Daredevil Message Board

[Waldo]

I recently reread Bendis’ run for the first time in years, and it still holds up. I loved it at the time it was released. I have some questions I’m hoping I can find some answers to.

The Golden Age, it said at the end of #65 Matt was Bont’s Lawyer. It was even mentioned again in the intro page of #66. Has it ever been explained why this was changed?


The Murdock Papers, why was Echo dropped in favor of Elektra? There was an alternate cover image of #80 floating around at the time with Echo in place of Elektra that I have recently looked for and can’t find. The one with Elektra looks off.

Been a lurker here for years, it’s good to post

[macjr33]

[fubarthepanda]

Hmmm, never seen the Echo version, but if there was a last minute switch, it might have been due to Bendis swapping in Echo for Ronin over in New Avengers, which was published around the same time.

[Thayrone Ibsen]

I am a Bendis "defender" as well (except in the case of the absolute $#!@ fest which was EoD and the lame Defenders mini). Funny how stupid things like Soule's run pass as good (or even very good) and BMB's run has so many, lets say, dislikes. But I don't have the energy right now to go on about this or to re-read "Golden Age" to answer to you question. But I did check my "ultimate collection" volume and yes, there was a cover with Echo. But I guess it really was because she was Ronin at the time, as already mentioned by a fellow reader.

[fubarthepanda]

Perhaps the Bendis run gets some flack around here, but most of the circles I've traveled in hold it in high regard. Not to mention winning the Eisner for best series and best writer in the same year, among many other awards. (The only other time DD won for best series was during the Waid run.)

That said, no idea why Bendis changed gears on Bont mid-story. Matt clearly turns him down in DD #67, thus contradicting the cliffhanger reveal of #65 and recap page of #66. If we're in no prize territory, perhaps the FBI mistook his interview with Bont as real representation, but that seems like a stretch.

[jriddle]

[macjr33]

[Waldo]

I was hoping BENDIS spoke somewhere about the Golden Age. I’m guessing since it was early in their career Matt and Foggy took Bont on as a client, and somewhere along the line found out he was a bad guy and turned on him and had him sent to prison. It was a lesson on doing the right thing, but that’s not what we got. Maleev’s art was excellent, I liked the time shifts with the black and white and modern color styles. I remember on the board someone suggested the hero Bont killed should have been the original Daredevil with the boomerangs, I think that was a great idea. I wish the White Tiger stuff was put into a different storyline and we got more Bont and history. I loved the idea of the Golden Age but felt there was a lot of wasted potential.

As for the Murdock Papers, what was Elektra involvement in the story? A few hours at most? Bendis couldn’t have Echo for a few hours? It just seems to me the final issue where Matt daydreams of running and when he has nowhere else to go goes to Elektra would have been more powerful if the earlier part of the story was told with Echo. I’d love to read the original scripts if their out their somewhere.

With Bendis’ run as a whole, my only other real complaints are the guy who was suing DD for damages was killed off before the trial went anywhere and all of Matt’s actions since his outing were blamed on a nervous breakdown seemed weak, not bad, just weak. It was fun ride getting there though. The only other issue I have is the decompressed story telling, but that is where comics has a whole were going more than Bendis.

I’m disappointed to hear the Defenders mini wasn’t very good, because I love Powerman and Ironfist. I liked Bendis brought Luke Cage (sweet Christmas) back to the front of the MU and used DD to do it, I liked the continuity between DD and Alias which Bendis was also writing. He has a real love for the character. And I hope he comes back someday.

[macjr33]