It's hard to swallow, but it's certainly no secret. After killing Peter Parker in his
Ultimate Spider-Man run, and recently digging a new grave for Professor X in issue #11 of
Avengers vs. X-Men, Brian Michael Bendis has returned to the heart and soul of Daredevil to give him a final send-off reminiscent of arguably one of the greatest films of all time. Accompanied by David Mack, the two authors pen what seems to promise to be an epic, sweeping love letter to one of New York's famed and prized vigilantes. Told through the eyes of the soon-to-be-defunct Daily Bugle writer Ben Urich, we're given one last look into Matt Murdock's life and legacy, before it ends at the hands of Bullseye with all of Hell's Kitchen watching without a word. You've got to hand it to Bendis, as he's normally a writer that gets caught up in too many projects to really bring anything fresh to the table. But his start on Daredevil a few years ago was a complete passion project and still remains one of the finest runs in the history of the character's lore. After a so-so take with the
Avengers vs. X-Men event, Bendis has returned to deliver his best work on all fronts, complimented with Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz's edged, vibrant, and stylistic art. It's a major contrast to current Daredevil writer Mark Waid's take on the blind vigilante, as it returns to the jagged, sharp narrative structure and dialogue that made Bendis' previous work so notable. While some pages may be a bit hard to stomach, the narration and dialogue never falters. It's never too heavy or over-stated, fitting appropriately. These writers have Urich's voice down pat and they use it to illuminate the rest of the issue. They never lose focus, they never compromise their characters, and they bring Matt Murdock into a perspective we may have forgotten as the broken, beaten man attempting to control the chaos of the city.
Bendis and Mack have started this run with a bang, refusing to pull any punches, and digging deep at the legacy of one of the greatest heroes in comics today. It's as close to a "must read" as it could possibly get, and it seemingly only promises to get better from here. Daredevil was in no need of resuscitation thanks to Mark Waid, but Bendis and Mack aren't out to provide
another Daredevil story. They're out for his heart and soul. They're out for the legend of Matt Murdock. They're out to provide
the Daredevil story. And if this issue is anything to go on, you'd be hard pressed to say they'll fail. Final grade?
