Secret Empire, Marvel has made the civilians and bystanders pseudo-antagonistic towards the superheroes that populate their world. It's frankly become a bit tiresome. Where Daredevil #595 puts a lot of effort into explaining why the police and civilians have turned upon the Man Without Fear, it still ends up feeling like another story where everyone wants the superhero arrested and put away.

That's not really fair to Soule and company who really did a good job on this issue, but the fact remains that a lot of this comic mimics plots and side details from numerous other Marvel Comics.

That aside, this really is a great story. The city that Matt loves so much has implicitly turned on him with the election of a power-hungry mob boss. Kingpin goes out of his way to antagonize Daredevil with minor actions that can't be traced back to him. There is a tense confrontation between the two in the back-half that really feels like a scene ripped from the classic Daredevil stories.

To those who are concerned with the plausibility of the Kingpin of Crime being elected to the position of mayor — well, just look back to this time last year and realize anything is possible in the electoral realm.

Though Ron Garney's absence is certainly felt on the title, Stefano Landini brings a stark and unnerving style that feels reminiscent of a lot of the good early to mid-2000s Daredevil comics. It's a reserved style where the devil is in the details, and it looks great.

Matt Milla continues to bring solid color work that drenches every page with heavy atmosphere.

Despite the hang-ups Marvel's recent stories bring to the context of this issue, Daredevil #595 is a great read and the start of an enticing new arc for the Man Without Fear. The beginning of "Mayor Fisk" establishes the premise well and lays on the tension in large servings. I highly recommend this one; give it a read.

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