How is it possible that EVERY SINGLE ISSUE of Frank Miller’s run is brilliant?
Miller turned Daredevil into a force of nature. A dogged, unrelenting pursuer of justice at any cost. And a man who defined justice as “what Matt Murdock wants.” It’s reflected in his stubborn pursuit of a corrupt politician, Cherryh, who has ties to Heather Glen, who Murdock is also manipulating into getting to marry him. Brutally.
And then, of course, there’s Daredevil’s foil: The Kingpin. A man who also stops at nothing to get what he wants, and is willing to hurt those close to his enemies in order to gain an edge.
For the last several issues, Vanessa Fisk has been trapsing around the sewers. In this issue, Ben Urich tracks her down and finds her taken by an underground colony, which is led by a fat albino.
The parallel to Vanessa’s above-ground husband, Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin of Crime), and her below-ground partner, the King of the Sewers, is both obvious and brilliant.
And there are alligators in the sewers.
Daredevil rescues Vanessa but keeps her to use as a bargaining chip with Kingpin, causing Wilson to hire Elektra to kill Foggy Nelson.
There’s also an increasingly close relationship developing between Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich and DD, especially since the former has discovered the latter’s true identity.
The characterizations in these comics are absolute genius, as is, of course, the art and design.
This is a chapter in Elektra story that is one of the best Frank Miller stories of all time and the second best Daredevil story of all time (full list here).