DAREDEVIL #600

Do you know what Spider-man, the Punisher, Moon Knight, and Luke Cage, among others, will be doing in the following Daredevil comic book? Here, let me give you a clue... Bam-Biff-Pow... and if that isn’t enough, go on, check it out. It was created by Charles Soule, Ron Garney, and published by Marvel in April, 2018.

TO QUOTE Oscar Wilde: 'To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect'.

THE REVIEW:

Roll up, roll up, fight fans, because tonight’s the night two distinct battles are being fought on the streets of New York City. Now the first of these fights involve Blindspot, Daredevil’s current sidekick, who takes it upon himself to take down the man who once ripped out his eyes, namely, Muse. Whereas the second of these fights is slightly more difficult to explain!

Well, as most of us know, Wilson Fisk is the mayor of The Big Apple and he’s recently organized a meeting between himself and a number of noted mob bosses, doing so in order for them to gain legitimate positions in his political party. This includes crooks such as Hammerhead, Felicia, and The Owl, among others. But the problem with him doing this, is that the act in itself also translates into a legitimate crime, and that’s why Daredevil has gathered together a group of heroes to keep everyone in check, heroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Echo, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, Moon Knight, and of course, Jessica Jones.

Although, when I say, ‘keep everyone in check’, what I actually mean by this is that while Daredevil ‘observes’ these proceedings from a close yet discreet distance, the rest of the team can make sure that nobody tries to escape when the police pop-up and take them away.

But with that said, can this plan actually work? And if it can’t, what would that mean for Matt, for New York, and for everyone else? What’s more, can Blindspot possibly overpower Muse when he’s gotten the better of him twice already? Now to find out some of the answers to these questions, among others, please pick up issue 600 of Daredevil today. But before you do that, here, check this out...

Part One) AMAZING ADVENTURE: Now before I started to read this story I presumed that it could only end in one of three ways: The heroes could win, the villains could win, or maybe, just maybe, there could be some sort of a stalemate amongst those involved. But no, I was wrong. Not completely wrong! Yet knowing this book, I should have known better than to expect conventional storytelling from the likes of Charles Soule and Ron Garney! After all, they're both flicking amazing in their chosen fields and appear to be inspired by many different types of film genre, such as film noir or martial arts dramas. So with that in mind, it should have come as no surprise that issue 600 of Daredevil was a truly fantastic read!

Well, not only was it boldly illustrated, simple to follow, and jam-packed with heroes, villains, and at least three shocking plot-twists, but in addition to this, it also took two slightly unrelated story-threads and joined them both together to make a really interesting finale. Yes, I am talking about that whole situation featuring The Hand, and yes, I am referring to how they were introduced during the Blindspot part of the plot, before changing lanes and getting involved with the political part of the plot.

As for the rest of the adventure, well, where do I start with that? Should I start off by saying how much I loved seeing each and every guest-star that popped up in this book, be it Spider-Man, Moon Knight, or Echo, saying so because they all had something to say, something to do, and they all stuck true to form by being who they really are. Or alternatively, should I just fawn over that evolving fight between Muse and Blindspot, particularly how their battle flowed in one direction and then swiftly swayed somewhere else, similar to a fight scene featured in a Saturday Morning cartoon; fun, action-packed, and full of comic book charm. Also, let’s not forget about the grand finale itself, where Daredevil finally faced off against Fisk, which, for all intents and purposes, was a scenario that smartly avoided to resolve any issues, even though it did let off a modicum of tension.

Part Two) EPISODIC ERROR: That said, however, there were a couple of things about this book that confused me quite a bit. For one thing, did Daredevil deliberately throw his fight against Wilson or was it an unintentional act/accident? Plus on a similar note, I can also ask the same question about the off-screen battle between the heroes, the villains, and the cops!

Now I completely understand that this series is an episodic series, and as such, tends to delay, hide, and prolong certain events until the time is just right. But even so, I still would have liked to have seen at least a modicum of clarification in this department, otherwise, when these scenarios are finally played out, they’d come across as being too hollow, too intangible, or too unpredictable to connect with and take in.

Funnily enough, this brings me quite nicely onto something else that confused me about this book, namely, the revelation of The Hand and how it’s linked to Sam and Matt’s current situation. You see, just like many of the other sub-plots featured, this one was also very enjoyable to follow and added a lot of drama to Blindspot's fight with Muse! Well, let’s face it, after reading last month's episode, I would have thought Sam Chung was going to turn up dead at the start of this one! But no, no he doesn’t, because as luck would have it, not only did he save himself from a death-defying fall, but he also managed to channel the Beast that was deep within his soul. Although, to be fair, that’s precisely where my confusion lay!

I mean, has anyone else seen something like this during other 'Hand related' adventures? Because I haven’t, and I’ve been reading Daredevil for quite some time now. Also, how did the Beast manage to contact so many ninjas, so quickly, and arrange it so they’d attack Wilson at this particular time and place? It doesn’t make much sense, does it? And the same can also be said about what happened to Muse too. That said, though, this series is still an episodic series, and as such, tends to delay, hide, and prolong certain events until the time is just right... hopefully... next month. Ha!

Part Three) A LETTER TO FOGGY: Dear Foggy Nelson. It was nice to read your backup feature in this month's episode of Daredevil because it was a great way of explaining how your relationship with Matt has evolved over the years. Heck, I can remember a time when people thought of you as a one-note character, seemingly a clown, whose only function was to add a little joke here or a funny punchline there. But no, you’re much more than that; aren’t you Foggy? Much-much more. In fact, I think that you’re one of the main reasons Matt is still around today.

Well, just between the two of us, I bet my bottom dollar that you’re a lot more important to this series than you actually realize. For a start, you look and behave like a normal person, and that’s without mentioning your humanity, your personality, plus your down to Earth attitude, which shows to the world how you're the type of individual who can ground heroes and make them seem real, relevant, and personable, just like what Alfred does for Bruce Wayne. Granted, an amazing action scene and a multi-layered plot-line can also help a great deal. But having said all that, at the end of the day people like to see people they can connect with and relate to on a certain level.

Now can you remember how we both first connected? Here, let me give you a clue: Cough-cough! What's that? You need more to go on? Alright then, I'll just come out and say it: It was during Mark Waid’s run when you were cooped up in a hospital bed trying your best to stay alive. Yes. That's the ticket. It was during that whole cancer scare you once had. Man, wasn’t that a tough time? Too tough some might say. But hey, you made it -- both you and Matt -- and now you’re needed more than ever before. So come on, come back, and get your ass planted on this book again! You're more than a backup feature and you're more than a sidekick too. You’re Foggy Nelson, God damn it, and I like to see you around more often.

Oh! By the way: Please give my regards to Ron Garney, Matt Milla, and Mike Perkins when you get to see them, and please don’t forget to say how much you appreciate their magnificent artwork and how they smartly composed each scene. Also, if you should ever bump into Charles Soule or Christos Gage, tell them this from me... Καλή δουλειά... Christos can translate.

All the best, David.

THE MUSIC:

A song sprung to mind while I was reading that scene where Daredevil faced off against the Kingpin. Yes, that's right, it’s the following song heard in the video game, Street Fighter 2. I’m not sure why though! Maybe it has something to do with the way the Kingpin looks like an arcade bad-guy from the early 90s, what with his over the top villainous posturing and demeanor.

THE COMPARISON:

The one thing about this issue that nobody can deny is that it’s full of surprises. So much so, in fact, that I feel compelled to compare it to the latest episode of Star Wars, The Last Jedi, but in a good way, of course, hint-hint!

THE CONCLUSION:

At the end of this issue, Daredevil overhears that his alter-ego has been awarded a new role. So, out of the following eight options, let’s see if you can guess what his new role is going to be? Could it involve him being…