Mayor Fisk, Part One.
(Writer: Charles Soule /Artist: Stefano Landini)
For years, Matt Murdock has donned the red suit and protected Hell’s Kitchen from the criminal and corrupt scum. Quite often, the man behind that scum has been none other than his greatest foe, Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin. This has been a common situation. A continuous war between two men who love their city in polar opposite ways. Yet, this time around, Murdock’s battle with Fisk takes a different turn. In this instance, Daredevil isn’t facing criminal leader, Wilson Fisk. He is facing Mayor of New York City, Wilson Fisk.
With Fisk as the newly elected mayor by the people of New York City, Murdock sets his sights on finding a way to bring him down the legal way. However, those around him do not share his sentiment. Moreover, he discovers that Fisk is in the process of enacting one of his campaign promises immediately: the arrest and prosecution of all heroes and vigilantes, including the Devil Of Hell’s Kitchen. Faced with the possibility of being forced to charge his alter ego and those he’s teamed up with, Murdock decides to take the fight to Fisk like he has before: wearing red.
What Murdock isn’t prepared for is that Fisk is waiting for him…
As someone who began reading the Daredevil series back in 2015, the “Mayor Fisk” arc starts a new chapter in the life of Matt Murdock. Mimicking a certain figure’s rise to the White House in 2016, Charles Soule presents a new arc that plays as social commentary. A rich antagonist with a dirty past gaining political status, and with it, new found power. Soule also paints our hero Murdock into a corner. He is being ordered to prosecute himself and those like him: heroes and vigilantes. A position that makes him both a tool for Fisk and an enemy to the general public.
Landini’s art falls in line with the series as a whole. A slightly dark tint that is present even in daytime scenes that reminds us we’re in the grittiness of a Daredevil story. Landini also finds a way to have his characters slightly appear like their Netflix counterparts. In both Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, a light touch of Charlie Fox and Vincent D’Onofrio appears in their characteristics. Add the soundtrack to the series while reading and you’re practically watching the show… in book form.
Charles Soule and Stefano Landini and started an intriguing and complex story in Hell’s Kitchen. One that slightly mirrors our present day while staying true to the Daredevil mythos. If you haven’t yet, pick up #595 as well as #596, which hits your local comic book shop TODAY!!
Score: 8/10
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