If someone were to just tell you about the plotlines in Daredevil, it would sound like a fairly typical super-hero story -- old DD bad guy turns up to cause trouble again -- and that's because at its root, Brian Michael Bendis's approach to super-hero storytelling has as its foundation the core tradition of the genre. But what sets his stuff apart is a real-world approach to the dialogue and in part in the plotting, and that realistic perspective is reinforced by dark artwork.
The Daily Globe report that Matt Murdock and Daredevil are one and the same continues to hound Matt's life. An old enemy turns up at his law office, ready to rake Daredevil over the coals, but Matt's denial of the allegation continues. Meanwhile, he learns of what happened to the Kingpin's criminal empire, and of the colorful crimelord who is on an underworld rampage after being left out of the deal. And Daredevil has a chance encounter with a woman with whom he shares some common ground.
The key to the appeal and strength of Maleev's art can be summed up with one word: texture. He makes two-dimensional images come alive by bringing subtle hints of depth in the characters' faces, hair, and more... and in the backgrounds. That grittier texture also suits the true-crime tone of the plot. Bringing an almost supernatural and cinematic tone to the artwork is colorist Matt Hollingsworth, who isolated the backgrounds in dull, solid tones, while the slightly brighter colors in the foreground pop and jump out at the reader.
The premise behind the uber-plot of DD's identity is compelling, but Bendis sells this script with little tidbits of dialogue that have nothing do with the plot. Listening to a trio of crooks discuss the wonders of the DVD format, or two women having a conversation about why people can be so nostalgic about pop culture... those little everyday moments let the reader into Daredevil's dark and exciting world.
This is the second super-cheap title Marvel has released in the past few months, and again, the publisher chose an excellent candidate. Despite its roots in Bendis's previous story arcs, Bendis has provided a thoroughly but subtly accessible read. With any luck, retailers will have stocked up on this issue so as to have some strong promotional material on hand should February's Daredevil theatrical movie release draw new readers into comics shops.
Bendis's elongation of the secret-identity plot is another aspect of the book that grants the unreal adventures of a super-hero a more real quality. Newspaper reports and lawsuits are notions to which it is easy to relate, but Bendis even brings the reactions of the title character's arch-nemeses down to the earth. Ultimately, Daredevil and its writer are clever, and it makes for riveting and amusing reading.
