Broken Frontier

Marvel’s 70th Anniversary celebration keeps rolling and Daredevil magically hits #500.

Dubious numbering and grandstanding aside, this is a pretty big deal of an issue. Brubaker ends his well received run and reintroduction of the Kingpin here. Like Dylan Thomas, the scribe is not going quietly into the night. In fact, he goes out with all guns blazing.

This is an action packed issue from start to finish. The main course provides revelations aplenty. More is learned about Izo then we have had shown since he appeared all those months ago. Turns out most of Brubaker’s plan was the sensei’s. He may be one of the most manipulative characters the Marvel Universe has seen this side of ... well... Norman Osborn.

Beyond just the revelations though is a huge status quo shake up. Like this is as big as killing Elektra huge. So huge, I am going to refrain from talking about it any further, but as this is published, I fully expect the internet to be abuzz with reactions both heated and defensive. It is a big deal and lasting, as seen in the preview of Diggle’s The List one shot about the eponymous vigilante.

Some of the loose ends are well, left loose. There is some resolution to the Lady Bullseye and Kingpin threads, but most things are left for Diggle to deal with as he takes over next issue. The Thunderbolts scribe will have big shoes to fill and the preview shows he might just be able to do it, all while bringing Murdock’s world slamming into the "Dark Reign" reality of his shared universe.

The action here is crisp and exciting. There is some intense chop shocky action to go with the big reveals and shake ups and Brubaker slaps more tension down than should be in your standard spandexed hero’s story.

Lark does the same bang up job that he has been doing the entire time. His art matches the grittiness of the script. This run may even give Miller’s a run for the money in pure Noir head nod and a large part of that is due to the moody pencils of Lark. Hollingsworth does a good job bringing Gaudiano’s more refined line into the fold and the flashback sequences become a nice seamless addition to the tale.

The "3 Jacks" tale provides an adrenaline fueled fight between Daredevil and Bullseye that leads into a brooding look into why Daredevil fights the way he does. It is as revealing and honest a look at how Daredevil does what he does as any in the comic's history. Recovering from a wound in a bar with a couple of Hell’s Kitchen’s residents, Daredevil bonds as Nocenti does some incredible character study. Aja’s art is fresh and kinetic in this back up that would have been well worth printing as a one shot.

Add some awesome pin ups by some of the most in demand artists of the day and a reprint of one of those classic Miller stories and Daredevil #500 is as good as big number issue celebrations get. Here’s to 500 more issues for the man without fear!