Marvel’s Daredevil epic Devil’s Reign is what an event comic should be

It’s beginning to look a lot like a Marvel Event Comic, with Devil’s ReignFollowing the example of War of the Realms King in BlackBy spinning an ongoing storyline into a regular comic. This time around, it’s Daredevil who gets to take over some other comics for a few months for the first time since the mostly-forgotten 2010 crossover Shadowland.

Is the Man Without Fear able to anchor a second crossover event with greater success? All indicators point towards yes.

Who is making Devil’s Reign #1?

Devil’s Reign doesn’t just spin out of the current DaredevilSeries, It is from the entire DaredevilChip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto were the creative team for the last couple of years. Marcio Menyz was responsible for the colors, and Clayton Cowles did the lettering. It is a positive thing, considering their excellent run in the regular DD title.

What is Devil’s Reign #1 about?

This is the truth. Devil’s ReignMarvel returns to an old question: What happens to superheroes who find themselves on opposite sides of the law, a question Marvel has asked repeatedly throughout the years? Most obviously, 2006’s Civil War saw Captain America and Iron Man come to blows over the issue, but last year’s Outlawed event had teenage superheroes dealing with the same idea courtesy of “Kamala’s Law” and the shenanigans of the evil Roxxon Corporation. Now, it’s Wilson Fisk – former Kingpin, now Mayor of New York City – who’s banning superhumans from using their powers in the Big Apple.

Things are a little more complicated than they appear, though; Fisk has new outlook on life and power, as demonstrated in Zdarsky and Checchetto’s run; and a new extra special hatred for superheroes from his suspicion that Daredevil has altered his memories (a result of events in Charles Soule’s Daredevil series). Fisk’s actions don’t only affect costumed characters beyond Daredevil, but also New York City’s mundane criminal underworld, which is now being run by his bastard son – assisted by Daredevil’s ne’er-do-well brother, Mike. Behind the scenes, a couple of Point-Oh-One-Percenter ghouls called the Stromwyns are manipulating events, attempting to shape Fisk’s destiny for themselves.

Or, in other words: what? Devil’s Reign is really about, just like Zdarsky and Checchetto’s Daredevil, is the use and abuse of power — whether it’s the power of money, policing, criminal bosses, whiteness, or being a trained ninja assassin — and how that impacts those who have no power to stand against it. Only it’s got punching, people in costumes, and Luke Cage’s problems with police. Who doesn’t want to read that?

Why is Devil’s Reign #1 happening now?

The cynical answer is “because it’s December and Marvel hasn’t had a line wide crossover since… what, King in Black ended in April?” (Don’t worry, there have been mini-events, like Hellfire Gala Doctor Strange’s death The Final Annihilation in the meantime; it’s not as if there haven’t been any crossovers for the past eight months.)

More likely, events happen in Daredevil have been building to Fisk’s grand move for some time. Devil’s ReignIt is rare to find a storyline which feels more organic than focusing on one hero. Devil’s Reign# 1 could be Daredevil #37 — but because Wilson Fisk has stepped things up, it feels entirely earned to make it an event in its own right.

While Fisk and Matt Murdock may still be the core of the story, there are many familiar faces involved in the conflict, as the issue shows.

Are there required readings?

It is true. While the “the Kingpin outlaws superheroes in New York” hook is broad enough – and new enough – to be easily grasped by any newcomer with a working knowledge of the Marvel Universe as it exists these days, a lot of the other threads in Devil’s Reign1. SoRooted in current Daredevil run that it’s difficult to imagine someone not reading that book Fully appreciating what’s going on.

Charles Soule’s earlier DaredevilRun might be worth a revisit due to the fact that Fisk is upset by it so it set the story in motion. If you don’t read those, then you’ll still likely get the main thrust of the story, but … some subplots are probably going to leave you a little cold.

Is Devil’s Reign #1 good?

There’s a scene in Zdarsky’s Daredevil where Matt Murdock is talking to Iron Man, and there’s a reference to the idea that Daredevil is a “street level” hero; Murdock demurs and suggests instead that he’s a “people level” hero. That feels like the key to what the writer is doing with the series as a whole – focusing on the human interactions, and the personal cost characters pay for their and others’ actions – and it’s something that carries over into this event comic, as well.

This is the core conceit behind Devil’s Reign might look like a makeover of Marvel events past – Civil War meets the Norman-Osborn-is-in-charge Dark Reign – but it’s a redo that works better than what’s come before. This first issue keeps the stakes low (no Connecticut town has been destroyed to make this happen) and focuses on emotional responses to what’s happening as much, if not more, than action set pieces. The story is both more plausible than its echoes and more entertaining.

This makes it easier to feel sorry for the characters. There’s a Fantastic Four sequence in this issue that’s thrilling in large part because we care about what the Thing is feeling; we can sense his anger, his compassion. (Not unrelated — we need more Zdarsky’s Fantastic Four, Marvel.)

It’s not just Zdarsky’s writing that gets the credit for that. Marco Checchetto is doing amazing work in Daredevil for the past couple of years, and that continues here – there’s a sense of weight and motion to his art, a dynamism filled with physicality. This comic is infused with great character acting and dramatic shot staging. It reads as a realistic take on superheroes. However, unlike many other comics, doesn’t look too ridiculous.

Zdarsky and Checchetto made a great team. Daredevil one of Marvel’s best books in recent years. You might find that they are more relatable than other comics and still manage to be small. Devil’s Reign one of Marvel’s best events in a long time, as well.

One panel that stood out

Really, you don’t want to threaten Ben Grimm’s family.