The Brian Michael Bendis Issues
This section takes a look at the remarkable run written by Brian Michael Bendis.
Daredevil v. 2, #40: "Trial of the Century, Conclusion"; 22 pages
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Terry Dodson, pencils, Rachel Dodson, inks
After closing arguments are made, Matt has a very bad feeling about how the court will rule on Hector Ayala, the White Tiger...but he doesn't have an inkling how bad the case is going to end up when the verdict is read.
When Brian Bendis announced this storyline, he claimed he wanted to do an honest-to-goodness courtroom drama--taking full advantage of Matt's 'real' life as well as his life as Daredevil. Not surprisingly, what we get is not a courtroom drama--although the courts do play a big part in what transpires--but a glimpse into how the events of “Out” have altered the public's perceptions of Matt.
The key scene in this issue is not the summation, not the sentencing, but one that occurs on the roof of the courthouse between Matt and Foggy. It's the moment where Matt starts describing how his presence seems to have colored the jury's deliberations and it's about to go very, very wrong for Hector which is one of the linchpins of this first act of Bendis' run--the realization, without a doubt, that he may not have screwed up his own life, but the lives of everyone in the superhero community that could be interpreted as the fulcrum that pushes him toward the darker actions of ‘Lowlife' and beyond.
I have to admit that I wasn't quite so sure about the subplot involving a witness to the original crime; there's a definite whiff of this aspect being tacked on at the last minute as if Bendis forgot a major dangling plot point and wanted it wrapped up stat. There's some good moments (the little speech the witness gives, while arguably a bit too articulate for the character as portrayed, works really well) but its ‘extra appendage' quality interferes with the issue's flow.
Artwork (which I presume to be a last minute patch job) is by famed cheesecake artist Terry Dodson. It's a weird, weird choice but it works simply because the story is not about action, but about conversations. One thing Dodson is good at is facial expressions, and this works to his favor. For a long period, the expressions on Hector's face tell the whole story--and the shot of him on the courthouse steps, suddenly realizing the fatal mistake he has made is priceless.
“Trail of The Century” works--but not for the reason Bendis presented us with. I'm sure the ultimate Matt Murdock trail story is going to happen, but it ain't here.
Daredevil vol. 2 #49: "Hardcore Part Four"; 23 pages
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Before Matt can confront the Kingpin, he has to defend his home--and new girlfriend Milla Donovan--from the man who killed two previous lovers, Bullseye.
Brian Michael Bendis is an interesting figure in the realm of Daredevil . At the time this issue came out, he was rightfully regarded as one of the best writers the title had ever seen, and certainly the best writer since the Marvel Knights reboot. Nowadays, especially in light of the whole "Avengers Disassembled" kafuffle (which will be covered over in the Scrimmages section), people criticize him for being one-note and too 'decompressed' a storyteller. I don't think these later critiques are all that fair, but the man does have some weaknesses--as we'll see here.
Obviously, the final confrontation between Bullseye and Daredevil is supposed to be a major event--and given the way Bendis flip-flops the series' status quo next issue, this issue's battle was a nice final farewell to a major part of that original orientation of the character. There are some nice moments, like the way Milla reacts how you or I would when confronted by a psychotic killer who brags of murdering our significant other's previous flames. Or the admission that Matt makes to Agent Driver that he's willing to testify at Bullseye's trial, even if it means he'd be disgraced and disbarred. But the fact is how the end comes bothers me--which is surprising, considering Matt does here what makes him usually a unique character in the Marvel Universe, something I appreciate seeing...and it falls flat.
You see, the battle outside Matt's building is brutal and nasty and seemingly one-sided, with Bullseye talking smack all the while--until Matt starts talking smack right back, starting with calling Bullseye by his real name. What follows is a diatribe in which the Man Without Fear tells the Man Who Never Misses how much research he's done on him, and how he's got his number. No, Matt says, he won't kill 'Lester' even though he's thought about it every day of his life. Bullseye is going to have to do it himself, and to drive the point home Matt mutilates Bullseye's forehead in the interest of making his target bigger. It is at that point that Agent Driver arrives to take Bullseye away.
Am I disappointed with the quality of the dialogue? No. I am disappointed with the information that's revealed about Bullseye's parentage and psychology because, well, it's cliched. Harassing a hero in a super-powered version of 'suicide by cop' has been a motivation attributed to far too many villains (although oddly enough, more from the DC stable than Marvel). More importantly, it clashes with how the character has been portrayed almost from his inception. We're not talking someone who takes unnecessary risks here; his most recent image change is a prime example of him playing things safe. Having someone who has been portrayed as surviving this long because he's the best in his field, even defeating and killing elektra during a time when she was portrayed as a preternatural killing machine, as being a coward who's looking to get himself killed is the sort of mistake you'd expect from a lesser writer than Bendis. That being said, I appreciate that Bendis didn't go whole hog and reveal an entire back story for the Man Who Never Misses, as it would, I suspect, blunt the character even further.
If things went the way they should, this should've been Bullseye's last appearance. Unfortunately, in the post-Jemas Marvel, leaving well enough alone wasn't an option. Bullseye would show up a few months later in Identity Disc, a suspiciously named miniseries focusing on several major Marvel baddies that was released to coincide with Dc's much-ballyhooed Identity Crisis miniseries. And then he spun off into his own miniseries, written by Robert Kirkman, whose far more vibrant four-color sensibility was decidedly at odds with what the character had slowly become over the years.
This issue should have been a yellow or a red issue, especially keeping in mind the stories has told to date. But because he proceeds to retreat into an easy explanation for the malice of one of the series' greatest foes, it barely rises above a blue to get an orange.