"The Devil Takes a Ride: Part 5"
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Michael Lark & Stefano Gaudiano (p & i), Matt Hollingsworth (colours)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
There's been a lot of talk over the past few years about genies and bottles at Marvel. Certain elements of Marvel's high-profile characters which were thought to be "broken" have found themselves the target of editorial attention, and in some cases have been changed or reversed: House of M's reduction of the mutant population is a good example, and there's continuing speculation about the dissolution of Spider-Man's marriage. However, if there was one change that I thought would stick, it was the added depth that was brought to Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis' decision to shake up his civilian life with the revelation of his identity in the press.
Well, I was wrong. This issue acts as a huge reset button for the title, as whilst Brubaker acknowledges that there will always be a lingering doubt in the Marvel Universe over whether Matt is DD, there's a definite sense of a swift return to the status quo here, which will allow Matt to practise law again (the reversal of his expulsion from the bar is glossed over here in a couple of panels) and to return to his superhero life without the complications that his out-ing brought to the book. It all feels very rushed, especially when you consider the leisurely pace of the rest of Brubaker’s run so far. To be fair to the writer, Brubaker’s first year on the title has maximised the potential that was inherent in the concept that Bendis left him with, and perhaps he now feels that the time has come to write the book his way, without the trappings of a previous creator’s stint to fetter him. Either way, it now seems clear that all the talk about how Brubaker was going to take the threads of Bendis' story and run with them was obviously only good for a year. Maybe this will provide the new writer with a blank slate to create his own take on Daredevil, but it’s quite a gamble. Brubaker is certainly a good enough writer to make a book his own (just look at the positive reception he’s gained for his controversial storyline in Captain America), but he’s got a huge standard to live up to here.
One element of the book which can't be negatively affected by these developments is the artwork. Gaudiano and Lark continue to provide fitting visuals for the book which continue the realistic noir-ish traditions that made Alex Maleev such a popular artist (indeed, there are echoes of his work here, notably in the doorstep press conference scenes which are a virtual lift from similar such scenes during his run). However, I'm not overly enthused by Lee Bermejo's cover; whilst it's a technically competent piece of art, his take on the Daredevil costume looks more like leather bondage gear than the red spandex of the Man Without Fear. Maybe he's basing his look on the movie costume rather than DD's comic appearances, but either way it's distracting, and takes away from an otherwise effective image.
If it seems unfair to criticise a comic because I don't like the direction of the story (rather than evaluating how well that story is told), then it's worth considering the extent to which Daredevil has been characterised over the last five years by the overarching story of his unmasking and the personal troubles that have ensued for him as a result. This issue all but undoes all of that development in a surprisingly short space of time, and whilst that will be a positive thing for some readers, others may feel that the golden era of Bendis' run has been definitively put to rest with this issue. Those of you who are reading this review and thinking that I’m stuck in the past and that the book needs to move on should probably add an extra bullet to the rating, but for readers who see Bendis’ work on the title as defining, now might be a good time to end their ride, as most of the loose ends of that era are tied up very neatly indeed.
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