I have been loving this exploration of what happens to Daredevil when his identity is exposed, but with this issue I did start to see some of the complaints others have had about the slow pacing. Actually, it's less the pacing than the choice of moments, as this issue we see in full detail some of the less interesting aspects of the story, such as a super-hero team-up, and only get references to the more interesting aspects, such as the talk between Spider-Man and Daredevil promised by the cover or the elapsed time as Matt Murdock considers his actions. That said, this is still a good read, and the desperation and anger that Matt feels is conveyed very well by the creative team.
Bendis has always had a handle on the more predatory aspects of modern media, and he's exploring those aspects again in Daredevil. It hasn't escaped my notice that in this issue, the real danger is the mob of camera-men and reporters, while a super-strong villain is little more than a vehicle for jokes and a meeting between Spider-Man and Daredevil. Or that while the legal reprisals of being Daredevil have been brought up, most of the danger has centered on the danger to Matt's reputation and his life after this news gets out.
There are some very good scenes in this issue. When Daredevil does his job and is still accosted by a bystander who challenges him to prove himself, the danger in this lack of trust becomes clear. Spider-Man has some fun dialogue, not too surprising given that Bendis has been writing the character for two years in the Ultimate book. And the somber mood of the meeting in the hotel room at the end is very strong, as Daredevil makes a big change in his relationship with Ben Urich. I also can't deny that I'm dying to see what is going to happen at the press conference.
However, I did feel like Bendis and Maleev could have shown us more in this issue. Both in terms of the artwork, which I still love but found to be a little too dark in this particular issue, and in terms of the moments that were left out. This has been a crime book more than a super-hero book since Bendis took over, and so I was surprised that several pages were spent on a battle between Mr. Hyde, Spidey and Daredevil, which really doesn't fit Maleev's art style that well or the general tone of the book.
More importantly, with those pages used, there was no space for a talk between Daredevil and Spider-Man, which seems a waste of potential. Given the unusual situation those two are in, knowing each others' secret identities and being long-time friends, it seems like there would have been a lot to see in a conversation between the two of them about Matt's "outing." And I felt a little cheated by the "26 days later," even though I can understand that the self-exploration Daredevil went through might have been hard to express in comic-book form.
