Welcome to the Mast, your number one stop for everything. Well, if everything involves and includes comic book reviews and ramblings. We are about to continue with Daredevil Month, and it's a post I've been waiting to make for a long time.
I love detailing plots, but I figured that to spare your eyes I would encapsulate Daredevil's current goings-on as briefly as I can, but will probably fail due to how much I love this series.
Let's get to this badness!
Daredevil's New Calling: Daredevil #500 - #505.
Matt Murdock, our beloved crime-fighter known as Daredevil, hadn't had the best run of luck as we headed into the 500th issue of his on-going series. Ed Brubaker's run had seen Matt endure a strained relationship with P.I. Dakota North as well as struggling with his regular crime-fighting duties by day and by night (Lawyer is his profession, do not forget).
During a particularly arduous and on-going conflict with the ninja death cult known as The Hand, Matt turned to the one man who nobody expected him to side with, out of sheer desperation, the returned crimelord of the Big Apple, the Kingpin. It cost Matt even more of his life's work as a sacrifice, due to his best friend and partner-in-law, Foggy Nelson, firing him from the firm upon hearing of his agreement with the Kingpin.
Now, before we go on, I must take you back a bit further. In Daredevil #111 (Vol. 2, it was re-numbered to #500, and Vol. 1 number, at what would have been issue #120 in Vol. 2), Lady Bullseye (An assassin for The Hand) shows up in New York to take part in the plan of The Hand's crime-lord Hiroshi.
Not caring much for their ceremony, ritual and tradition, she found herself looked upon with disdain. Long story short, she causes a mess in Daredevil's life and after confronting him, shockingly offers leadership of The Hand for him to accept. Naturally, he declines.
The Hand relocated to Spain and Lady Bullseye, at Hiroshi's order (We discover this in Daredevil #500), assassinates the new girlfriend and children of none other than? Yes, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. She stabs him, telling him that it was a message from Matt Murdock. All the incentive he needs to return to his former stomping grounds.
Coming back to the events of Daredevil #500 and a few issues prior, the Kingpin had his own ideas for The Hand, having returned to New York. Using the aptly titled Lady Bullseye, Fisk began to etch out ways to eventually control The Hand himself. He naturally betrayed his deal with Daredevil by breaking the ever-lethal Owl out of prison and having him kidnap Dakota North. Daredevil, taking advice from a mysterious and blind sensei named Master Izo, begins to consider his invitiation to lead The Hand.
Discovering that the Owl had been working for Kingpin, he rescues Dakota North and lethally paralyses Owl in the ensuing fight.
Aware of the Kingpin's not-so-surprising betrayal and after convincing himself that under his grasp, the cult could be used to do good, he interrupts the ceremony whereby Wilson Fisk is about to presumably become leader of The Hand himself. A rather brutal battle breaks out with Daredevil taking one of The Hand's lords hostage and forcefully accepting the invitation. This madly angers Fisk, as two of Daredevil's conditions are that Lady Bullseye and Fisk are never associated with them again, to be forever considered enemies.
Now leading The Hand, Daredevil enters dangerous new territory. He severs ties with his public associates and is lead into the dungeons of The Hand's headquarters, accompanied by his new comrades, White Tiger and Black Tarantula, for his testing. This is where Daredevil #500 ends.
I fear I may have gotten some of those details hazy, or even in the wrong order, but the jist of it is: Daredevil was having a rough time with The Hand, they offered leadership to him, he declined and they fled. The Kingpin returned to snatch The Hand for himself in an attempt to get revenge on an assassination attempt he wrongly believed Daredevil was responsible for. As he's about to be initiated, Daredevil crashes the party and accepts the leadership. Daredevil now leads The Hand.
That's the basic premise of the storyline beginning from Daredevil #501 as Ed Brubaker's fantastic run ends and Andy Diggle's begins.
Slowly but surely, it becomes harder for Matt Murdock to not only separate himself from Daredevil (If there was such a distinction), but to make decisions in-keeping with his own sense of morality and ethics. After his testing is a success, still unsure of his role in this, he is told that he must offer a sacrifice if he is to lead. Seemingly betraying Master Izo at their request, he chains him up and causes a heart attack with a swift blow to the chest.
It's revealed later that Izo was in on it and, through meditation, slowed his heart to the point that it seemed dead; allowing Daredevil to lead The Hand with clean hands of his own.
Working on an as yet unknown project named Shadowland, Daredevil begins attempting to use The Hand to clean up New York City in the wake of Norman Osborn secretly allowing his criminals to run riot over the place. Crooked cops and common crooks alike begin falling at the blades of The Hand, and Daredevil begins to become an increasingly violent and more dominent aspect of Matt's personality.
This leads him and his close associate, White Tiger, to Japan, where he seeks to push his plan forward by convincing the native and elder members of The Hand that the organisation can be used to do good. Naturally, the idea of a gaijin (Foreign devil) warping The Hand into something like this is frowned upon by certain members. Bakuto, especially. Bakuto is a brash, modern and anti-traditionalist member of The Hand who only seems to love its penchant for killing. As long as they remain bad and murderous, he's fine with the way things are.
All is not as it seems, however, because someone wants Bakuto dead...someone within The Hand itself. All leading us to...
Daredevil #506.
How BEAUTIFUL is that cover art? I own all 506 issues of Daredevil, let that be known. So I do not say lightly that this is probably my favourite Daredevil cover at EVER.
Anyway...
Bakuto gets cursed with magic that causes him to see people as demons when they are not. We're talking MAJOR paranoia trips here. During an attempt on his life, Daredevil shows up and saves him, twice. Still unconvinced, partially due to the magic, Bakuto vows to expose why Daredevil would want to kill him.
The big reveal in this issue is that White Tiger, possibly under the spell of The Hand's hypnotism, has been plotting against Daredevil this whole time, alongside the other elders.
They ask her if he suspects anything and she says that he views her as being "as pure as the driven snow.". I have to believe that she's under some kind of spell here, because she'd fight to the death for Matt. It's a very tense, suspenseful story! Made even worse by the fact that there isn't another issue of Daredevil until JUNE! I think so, anyway. We're getting a one shot next month entitled Daredevil: Cage Match, where he fights Luke Cage for some reason. I'm guessing it's plot relevant, but not much is known. Same goes for the July five-parter known as Shadowland. A big year for Daredevil, it seems.
I HATE THAT. Grr, never mind. Andy Diggle is the shit and I'm happy to wait on Left Hand Path's (The current arc's title) conclusion.
This really is the most consistent comic out there, it always has been for me. Since Kevin Smith took over back in November 1998, with the exception of an issue here or there, I can honestly say that every writer has knocked Daredevil out of the park. He's a character whose series has been blessed with great writer after great writer.
If you want to get into comics and can only stomach one issue to keep track of, it's Daredevil. TRUST me. If anyone, ANYONE, wants a heads-up on where to start or any good stories to read, drop me a comment.
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Typical, huh? I finally get around to catching everyone up on Daredevil and we don't get any more Daredevil until June! Anyway, sorry this took so long, and stay tuned for more goodness coming for Daredevil Month, including my interview with Daredevil WRITER, Andy Diggle!
I hope you're all doing well, take care.
Until next time, peace.
-The Mast
