"Without Fear: Part Four of Six"
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Michael Lark, Paul Azaceta & Stefano Gaudiano (p & i), Matt Hollingsworth & Paul Mounts (colours)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
There's a great moment towards the start of this issue of Daredevil which encapsulates Brubaker's run on the title perfectly. A super-powered fight between the Wrecking Crew and Mr. Fear's heavies is erupting onto the streets of Hell's Kitchen, and despite the violence and destruction of property, Matt Murdock happily stands aside and does nothing to intervene. It goes against the grain of traditional superhero books, it challenges the clichés of the genre, and in some respects, it could appear selfish and unheroic. However, unlike some of the other less-than-heroic portrayals of Marvel characters that we've seen in recent months, it makes perfect sense: like Brubaker, Daredevil is more interested in the bigger picture than in any one individual battle - and like his writer, the character is happy to bide his time and wait for all of the right elements to be in place before executing the coup de grâce, rather than rushing things through prematurely.
A similar thing happens later on in the issue, when Daredevil is trying to track down the Ox so that he can lead him back to the evasive Mr. Fear. Matt follows the Ox to a meeting with other criminals, cannily weighs up the situation, and instead of bursting in to apprehend as many as possible, he conceives and executes a far more subtle and effective plan. It's this kind of intelligent approach to superheroics which sets Daredevil apart from its peers, marking it out as a more sophisticated comic than most of the other publications on the stands. Despite being one of the more emotional and headstrong characters, Matt doesn't always act rashly, and it's nice to see Brubaker temper the rage of the last couple of issues with a colder, more calculating attitude (which is in some respects even more intimidating). It's a change which sets up the extreme and shocking final page effectively: just like Jack Bauer in 24, Matt has been constantly pushed into impossible situations, and the cliffhanger shows that he's prepared to go to fairly extreme lengths to achieve his goals.
The intelligent approach to superheroics extends to other aspects of the book, too. Brubaker expands on the recurring concept of the Night Nurse's clinic for injured superheroes by creating an equivalent surgery for wounded villains, adding to the mythos in an unexpected but logical way. It's also nice to see the less intelligent characters display a modicum of common sense, too, such as Turk's decision to give the gang wars in Hell's Kitchen a wide berth, or the attempts of Daredevil's criminal informants to leave town. The only weakness of this plotline is the absence of the Hood, a villain who was introduced a couple of issues ago but hasn't appeared since (and his appearance in this book is already in danger of becoming irrelevant, as his story is already close to completion in the pages of New Avengers).
As ever, the character work is uniformly strong, with Brubaker taking advantage of his characters' attributes to move the story along organically. Lily Lucca's scene with the D.A. is a deft bit of manipulation which smoothes the way for Brubaker to resolve Milla's current legal difficulties. Milla herself is perfectly tragic, displaying a genuine vulnerability and weakness in her kitchen scene with Matt, and Mr. Fear is cannily kept off-panel completely, building the suspense for his eventual return.
The artwork continues to fit the mood of the story perfectly, and this issue Paul Azaceta joins the regular team of Stefano Gaudiano and Michael Lark. The collaboration between the three artists is seamless, and there's a real consistency to the visuals which helps to maintain a cohesive feel with Brubaker's previous issues whilst also trying some slightly different techniques. The visuals of this issue in particular were very reminiscent of Sean Phillips' work on Criminal, which perhaps demonstrates a cross-pollinating influence from Brubaker's other noir-flavoured book, whether conscious or unconscious. I also loved the incongruous visual of DD driving a taxicab, which I assume is an intentional nod to a similar image in Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's classic "Born Again" story.
Readers of Daredevil will begin to appreciate how much they've been spoiled with quality stories lately when an issue that's as good as this one feels like a fairly run-of-the-mill instalment of the title. For most other superhero books, this would be a standout story - but for Daredevil, this is merely the appetiser for what I'm sure will be an even more satisfying finale to the arc in the next couple of issues. A couple of years ago, I was lamenting the fact that Bendis and Maleev were leaving the book; now, I'm hoping the Brubaker, Gaudiano and Lark stay on it as long as possible. "Without Fear" is a successfully continuation of a run that is bound to go down as a classic for the character alongside Bendis and Miller's defining interpretations.
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