“Golden Age – part four”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Alex Maleev, Dave Stewart (colours)
Publisher: Marvel
The fourth instalment of Bendis and Maleev’s epic take on the rise of crimelord Alexander Bont (and his intermittent relationship with Matt Murdock) is a fairly mixed bag, and never reaches the high standards of the previous three episodes of the arc. Instead of continuing where last month’s cliffhanger left off – with Bont about to incontrovertibly expose a beaten, bedraggled Matt to the world – the story fills us in on a variety of small moments between supporting characters which take place before this big confrontation between the hero and villain. Whilst it’s always interesting to see Bendis explore the minutiae of life, with his keen ear for dialogue and human behavioural tics often providing touches of realism which help to ground the stories he writes, some of the scenes he gives us here feel a little too tacked-on and surplus to requirements to be really compelling: the close-to-present day prison scenes only show us what we knew already – that Bont left Ryker’s with a grudge against Matt, having found out that he was Daredevil, and blackmailed the Gladiator into helping him dispose of his enemy; the 60s/70s retro scenes feel fairly unnecessary, serving only to underline the fact that Daredevil and the original White Tiger knew and respected each other in the past - something which carries far less of an emotional weight than the recent “Trial of the Century” storyline, of which regular readers will already be aware; and there’s no development of the 40s-set thread which has appeared in previous issues.
The only scenes which really feel inspired are those which concern Matt’s relationship to FBI agent Del Toro, who seems poised to accept the mantle of the White Tiger yet needs some coaching in the ways of being a superhero. This is a character that holds a lot of potential, and the scene between her and Matt in civilian clothes is a fine back-and-forth of the kind that we take for granted from Bendis nowadays (but which continue impress me), hiding meaning between the lines that the characters are speaking and adding a very human dimension to proceedings. Of particular note is Matt’s observation that whilst Del Toro may be well-meaning and genuine at this moment in time, any concession from him regarding his dual identity could well be turned against him later down the line. It’s a logical and telling moment which betrays the character of a man who has been let down too many times in the past – whether by Milla, Karen Page, or Elektra - to really allow anyone into his personal life anymore, and suggests that his public “out”-ing is continuing to take its toll, closing him down emotionally and restricting him in both his public and his private life. The follow-up scene with Daredevil giving her a crash-course in the physical ways of being a superhero is also entertaining, and hints at a protégé relationship which would be interesting to see continue, whether in the pages of ‘Daredevil’ or in Bendis’ ‘New Avengers’ title.
So, whilst the writer provides us with some minor developments this issue at the expense of any real progression in the overall story, artist Alex Maleev really gets a chance to carry the issue. There’s a lot to love art-wise here, not least the fantastically classy retro cover: a nod to the pulp origins of superheroes and reminiscent of the cinema serials which dominated the Saturday mornings of kids that grew up in the 40s and 50s. In the interior art, Maleev flits effortlessly between different moods and settings, conveying the grim coldness of prison, the uncomfortable stiffness of Murdock and Del Toro’s conversation, and the hot dirtiness of Hell’s Kitchen’s rooftops effectively. Colourist Dave Stewart should also have his name on the cover, because he’s becoming as indispensable to the title as either of the two main creators. The book wouldn’t be the same without his stylised retro-effects for the 60s-set sequences, the dappled red sunset skyline of Hell’s Kitchen, or the eerie glow added to the White Tiger’s amulet. He’s proving an easy match for the high standards of previous colourist Matt Hollingsworth, and adding real atmosphere to every page.
I understand that “Golden Age” was originally poised to be a four-issue arc but was extended to five, whether to serve Bendis’ story needs or to bulk the story up to become worthy of a TPB in its own right. The weak cliffhanger of this issue – which sets up a situation that readers have already seen played out in earlier issues – certainly suggests that Marvel may have had more of a say in this than the writer, as the book is simply not structured or paced as well as Bendis’ work usually is, feeling very much like a padded fill-in issue to take us up to the finale next month. Such an approach risks losing the momentum of what has been a cracking story up until now, but has really been slowed in its tracks by this issue, and the upshot is a frustrating read which lacks any real focus and feels a little piecemeal - but is still put together with a quality and visual appeal which is impossible to deny. Fans will still enjoy it, but it’s certainly not the best example of the current run.
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