Charles Soule's Pitch for Ordo Draconum: A Review of Daredevil #604

written by Charles Soule
drawn by Mike Henderson
colored by Matt Milla

The Hand's siege of New York City continues as Matt, stricken down last issue by a poisonous gas released by the Beast, gets an unexpected ally from his very own father confessor, the mysterious Father Jordan, who shows up in full battle armor with nearly two dozen commandos from an ultra-secret society of warrior clerics known as the Order of Dragons (Ordo Draconum). Father Jordan exorcises the essence of the Beast from Matt and helps him gear up for a final showdown with the Hand. Things may not go the way Matt hopes, however.

While this issue naturally reads like a continuation of Charles Soule's "Mayor Murdock" epic, and is in fact the penultimate issue, it feels distinctly as though Soule is making a pitch for an all-new book starring this "Ordo Draconum" which actually existed back in the Middle Ages, and spearheaded by Father Jordan, who would (in my opinion at least) be a welcome addition to Marvel's somewhat limited catalog of African-American heroes, and even more limited catalog of Catholic heroes. I doubt it's anything that could sustain an ongoing series, but a limited series and the occasional guest appearance in a mainstream book would definitely be promising. I knew Soule was a lawyer, but I find it interesting that, whether or not he's actually Catholic, he's actually pushing for a new Catholic "super team" as it were. Such a book could make some genuinely fascinating reading, considering how rich the Church's history is; there's enough sex, corruption and murder to put Game of Thrones to shame, really. Throw in supernatural enemies, and there's enough story potential there to fuel such a series for years, provided readers get on board. Wow, truth be told now I'm actually hyped for such a series.

Other than that, there's nothing particularly remarkable about this issue, though Mike Henderson maintains the standard of quality he's shown since he started working here back in issue #601.

Looking forward to the climax next issue!



7.5/10