A Solid Story and Engaging Story Arc...What's With the End?
I've been reading Daredevil and Iron Fist for the past few months, and I have to say that both books have been very well done by many of the same artists and authors, as well as other crew members. This particular Daredevil felt like one of the classic stories about the Hell's Kitchen lawyer and that's definetly a good thing for me; I don't think that every single superhero title should have to deal with the aftermath of the Civil War now, especially with the onset of World War Hulk. I've liked the inclusion of the old character Gladiator, and it was fun to see side characters Ox and Turk (again from DD days past) be worked in again. Adding the angle of a villain reformed into one of Matt's friends who was then turned against him by some mind altering drug mentioned in the issue was a good angle, and makes the battle between the two more meaningful and emotional considering that it's not just a typical "You're a bad guy and I'm gonn getcha, Gladiator!" situation. The best moments in this issue are the fights between DD and Gladiator, and the moments leading up to it when Gladiator kidnaps Matt's wife. There's some great suspense as Matt remembers all the other women that have died due to his career, and it all culminates in a battle that involves Daredevil bashing Gladiator with a bucket at a construction site (my favorite part). This all had a very satisfying feel to it, and there's even some great edgeiness when Daredevil unwilling faces off against the cops who want to detain him due to the godforsaken registration act. The only thing that is off is the ending, which I found odd. After this great climactic battle and the showdown with whoever's behind this all looming on the horizon, we are shown the next horrible turn in this crime spree in Hell's Kitchen a...conveinence store robbery? Not a glimpse at who was pulling the Gladiator's strings or anything? Why end on such a small scale after such a great book? It hardly matters though, this a comic worth your time and money; if want good 'ol fashioned superheroing with some great art to boot, it's hard to beat Daredevil these days.
Daredevil #98: To the Devil His Due-Part 4 of 5 gets 3 and a 1/2 sonic shurikens out of 5.