Thanks to Mark Waid and his 2011-14 run of
Daredevil, I am a fan of the Man Without Fear. This has inspired me to go out
and find more books starring Hornhead. Recently, I came across this book which
is very similar to the Marvel ‘The End’ books with one exception: this book is
considered Marvel canon. That means that despite the fact that Bullseye is in a
coma and blind, he will one day kill Matt Murdock.
Don’t
worry- I didn’t spoil anything. It even says on the back cover that Daredevil
has been murdered. NO, the real mystery is who or what is ‘Mapone?’ This
6-lettered word is the last spoken by Daredevil. It seems to send Bullseye into
a tizzy. It’s also ace Daily Bugle journalist Ben Ulrich’s last assignment with
the newspaper.
Tons of former foes and loves come out of the
woodwork as Ulrich seeks to discover the meaning to Daredevil’s last word. It’s
an exciting “Who’s Who!” that I’ve considered a primer into learning more about
the Man Without Fear and his rogues’ gallery.
With lots
of thrills, adventure, and suspense, this is a fantastic read. Though, the
2-page splash of Murdock’s death is pretty gruesome. This is not for kids and
for the average reader, this may be a little too advanced as over 40 years of
Daredevil lore is compacted into just 6 issues. I found myself rereading
several chapters in order to better understand the ‘Easter’ eggs.
Aside
from the last word of Murdock, there are a few other mysteries to be solved. I
won’t mention those as to do so would reveal some spoilers. But I will tell you
that some mysteries are left up to the reader to decide while one very pressing
mystery I solved half-way through this book. I cannot stress how important it is to read
the director’s cut commentary in the back of this book as well as more insight
into the meaning of the word “mapone’ is revealed and discussed further by
series scribe Brian Michael Bendis. Just don’t peak or you’ll ruin the final journey
of Hell’s Kitchens finest super hero.
Worth
Consuming
Rating:
9 out of 10 stars
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