Daredevil #109

I think if there's been any series of the last ten years or so that's been consistantly high quality throughout, it's been Daredevil.  Between Smith, Mack, Bendis and now Brubaker, the book has been such a great standard of storytelling, it's almost taken for granted these days.  Nevertheless, the introduction of Greg Rucka to the team of Brubaker and Lark, effectively reuniting the acclaimed team of Gotham Central, has helped to keep this book at a quality of ludicrous level.  Yes, Brubaker is creating a modern day masterpiece over on Captain America, but he's certainly building another one over on Daredevil, too.

This issue is part three of four in "Cruel & Usual."   The gist of the story is that Big Ben Donovan is wrongly being sentenced to death for child murders he didn't commit.  Making things worse is the fact that Donovan is absolutely commited to the lie that he did it.  Last month, it was discovered that things go far deeper, involving cover-up by the FBI and CIA, Dakota North's father Agent Sam North in particular.

With part three, things ratchet up a notch as old villain Eric Slaughter, shown last issue, is revealed to have some connection to the cover-up which involves something of national security.  We're given a little more of an idea of how much trouble Matt's gotten himself into as he faces down a military chopper at the end of the issue and as Dakota gets sniped on the last page.  From the active and suspenseful action to the return of an old villain not seen since the Frank Miller years (I think), this creative team has managed to craft a book just as exciting and well-made as anything out there on the markets.