Look, I won't lie to you... sometimes I miss the days when Daredevil used to spend an issue fighting Bullseye, Elektra or some ninjas. But when what we're getting is so good, it's hard to complain about what the book isn't and a lot easier to focus on what it is. Bendis has used his gift for dialogue and characterization to build an interesting new relationship for Matt, one of the most dangerous versions of the Kingpin I've seen outside of Frank Miller's run and a Typhoid Mary whose insanity is really, really scary. And with Maleev handling the character work, the realism extends to the artwork, and the result, at least in this issue, is a foreboding opening to the new story arc, as Matt Murdock once again has more dangerous enemies than just himself to face.
With Bendis at the helm, Daredevil has begun to look more like a good television drama than a comic-book, and anyone who needed a road map for how to do a cool (and budget-feasible) super-hero TV show could definitely look at Daredevil as a road map. There are plenty of continuing stories and subplots, and the story in "Hardcore" goes all the way back to Bendis's first issue on the book, but it also remains accessible. And the structure of the whole thing, switching between different characters and making Kingpin, Milla and others into basically part of an ensemble cast, is quite enjoyable.
The book even opens like a TV show, with the teaser, and it's a hell of a teaser. I'm not sure it will have as much resonance for those who don't already know Typhoid Mary, but Bendis and Maleev make the Kingpin scary with his quiet power and no-nonsense manner, and the way he so casually shatters a happy new life for Mary in order to get what he wants says a lot about the character. His version of romance with Mary (and his wife) is also an interesting contrast to the budding romance between Matt and Milla, as Matt and Milla are both going into the relationship with eyes open about how it could endanger them, while Mary and Kingpin are both wrapped up in their own psychoses and just use each other for comfort.
I'm loving the relationship stuff between Matt and Milla, and also the defrosted more friendly relationship between Foggy and Matt, but I have to admit that my favorite parts of these book often come from the villains. Whether it's Sammy Silke playing young made guy to his crew, the Owl and his lawyer trying to play at being legit or Stilt-Man just giving up, there have been some memorable moments. However, this issue Bendis tops them all with the return of the Kingpin, not as a victim of a syndicate power play but as a broken man trying to either regain his throne or at least take revenge. The way he just appears in a room and talks to whoever he's with, as if they're powerless to do anything but listen, says a lot about the character. And the encounter between Kingpin and his former consigliere is priceless.
Like Incredible Hulk, Daredevil is a prime example of what "New Marvel" is up to. It has the same slow pacing and story that goes back to the beginning of the new creative team, as well as a focus on characterization and interaction rather than fights and super-powers. However, Daredevil has a few things that make it stand out as the best of the "New Marvel" takes on characters, including actual endings to the story arcs, fantastic dialogue and a bit of an appreciation for what has gone before on the title as well as what is happening now.
