Broken Frontier

It's the conclusion of Mark Waid’s exciting crossover, Devil and the Details.

Mark Waid’s Daredevil/Spider-Man crossover wraps with the eighth issue of the writer’s incredibly fun Daredevil run.  Beginning in last month’s Amazing Spider-Man #677, Devil and the Details has spotlighted some of Waid’s greatest strengths as he completely nails the personalities of Peter Parker and Matt Murdock.

Picking up immediately following Amazing Spider-Man #677’s cliffhanger, both Daredevil and Spider-Man find themselves at the mercy of the sensual yet dangerous Black Cat, who finds herself the victim of a high-tech frame job.  After tensions dissipate the three strike a tense truce and depart to discover the sinister plot behind the Black Cat’s arrest and incarceration. 

What follows are several scenes that demonstrate Waid’s complete understanding of our three “heroes,” with Spider-Man bearing the brunt of some clever jokes, Black Cat’s double-entendres setting the mood, and Daredevil’s search for new thrills in the heat of battle leading to one of the greatest action scenes of the week.  In masterful fashion, moreover, Waid’s ending to the brief team-up leaves no clear winner, and even worse leaves both of heroes in a more fragile place.

Devil and the Details featured Mark Waid’s fantastic characterization of Daredevil, while also carrying his skills to New York’s favorite wall-crawler.  The inclusion of the Black Cat not only provided some hilarious situations at the expense of Spider-Man, but also allowed Waid to create some tense moments that will surely come into play in both heroes’ futures.  Amazing Spider-Man #677 and Daredevil #8 combine to one fantastic crossover worth reading.