"The Devil Takes A Ride: Part Three of Five"
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Matt Hollingsworth (colours)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Brubaker is really in form with this issue. As Daredevil unravels the complicated web of relationships between the new Matador, Tombstone, and his latest femme fatale, Lily, the villains' own plan begins to fall apart - and Matt gets another step closer to discovering who's really been pulling the strings in his life for the last few months. It's about as perfect a fusion of a noir plot with a superhero character as I've seen in comics, with far more action than Bendis ever included in the book - and even the highly influential run of Frank Miller would struggle to match the complexity of plot and sophistication of storytelling that Brubaker is bringing to the book here.
As an opening sequence elegantly recaps the history of the "Man Without Fear," Matt peels away yet another layer of the onion that is Brubaker's overall story, recasting the damsel-in-distress that was Lily a couple of issues ago as a cold, calculating criminal with her own agenda, who is also being manipulated by Daredevil's still-unrevealed foe. The plotting is similar to what Brubaker is doing in Criminal, allowing the reader to catch up with the villains' plans only at the point at which he pulls the rug out from under them, keeping one step ahead of the audience but always giving them enough information that the story remains interesting and exciting rather than a confusing mess which will only make sense when the final issue ties everything up. Although the plot of this particular issue is fairly simple, allowing for an extended action scene as DD confronts not one but three villains in a dockside brawl, its function as part of the story as a whole is pivotal, suggesting that things are really going to kick up a notch next issue - and whilst it's a little disappointing that the key to the mystery isn't revealed to the reader (even though Matt himself learns what's going on at the issue's end), there's enough intrigue to carry us over to next month's instalment that it doesn't undermine the issue, instead whetting our appetites for the section of the story that's yet to come.
Lark and Gaudiano's art continues to impress, and the secret weapon that is Matt Hollingsworth's colouring adds another dimension to their already pretty linework. As the sepia flashbacks segue into the cool blue of the Paris night, the sense of atmosphere is palpable, and the atmosphere of darkness and danger which is created by the artists during the fight sequence never sells the gritty, serious qualities of the story short. I think that when Brubaker announced that he would be returning to a more "swashbuckling" style of Daredevil story, I half expected him to lose the edge that the book had maintained under Bendis, but there's been no sacrifice in that department as far as I can see. Yes, the style of storytelling is different, and Daredevil under Brubaker definitely feels like more of a crime comic than it has done in the past few years, but the only apparent loss is the unending focus on Matt's character - and as the book has moved further away from the "outing" storyline which dominated it for so many years, there's been a definite sense that the change has been a positive one.
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