Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Steve McNiven
Colorist: Dean White
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Steve McNiven (Cover A)
Cover Price: $6.99
Release Date: May 28, 2025
Recap
Matt Murdock is old and working in a soup kitchen in his old New York neighborhood. His powers had faded until the radioactive gas from a local subway explosion restored them. At the site of the explosion, Matt found Steve Rogers giving his life to save a teenage girl. Cap believed it was essential she be kept safe, essential for the future of the planet.
(If you missed issue one, here’s a video review I did of it.)
Cover A by main artist Steve McNiven.
Plot Summary
We open with Matt Murdock hearing the bells of Saint Patrick’ church. He’s hearing them in the present while flashing back to events from his past. We see a silhouette of The Punisher and Matt’s Daredevil costume looking ripped and bloody. Is he remembering a fight from his past? It’s not clear. What is clear is his radar powers have returned after the explosion in the subway last issue. The explosion that led to the death of Captain America Steve Rogers! But Matt’s thoughts tell us that he feels his powers are already beginning to fade, “I’ve got days at most.”
The scene shifts to Bullseye. It’s hard to make out who he is under all those wrinkles! He is trying to find info on what he calls “somebody special.” Is it regarding Daredevil’s rumored return to Hell’s Kitchen or someone else? One of his cronies is annoying him and he flicks a needle behind him but hits the guy’s ear by mistake, “Was aiming for your eye.” So it appears Bullseye’s powers aren’t what they used to be either.
Back to Daredevil and he’s listening to the noise of the streets. People are scared and angry after the recent subway attack. We see the girl Captain America and Daredevil saved in the last issue. She’s sitting on the street and looks scared or in pain. Suddenly she starts to float and glow brightly, blinding the people passing by. Daredevil hears the commotion and goes to investigate. At the same time, we see Bullseye listening to a report of this strange event on the radio. “Boys! It’s time to roll!”
There’s a cool page where we see Daredevil through the eyes of a few New Yorkers looking up. He’s swinging above the city streets telling himself not to be distracted by the pain his old body is feeling. He arrives at the scene and starts helping the affected people, calming them down and telling them the blindness is very likely temporary. Matt senses the girl from the subway explosion was just here and he follows her trail. Unfortunately he’s too late as her trail abruptly ends by the side of the road. She has been “taken” by Bullseye’s thugs.
Next we see a sign on a door: “Franklin P. Nelson Attorney at Law.” And just seeing that name makes me so happy! Foggy’s still alive and still practicing law. He’s in the middle of a phone call when his expression turns from boredom to amazement; he’s just seen Daredevil outside the window. Matt points up to the roof and Foggy quickly joins him up there: “My god, it’s so good to see you!” Matt asks Foggy for help in finding out who was behind the bombing in the subway tunnel. He thinks it’s connected to a new government program called “The New Warriors.” Matt gives Foggy the dossier he received from Steve Rogers and swings away across the city. I love the way it’s shown as a reflection in Foggy’s glasses.
Matt picks up the trail of the truck that took the girl. It leads him to their hideout, although they don’t seem too concerned with hiding. They’re talking about how happy the boss was when they brought him the girl. Daredevil knocks one of Bullseye’s gang out with a billy club and demands to know where the girl is. One of the men laughs at old Matt, “what are you… a hundred?” A big fight kicks off and Matt is initially on top. He’s looking good, but there are just too many of Bullseye’s men and some of the blows start to land.
Before you know it, Matt is knocked down and almost out. One of the men draws his gun and points it at Matt’s head. He’s about to pull the trigger when he’s hit with three black shuriken. “Stand up, old man. It’s not your time.” It’s Elektra! She leaps into the fray with both katanas drawn and slicing through the air. We get a Peter Jackson moment as someone’s head goes spinning across the panel. Steve McNiven’s art and Dean White’s coloring are an absolute feast for the eyes!
Elektra is about to finish off the leader when Matt grabs her hand: “I need this one.” She hits Matt with the grip of her sword and tells the thug to run. “Tell him we’re coming!” she yells after him. Matt can’t believe she let him go. He also can’t believe she’s here in front of him alive and looking like she hasn’t aged a day. I’m not sure how this is possible either, but I’m delighted to see Elektra in this issue. She looks fantastic!
Matt asks for her help with rescuing the girl, but she tells him she’s not here for that. “I can give you time. As much time as you want. Forever. With me.” Matt looks tempted but keeps his focus. “You know where that man is running to. Who is it?” Elektra tells him they are called “the Triple Ring” and they answer to “a friend” of theirs: Bullseye.
The scene then shifts to Bullseye and his favourite wall decoration, Frank Castle! “Did you hear that, Castle? Old friends…and new.” The girl is there with them. She is strapped into some weird-looking device that is clearly a harness for her powers. Bullseye baits her to use these powers and the machine crackles into life giving the girl a blast of electricity or something. It stops her and then we see a light-green smoke or gas drifting from her head. I’m not sure if the machine is storing her energy powers or just switching them off. Bullseye leaves the girl and we learn her name is Tyra.
We see Bullseye leading his men through a tunnel in the sewers. At the same time, Matt gets a phone call from Foggy. Foggy tells him he’s found information on “a government-funded project to create superhumans” using a mix of the super soldier serum, gamma radiation and even the radioactive isotope that made Matt become Daredevil! This project is called “the New Warriors” and I started having weird flashbacks to my grandfather’s internet gas!! Don’t ask! Bullseye and his remaining cronies enter a large room filled with radioactive barrels. We get a close-up of wrinkly Bullseye as he tells his men they are looking at “the future!” That’s where the issue ends.
Sharp Points!
You get a lot of story in this issue and the art by Steve McNiven is a feast for the eyes. Dean White’s coloring is excellent as well. The return of beloved characters Foggy Nelson and Elektra score bonus points from me. Plus I’m a sucker for the retired-hero-coming-back-for-one-final-mission storyline.
Dull Points!
The only dull point I can think of is the steep $6.99 price tag for this comic book.
Final Thoughts
Even better than issue #1, Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #2 is a brilliant piece of comic book storytelling. The story is exciting and moving as we see Matt swinging back into action above Hell’s Kitchen. This is aided by the return of a couple of beloved characters. Matt is living in the moment because he knows his time is limited and that gives a thrilling and almost frantic pace to the issue. The art and coloring are a true feast for the eyes making it worth the higher asking price. Probably Marvel’s best current book!
9/10
About the reviewer: Wakizashi Gray has a YouTube channel where he reviews comics. It has the rather bizarre name of Wakizashi’s Teahouse. He also keeps a WordPress blog called Wakizashi Teahouse Blog.
Here’s my video review if you’d like to see more of the art:
Weird Science Marvel Comics 