All good things must eventually come to an end, be they runs on a comic book or the superheroes themselves. The penultimate chapter of Charles Soule and Phil Noto’s The Death of Daredevil has arrived, and, together with Clayton Cowles on lettering, the creative team here shows they’re not afraid to have some fun while telling a serious story.

After a botched kidnapping attempt that lead to the death of one of Wilson Fisk’s most trusted men, John Wesley, Daredevil is in it deep. Matt is expecting trouble, but wasn’t counting on an army of Stilt-Men or a cluster of his deadliest foes waiting for him at the end of that fight. The question isn’t if Matt can survive, but what happens to him after this?

Soule is easily at the top of his game with this issue. The fact that Silt-Man has become a threat just by multiplying is actually a great twist. While Stilt-Man is not played for laughs here, it’s hard not to imagine Charles Soule chuckling at his keyboard while planning this one out. The subsequent showdown with some of Daredevil’s deadliest foes in the New York Arena (a cheeky stand-in for Madison Square Garden) is fantastically written, with some excellent uses of psychology mid-battle. While Soule may be ending his run next issue, he’s going out on top.

Throughout the entire storyline so far, Phil Noto has experimented with a more realistic style of art. While the general details have not changed, motion has continually been conveyed with a blurring of color rather than with traditional speed lines. That continues here, and looks nothing short of incredible. The fight with the Stilt-Men is a great example, looking like pictures of the Marvel Universe frozen mid-action more than traditional comic panels. Another excellent idea used to great effect are the entirely black panels used to imply just how hard Daredevil is being hit during battle. Easily, this is the most beautiful book Marvel is putting out right now.

With one hell of a cliffhanger at the final page, Soule and Noto have set up a fantastic showdown between Wilson Fisk and ‘Ol’ Hornhead.’ At this rate, Soule will have presided over one of the best runs of Daredevil since Frank Miller. Obviously, you should be picking this one up.

Grade: A