Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev finished their Eisner Award-winning run on Daredevil in extraordinary fashion when Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock both end up behind bars. In this arc, Kingpin finally decides to use the information he has long held over Murdocks head he knows his secret identity as Daredevil to his legal advantage by bargaining for his immunity and offering the FBI evidence that proves the attorney has obstructed justice. The FBI takes the bait, but not before Kingpin concocts a way to get Daredevil to set himself up. In a call back to the very first Daredevil/Kingpin storyline in Daredevil #170-172, Kingpin keeps referring to mysterious files that will prove Murdock/Daredevils guilt called the Murdock Papers. The mere hypothetical existence of these files sends everyone into a frenzy. But the Murdock Papers were all a ruse designed by Kingpin to lure Daredevil out and expose his identity to the feds. Of course, Kingpins brilliance backfires on him, as he ends up in prison too. Its a unique ending and is one of the few times where both Matt and Fisk hit rock bottom simultaneously.
Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.
