Daredevil Message Board

[Dimetre]

There are many arguments in this issue. The FBI director argues with Fisk. Black Widow argues with Elektra. Matt argues with Elektra. Luke Cage argues with the media. I don't think all of these arguments make sense.

First off, I don't completely buy the way Matt reacted to Elektra appearing at his window. He immediately attacked her. I supposed it was because of her history as an assassin, and that he was worried she was going to kill Milla. However, we're never told that's the reason why, and when Elektra showed up earlier in Bendis and Maleev's run, he wasn't worried about his safety or think she was going to kill anyone. His reaction didn't seem natural; it felt like an excuse for Maleev to draw a naked fight.

Secondly, I didn't understand why everybody felt suddenly silent during that argument between Fisk and the FBI director. Fisk suggests he knows something about the FBI director, but the director didn't seem concerned about that. Instead of acting fearful of being exposed, he again demands that Fisk tell him the identities of the people who know about the Murdock papers. That's when everything goes silent. Does Fisk lean in and whisper? If so, couldn't we have gotten a word bubble indicating an unintelligible whisper? I'm not sure what happened, but the FBI director just walks away. It was all very unclear.

Thirdly, Black Widow seems to hate Elektra. Yet that earlier appearance of Elektra's during Bendis and Maleev's run was arranged by none other than Natasha. I don't know what Natasha is doing here, since she doesn't know anything, other then to allow Maleev to draw her butt.

The thing that bothered me the most about this issue was that Elektra said she helped Kingpin assemble the Murdock papers after he found out Matt's secret identity. We all know that happened at the beginning of "Born Again," and as far as Fisk knew, Elektra was long dead at that point. She was his assassin for a very brief period before Bullseye killed her, and Fisk had no idea who Daredevil was at that time. Even a casual Frank Miller fan should know that. I can't believe Bendis would make such an easily avoidable mistake, or that editor Axel Alonso wouldn't have pointed something out. I can't help but think of the amount of arrogance required to disregard even the most basic of continuity established before your arrival on a title. It drives me crazy to think of the incredibly long leash Marvel gave him for years.

I don't think this is a good issue. It's a tremendous amount of talking, and the arguments seem to be unnaturally heated. I give this a 2.5 out of 5.

[Mike Murdock]

The issue begins by making it clear the Feds are taking the deal. That part I'm fine with. But I thought the fight was a bit much. Matt's reaction seemed harsh and over the top. On the other hand, the splash page where they team up is a nice one - especially since it's a complete surprise (there's no dialogue between the characters agreeing to team up).

There's another conflict between Natasha and Elektra that feels like stalling. It just feels like a fake dilemma. Elektra's reasons for going to Matt don't seem to make a ton of sense, but Natasha's hostility isn't much better. Still, there are some nice little moments. The reveal at the end of the other person who knows is a good one and works for a dramatic cliffhanger.

I'll go Three and a Half Stars. There's a bit of exciting beginning, exciting cliffhanger, and not much else, but there are some good story beats that make the middle somewhat worthwhile.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[Mike Murdock]

Daredevil Vol. 2 #79 - The Murdock Papers Part 4

[Dimetre]

The majority of this issue is a big fight scene involving Bullseye. He's fighting Daredevil, Elektra, or the both of them. It's savagely violent, as one would expect from any fight scene involving Bullseye. The classic fight with Bullseye in #181 has got to be one of the best fight scenes in comic history. This one doesn't work nearly as well for me.

I've often typed that I think Maleev creates his artwork based on photographs of models. Many people are impressed with his artwork, but I think this approach, if I'm right, limits him, and his fight scenes are a good example. Daredevil is one of the more graceful and agile fighters in the entire Marvel Universe, but during the Bendis and Maleev era, he was relegated to just some kicks and some punches. Where are the flips? Why isn't he balancing on a tight rope? There are so many possibilities when it comes to staging a fight between these two enemies, but I never thought Bendis and Maleev skimmed far past the surface. This fight consists of, as usual, kicks and jabs and not much more.

Secondly, a big part of what makes a fight in a comic thrilling is how it flows from panel to panel. For me, this fight was just awkwardly laid out. In one panel we see Bullseye's motorcycle careening towards a water tower. The next couple of panels focus on something else, and then we get a panel of the motorbike actually crashing into the water tower, and then nothing is done with all the water soaking everything.

Elektra fights Bullseye in a kitchen, and gets hold of his ankle, causing him pain. The next panel has him kicking her in the face with one of his feet on the ground. How is that possible? She had hold of one of his feet. If her were to kick her, it would have been with no feet on the ground. Things like that take me out of the fight.

The worst moment for me had to be when Bullseye was flinging shards of glass at Daredevil. That was a tense moment promising plenty of danger, but the next panel showed Bullseye flying out of a window. We didn't see what caused that. That's something I need. I need to see someone hit Bullseye so I know why he's traveling out the window.

I also found the choice to have him run away was out of character, and the choice to have him hit by a truck anti-climactic.

Even though I never read this issue before, I was aware that Daredevil was shot in this issue. I still have problems with that. Helicopters are noisy, and we can see that Daredevil's senses are still operating at peak efficiency. Is it possible he's distracted? Sure, but I think he shouldn't have been hit. Yes, it's Paladin, and he's a very good mercenary, but I always have a problem when Daredevil gets shot too easily, whether Bendis does it or Zdarsky.

Finally, the revelation that there are no Murdock Papers. I've already complained about Elektra's background with them. However, we all know that the Kingpin has known Daredevil's secrety identity for a long time now. In a way, he has been in possession of metaphorical Murdock papers for years. He asserts he would have used them over and over if he actually had them, but we all know that he guards the secret as his personal treasure for only him to make use of. This entire scheme doesn't seem like one Fisk would ever pull.

The Kingpin is also banking a lot on the FBI director's lack of scruples. Now he's threatening Ben Urich's family right in front of everybody, and he's expecting no repercussions? This is getting hard to believe. Yes, the FBI director is angry at Matt, but he's still the director of the FBI. I don't expect him to lose all perspective when dealing with Fisk.

I found Matt's actions with Agent Del Toro went too far. Couldn't he just have knocked her out with pressure points?

Also, it's not explained to us why Bullseye is here. We can assume that Fisk hired him to guard the Murdock Papers, but they also don't exist. So Fisk hired Bullseye to fight Daredevil, providing proof that Matt is Daredevil. I think this would be so easy to debunk.

I think the best thing this comic has going for it is the intensity of the fight, but there are so many little things that took me out of it. I give this issue a 2.5 out of 5.

[Mike Murdock]

Ever since the creation of the recap page, the opening splash page has pretty much gone away. However, to Bendis and Maleev's credit, this is a pretty good one. There's a very chaotic feel to the whole thing with Bullseye smack in the center flying in dynamically (although I hate his costume change). It sets the tone for the next couple of pages, which breeze by very quickly because Bendis has pretty much no dialogue.

The big appeal here is Bullseye vs. Elektra. I didn't read the first Elektra ongoing series (no idea if Bendis did either). A rematch between the characters is hard to resist so I imagine it was done before, but it's very cool to see it in a Daredevil book. I hate that Matt just pushed out Natasha (let alone Del Toro) because it makes their additions last issue feel completely pointless. Still, the fight is really cool. We see Daredevil and Elektra teaming up, which gives the edge that Elektra didn't have by herself. That being said, Bendis can't resist ending on a climax by having Bullseye get hit by a truck.

The elephant in the room is the twist - that the Murdock Papers never existed. On the one hand, I think that's a good thing. Nothing about them made a ton of sense. On the other hand, nothing about the whole thing makes any sense. It's one thing for Kingpin to tell his underlings (which I don't think he would have since the whole point of Underboss is the Kingpin didn't know his underlings knew), but how does Elektra fit in? She seemed to have genuine knowledge of it. Is she a Skrull at this point? Frankly, a Skrull trying to act like she knows what she's talking about makes about as much sense as anything else. That being said, there's a genuine sickening feeling as we see that Fisk manipulated Ben Urich into choosing between Daredevil and his family/own freedom. It's a good ending to the issue.

Overall, I liked the faster pace and more action. There are some flaws, though, so I'm going Four Stars.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[macjr33]

Sorry again for being a little behind, as a side note, my wife and I are expecting our first child here in a couple of weeks so things have been a bit hectic!

On to the reviews:

Issue #78

This issue starts off with the idea that Fisk has proof that Matt is Daredevil which the FBI director is eager to take. For me it felt like this is really personal for the FBI director in wanting to bring Matt in.

While I can see how the fight with Elektra could be perceived as a bit of an over reaction on Matt's part, I took it as Matt is finally in a place where things are starting to turn up (as we all commented on in previous issues) and Elektra all of a sudden showing up does can not be good for Matt.

The other thing that I enjoyed about this issue is how Bendis & Maleev handled Milla. I think we as the reader can sometimes for forget that she is actually blind. I think Bendis & Maleev did an excellent job displaying how terrified she by what is going on. Imagine not being able to see the fight between Matt and Elektra and then hearing the news report. As a reader, I really felt for her.

Full page with Matt and Elektra is awesome artwork by Maleev.

I enjoyed the interaction between Matt, Elektra, Natasha and Angela. I though there were some funny lines in there conversation which is something I think Bendis was able to do well during his run. Helps lighten the mood for what is dark run overall.

The last page is one of my favorites in all of Daredevil comics. Elektra revealing that one other person knows about the Murdock Papers, Matt asking who and then Matt grabbing the playing card right before it hits Elektra's throat is fantastic. Between the dialogue and the artwork it's just so well done.

Overall, for me, I give this issue 4.5 out of 5 stars.


Issue #79

This is starts off with a bang, the splash page with Bullseye attacking everyone continues the great artwork from Maleev. I agree though that I hate this look for Bullseye.

It continues with a fury of action that sees Elektra take on Bullseye while Matt disables Angela because she doesn't have the skill to take on Bullseye. I agree that Matt's actions are a bit much and that's part of the point as Natasha calls Matt out on it. I think the point is that Matt is on edge and it's only getting worse as Matt has resigned himself that things are over for him. I like that despite all of this, he is still concerned for Milla and asks Natasha to get her out.

The fight in the office building is stellar, love the panel of Matt coming through the skylight to attack Bullseye. Also love the depiction of Matt with a bunch of the glass shards in him and the scene with Matt holding the women gives me chills every time I read it. It demonstrates just how truly destructive and psychotic Bullseye can be.

The fight in the street where Matt and Elektra team up against Bullseye is also great. I can actually see Bullseye running away once he is overpowered by the two of and I actually thought him getting hit by a bus was funny.

As for Matt getting shot, he just finished fighting Bullseye so I can see him being a bit distracted. The helicopter seemed quite a long way off.

I really felt for Ben at the end given the position Fisk put him in, Fisk gave him no choice.

Most critics of Bendis often cite that he is too wordy and there is not enough action. I think this issue delivers a ton of action with stellar artwork from Maleev and (for a Bendis book) keeps the dialogue to a minimum.

This is one of my favorite issues in the entire Bendis/Maleev that still enjoy immensely with each read. Easy 5 stars for me.

[Mike Murdock]

Getting this one in a bit early. Take your time: the final Bendis issue:

Daredevil Vol. 2 #80 - The Murdock Papers Part 5

[Dimetre]

There are some things I think are fine with this issue. I like that Milla refuses to be taken to safety. I like that Elektra does what she can to save Matt's life. I like that Ben Urich, I'm assuming, refuses to help the FBI and the Kingpin. On that last point I'm not sure. Did he give them the Night Nurse's location off panel, and that's how the FBI arrive on the scene? It would have been truer to his character if he had allowed himself to be arrested, and had the Bugle (or Pulse) mount a defence citing Freedom of the Press. Yet, this issue doesn't make it clear what he did.

However, why would the FBI need him to divulge the Night Nurse's whereabouts if Urich had already published a Bugle story about her? Wouldn't that article have given out the location of her clinic? It's also not like Urich to publish an article like that, given how he burned his story about Daredevil all those years ago.

Also, I found the way the Hand healed Matt kind of weird. First, none of them dissolved, which is what happened in the past when they revived dead warriors. They gave their energy to Kirigi and they dissolved. Here, one of the Hand ninja pours potion out of a vial on Matt's wound. This doesn't seem true to how the Hand works. Secondly, Matt is not under their control. I suppose it's possible that Elektra instructed them to revive him without placing him under the Hand's control. Perhaps that's an act of love. But, again, Bendis doesn't make it clear.

And that's a big problem I have with Bendis. A lot of his narrative is unclear. Large details about whether Urich gave up Night Nurse's location or how the Hand's revival of Matt worked are left up to us to assume, and that's not good. Can the Hand revive people without them coming under the total control of the Hand? I don't know. I read this issue, and the answer I come away with is, "...I guess..."?

I don't think Luke Cage and Iron Fist served much of a purpose in this issue at all. Luke Cage stops Elektra from killing the FBI director, but I think it would have meant more if Black Widow had done that. Cage punches some Hand ninja while shouting "Yeah?" and I don't know why he says that other than to have this "No" "Yeah" "No" game happen over three panels.

What this issue does pretty well is set up this race against time. Matt is in a very vulnerable position, and this issue is about whether his life be saved before the FBI gets to him. The problem is that the Hand's arrival is a great big deus ex machina, and their involvement doesn't properly resemble their previous appearances. They serve their function, get knocked around a bit and then run away, just like Bullseye did.

Matt seems defeated in every way at the end of this issue, not trying at all to conceal his identity. He gives himself up to the authorities willingly. There doesn't seem to be any way out of this mess. Everything Bendis and Maleev have been doing since they arrived on the title has been leading Matt into this trap. I have not read the next issue, but I know how Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark's run begins, so I know what to expect.

I'll give this a three. It's not bad, but it has the big problems that I described.

[Mike Murdock]

There's two ongoing moments of tension - will Ben Urich reveal where Night Nurse is and will Matt Murdock die from his injuries. There's a lot of stalling to build up suspense, but I don't necessarily think it's misplaced here. A lot of it has to do with relocating friends and family and Ben Urich's moral outrage. Interestingly, we don't see Ben Urich finally cave, which feels like an odd choice. It might be a deliberate attempt by Bendis to distance his favorite character from the consequences of his actions.

The Natasha/Elektra rivalry still feels very forced. I do like Elektra in charge of the Hand. It changes things quite dramatically and raises the possibility of violence against police on behalf of Matt. But it's weird the second they seem to be helping Natasha caves when she wasn't really acting based on reason before that.

That being said, I wrote that this was the final issue because it seemed like the final issue. There's enough stalling that it could have fit the next issue too (and 80 would have been a nice issue to go out on). Some of the stalling is good. It genuinely builds tension as time runs out, but there's enough odd moments that don't go anywhere to justify it all. Four Stars.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[Mike Murdock]

OK, now it's the last Bendis issue. What next, Brubaker?

Daredevil Vol. 2 #81 - The Other Murdock Papers Part 6

[Dimetre]

I honestly don't have a lot to say about this issue. It does what it does well. The court scenes are well-depicted. The sex scenes are sexy. Elektra is great.

I just find it weird that Matt fantasizes about Milla getting murdered by Bullseye. As I have long maintained, Elektra is his perfect love, so I can totally understand him fantasizing about ending up with her. But Milla getting killed? It's a weird choice. Perhaps it says something uncomfortably true about Matt -- Milla represents his need to protect someone, but not necessarily succeed in that protection.

Because I've read Brubaker and Lark's run, I knew that both Matt and the Kingpin end up in jail. I'm glad the FBI director found a way to arrest Fisk, although you'd think the Kingpin would have been more attentive to the wording in the deal. It seems out of character for him to have overlooked something like that, but it came as a relief that the FBI director wasn't so overtaken by his resentment of Matt that he was going to let Fisk off scot-free. I'm glad Fisk ended up in the same jail as Matt.

I was also relieved by Matt's not guilty plea. Ever since he was first outed on the front page of the Globe, Matt's ethical standards have taken a beating, and I didn't like it one bit. At least here we see him admit the truth, even if his back is against the wall.

However, I don't think it was very honourable of Bendis and Maleev to set up this whole mess of how everybody knows that Matt is Daredevil, and have no way of cleaning it up. I think they should have had to finish what they started. Bendis' letter to the fans at the end says that they told the story that they wanted to tell, except that it's not a complete story. This story didn't really get resolved until Charles Soule did his story with the Purple Children a few years ago.

The way I see it, Bendis and Maleev identified an issue that they wanted to deal with -- that Matt's duel identity caused an ethical dilemma. That's valid. But I don't feel that they ever had Matt confront that dilemma head on in all their years on the book. All he ever did was run from it. He denied that he was Daredevil. He sued the newspaper that published the story. He didn't confront that dilemma until this very issue, and that's the team's last one in the series.

I'm all for looking at Brubaker and Lark's issues. I'm a huge Brubaker fan, even though I don't think his Daredevil work is his best. I first picked up his work when he was announced as the new Daredevil writer, and I've been a fan ever since. (I just picked up the latest issue of Criminal this past Wednesday -- still great stuff.) I feel like much of Brubaker's Daredevil work was stifled by the tight boundaries left behind by Bendis' time on the book.

Anyway, even after everything I typed, I give this issue a four. It does what it does well. As for the entirety of "The Murdock Papers," I do have problems with it. There are too many leaps of logic, too many out-of-character moments and too many needless character cameos. It's one of Bendis and Maleev's better arcs, but I can't grade it better than a three out of five.

[Mike Murdock]

I'm a fan of An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. I think it's sometimes difficult to do a direct Apples to Apples comparison because one is a graphic literature, the other is prose, but I'd probably recommend it over this story. I bring that up, though, because they are basically the same story.

As a What-If fantasy, there are some interesting moments. That being said, I don't think it's paced great. I think it needs more moments of Matt living happy on the run, but we essentially turn the page and it's all over. Given the way it's set up, it's hard to accept Matt killing Bullseye - if for no other reason than that a real version of that would play it up more and show some inner-turmoil (as does in fact happen later). That being said, the colors are beautiful. The panel where the Yakuza draw their knives could have been better (I missed that they drew their knives at first), but it's creatively done. The idea that Matt would not run simply because he has no place to go is a bit sad. I think there could be more optimistic reasons Bendis could have gone with. That being said, this is a very broken Matt Murdock, so it does ring true to me. And it's a hell of a cliffhanger to end the run.

This is a tough issue to rate. I don't mind it mostly being in his head. But I think the dream sequence could have been paced better and either explored things more or found more to say. The rest of it isn't much to speak of, but the ending is strong. Four Stars.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

Not sure what to read next? Check out the Book Club for some ideas!

I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons