Daredevil #604 // Review

Laid low by the Hand’s poison gas, can Matt Murdock recover to save his city?

Charles Soule and artists Mike Henderson and Matt Milla once more team up to see how much harder they can make Matt Murdock’s life. With the Hand taking over New York and his life in danger from a poison attack--while he’s acting Mayor of New York--it doesn’t seem like it can get much worse.

Father Jordan comes to Matt’s rescue, thankfully, exorcising the Hand’s evil from his body. Father Jordan is far from alone, however, and a plane filled with holy soldiers from The Order of the Dragon deploy over New York. An order of Catholic warriors over 500 years old, they dedicated themselves to fighting unnatural evils around the world...and now they focus on the Hand. But is this new help enough to save New York, much less keep Matt and his loved ones safe?

This was a fantastic issue, hands down. Soule makes use of a seemingly minor character’s odd comments earlier in his run to great effect here. While it must be said that the concept itself is far from original, this seems to be the first time such an idea has been used in Marvel’s universe. Combine this rather excellent reveal with stellar writing and an awesome cliffhanger, and it’s hard to argue against reading this comic right now.

Henderson and Milla once again are at the top of their game as well. The designs for the Order of the Dragon’s soldiers are great. Looking like a cross between medieval warriors and a bootleg white costumed Batman, it makes for a remarkable action scene against the maroon forces of the Hand. The flashback splash page featuring the history of the Order is a nice touch, perfectly hinting at other tales that Marvel should tell some day.

Easily one of Marvel’s best books right now, the only reason not to pick up Daredevil is if you don’t like comics.

Final grade: A-