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Devil's Reign is a six-issue story arc and a Marvel Comics story event written by Daredevil scribe Chip Zdarsky. The art is done by Marco Checchetto, while Marcio Menyz does the coloring. Clayton Cowles provides the lettering here.
Devil's Reign follows Wilson Fisk as he takes on the role of New York's Mayor and passes a law that outlaws all masked vigilantes. This causes strife for many NYC heroes as many are forced to flee. Daredevil vows to stop Fisk.
Devil's Reign is an action-packed story complimenting the Marvel Universe
Zdarsky gives us a sequel to his Daredevil run with Devil's Reign. Everything has been building up to this, and things are getting out of hand. Indeed, everything is a massive mess in New York and Kingpin is the most dishonest and manipulative he has ever been.
The story does well in how it handles so many characters effortlessly throughout the comic. There are returning characters like Daredevil, Elektra, Kingpin, Typhoid Mary and more, but there are also new ones like Miles Morales, Spider-Man, and Captain America. The biggest heavy hitter in the story is Luke Cage.
They all get an impressive amount of development throughout the story, which was quite appealing. It was Avengers, but on a smaller scale, which was pretty cool. Events like these bring forward the fantastic potential of these characters.
Wilson Fisk receives an impressive amount of development
This is a story about Wilson Fisk. The work done on his character development is some of the best we have seen. There is no doubt about Zdarsky's contribution to expanding Fisk's character.
Fisk's relationship with Daredevil remains a highlight, but we see a lot of development with his son. Even though they don't share many panels, the scenes here are impactful and I liked seeing that. It felt refreshing seeing just how big of a character Fisk was compared to Daredevil. Although, that's not to say that our man in red is neglected.
The comic has many shades of Daredevil Season 3, with him wanting to kill Fisk. That's explored here really well, albeit on a large comic book scale. It's everything we have seen in past superhero projects. It is easy to connect with a moral-driven superhero story.
Story beats can feel a bit similar to previous Marvel Comics events
However, I have an issue with the story here and it's about how familiar it feels. This isn't the first time we are seeing masked heroes being outlawed. We have seen this happen before in Civil War and many other stories. That's what stops it from being correctly unique.
The story does take quite a twist midway through when another player enters the game. When things get incredibly chaotic, reading and looking at the art becomes too fun.
The art in Devil's Reign is quite impressive
The shades of this story have already been explored before, and I wish there were a way where a different kind of conflict could have been explored. Although thankfully, the story is explored wonderfully by Zdarsky's writing and brought about by the amazing art.
Readers get lovely spreads of fights throughout the comic that help establish their humongous scale. Marco Checchetto illustrates every page beautifully. Marcio Menyz further compliments the stunning colors. Honestly, Devil's Reign has recently been some of my favorite panels from Marvel.
Conclusion
Devil's Reign provides a fun, action-packed Marvel event that tells a fun story about superhero morals. I enjoyed my time with this comic, even though the concept feels repetitive. Chip Zdarsky has provided another great Marvel story.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
