Devil’s Reign #1 flips the Marvel Universe on its head… for the better.
By Zan Haider
See, this is why I love Marvel Entertainment. The movies have built a brand on focusing on galactic-based villains (cough, cough *Thanos* *Kang*) and don’t get me wrong– that’s awesome and it’s worked both creatively and financially! But for me personally, I’ve always gravitated towards street-level crime stories. After all, real life pieces of *BLEEP* participate human trafficking, drug trafficking, and organized murders. We see those stories in the media like every day. I’ve always wanted superhero stories that dealt with darker, real-life issues. To fix these issues.
Well, my craving has been (temporarily!) satisfied by Chip Zdarksky and Marco Checcetto’s Devil’s Reign #1. Coming off of Zdarsky’s Daredevil run, Matt Murdock manages to get his identity wiped from the newly-elected Mayor, Wilson Fisk’s, mind (thanks to the children of the Purple Man). This angers, and frightens, our favorite murderous mobster- resulting in city legistlation banning the existence of superheroes. Of course, if they choose to become Thunderbolts and choose to work with Fisk’s regime, that’s quite alright for the Mayor.
Ahhh, manipulation tied with vulnerability. Classic Fisk.
This new legislation ruins the lives of every superhero (I mean, they all live in NYC for some reason) and we see the Moon Knight, Cage family, Miles Morales, Steve Rogers, Ben Reilly, Tony Stark, the Fantastic Four, Elektra, and most of all, Matt Murdock, thrown into disarray. The ferocity and violence that these heroes face brilliantly illustrates to readers that being a superhero- it ain’t for the pacifists. People will face extreme violence, and they will die. Fisk ain’t playing around, and unfortunately for our heroes, loved ones are going to be used as penance. This is illustrated, quite literally, by Marco Checcetto. Checcetto’s brilliant art has an air of realism, heavily incorporating shadows and lighting in each panel. As a result, the story visualizes the characters in a situation that, pun intended, comes straight from Hell.
Each character shines in this issue as well! (At this point, give Zdarsky the keys to Marvel Comics). There’s one scene from a surprising character that also plays as a metaphor for social justice in today’s climate, which honestly, I need more of. It’s inspiring and touching when our favorite superheroes not only save the day on the page, but inspire us to do the same in our lives. Chip Zdarsky never fails.
The utilization of villains is also extremely well-developed. Seeing Spider-Man foes highlight most of Fisk’s operations shows that 1.) Fisk has no problem with attempted murder, albeit by others’ hands and 2.) Peter’s villains are about the most dangerous rogues gallery that anyone can face (sorry, Bat fans!). After all, there’s a reason why Fisk personally asked for help from a major Spidey villain.
But what I love most about this issue is that it brilliantly places every single superhero in one, impossible scenario. It brings together every single corner of the Marvel Universe, and makes the threat of Fisk an extremely deadly one. And as a result, this is different from the first Civil War. In that story, you were arrested for being a superhero. Here? You die. Changing the character not only raises the stakes on the rest of the Marvel Universe but also forces every character to develop. Knowing Zdarsky, it will only result in exemplary character development. I mean, President Fisk? Hell yeah!
Or as the Marvel Universe is saying currently, “HELL NO!” Especially after that ending!
MCU Geeks are proud to announce a brand new section dedicated to the latest news and hot goss' in the Comic World, starting with Devil's Reign!
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