Product Description: An epic of ambition, betrayal, and comeuppance culminates with the world learning the devil's mask hides a pair of blind eyes! The hero of Hell's Kitchen is assailed as both civilian and super hero by a wave of his worst enemies - including the Owl, Mister Hyde, Bullseye, Typhoid, and the Kingpin of Crime! But it's the heart of the Man Without Fear that gets the real workout with not only the introduction of Milla Donovan - but also the Black Widow, Elektra, and Echo! Who? Echo! Plus: the mystery of Leap-Frog and the trial of the White Tiger! Also featuring Luke Cage and Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and enough other guest-stars to fill a jury box! Collects Daredevil #16-19, #26-60
They could have waited until the whole run was over Don't get me wrong this is comics at its best, my only worry is this omnibus runs to just 24 issues and the the Brubaker/Lark run only has 15 issues left after this - let's hope marvel charge 40 bucks for it ala Mutant Massacre Oversized but I fear it will come with a 75 buck price a la Secret Wars Omnibus volume 1 with 16 issues and just a cent shy of a hundred dollars.
Back to the content - just great, from the two page spread at the start of the first issue this is a pure rollercaster of a run. Lark pencils are the best on daredevil since JRJR. Shame Brubaker/Lark have left the title, if you like this then I wholeheartedly recommend Scene of the Crime and Gotham Central for the same culprits.
Daredevil goodness. I don't like Bendis. He is not a very good writer now. But he was a good writer before Marvel gave him so much power to shape the future of their comics line. This HUGE omnibus proves that. This is Bendis at his best.
The main plot of this omnibus is that the secret of Matt Murdock being Daredevil is released to the public, and Matt's life is turned upside down.
Amazing art by Alex Maleev, and although I LOVE Terry Dodson (he pencils two issues in this omnibus) his art seems VERY out of place in this book after Maleev's issues... but anyways. Completely recommended for any Daredevil fan.
Can't wait for the second volume ! Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maalev probably created one of the three best comics I have ever read (with Arkham Asylum and The Watchmen). Amazing and uber efficient drawings, magnificent storytelling, this is a sheer masterpiece.
Bendis meets Daredevil Before he became Marvel's most prolific writer, Brian Michael Bendis took the reins of Daredevil, and spectacular results ensued. The beginnings of Bendis' prolific run on Daredevil begins here with this Omnibus, which finds Bendis changing the hero of Hell's Kitchen's status quo. Here, we witness Daredevil's secret identity of Matt Murdock get outted by the press, his once again going toe to toe with the Kingpin, and above all else, making a mess out of his own life. Bendis faves like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage make plenty of appearances, while Bendis makes great use of frequent Daredevil supporting characters Black Widow, Typhoid Mary, Bullseye, Foggy Nelson, Echo, and Elektra. What makes Bendis' run even better is the artwork of his frequent collaborator Alex Maleev, who provides some stunning, dark, and gritty work that more than suits the character and the tone, while there's also other great contributions from David Mack, Lee Weeks, Terry Dodson, and more besides. All in all, Bendis' run on Daredevil is by and far the best treatment the character had received since Frank Miller's classic runs on the title, and if you've missed out on Bendis' work on Daredevil, this handsome omnibus is wholeheartedly worth picking up.
Upon rereading, the weaknesses show I have already read much of what makes up this book, and I was eager to reread it and get back to what got me started reading comics in the first place.
Well, the results are massively uneven, given the gold standard that many people give to Brian Michael Bendis' run on Daredevil.
The first arc, "Wake Up", takes advantage of David Mack's ability to create gorgeous painted artwork with a variety of media and artistic approaches, firmly placing the entire story in a sort of magically real plane. The story has such a resonant anchor in little Timmy, the little boy who lost his villain father during a fight with Daredevil. Ben Urich also gets the most face time here than he will at any other time in the omnibus, and we see a deeply conflicted, deeply passionate reporter who strives to deliver the smaller stories that get covered up by the sensationalism that permeates the news. It's a beautifully simplistic story, made all the more stronger by Bendis' character work, clearly giving each character a deep personality to match the astoundingly beautiful illustrations provided by Mack. It is easily the highlight of the book.
Afterwards, it all falls apart. Bendis was one of the leading creative voices in writing for the collected edition, where each issue feels like a piece of a story, rather than a complete unit that can stand on its own.
Here, it goes even further awry, by simply creating climax after climax with little set-up or payoff. Events and characters seem to appear and fade away quickly. The plotting is thin, and relies on overbearing exposition and recaps for events inbetween stories to get across the story. In every way plot-wise, the book is nothing more than a large set of disjointed scenes delineated by sets of contrived climaxes that simply appear. The decompressed plotting also lends itself to stories opening, having a few pertinent scenes, and ending WAY too fast.
But the scenes themselves are masterfully done. The crime influence is in full effect as Matt Murdock speaks and fights with his friends and enemies. Bendis dialog feels natural, yet maintains the rhythm and flow that you would see in super slick crime movies. He is in complete control of how his characters speak, and that skill shines through the paper thin plotting of the book.
Alex Maleev further grounds the book with his ever evolving art style that starts with regular linework, and moves into a noirish style that takes advantage of half tones and good photo reference. His layouts are clear and dynamic, and fits the book perfectly.
In all, this is a deeply flawed masterpiece of superhero comics. It was a very frustrating experience, but ultimately, it's worth buying if you're a fan or you love Bendis. More casual readers should track down the cheap single issues or the affordable trades.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
