Not just the greatest Daredevil/Kingpin storyline of all-time, but arguably one of the best Marvel arcs ever published, Born Again, is Frank Millers magnum opus on Ol Hornhead with equally inspiring pencils from David Mazzucchelli. As the title indicates, the storyline focuses on the spiritual fall and resurrection of Matt Murdock, as his ex-girlfriend Karen Page sells out his secret identity in exchange for a shot of heroin. Kingpin naturally catches wind of his enemys secret, and uses that information to systematically destroy Murdock from stem to sternum. Thanks to the Kingpins influence, Matts accounts are frozen by the IRS, the bank forecloses on his apartment, and a crooked police lieutenant testifies that he saw Murdock pay a witness to perjure himself. When a broken Matt confronts Kingpin, the boss makes quick work of him, leaving him for dead. But, as Kingpin realizes, there is no corpse. Kingpins path of vengeance doesnt stop with Daredevil. He also uses his subordinates to attack Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich, a personal friend of Matts, who is investigating the conspiracy. Kingpin hires Nurse Lois as an enforcer to stalk and intimidate Urich, including breaking his hand. But Urich is emboldened by the assault, and moves forward with his investigation. Matt works his way back from the abyss, and even reconciles with Karen along the way. Kingpin, still obsessed with Daredevil, contracts with a rogue Super Soldier named Nuke to lay waste to Murdocks Hells Kitchen neighborhood. Daredevil, with assistance from Captain America, is able to publicly link Kingpin with Nuke, exposing his nemesis once and for all as a criminal. After being outed, Kingpin loses all of his support and, even more damning, is no longer considered a legitimate businessman in the eyes of the public. Born Again is a pitch perfect example of what the comic book medium can offer readers. Theres action, suspense, love, and redemption. Despite how clearly the storyline delineates good from evil, Born Again also manages to paint Daredevil and Kingpin as complex characters. Its placement at the top of this list is without question.
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.
