Daredevil is dead. Long live Daredevil! It’s left to Ben Urich to find out why Matt Murdock fell off the grid and generally became a recluse until the day of his death. Will some light finally be shed on this case or will Urich be left further puzzled? More after the jump!
DAREDEVIL: END OF DAYS #2
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis & David Mack
Artist: Klaus Janson & Bill Sienkiewicz
Letterer: VCs Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Editor: Stephen Wacker & Warren Simons
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Inc.
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Daredevil: End of Days: Daredevil is dead and the whole world has abandoned him. Ben Urich makes it his duty to find out why Daredevil had to die and what his dying word – “Mapone” – means. Even though everyone thinks it’s a ridiculous pursuit, Urich trudges ahead anyway in his pursuit to find justice for his longtime friend.
FOR ONCE, BENDIS DOESN’T ANNOY ME…
Newspaper reporter Ben Urich is further investigating the truth behind Matt Murdock’s death, starting with Murdock’s former flames. He starts poking around the Avengers Tower for information on the Black Widow and, in doing so, has started to raise some red flags. When Nick Fury gives him some much needed information, Urich’s investigation gets the attention of one particularly deadly woman.
I know the topic of this comic isn’t exactly new, but I still love the concept. This one is particularly heartbreaking because the whole world watched as Daredevil died and only one person is out trying to find why he had to die at all. This issue delves into the possibility of a cover up, some sort of bigger picture, and it becomes more intriguing by the page. Not to mention, the film noir feeling of the book is very cool and gives it a certain depth that is simultaneously entertaining and fascinating.
Normally, I’m not a huge Bendis fan. The guy works on what seems like seventy billion titles, mostly Avengers related, at any given time. Stretched so thin, his writing skills start to waver a bit and become more tedious than entertaining. This really isn’t the case with this series. He’s done a spectacular job so far. Maybe it’s due to David Mack’s input or maybe Mack is doing the bulk of the writing. I’m not sure, but the story for this series has been awesome so far.
YAY FOR GRITTINESS!
The series is dark in overall artistic tone and dirty, for lack of a better word, in it’s penciling and lines. It’s all very jagged and contrasts as particularly messy with the pastel coloring. Thing is, that all works really well for this series which itself has a dark tone and a very gritty storyline. Janson and Sienkiewicz seem in sync with each other art-wise and have created something very fitting for the overall storyline. However, if you’re a fan of very clean art or more rounded and less pointy looking characters, this isn’t the series for you.
What is interesting about the art is every so often you get a panel that is very much in the strain of Gaiman’s Sandman series. It makes sense since this is Sienkiewicz we’re talking about and a lot of his spreads are artistic and ethereal when not broken up by the edgy dark lining of, say, his 30 Days of Night series. Such is the case on page 4 of this particular book. It’s an action shot of Daredevil and Black Widow fighting a bunch of generic baddies. Yet it differs from the rest of the art so dramatically that one can’t help but stop and pause. Since his art has a sort of dream-like feel to it, it’s plain that this panel can only be a memory or bit of imagination. It’s a lovely panel and gives the reader something to look at that isn’t jagged and black.
BOTTOM LINE: PICK IT UP IF YOU’VE READ THE FIRST ISSUE
As said before, I’m not a huge Bendis fan, but this series has been excellent so far. With a very old-timey detective atmosphere and lots of potential intrigue, this book is a welcome installment to this mini-series. The art may not be for everyone, but the storyline is deserving of a look through. Grab the first issue and then this one, or else you’ll be kind of lost on what’s going on.
DID YOU READ THIS ISSUE? RATE IT!
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