You've got to give Bendis a lot of credit. You've got to credit him with the sheer brass balls to unveil a super-hero's secret identity. You've got to credit him with the ingenuity to keep the story going in directions that are hard to anticipate, and exploring the ramifications of the revelation, without simply going for an "in or out" answer and moving on to the next story. You've got to credit him for asking questions about the character that make perfect sense, but have never been asked before, and using the newest development to explore the character rather than just building it as an event. And while you're handing out credit, you might throw some to Alex Maleev, whose dark and gritty artwork is perfect for the realistic tone that Bendis is striking with his stories.
Bendis has always been known for his dialogue, but what strikes me about some of his work at Marvel particularly is his ability to write moments. It's tough to forget the romantic moment between Peter and Mary Jane in Ultimate Spider-Man, and Spidey's mockery of the Kingpin is a memorable moment as well. I think it will be a while before another favorite Daredevil moment comes along to top the sight of Ben Urich and Peter Parker standing up to Jonah Jameson to help out their friend. The dialogue is a big part of that, but the pacing and some other undefinable qualities are just as important.
As powerful as that moment is, it's nothing compared to the explosion of anger from Foggy Nelson later in the issue. Foggy expresses thoughts that surely most fans of Daredevil have had at some point, wondering about the "rewards" that have come his way as a result of the life he's chosen. Bendis is asking some hard questions about the existence of Daredevil and raising some interesting potential for how this could all shake out. The only possible downside is that he may be writing himself into a corner, because I'm not sure how Matt will be able to justify his life after all of this settles down, but that's a problem for Bendis, as it actually makes the read more enjoyable and suspenseful for me.
Of course, this all works as well as it does because of Maleev's artwork, which is perfect for what Bendis is doing and which is being served very well by Hollingsworth's colors. The subtle disgust that Ben Urich feels for Jonah is communicated very well, and Jonah's rage is kept comedic as well as frustrating, just this side of over-the-top. In addition, the final scenes, which show Daredevil leaping and swinging through a rain-soaked city as his friend unleashes a verbal assault against him is very effective. Whether we're meant to be seeing a memory or just cutting back and forth between these scenes for effect, the end result is the same, and it's a pretty powerful payoff.
It's difficult enough to write super-heroes in these days when everything has seemingly been done. However, Bendis has not only improved upon the formulas and cliches, he's actually taken a new look at how the super-hero life works, and the result is some of the strongest Daredevil I've ever read, and indeed comics that stand alongside his best personal work in terms of quality.
