Daredevil (Vol.1) #270

The issue starts in a field. Rather oddly, there's a dead body of a young woman, with crows circling round her. We're told her name's Abigail Housman, he was apparently randomly murdered and it was hours before her body was found. Over the next few years, many more crimes take place in this field, until disturbing plants begin to grow around it. That takes us up to the present, where some teenagers a getting it on in the field when poof! Blackheart pops up.

He quickly disposes of the kids. As their bodies roast, Mephisto reveals himself to Blackheart, who attacks out of instinct. Mephisto quickly brings him to his senses, revealing he is Blackheart's father. Mephisto commands him to walk the Earth for a while, when vanishes.

Then we cut to Daredevil who is leaping around a rollercoaster track. He explains that after many months of having a bad time, he's finally starting to feel better. Its not long before he senses something is up. Oddly enough, he's picking up movement with no heartbeat. That's when Blackheart attacks. DD narrowly avoids the hit, confused as to what is happening.

That's when we see Pete, returning home by bus from a visit to Jeff Wainright, his Spider-sense picks up and he spots the damage at the rollercoaster site. Back to Daredevil, who whips his club around Blackheart's legs and pulls him over. His senses tell him he's dealing with something completely evil. He decideds bringing the coaster down on Black heart wouldn't be a bad idea, the result his him being merely a little stunned.

Daredevil launches a full attack, Blackheart moves in for a crushing blow when Spider-man leaps onto the scene and kicks him away with a "Ta da! Hiya D.D!, who's your ugly friend?" Spidey webs him as a distraction. Picking up a small wooden shack, he brings it down on Blackheart, only for Daredevil to explain it won't work on impact.

DD leaps into action and saves Spider-man from the rubble. After a bit more of a tussle, spider-man realises DD is acting strange. He wants to kill Blackheart, who is acting like he wants it to happen. They launch a full attack, Blackheart ends up realizing why he's been getting weaker, hundreds of people are looking at him (don't ask me why that matters). Blackheart vanishes.

As Spider-man and Daredevil are showered by their fans, DD realises someone's watching him in the crowd. It's none other than Mephisto. The issue ends with a final shot of the field, explaining that Blackheart has gone to rest.

General Comments

Good, fun stand alone issue. An excellent intro to the Blackheart character, Spider-man makes a welcomed appearance, one of those classic "Oh look who I bumped into!" moments that we all love. Love the art, fantastic stuff.