“The Widow: Part One (of Four)”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Marvel
NB. This comic (like Daredevil: Father) has recently appeared in full as an online preview. Marvel.com lists it as having a June 16th release date.
Plot:
A new arc begins after the “King of Hell’s Kitchen” five-parter returned Daredevil’s life to something approaching a status quo. In the face an annulment of his marriage to Milla, and unresolved anger management issues, world politics intervene, conspiring to place an old flame back into Matt Murdock’s life…
“I kinda just needed to be me for a while. Even the old me.”
Comments:
In the wake of an epic story arc that has seen Matt “outed” by the press, defeat the Wilson Fisk, clean up Hell’s Kitchen and become the new Kingpin, Brian Michael Bendis stretches off in a bold new direction for the title. It is an interesting facet of Bendis’ writing that whatever side-projects he happens to have going seem to filter into his core work on Daredevil: numerous Jessica Jones appearances during his Alias run have given way to full-page references to The Pulse and the heavy involvement of the Avengers - soon to be disassembled - in this issue. Whether these crossovers are there to serve story requirements or Marvel bean-counters is open to debate, but having had Jessica’s appearances open me up to Alias I can safely say that broadened horizons are no bad thing. Here, the involvement of the Avengers on a worldwide scale serves to introduce a certain political intrigue which has been present in the writer’s other titles but are new to Matt’s more parochial world. As such, it is difficult to immediately see how well these elements will integrate into the fabric of Daredevil. Whether, like me, you would prefer to see Matt’s personal life even more fully explored - with a possible political career on the way and a battle with the press still raging - it cannot be denied that Daredevil is offering something unpredictable. However, it is a storyline which moves the title back to more familiar superheroic territory, with themes already explored recently in comics such as Bendis’ own Secret War and Ulitmate Six and Mark Waid’s Fantastic Four, to name but a few.
Alex Maleev, having seemingly got as dark as possible last issue, opts to lighten up a little this time around. Far more variety of location, character and tone is opened up by this issue’s new direction, leading to some great renderings of new locales (Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, high-tech touch-screens et al, and a gritty glimpse of - hooray! - London), able character work (the Bulgarian Prime Minister’s discussion) and some almost comically incongruously-coloured guest stars (as Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers show up to confront Hydra). Further artistic flair is also packed in to full-page splashes which accompany lengthy dialogue sequences, be they our hero’s inner musings on his self-destructivity or a naturalistic, logical and amusing discussion between Matt and Ben Urich which promises to re-insert this excellent and underused character back into DD’s life. Atmosphere and realism have never been found wanting with Alex Maleev, but the opening issue of this arc suggests that we may be treated to more large-scale military action, the like of which is foreign to these pages. It will be sure to stretch this artist beyond the comfortable boundaries so far established on Bendis’ run, hopefully into fulfilling new arenas for both him and the Daredevil series.
All in all, for an issue which is mostly setup, there is much to enjoy in Daredevil #61. Fan-favourite the Black Widow gets to strut her seductive stuff, setting up a relationship with a more adult, mature tone than many comics writers manage; some intelligent, worldly political intrigue is added to what has hitherto been a more studied, character piece; and Matt’s inner anger continues to build up to breaking point. However, if there is criticism to be found here it is that an Avengers crossover which concentrates on the Black Widow is serving to draw the title away from foundations which were ripe for further exploration: Matt’s status as Kingpin, his battle with the press, and his relationship with Foggy (which has again been sidelined, despite being long-overdue for more detailed treatment and limited only to a couple of promising cameos this time round) are all elements that look as though they are condemmed to hang in limbo, at least for a while, as a horde of strangers comes to play in DD’s world.
Final Word:
Having decided to have Milla bail on our hero may seem an odd choice for such a previously strong character - especially someone who had pledged to stand by a the new Kingpin, having supposedly understood the risks that went with his life – but narratively, it has made Matt’s life a lot more fun. The introduction of the Black Widow carries a lot more dramatic and sexual tension now that Daredevil is a “free agent”, and points to an exciting storyline that promises to be refreshingly concise (Bendis’ arcs are getting shorter and shorter) whilst still fitting in with the creative team’s over-arching vision for the character. Whilst longtime readers may wonder where Bendis is going with all this, as a fresh arc, this comic stands alone as an attractive new beginning for the costumed Kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen.
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