We pick up with Spider-Man confronting Daredevil about his erratic behavior, but regular comics readers at the time knew that this wasn't the Peter Parker that Murdock had dealt with before. At that time, Doctor Octopus was inhabiting the mind of Parker and trying to be a "Superior Spider-Man".
The most dramatic part of this volume is that Foggy Nelson is diagnosed with cancer, and Matt continually visits his friend in the hospital while continuing to fight crime as Daredevil and just barely keeping the law office afloat. Foggy asks former DA Kirstin McDuffie to pick up the slack, much to Matt's chagrin.
Nate Hackett, a former bully from Daredevil's childhood (in fact, the boy that sarcastically gave him his nickname) shows up at the law office, and explains he's been accused of a crime associated with the Sons of the Serpent, a group of white supremacists. Nate did not know about the organization's racist agenda and says he was framed; Matt reluctantly takes the case when he can tell Nate is telling the truth due to his steady heartbeat.
In trial, it turns out the judge is a member of the Sons of the Serpent, who have managed to infiltrate many positions of power in New York City. When encountering this plot twist, I couldn't help but be reminded of how the members of Hydra had hidden among S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Sons had been making a villain called The Jester manipulate the media, with the goal causing race wars among citizens. Ultimately, Kirstin and Matt manage to send out a broadcast to reveal the evil scheme, but in the process Matt has to confirm to the city that he is Daredevil, and the authorities have no choice but to disbar him.
The last two issues of this volume are from the Indestructible Hulk series. At this point, Bruce Banner had made a deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. that they could use the Hulk on dangerous missions for as long as they provide Banner with all the scientific equipment he needs. Matt Murdock enters the story because he is one person that Banner trusts enough that Murdock can talk down the Hulk if need be. They find a sound wave weapon that is especially damaging to Daredevil's enhanced sense of hearing. This tangential plot must take place before Matt left New York City.
This volume was the last arc before Daredevil moved to San Francisco, which rumor has it he will eventually do in the Netflix series. Mark Waid has had the longest continual run as a writer for Daredevil comics, and his reign is set to end soon. I enjoyed Waid's take on the character, which moved away from the dark and gritty aspects and had more fantastic elements to the stories, but stayed true to Matt Murdock's personality, and of course the conceit that Daredevil never gets an even break.
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