“Decalogue – Chapter V”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Alex Maleev, Dave Stewart (colours)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Review: As Matt Murdock reveals himself to the church basement full of people who have been affected by Daredevil, writer Brian Michael Bendis attempts to use this oversized anniversary issue to tie together the last four installments of seemingly unrelated story to produce a cohesive conclusion to the arc, and some kind of closure for the many attendees of the Daredevil support group. Sadly, the conclusion to the grand "Decalogue" is a bit of a damp squib, taking only a few strands from the last couple of issues to pad out an ill-defined story about a nebulous demonic baby creature who has apparently been planted in the Jester through the dark arts of a hitherto-unknown villain.
The most frustrating thing about this story is that, despite the weak plotting and laziness of the story elements pulled out of thin air which justify a more supernatural menace, it’s still pretty well-written. Murdoch’s speeches feel very in-character, and I enjoyed the care with which his lawyer’s mind tiptoes around the actual revelation of his secret identity to the support group. His intimidation of his foe by words and not fists was a neat way to build a crescendo to the eventual physical confrontation, and Alex Maleev’s art convincingly sells the idea that Lawrence’s confident bad-boy of the last few issues is being reduced to a nervous wreck by the sheer force of Matt Murdock’s character. Maleev’s work also enhances the flashback sequence which shows DD take on the Jester at a bank robbery, with Dave Stewart’s bright, gaudy colours mixing with Maleev’s grim and gritty linework to reconcile the twin comic-book worlds of Silver Age superheroics and modern noir. It fits the character so well that it brings to mind the defining artwork of Frank Miller on his original run on the title, and there’s perhaps no higher compliment to pay to the artists involved than that. The fight is again well-written, with Matt’s internal narration conveying the supernatural difference he sees in the Jester, as well as the palpable panic that begins to set in when Daredevil realises he can’t see the demon-baby (a “succubus”, apparently – but you’ve got to be worried when the recap page has to fill you in on such things).
The trouble is, I just don’t buy the fundamental premise of the story. A few throwaway references to the Hand and dark magic just aren’t enough to give depth and justification to a character who has come out of nowhere, and who – due to Bendis painting himself into a bit of a corner with the tale’s conclusion – we’re unlikely to discover much more about. If this had been the middle issue of the story, I might still have been hooked – but with no character definition bar a full page of cack-handed and wordy exposition (all of which Matt has apparently learned from the Jester off-panel), the intendedly emotional conclusion falls flat, leaving me feeling pretty indifferent to the whole story so far. Ultimately, "Decalogue" only barely justifies its own existence, and definitely doesn’t warrant the attention which was drawn to it when the first few issues were published. The much-mooted exploration of Daredevil’s “lost year” has been cosmetic at best, if not wholly absent from the storytelling, and there’s certainly no reason why this arc couldn’t have been completely separate from that element of Bendis’ DD continuity.
I can’t help but feel that for all his brilliant work on Daredevil and Matt Murdock, the time might well be ripe for Bendis to end his run on the title, as it seems he’s running out of ideas. I can only hope he brings his A-game to his final arc which begins next issue, because his last year on the title has – despite some excellent moments – been far more uneven and uninspiring than the rest of his stellar run on the book. It pains me to say it, but without Alex Maleev’s undeniable talents (and it’s been a pleasure to watch him continue to evolve on the book, aided more recently by the greatness of Dave Stewart’s constantly mood-enhancing colours), this book wouldn’t have scored half as highly. And for Bendis and Maleev’s Daredevil, once the high-water mark of Marvel superhero noir, that’s particularly damning.
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