Daredevil is undeniably "New Marvel," but it manages to dodge most of the pitfalls that I've come to see as shortcomings of the New Marvel style, even though it embraces some of the things that drive me crazy. Things like a willingness to disregard previous characterization lightly, a seeming allergy to costumes or the word super-hero and a pacing that can charitably be called leisurely. This issue, the third part of "Hardcore," steps on a few of my particular annoyances, making it weaker than the last few issues of Daredevil in my eyes, and it force Maleev into a role he's not too comfortable in, that of action storyteller, but it also maintains the exquisite dialogue and characterization that has made the title a must-read for me.
Matt Murdock, out on a date, is ambushed by former girlfriend and psychotic assassin Typhoid Mary, bringing his super-powered bodyguard into the fray and resulting in a battle on the steps of his law firm while he's trying to maintain a lie that he isn't secretly Daredevil. It is, as Matt notes in narration, "his nightmare scenario," and it certainly feels tense and dangerous. Mary's lunacy comes through nicely in Bendis's non sequitur dialogue, Jessica's disdain for the whole super-hero thing has never seemed more justified, and Luke Cage gets to look like a badass again, which is never bad.
Unfortunately, while this is all exciting stuff, it falls short of being a really cool super-hero fight sequence because that really isn't where the strength of Maleev's artwork lies. I love Maleev's work in general, his moody and sometimes indistinct style, but I find myself wishing in sequences like this one that they'd hand over the action sequences to someone else. Swords are flying, pyrokinesis is making people burst into flame, and it all just sort of lays there flat on the page. Everyone looks too posed, too stiff.
Mind you, if the artwork sometimes disappoints, the story rarely does. Bendis really brings across the anger and fear that Matt feels when Mary attacks, and even though we know nothing permanently bad is going to happen to stars of their own books Daredevil or Jessica Jones, it's easy to get caught up in the moment and forget that. And the talk between Matt and Agent Driver, or the talk with Matt and Milla, after the whole fight is over, is right back in the book's comfort zone, fantastic dialogue and character development, as well as foreboding hints of what might be coming.
The issue closes out with something that... well, it's something I don't want to spoil. But it features a couple of Daredevil's best-known adversaries, some terrific dialogue that plays nicely into the conversation he has just had with Milla, and an exceptionally good bit of visual storytelling on Maleev's part for the final page. If only the character didn't look so damn silly with his new "costume."
