"To The Devil, His Due: Part Two of Five"
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Michael Lark and Stefano Gaudiano (p & i), Matt Hollingsworth (colours)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Here's something you don't often hear from online pundits and armchair critics: I was wrong. A couple of issues ago, I criticised Ed Brubaker for hitting the "reset" button on Daredevil and bringing the book back to something resembling a status quo, after a few years of stories which had developed the book in a very specific direction as a result of Matt Murdock being outed as Daredevil. Well, this latest arc shows why this may have been the best thing to happen to the title in a long time, as the return to a "secret" identity - combined with the resurrection of the Nelson & Murdock legal team as a major part of the book - has allowed Brubaker to really open the book up again, escaping the storytelling confines that resulted from the public knowledge of DD's alter ego, making the most of the hero's supporting cast, and returning the book to its pulp crime roots to tell some new, fresh-feeling stories in the world of the Man Without Fear.
Each of Brubaker's arcs so far has been deftly-constructed, coupling suspense and mystery elements with an emphasis on character which ties the dense plots to a solid emotional base, as well as allowing for enough superhero fight scenes to satisfy action junkies. "To The Devil, His Due" is no different, and whilst last issue teased us with the beginnings of some seemingly disparate plot strands, this instalment begins to weave those threads into a more cohesive story. The arc centres around Melvin Potter, the recently-reformed Gladiator, who seems to have returned to his murderous ways despite Matt's faith in his restored humanity. Although Brubaker is careful not to tip his hand and reveal too much about the nature of Potter's condition, he makes it clear that the character is not acting in his right mind, and compounds the problems by having the authorities place little faith in the possibility that the likeable, almost childlike Potter is innocent of his actions. A possibly related thread sees Matt's wife Milla being followed by a mystery stalker as she attends her psychiatric sessions, suggesting that Daredevil is as much of a target as Potter. Combined with the unusual suicide of last issue's criminal decoys, it hints at a villain who is skilled in mental manipulation, and although Daredevil fans will probably instantly think of the Purple Man as the culprit, it'll be interesting to see whether Brubaker takes a less predictable route.
This issue is par for the course for Brubaker's Daredevil, as the opening issues of his arcs often ask more questions than they answer, laying detailed groundwork for a satisfying finale whilst dropping hints that allow attentive readers to begin to piece the mystery elements together for themselves; this issue sees an unusually frequent emphasis on the word "think," for example, and Matt Hollingsworth's colouring frequently employs various shades of purple, although this could be subtle misdirection. Gaudiano and Lark's consistently strong artwork is perfectly-suited to the dark, grounded tone of the story (and they execute yet another well-choreographed action sequence this issue), and Brubaker's steady hand as a writer makes this one of the most reliably satisfying monthly superhero comics being published today.
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