Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Over the past fifty-five issues (give or take a few) of Daredevil, Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev have created some of the greatest stories in the history of the character. Some may argue that Bendis’ dialogue is too wordy, and that the pacing of the book is too slow as a result, or that Alex Maleev’s photo-referenced style is too stagnant for a superhero book. The truth of the matter is that Bendis’s dialogue has kept the book real, while Maleev’s stark art has kept Daredevil rooted in the type of gritty reality that has defined the character since Frank Miller’s time. Since issue 26, the character of Daredevil has gone through more life changing turmoil than most established superheroes ever do, and readers have been able to immerse themselves in what is a constant story in the saga of Daredevil.
Readers be warned: there are spoilers abundant ahead. This review can be used to catch up on Daredevil if you haven’t been reading the book and want to start, or as an overview of the past three years, but if you want to read the stories for yourself, buy them in hardcover and read them yourself. They’re worth your money.
The first story that Bendis and Maleev did was Underboss, which started with the apparent murder of the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, by his underlings under the direction of mobster Sammy Silke. Like many of the later Bendis/Maleev stories, Underboss is not told chronologically, but rather the entire story jumps around between various degrees of past and present. Daredevil himself is fairly background in Underboss. This is really a story of the inner workings of the Kingpin’s crime syndicate, a Godfather-style odyssey of crime. In the end, Silke is taken into federal custody, fleeing the chaos he has created. This leads straight into the next story.
Out starts with Silke giving Daredevil’s secret identity to the FBI. The next day, the fact that Daredevil is really blind lawyer Matt Murdock is printed in the tabloid ‘The Daily Globe’. This entire six issue arc is about how Murdock and the people around him deal with that revelation. Murdock must now fight an uphill battle denying that he is Daredevil, simply because if he admits it he will be arrested and jailed. This is Bendis doing what he does best: working with characters and their reactions to certain events. While all other events in Out pale in comparison to the outing of Matt Murdock, it remains a compelling story. From this point on, Matt Murdock is more vulnerable than he has ever been before.
After a brief hiatus from drawing Daredevil for the Trial of the Century arc, Alex Maleev returned for Lowlife. This story is especially intriguing in that it combines a romance story between Matt Murdock and another blind lady, Mila Donovan, together with a growing tension between Daredevil and the Owl, one of his oldest villains. It resolves itself in a high-tension fight between Daredevil and the Owl. The choreography does seem a bit stiff here on Maleev’s part, but his art has been so consistently good telling the story of the characters, that this somewhat stagnant action scene can be forgiven.
Hardcore is one of the greatest Daredevil stories of all time, if not the greatest. Wilson Fisk returns, and he wants his city back. He recruits Typhoon Mary as his first pawn, then Bullseye, and then he fights Daredevil himself. For action junkies, these are some great fight scenes. Here Maleev demonstrates that he can draw action, making it intense and more brutal than most comic artists. The fight with Bullseye is not only well drawn, but more brutal and emotional than any other fight between Daredevil and his nemesis thus far. For the climactic showdown with the Kingpin, a number of former Daredevil artists showcase their skills. This is the culmination of a history extending back to the Frank Miller run on Daredevil. When Daredevil defeats the Kingpin, he declares himself Kingpin of Hell’s kitchen, one of the greatest moments in comics in recent memory.
The King of Hell’s Kitchen is the next story, and takes place a year after Daredevil defeated the Kingpin and five issues after an Echo storyline by David Mack. Here Bendis really delves into Murdock’s psyche. While there is plenty of action in this story, it is, at its heart, about Murdock’s mental disintegration as a result of his outing, his subsequent life decisions, and the still-recent death of Karen Page.
Though it’s still better than most comics published recently, The Widow is one of the weaker stories in the era of Bendis and Maleev. Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow, is in hiding from her superiors at S.H.I.E.L.D. She turns to Matt Murdock for a place to lie low. This story is an interesting take on one of the oldest romances in the Marvel universe, and Bendis makes things interesting by bringing in Punisher villain Jigsaw for them to fight. Still, very little develops in terms of Daredevil’s overall story, and romance has sparked between the Black Widow and Daredevil enough times before that this story just doesn’t stand out, especially compared to the rest of the run.
The next story, Golden Age, also features relatively little new plot development—for Daredevil, at least—but it’s so intriguing, it more than makes up for that pitfall. The story takes place over three ages, the post-Civil War era, Marvel’s golden age, and present day. Each era is represented by a different colouring scheme to compliment Maleev’s artwork. Also, Bendis bounces the story’s chronology between each era. It’s a bit confusing to read, but the story is only interesting because it is revealed in the non-chronological style of storytelling. This is the story of Alexander Bont, who controlled Hell’s Kitchen before the Kingpin. He unmasks Daredevil, and uses the Gladiator as his muscle.
Decalogue is Bendis doing what he does best: working with characters. Here he threw a bunch of people into a church basement support group to talk about how their lives have changed as a result of Daredevil over the past few years. Here Bendis and Maleev present a series of interconnected stories, with Daredevil having relatively little presence until the knockout ending. This isn’t an epic story, and the action is fairly limited. But it’s emotional, and well-written. The final two-page splash is enough to raise bumps on the back of your neck.
The Murdock Papers on the other hand, is the crescendo of the past four years of Daredevil history. The Kingpin is in the custody of the FBI, and wants to trade Murdock for his freedom. What follows is a series of events orchestrated by the Kingpin. Just about every major character Bendis brought in over the course of his run makes an appearance, affecting the outcome of this run. In the end, Murdock ends up in jail, awaiting trial.
Simply, these stories are among the best in Daredevil history. Brian Michael Bendis reaches back to his roots as in independent crime comic creator for inspiration, and his Daredevil stories have a similar, gritty feel. Alex Maleev puts out some incredible art. His bold inks and stark characterization give the book the street-level feel it’s had for the past four years, even if his action scenes are static once in a great while. It’s hard to imagine Daredevil getting better than this, but we can still hope the next creative team will do nearly as good of a job.
Casey Cosker lives, reads, writes, and occasionally studies at Pratt Institute in New York City. He spends his free time and money buying comic books and novels he can’t afford. He has been a self-proclaimed geek for several months now, and has no intention of changing his ways. He also has a hat.