Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Francesco Mobili, Marco Checchetto
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18, 2019

I have fallen hard for this book. Going into the first issue, I was not a Daredevil fan but only checked it out because I was becoming a Chip Zdarsky one. I think by now it’s safe to say that I am on both of those trolleys and it looks like smooth sailing from here on out. Now, that doesn’t mean that this book is all sunshine and RC Cola. It’s a brutal book that doesn’t glamorize anything, not even Daredevil. Check that, especially not Daredevil! That’s part of its appeal and I hope that keeps going on and going strong. So, how was this issue? Let’s find out…

The issue opens with Fisk arriving for a meeting with Quinn and Una Stromwyn. While he is being told the ground rules (no touching!) he is psyching himself up by reminding himself who he is and what he does. It’s quite like the game that Arnold plays with the kids in Kindergarten Cop and I love that movie!

We then head off to see Matt just as Foggy busts into his office, donut in his mouth and good news all around. The “fake daredevil” is recovering and Foggy got Joe (remember, Matt accidentally killed his brother) out on bail. Unfortunately, Matt doesn’t have good new for Foggy who looks downright angry when Matt shows him that he is back to his old Daredevil tricks.

Foggy has every right to be pissed, but Matt promises him it’s all different now and then drops a bit of a bombshell about Joe on Foggy’s lap. It’s something everyone reading this book already guessed, but this makes it official.

We head back to Fisk and the Stromwyns and I had a feeling they weren’t going to be too made at Fisk for killing Ty a couple of issues ago. No, they are just mad at where it happened and what came about because of it. Now, they seem like easy-going psychopaths and thus, they are punishing Fisk with the marijuana protesters … but then introduce a little more of a hands-on approach.

Meanwhile, Matt and Elektra are visiting the Governer for a little face to face and while I thought they were going to have to pry a little harder for answers, the Governer jumped at the opportunity to squeal. The reason the cops have been pulled out of Hell’s Kitchen is no surprise and ties in nice and neat with Fisk’s current predicament.

We then get a two location fight… Fisk versus the Stromwyn’s goon squad and Matt and Elektra versus the Mayor’s guys. Things end up a bit differently for each party, though, and I am very worried that each may be heading for a fall… even though one of them seems to already be there!

This is another really good issue of Daredevil. Sure, there is plenty of action to keep the adrenaline going, but it’s the character work that makes this book so good and Zdarsky nails it again in this issue. I know it’s a Daredevil book, but I could read his Fisk all day long so I certainly wouldn’t mind a Kingpin solo book from Zdarsky… if Fisk can last long enough! The art is outstanding as well and it just adds to one of the best books on the shelf right now.

Final Thoughts:

Chip Zdarsky is giving readers a great Daredevil book, but an even better Kingpin one if you ask me. The character work in this series is outstanding and it’s the main reason I keep gushing about it. That is still the case here as we see Matt rising again just as Fisk is falling. The art and story are so good that I can easily recommend this to anyone with even a minor interest in the character.

9.0/10