Daredevil #501-504 (Ongoing) Update

along with Batman are two superhero properties where, ever since Frank Miller's deconstructions of their characters and mythos, creators are always inspired with the wildest and the boldest of ideas and storylines. In Diggle and De La Torre begin with a stark change in status quo: Matt Murdock has broken all ties with his friends and assumed leadership of The Hand, the deadly ninja cult he's been battling since the days of Miller and Klaus Jansen. It's a radical transformation, to be sure, but to drive home the bolt to help seal it Diggle has Daredevil undergo the final initiation that will make him truly the leader of The Hand. In issue #502, the second of Diggle's run on the Man Without Fear (3rd if you count the Dark Reign: The List special) we get to see what Diggle really is doing with the character: he is making Daredevil work within the context of both Ed Brubaker's previous run, and the current "Dark Reign" status quo of the Marvel Universe. Matt Murdock is not really deep into a dark abyss as some would have it; he is merely adjusting his crime-fighting to an increasingly brutal world, using the means available to him. In issue #503 Diggle with some dark visceral artwork from De La Torre shows Daredevil is not just adjusting, but willingly pushing it as far as he can, and more, as he cleans NYPD of its corrupt. And in issue #4, the conclusion to the first story arc since "Return of the King" we see Daredevil taking on Osborne's H.A.M.M.E.R. and again Diggle's characterizations and De La Torre's dark, granular artwork show what a hot and confident creative team at the height of their powers can do. All Minutemen scans.

The first story arc from the creative team of Andy Diggle (THUNDERBOLTS) and Roberto De La Torre (IRON MAN) reaches its shattering climax. Backed-up by the ruthlessly loyal ninja army known as The Hand, Daredevil declares war on a murderous cadre of dirty NYPD cops -- and Hell's Kitchen is the battleground! But can Foggy Nelson and Dakota North find out who's really behind the recent spiral of violence before the city burns? --

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