Mayor Fisk part 1
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Stefano Landini
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: November 8, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99
The idea of a Fisk running for Mayor or even becoming Mayor of New York does not catch me off guard. It actually seems like a pretty natural progression of the character. He has gotten Politicians elected before, so he could control them behind the scenes. He has always viewed the city as a possession he could mold into his own image. In his own recent 5 issue mini (titled Kingpin) he was working on his image rehabilitation. By employing Sarah Dewey to write a biography, The Life and Times of Wilson Fisk. So, I am just going to take a man with out fear leap in logic, and say Matt was in China for a few months retrieving Blindspot and move on. I hope you will join me.
We open to a little Kingpin flashback. A Boy grew up in a bad family, in a bad place, and became a bad ass. He found the love of his life, she died. He has even been blind before (oh the irony). He now has the chess pieces in place to solidify his control once again over the city of New York this time as Mayor Fisk.
Matt is in Time Square with Foggy. They are discussing how could this all have happened. Foggy fills us in with a story oddly familiar to last years presidential race. These days public opinion and a familiar name can go a long way. Matt asks Foggy, "Didn't people fight? He is a crime lord." Foggy says there was op-eds, protests, and exposes. Fisk had prempted the nay sayers by pretty much coming clean in his best selling book, and never really addressing the bad he did while campaigning. He just stayed on message. His message being he knows how to work this city inside and out. People bought it now Matt has to deal with it.
Matt tries to deal with it the legal way. His boss says he can't go after Fisk. Mayor Fisk is now their boss, and as their boss he has asked the D.A.'s office to build cases against vigilantes. More specifically, he wants Matt to build the cases against the vigilantes. This sends Matt's head spinning cause he had just won a Supreme Court case that acknowledges the legitimacy of super heroes in the legal frame work. Now, they are the bad guys...again.
Matt later stewing in his office confesses to his Paralegal that he is still going to pursue Kingpin instead of the heroes. In the best part of this comic, in my opinion, the Paralegal tells a very human living in a world full of super heroes story to Matt. That more or less says superheroes should be held more accountable. Which leaves Matt very taken back and introspective.
He then takes to the roof tops for some serious brooding. Daredevil contemplates his next step. A cry for help pierces the night to Daredevil's delight. He swings into action. Two thugs are preying on a woman an alley. Daredevil does his best "Swear To Me" moment, claiming Hell's Kitchen as his territory. Only to find himself caught in a trap. I guess the guy that can hear a pin drop from three miles away got over zealous. He didn't notice that everyone was an undercover cop acting to lure him in. He also missed the snipers stationed on the surrounding roofs he just swung in from, conveniently.
The NYPD set up this sting to bring the Daredevil into Fisk's building at gun point. This whole sequence just comes off as forced to me. Cops have rules and regulations to follow. This would be an extremely difficult paper trail to hide. One cop was tasered and had to go to the hospital. They had multiple snipers on the roof. Things would have to be signed off on, like over time pay for example. Then, the cops bring their collar to the Mayors office at gun point. Its all a little much to swallow in my opinion.
Fisk is having a meeting with Hammerhead. Hammerhead thinks Fisk is on their side. Fisk lets Hammerhead know he did this for himself not to help other bad guys so buzz off. This whole meeting Fisk set up knowing Daredevil would be able to hear everything. On Hammerhead's way out he is surprised by the sight of Daredevil in hand cuffs. The cops on the other hand are not surprised that a head member of the Maggia crime family is meeting with the mayor, of course why would they be.
Fisk tells the cops to leave Daredevil and him alone. They hesitantly oblige him. Fisk then tells Daredevil that they are good cops. I have my doubts. I hope DD does too.
Commence obligatory, I win you lose stick your head in do-do moment, as Fisk tells Daredevil he was elected not him. The people want Fisk not Daredevil. As Fisk soliloquies DD picks his handcuffs by tapping them three times (that is a trick I need to learn). Once free he breaks a window with his billy club that he gave up to the cops, but evidently the cops felt it was prudent to leave it on Fisk's desk (I think, the art isn't really clear here). Then Daredevil runs away. The detectives bust in. Kingpin says Daredevil attacked him. The cops instantly believe the completely physically unharmed Fisk and give chase.
I am not a fan of this issue. Everything felt way to forced. Things get forgotten for convince sake (like the superheroes power set). I would have liked to see Blindspot's reaction to the Mayor Fisk news. But he makes no appearance in this story at all (not even in the title recap page). We just spent a whole arc retrieving Daredevil's sidekick from China. Which took so long Fisk filed the paper work to become a candidate for mayor, ran for mayor, got elected mayor, has been instilled into office, and has handed down edicts to the D.A.'s office. That is a minimum of three months Matt would have needed to be in China. (I want a job where I can take a three month vacation, no contact with the outside world, and it is completely ok to return to work business as usual.)
Bits and Pieces:
There are some intriguing story elements here that can be built upon, hopefully Soule takes advantage of them.
6.5/10
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