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Comic Review: Daredevil: Out (Bendis, Maleev)

I am a Daredevil fan. I enjoy superheroes that aren't powerful enough that nothing seems to be a threat to them. The Frank Miller Daredevil stories did a great job of showing how superpowers (and physical force) can't solve every problem. I liked their focus on the characters that didn't wear silly costumes.

This set of stories is definitely reminiscent of those Miller stories. Again we see Matt Murdock (do I still need to give the background synopsis if it has been used in a mainstream movie?), the blind lawyer alter-ego of Daredevil, attacked where he is most vulnerable. The remnants of the Kingpin's organized crime family cause a series of events that expose Daredevil's true identity to the public. And then the story gets interesting, because Bendis doesn't take it the way you'd expect. Instead of violent confrontations we get legal challenges. Instead of getting drawn back in to crime fighting Matt gets drawn into a court battle defending another superhero. We get to have all of the themes examined through a less-expected perspective.

As should be expected from Bendis comics we get some really nice character interaction scenes. The Black Widow's reappearance is enjoyable in a number of ways, and leads to the best line in the book. Foggy Nelson's rant goes ona bit too long but seems emotionally heartfelt. The court case, while done realistically, didn't seem well-paced, and I didn't really buy the defense tactics used, especially Reed Richards' appearance.

The artwork in the first half, by Maleev, is fine, a little thick-lined for my tastes, but does a good job establishing the tone of the story. The abrupt change in the middle to a more typical Marvel style is a little jarring, but still works fine. The final chapter, though, which goes to a more cartoony style, seems inappropriate for conveying the emotional conflicts at the climax. After being used to seeing the emotions in the characters' faces for the rest of the story, not having the detail lessened the story's impact.

Overall, though, it was thoroughly enjoyable. It makes me want to go back to the start of Bendis's run and see how he set all these pieces in place. And it makes me want to see Bendis expand his scope a little more, continuing the story beyond something so evocative of Miller's Daredevil stories, so I don't even think to make those comparisons in the review.