First Appearance: Joanie

Villain: Kingpin, Bullseye, Lynch

Featured Thugs: Turk, Grotto

Guest Appearance: Josie, Joanie

Death: Lynch

Cameo: Vanessa

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Daredevil races against time to free himself from his bonds as he floats through the water pipes. He follows the current of water and just before he blacks out, he reaches the end and spills out into a tunnel full of bums. At Josie's Bar, Turk revels in the feeling that now that he's killed Daredevil, the Kingpin is going to treat him with a bunch of respect. He receives a tap on his shoulder, though, and standing behind him is Daredevil. He races for the window to get away, and Josie begs DD to stop him before it breaks again. DD whips his grappling cable around Turk's ankle and pulls him back for an interrogation. After Turk fills him in on the disaster at the construction site, DD informs the thug that he's working for him now as his stoolie.

As the Kingpin takes decisive control to begin consolidating his power once again, Bullseye informs his bumbling bosses that he's going to charge another 5 million to take out the Kingpin, then sets out to find him using his own inimitable skills. Back at the Kingpin's lair, Turk shows up to inform him that Daredevil survived and is after his files. He directs Lynch to take along some guards and move the files to a new vault. On their way, Daredevil shows up and steals the files from them. He makes it to Lt. Manolis with the briefcase, but all the cop finds inside are old telephone books.

After tracking down the Kingpin's lair, Bullseye finds that they've closed up shop and moved out. Later, while berating his employers for their bumbling ways, the Kingpin enters the room. After a brief period of intense intimidation, the Kingpin manages to hire Bullseye away from them, then tells them that they are all going to sign written confessions scapegoating them for all the recent mayhem and carnage in the gang war. After they leave, Kingpin gets alone with Lynch and viciously beats him. He tells Lynch he knows that he was the one who fired the mortar at the construction site, figuring that with Vanessa out of the way, the Kingpin would return to his life of crime. After telling him that Vanessa was the only thing that restored his humanity to him in this world, he kills him and tells Bullseye to get rid of the body.

Daredevil catches up with a street-walker named Joanie who implies that there is a major conference of gang leaders imminent. Sure enough, at the Kingpin's new skyscraper office, he meets with all the local syndicate leaders and tells them he's back in action. Suddenly, the lights go out in the building. Kingpin tells Bullseye to go investigate the situation, sure that Daredevil is on the scene. Bullseye tells him he'll waste Daredevil for free. As he walks down towards the basement, he makes it to the generator and turns the switch back on, finding Daredevil standing there. He fires some morning stars at the Man Without Fear, but he knocks them out of his path with his billy club.

He suggests to Bullseye that they settle their grudge here and now, with no weapons, just man-to-man. After fighting for a few moments, Bullseye grabs DD's billy club and uses it against him. DD grabs Bullseye's gun and shoots the billy club out of his hand, reminding him this is a "no weapons" fight. The battle rages on until finally both men have each other by the throat, but it's Daredevil that wins out, choking Bullseye into submission. Kingpin shows up and offers Daredevil the secret files and Bullseye. Daredevil reluctantly but realistically accepts the offer, knowing it will further consolidate Kingpin's power, but not seeing any other option.

Down in the tunnels beneath the city, Vanessa wanders, lost, hungry and seemingly stricken with amnesia.

--synopsis by Gormuu

--panel images provided by Avengers Assemble

--letter pages provided by Aussie Stu

Issues Reprinted
Daredevil #168-182

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.