Daredevil: Back in Black, Vol. 8: The Death of Daredevil

Daredevil: Back in Black

by Charles Soule, Phil Noto (Artist)

Spinning out of the events of THE HUNT FOR WOLVERINE: WEAPON LOST, Matt Murdock faces a nightmare beyond his wildest dreams! Thanks to the Inhuman called Reader, the "twin brother" that Matt once created as a cover story - Mike Murdock - is now fl esh and blood! Much more than just Daredevil's alter-alter ego, Mike has motivations of his own...and all the cunning and skill of his "brother" Matt at his disposal to make his dreams come to fruition. And things only get worse as Mike zeroes in on the people Matt cares about most! It's a whole new brand of double trouble for the Mayor Without Fear!
COLLECTING: DAREDEVIL 606-612

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

Published January 22, 2019

About the author

Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just not best Daredevil run ever and the ending was a real rushed mess, but I liked "Mike Murdock" 's return and Phil Noto's artworks were really good ones.



A mixed bag ended in a missed opportunity.



Such a shame.

[Amanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

full series review at https://amanjareads.com/2022/05/10/da...

This is it. We made it to the epic conclusion of this substantial run. And holy hell was it a ride!

I was so skeptical at the beginning of this one. It just felt off. It felt wrong. But I am so glad I kept reading! It gets so good and it just stayed at this high level through the end!

Volumes 7 and 8 take us through Murdock as Mayor and then into the Death of Daredevil. Both plots are unpredictable and satisfying. Which is atypical for a conclusion of anything, let alone a nearly 50 issue run.

All of the groundwork that is laid in the 6 previous volumes pays off in a way that is far better than I could have anticipated. This run is what happens when an author has a full vision and is given the freedom to act on it completely.

Both old fans of Daredevil as well as new readers will be able to appreciate this fantastically well thought out story.

Daredevil books are best when we get to see the dichotomy of vigilante Daredevil and lawyer Matt Murdock work together despite their conflicting views. Seeing Murdock put into a political office and watching his mind at work is a delight. While seeing Daredevil face off against his greatest villains keeps you on the edge of your seat.

There are many returning characters that are fun to see in action, like Spiderman and Luke Cage, but we also get some new faces like mysterious bad guy Vigil who is honestly a perfect villain for pious Murdock.

I also typically have issues with twist endings but this one worked so well that I wouldn't change a thing. I didn't even know to expect a twist! It was written so well!

Soule truly does understand Daredevil and Murdock as a character. He was made for this book and I'm excited to seek out some of his other works to see if he maintains this level of quality throughout his career.

Please give this whole run a chance. Stick with it past the iffy start, there's a reason for everything that's put on these pages. It's worth the commitment.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Soule's run goes out with a fizzle and not a bang. Soule puts the awful team back together from his terrible Hunt for Wolverine: Weapon Lost story to take down the Kingpin. But then it devolves into some nonsense about a twin brother Matt created years ago to hide his Daredevil identity who becomes real. It's really stupid. Soule also seems determined to cram down all the Inhumans he created down our throats as well. I will give him kudos though for sliding in an easter egg for his book, The Oracle year.

Then we get The Death of Daredevil. I had the entire story figured out by the time the initial setup was complete. It felt half baked. This whole book just felt like it was written by editorial after they kicked Soule off the book or something. It was very disjointed and hackneyed. The whole Mike Murdock thing still makes me mad. So dumb.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume felt disjointed. I'm wondering if they kicked off Charles Soule earlier than he expected.

The first half deals with Mike Murdock. Oh, never heard of him? Don't worry...me either. I never did but the book does a great job of explaining it within a couple of pages. But Mike Murdock was just Matt making believe he was someone else. How is he REAL!? The 2nd half is dealing with taking down Mayor Fisk after Matt was hit by a truck. It's...different.

Overall, this came as a tad bit disappointing. I enjoyed some of it a lot. The stuff with Mike Murdock was actually pretty funny. But the 2nd half feels rushed and weird throughout. I get the idea behind it and the big reveal, but it didn't land that well. Don't get me wrong, the art is great, and I do love the final 5 or 6 pages, but the rest? It was okay.

A 3 out of 5. Sadly not going out in a bang but Soule run was overall pretty fun. On to Chip!

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Soule's run had its moments but, overall, it was a pretty bad slog. Besides the fact that most of the stories were kind of boring, Soule just never seemed to know what he wanted to do with Daredevil. We had a side-kick that came and went, said sidekick going blind but then not being blind anymore, a costume change, secret societies that seemed like they were going to be really important but then never mentioned again, etc.

This volume wasn't as silly as the previous-there were no magic swords and Catholic secret societies with butt-kicking priests (that are so ready to talk about their group with anyone that it is a wonder how it remained a secret for so long), thank goodness-but it was pretty dull. The first story involves Matt's non-existent twin brother showing up. This story was pretty boring and had no explanations or resolution. It kind of just ended. Added to that, for some reason Matt started feeling a family connection to this psycho non-person after talking to them once. That's pretty dumb.

The next story was, I assume, supposed to have a twist ending. The problem is that it can be seen coming from a mile away and so you know none of it matters since it is just a dream.

Hopefully the next writer will bring something more interesting to the table.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Yeesh, all these negative reviews. Did we all read the same book? Different strokes, I guess]

First up, the return of Mike Murdock! But wait, Mike wasn't real. So why is he standing here talking to Matt? Then, Charles Soule brings his Daredevil run to a triumphant end as the Death Of Daredevil rocks Matt's entire world as he tries one last time to take down the Mayor of New York, Wilson Fisk!

Soule's Daredevil run has been a big success in my book, and he definitely goes out on a high with these final stories. The absurd and yet brilliant way in which he brings Mike Murdock into the cast works surprisingly well, while the ongoing battle against Fisk continues with Matt bringing in some familiar help. Seeing Matt trapped by the system he loves so much is a great challenge for the character, and Mike's unpredictability makes things even more exciting.

The Death Of Daredevil is a bait-and-switch for the ages, but it's comics, so what can you expect? The story itself brings all of Soule's story threads to a head, and even manages to introduce a new mystery in the form of Vigil for Matt to crack. The finale of the series lives up to the name of the arc, and even though it may not be an entirely satisfying ending in terms of plot resolution, in terms of the character study that Soule has been performing on Matt since his run began, it succeeds magnificently.

Speaking of magnificent, each issue of this volume is drawn by the incomparable Phil Noto, whose gorgeous painterly-yet-simplistic style leads to some absolutely beautiful pages, and fight scenes that will make your eyes fall out. I love Noto's style so much, you guys.

Charles Soule's Daredevil run easily stands side by side with those of Bendis, Brubaker, and Waid. This final arc is the icing on the cake, with some inventive storytelling, wonderful art, and a deconstruction of Matt Murdock for the ages.

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a let-down of a finale to a fair run on this title.

But what really irks me is Marvels numbering system (It's a general peeve, but it seems particularly annoying and egregious on this title.)

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Soule but, as is common with a long run, the final volume is really a mixed bag. Unless you're a completionist I'd skip it.


Too Many Murdocks!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Soule's Daredevil run ranged between mediocre and good ... and it had been trending good in the last few volumes. But this last book pulls the rug out from under the readers so badly that it just becomes flat-out bad.

The first arc bizarrely celebrates the beginning of the end of Soule's Daredevil run ... by bringing in the Inhumans he created. No, seriously. I mean Frank McGee and Reader are certainly the best two characters introduced to the Inhumans any time recently ... but wouldn't it have been better to actually concentrate on Daredevil in his last few issues? The redeeming feature of this arc is the introduction of Mike Murdock.

The second arc, The Death of Daredevil, is about three-and-a-half issues of a pretty good story. There's some actual attention to trying to resolve the Kingpin problem, a neat new villain, and Matt starting to let people back into his life again. But then Soule uses the worst, most cliched trope in the world, and ultimately leaves everything unresolved. I might as well have not read this piece of junk, which I find pretty offensive, because it means that Soule has no respect for my time and attention as a reader.

Soule's run was always going to be problematic, because he kicked it off by rolling back a decades worth of plot and character development. Apparently Marvel thought that his legal background would make it all worthwhile, and although he did make good use of his expertise in one of his stronger volumes, Daredevil: Back in Black, Volume 5: Supreme, as a whole his run was so, so, so not worth the damage it did to the line. This last volume was just spitting in our face.

(February 18: My first 1-star of the year.)

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of mixed-up end for Soule's last run on ol' Hornhead.

First the physical return of Mike Murdock, Matt's imaginary twin brother of 50 years ago. Soule very cleverly reintroduces this character but in the end the point of the whole gig is unclear.

Then the Kingpin's downfall and DD's death. Not badly done, mind you, but I had guessed the trick from ish one so it kind of spoiled it all for me.

I've never been a huge fan of Soule's tenure on DD but this ending is nothing to be ashamed of.

[Marco · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre ending of a mediocre run. Charles Soule, you won't be missed at all.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

And so we are at the end, the story starts with him teaming with the Inhumans and Cypher to take down the Kingpin and then its the coming of Mike murdock, his twin brother and how this happens and the history is the first part of the book and the second part being Matt being in a hospital after being in an accident and then maybe recovering and teaming up with others to bring down Fisk and then teaming with Elektra and then fighting this new villain named the Sigil and the testifying in court thing to take down this electoral-fraud of a mayor but is it real? Is any of it real?

I have mixed feeling on how it ends like I remember reading it when I was in final year of my post grad and I kinda enjoyed it but reading it now all the way they could have gone for the final fight between Fisk and Matt here but regardless of that its a good book and has Matt come with a complete arc of how he is the light in a world full of darkness and he is the hope for so many others and the art by Hester is solid for the most part and the fight too. It could have been an epic ending but its solid read as well and he pulls from the entire run, its death and rebirth! A great run by Soule on the book!

[Blindzider · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume left a bad taste in my mouth. First, the tone is completely different from the entire run. All of the dark, gritty, mysticism is gone. While that isn't inherently a bad thing, it's just such an abrupt change that it's jarring.

Second, right off the bat you get a sense that something's not right. Soule resurrects (albeit in an interesting way) one of the dumbest points in Daredevil's history. At first you feel as if the writer is truly going to make something of it but wanders a bit with the concept.

By the end of the story, you'll get it...mostly. It's meant to be shocking, mimicking similar episodes in various TV shows, but it just didn't work for me. I felt cheated and looking back the whole volume seems worthless.

Noto's art starts off solid, albeit a bit dull, but after a couple issues switches to a painted look with some striking pages.

To summarize the whole run, a few points of brilliance but feels rushed and incomplete in other places, with varied and sometimes unharmonious art changes.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este seria o encadernado que traria o arco anunciado como "A Morte do Demolidor", que se encontra em coma após uma luta ferrenha contra o Rei Do Crime, que agora é prefeito de Nova York, e seus asseclas. Mas não é bem isso que acontece. Temos uma história confusíssima, que não dá pra entender o que está realmente acontecendo, até que o roteirista nos revela que aqueles acontecimentos... pasmem... (mas não pelos motivos óbvios, ou melhor, pelos motivos óbvios...) aquilo tudo não se passava de um sonho. Porra, Charles Soule! Tu é capaz de mais, meu filhote! Não aprendeu na aula de roteiro que tudo era um sonho ou ele era um robô não se usa como final de história? Aff! De toda forma, os desenhos do magnífico Phil Noto estão em seu auge, trazendo uma arte pintada digitalmente maravilhosa, incrível. Para fechar o encadernado temos um anual do Demolidor, escrito por Erica Schulz e desenhada pelo brasileiro Felipe Watanabe que conta o primeiro encontro de Matt Murdock com Misty Knight em uma história que é tão confusa como a história principal. Ufa, ainda bem que esse era o último encadernado dessa fase! Que venha Chip Zadarsky!

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daredevil Vol. 8 The Death of Daredevil collects issues 606-612 of the Marvel Comics series written by Charles Soule with art by Phil Noto.

After New York City has been saved from The Hand, Murdock has been fired from Deputy Mayor position and is on a mission to bring The Kingpin to justice for election fraud. Along the way, Mike Murdock, an alter ego created by Matt to help explain who may have been Daredevil and Matt “killed” years ago when he realized the situation had gotten out of control, shows up in the flesh.

This run on Daredevil went down hill FAST in the last arc. Soule tries to wrap up his storylines in the final arc and it all leads nowhere. Either Soule didn’t know how to actually come up with an ending, or Marvel Comics balked at the ideas and had to save the book for the next creative team. Literally nothing is resolved from Soule’s 30-issue run. What makes it funny is at the end of this volume there is a series of thank you letters from the creative team and Marvel praising the run like it compares even remotely to any of the famous Daredevil runs by the likes of Lee, Miller, Bendis, Brubaker, or even Waid. Also, it was only 30 issues. That’s only a two and a half year run. This whole run became a joke by the end and I am actually a little upset about it. It’s all very surprising because I have always enjoyed Soule’s work but the ending left such a sour taste in my mouth. I am incredibly glad a new creative will now be taking the reigns and hopefully tell a comprehensive story.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Fisk back as Mayor, Matt is free again to try and shut him down! Teaming up with Frank McGee, Cypher, and Reader, he goes combing through all of his files on the Kingpin. One problem though... Mike Murdock, the alternate personality of Matt Murdock that he used on several occasions to explain why Mike and not Matt is Daredevil, has shown up in the flesh in town. When Daredevil meets face to face with Mike, confusion definitely sets in. Turns out that Reader, using one of his special abilities, accidentally created Mike. The two "brothers" clash and fight and Matt decides to allow Mike to live.
The main story "The Death of Daredevil", begins with Matt pushing a kid out of the way of a car, and getting hit himself. Upon healing, he chooses to reveal his identity to his team, has a fling with Elektra, fights against new enemy The Vigil, fights a team-up of Stilt-Man/Typhoid Mary/Electro/others, then a battle with Bullseye! Evidence gets presented, and Fisk goes off to jail. But The Vigil still won't back down.... when he is able to unmask him, he sees himself and everything lines up...
Matt never got off the table after getting hit. Everything afterwards was a fever dream as he clung to life. Now, fading off, he sees Karen beckoning to him, but he decides to come back, finding a need in the world for Daredevil.

Though the backtrack gimmick was a little cheesy, overall it provided the story with a slightly impossible storyline which was engaging and kept me reading. Overall, good end to the "Back in Black" run and nice to know Daredevil isn't leaving the Marvel Universe anytime soon.
Recommend.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a bit more. The fourth star is for the art, which is lovely. But the story of Daredevil's death was not very intriguing, and, literally, went nowhere. I'm all for a quiet end to the series, but Soule uses a gimmick we've seen way too often.

Still, he keeps the tradition of making it hard for the next writer.

Bendis ended his run with Murdock in jail.
Brubaker ended his with Matt taking over the Hand.
Diggle ended his with Daredevil disgraced.
Said ended his with Daredevil's identity revealed.

And Soule leaves the next writer, Chip Zdarsky, with Daredevil dead. Maybe. Of course not...it's comics.

[Wing Kee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. What happened...

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Da una iniziale presa bene con il primo volume e la particolare colorazione su disegni di Ron Garney, l'entusiasmo per Charles Soule ai testi di Devil è scemato piano piano. I motivi? Non ho ben capito quale fosse l'obiettivo dell'autore.

Immagino ci fosse una direzione generale della serie, ma Soule non è ben riuscito a spiegarla al lettore. Si ok, bella l'attinenza e la precisione legale (Charles Soule è in primis un avvocato) però sarebbe stato meglio vederla accoppiata anche ad una direzione generale della serie e della effettiva qualità narrativa.
Ho trovato un sacco di spunti che venivano palesemente dalla sua esperienza personale, come l'introduzione di Blindspot e i riferimenti alla Cina - poiché Soule possiede una specializzazione in storia e lingua Cinese - e un sacco di scopiazzature (o comunque di momenti fin troppo somiglianti) ad alcune fasi della rilancio editorale Brand New Day dell'Uomo Ragno.
Bello che un autore inserisca nelle sue opere cose di cui sa parlare, però mi chiedo tutt'ora cosa c'entrassero con DD e dove volesse andare a parare.

Fortuna che, in quest'ultimo volume, c'è un Phil Noto stellare ai disegni.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt so different from past volumes but also it was a good enough conclusion. I think with Daredevil he always get stuck going against Wilson Fisk so even when he seemingly has a victory against him, it just goes back to how Fisk is in power and impossible to take down. So while this was good, it was rushed and not really satisfying. It has a dumb ~twist~ I've seen many times before and it just felt cheap, like what was the point?? It felt like everything that happened was meaningless, because it was.

First we learn how Mike Murdock came to be and his response to it which... okay still feels like someone is pranking me with him but it was done well. Then we deal with Matt working with a couple other powered individuals to bring down Fisk.

In this the art style changes so much but it's Phil Noto so it was absolutely GORGEOUS. I think the reason I actually ended up loving this so much is because of the art. It was so colorful and dreamy and just so nice to look at. I really be ignoring dumb story choices when the art is beautiful. 💀 I wish this wasn't the end of this run just so I could get more Phil Noto drawing Daredevil.

I wanna give this a lower rating just because the ending was lame but pretty pictures make brain go brr.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

In The Death of Daredevil, Charles Soule ends his Daredevil run on a remarkable low note. First, instead of investigating Mayor Fisk (as he repeatedly states he wants to do), Matt Murdock fights his brother, Mike. It's a real "what the hell" headscratcher that last three interminable issues.

Then, again instead of investigating Mayor Fisk, Matt gets hit by a truck. Yeah! What! There is an extremely predictable twist that allows us to visit many of Daredevil's past villains, all of whom are astonishingly lackluster. I get that killing Daredevil is a thrilling way to send off a series, but like...there are so many other ways to kill him.

All of these many dull, repetitive issues are illustrated by Phil Noto, a kingpin of comic art. So hey, the book's great to look at. Could be worse.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Charles Soule brings his Daredevil run to an end, and when he ends something, he really ENDS it. I don't way to spoil the ending but wow his finale is really final. Although honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, and I probably won't until I read the Daredevil series that picks up from here.

This volume has an odd storyline featuring the return of Matt Murdock's "twin brother", Mike, and then we get into the Trial of the Kingpin as rumors about a fixed election are investigated.

Overall Soule's run on Daredevil did have it ups and downs, but there was much more positive than negative.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

for some reason i really liked this volume. i haven’t been loving soule’s dd run so far, and while the plot goes in an… uh… interesting direction, i still felt pretty engaged while reading it (compared to some of the other volumes). phil noto’s art was absolutely gorgeous and i think that helped a lot. i’m very interested to see where the zdarsky run will pick up after this. i think after all of this matt just needs a nice long nap and maybe a vacation (even though he’ll never take one).

[Terry Mcginnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first experience with the Man Without Fear was a great one. The newest Daredevil run on the market is getting great reviews, so I wanted to back up just a bit before jumping in. Starting with a death of a character seems silly, but The Death of Daredevil offered just enough of a representation of Daredevil, his history, and what's been going on lately with him to be able to jump in without feeling behind or overwhelmed. This was a great read with a nice art style and I'm looking forward to what comes next, namely how the character returns. Recommended.

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel, Collect this run in omnibus form.

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole run was fantastic! I look forward to seeing what happens to Daredevil after this. Def have to track "Man Without Fear" down to see where this goes.

I recommend this run highly!

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stellar end to Soule’s Daredevil run and it has a lot to enjoy. The second half the book is so good and one of the best stories from this run as well as sets up the next run nicely.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three cheers for the end of Soule's run. It wasn't the worst, and he definitely got better over time, but man, so much wasted potential and focusing on characters I've never heard of despite reading every Daredevil dating back to Issue #1 in 1964.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 2 out of 5]

El 2 es solo por los dibujos de Noto, porque la historia es de lo mas malo y estúpido que he leído, y eso que leí Batman: Hush.

[Penny Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Daredevil has never been one of my favorite Marvel characters, he is one that I’ve always wanted to know a little more about. My interest was piqued by the Daredevil Netflix series, which I loved. After watching it, I started searching for Daredevil comics to read.

From what I have read over the past couple of years, the stories tend to be very hit or miss for me. Regardless of when they were released or who the writers were, I’d say there’s a 50/50 chance of my loving or hating each story arc.

I decided to give this collection a shot after seeing it at my library in the new releases section. It turned out to be mildly entertaining but nothing unique or really enticing.

The story follows Matt Murdock (Daredevil’s true identity) as he works with a lawyer named Frank McGee from the Inhumans to take down Mayor Wilson Fisk (a.k.a. the villain Kingpin) after learning that Fisk bought the election.

McGee puts together a small team to help Murdock/Daredevil find evidence of Fisk’s election tampering. One of these people is named Reader, whose power can make three things become real each day.

One day Daredevil hears a disturbance going on at a bar and decides to see what he can do to help. Once he arrives, however, he’s surprised to meet his fictional brother, Mike Murdock (who I’ve never heard of). With no idea how this “brother” of his has appeared in New York, seemingly really believing he’s Mike Murdock, Daredevil tries to uncover the truth of who Mike Murdock is while simultaneously taking down Mayor Fisk.

This collection comprises issues 606-612 in the Daredevil series. One of my biggest complaints is that, as shocking as Mike Murdock’s appearance is supposed to be, it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal. We barely get to know him at all, which makes any sort of attachment to the character difficult.

A new villain is introduced in this collection, a masked man calling himself The Vigil. He’s a powerful new foe who uses bone daggers to attack his enemies. His powers aren’t anything fancy though, namely strength, speed, and the ability to fight.

I really enjoy Phil Noto’s art style, and the grittiness of it is very appropriate for Daredevil comics.

Overall, the collection was enjoyable but nothing extraordinary. This was Charles Soule’s last few issues for Daredevil, and it was a sloppy conclusion. If you want to read Daredevil comics, perhaps skip this collection. The art is the best part.