Daredevil #597 Review: The Fisk Administration

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Mayor Wilson Fisk makes a very big showing of appointing Matt Murdock, who has ardently and publicly opposed Fisk in the past, as Deputy Mayor of New York City.

Foggy Nelson is baffled to find his close friend in this position, especially given the many clashes between Daredevil and the Kingpin in the past. Plus, Fisk is very deliberately burying Matt in clerical work.

However, this is Matt's way of keeping tabs on Fisk, and he is not retiring from his role as Daredevil, even with the NYPD out for his horned head.

Daredevil #597 cover by Dan Mora and Romulo Fajardo
Daredevil #597 cover by Dan Mora and Romulo Fajardo

For the most part, Daredevil #597 is a slow-moving and low-energy chapter in Hornhead's saga. However, it maintains reader interest with getting into the political intrigue in Fisk's mayoral administration and how he's keeping Murdock at bay.

It doesn't get into House of Cards-level minutia; it gives you just enough to see how both men are challenging each other within the realms they've given themselves.

Also, Fisk just outright walking away from Murdock after the press conference is truly a super-villainous level of shade.

The action does come in when Matt puts on the mask and attempts to stop a robbery at a bodega. Of course, this isn't just a robbery, but saying anything more would get unnecessarily spoilery.

There is another villainous return towards the end of the issue, and it makes the upcoming issues very promising.

Daredevil #597 art by Stefano Landini and Matt Milla
Daredevil #597 art by Stefano Landini and Matt Milla

Stefano Landini's artwork is appropriately understated in the Mayor Fisk portions of the comic. Everything is presented in clean yet detailed style, which makes the more illicit parts of Fisk and his reputation more unnerving. When Daredevil emerges, the shadows are heavy, and a pleasingly noir-esque style is on display. Matt Milla's color art coordinates well, brighter in the first portion and darker in the latter. It looks great.

Daredevil #597 takes a true-crime approach to the "Mayor Fisk" art not unlike the first season of the Netflix series. It's a slow boil, but things are tense. The story is engaging, and it has me eager to read the upcoming issues. This one is definitely recommended. Give it a read.

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About Joshua Davison
