Review by Ian Keogh

As Daredevil, Matt Murdock killed someone. It was an accident, but he now accepts it was down to him, and since then he’s stopped being Daredevil. In some ways that was the easy solution, but it didn’t account for the inspiration Daredevil was to the neighbourhood and to some police, and there have been others willing to pick up the slack. That’s one of them on Marco Checchetto’s sample art helping out at a domestic violence incident.

Daredevil’s transformation has been part of Chip Zdarsky’s plan from the beginning, as has that of the Kingpin, but a little more slowly rolled out. In No Devils, Only God he concluded that being Mayor was an attractively different form of power, and it was time to set aside his criminal empire. Will either be able to shed what they’ve been? And where does Elektra fit? She’s always had a fixed worldview, and it didn’t seem to have changed greatly when she turned up at the end of the previous volume. Someone else is undergoing a transformation as well, albeit more reluctantly, but coming to an understanding.

Checchetto being back on the art means this is every bit the visual delight that Know Fear was, although be warned, there’s little holding back on the violence. Both Daredevil and the Kingpin live in a dirty world and some dirty deeds occur. While not putting on the Daredevil costume, Matt Murdock disguises himself for parts of Through Hell, and Checchetto comes up with an interesting look that’s more street disguise than costume. When it comes to Elektra he’s restrained, and while what she wears is skin tight, it’s not the exploitative look of old. He’s also good with the opulent world the Kingpin now inhabits, his version oozing money.

While very good, Zdarsky’s Daredevil isn’t going to be for everyone as it’s plot-heavy and features frequent discussions about moral issues, which is very different from battering Bullseye. There is action, but it’s in brief bursts until a thrilling final chapter, and while the Kingpin features, almost as a co-star, so far his storylines haven’t really connected with those of Murdock. With one shocking moment as the exception, his focus is on ethics also, with a side dish of politics.

By the end the curtain has been pulled back and we know who’s been responsible for New York’s problems, and the question becomes what can be done about people who’re above the law. End of Hell is next, or both are combined in hardcover as the second volume of To Heaven Through Hell.