Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky Omnibus Vol. 2

Context. The second volume of the Zdarsky/Checchetto run brings the first volume’s central theme to a close: Matt Murdock must decide what kind of man and what kind of hero he wants to be. Against this backdrop, Zdarsky constructs the most ambitious event of the run: Devil’s Reign, in which Wilson Fisk declares all New York vigilantes illegal in an act of personal vengeance against Daredevil.

What’s inside. The second half of the main run and the complete Devil’s Reign event, with Fisk deploying an army of former villains against all of New York’s heroes (Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Elektra, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones). Daredevil is at the centre, fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously: legal, moral and physical. Art by Marco Checchetto with occasional contributors to the tie-ins.

Why it’s worth reading. Devil’s Reign is one of the most coherent Marvel events of the last decade: appropriate scale, real consequences, characters treated with respect. The final showdown between Daredevil and Kingpin brings a decades-long cycle to a close and redefines the power dynamic between the two characters. An epic conclusion to the best era of modern Daredevil.

Edition details. 776 pages. Second volume of the complete run. US edition published by Marvel Comics. ISBN 9781302956264.