DAREDEVIL #78 (458) - Review & Spoilers

[Expletive Deleted]

Bendis and Maleev's farewell tour rolls on . . .

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The Kingpin finalizes his deal with the FBI's director, with Ben Urich looking on. Elektra shows up at Matt and Milla's window, and Matt attacks her. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it's pent-up relationship trauma. Anyway, when he calms down (and after Milla flees), Elektra lets him know what's going on with the Kingpin and they take off. The Kingpin tells the FBI where his files are, and that two dangerous people also know. He tells the Director who, but we don't find out quite yet. Cut to Foggy getting ambushed by the press. Luke Cage and Iron Fist get him out of there, but Foggy's pretty shook up. Back with Matt and Elektra, she tells him that she's one of the people who knows where the files are. Black Widow shows up, also concerned about the whole Matt/Kingpin thing. There's some nice tension between Natasha and Elektra. They talk for a bit, getting into Elektra's motivation for helping, and then head over to the office where the files are stored. There, they meet up with former-FBI Agent Del Toro (the new White Tiger) who had found out about the location through some old friends in the Bureau. The stage is set for a big showdown over the next few issues.

And I'm not spoiling the last page, because it's such a great moment.

Good issue. Not exactly new reader friendly, and fairly opaque in a place or two, but overall fun. There's some exposition, some character work, some action . . . really, I'm a happy Daredevil fan.

Anyone else?

[takashimiike]

Good issue. Not exactly new reader friendly, and fairly opaque in a place or two, but overall fun. There's some exposition, some character work, some action . . . really, I'm a happy Daredevil fan.


I am a new reader to Daredevil, and yeah, it was kind of confusing. I'm not really a fan of Bendis but thought I would get into it with Brubaker taking over soon. Basically...I have no idea what is going on, as I only have the most basic DD knowledge. Who is Milla and how long/why is she married to DD? And why are Electra and DD on such bad terms that they just fight because she shows up?

I do agree that the last page was pretty cool though.

[mattbib]

Awesome issue! The last page made me gasp, literally!

I feel bad for Natasha because there's NO way she'd be able to beat Elektra.

I love all of these plot points coming to a head.

But WHAT does the Owl have that can stop it all?

Oh, and I ABHOR Iron Fist's costume in this issue.

So...next issue it looks to be Daredevil, Black Widow, Elektra, and White Tiger vs. Bullseye and maybe the feds? Surely there'll be more to it!

[C.O. Jones]

Matt told Del Toro to put on the amulets when she was already wearing them! :confused:

The guy on the left shaking hands behind the Owl looks like the same bomber guy whose son visited him in the joint during 'Decalogue'.

Great issue!

[agrich]

Loved the issue. Also the last page - though it wasn't much of a surprise given the cover; just the way it was done was cool.

I think the minor problem I'm having with the storyline is the motivation of the FBI director here. Just because the case is soft against the Kingpin doesn't explain his making a deal with him that sets the Kingpin free and brings down Murdock. The director, recall, was the one who told his agents to kill the Daredevil/Murdock thing way back when. How does bringing down Murdock rationalize letting the Kingpin walk? They still lose the big target.

Seems it would make more sense to approach Murdock to see if he can dig up some hard evidence on the Kingpin. I guess I don't see how cutting this particular deal with the Kingpin benefits anyone: "Okay, sure, we let the Kingpin walk, but at least we got proof of something everyone already believes to be true anyway!"

Can I just add that I'm still searching for an explanation from a couple arcs ago where Bont aged 40 years in prison while only 10-15 passed for Matt. Did Bendis ever answer that one?

Keep in mind I love the book and Bendis and Maleev, that's just kind of nagged at me a bit and wondered if he ever explained it.

[Murrocko]

What happened on the last page?

[Expletive Deleted]

What happened on the last page?Elektra is about to tell Matt the identity of the other person who knows the location of the Murdock Files when Matt whips out a playing card and holds it to her throat, saying "Nevermind. I know who it is." (or something along those lines - I don't have the issue in front of me).

It's just a cool moment.

[agrich]

Expletive - he CATCHES it - he doesn't "whip it out."

[Expletive Deleted]

Huh. I misread it, then.

That way's even cooler.

[rogerio]

cant wait to get my copy.

Murdock Papers is gonna be a huge moment in Daredevil's live!

[RabidWolfe]

Huh. I misread it, then.

That way's even cooler.

The art is confusing there. I thought at first he had whipped it out, but them I noticed that the card had some "movement" lines behind it, indicating Daredevil had caught it.

But it took a bit.

[Doom Hammer]

"Nevermind. I figured it out."

Awesome. :cool:

[Perry Holley]

The art is confusing there. Agreed. That panel could have been laid out a little bit better.

[Doom Hammer]

The art is confusing there. I thought at first he had whipped it out, but them I noticed that the card had some "movement" lines behind it, indicating Daredevil had caught it.

But it took a bit.

Huh. I had no trouble. The card had motion lines, playing cards are kind of a trademark of Bullseye, and, um, he was on the cover.

Ooh! I wonder how mentally ruined he will be after the "Hardcore" showdown!

[Jagernaut]

A mentally unstable Bullseye running around the MU sounds awesome.

[Cash Lone]

Good Lord, someone get Iron Fist a new costume or put him in street clothes.

How many more issues is there of Bendis' run?

[takashimiike]

Pretty sure he has 3 left.

[Cash Lone]

cool, thanks. Only 3 left to wrap up his whole run, thats a lot to cram in.

[Max]

Can I just add that I'm still searching for an explanation from a couple arcs ago where Bont aged 40 years in prison while only 10-15 passed for Matt. Did Bendis ever answer that one?

Never addressed (if memory serves me). It bugged me too, but I wouldnt hold your breath on any explanation on this one.

Another great read. I really enjoyed the bantering on the roof top. Great last page. With all these players involved Bendis seems to be going out with a bang.

Both Murdock and myself were surprised to hear that Elektra is in charge of the hand :confused:

Has this been written anywhere in the MU ? This will be intersting to see how this plays out.

[takashimiike]

Everyone here is saying that this, and the rest of Murdock Papers (the only DD issues I have read so far) are really awesome and good. I have found them to be kind of boring, and slow moving and padded. If this just because I am new and don't know the history of the character to make this story good, or should I just maybe drop the book because it isn't for me?

[BizarroBeachHead]

I think part of the reason everybody is jazzed about The Murdock Papers, is because it's the end of Bendis' 50 some odd run on the book. Basically, it's the ultimate climax to his overlapping story. I would definately suggest you check out some of the back issues or TPB's and maybe you'll understand it more.

Then again, it could just be Bendis' writing style. His Daredevil can be slow at times, but the overall story is great.

But I think knowing Daredevil's history would definately help you out on this one.

[BizarroBeachHead]

Both Murdock and myself were surprised to hear that Elektra is in charge of the hand :confused:

Has this been written anywhere in the MU ? This will be intersting to see how this plays out.
I think this happened recently in Wolverine.

[Brock]

A mentally unstable Bullseye running around the MU sounds awesome.

I'm hoping he and Fisk end up back in Jail by the end of this. They've both done a lot of damage and Its important to see them pay.

[malephoenix]

Everyone here is saying that this, and the rest of Murdock Papers (the only DD issues I have read so far) are really awesome and good. I have found them to be kind of boring, and slow moving and padded. If this just because I am new and don't know the history of the character to make this story good, or should I just maybe drop the book because it isn't for me?

It may be because the storytelling in this book isn't the same as in most superhero books. Something that may be a huge thing in this book (like the card being caught before it hit Elektra's throat) is nowhere near whatever thing might be happening that huge in Fantastic Four (Galactus returns to Earth).

The major events and twists and problems in DD are far less extreme in scope than in FF, X-Men (6 million mutants wiped out by a huge sentinel attack), or JLA (entire alternate reality team, CSA, is evil and wreaks havok against the normal DC team). That's part of what makes DD seem boring, and though it might not affect you that way, I sometimes have to remind myself that even though Black Widow, Elektra, and Bullseye aren't very realistic, they're far more realistic than the Thing, Nightcrawler, or the Hulk.

[bosshog7169]

I just subscribed to the rest of this arc after flipping through it at the comic chop. That last page is classic.

[scouse mouse]

I get my issue tomorrow and cant bloody wait! Im liking everything thats been said about Elektra and that there is actual continuity between titles. (Elektra as the new leader of the Hand as revealed in Wolverine). The possibility of a proper rematch between her and Bullseye and tension between her and Black Widow oooh Im so excited!

[Doom Hammer]

I think this happened recently in Wolverine.

Yep. Last issue of "Agent of SHIELD".

By the way, I feel like I have to say something here. I started reading Daredevil like, 9 or 10 months before "Decalogue" started. I went back, bought a lot of Miller's stuff, most of Bendis', and a litte extra.

This is Bendis doing what he's best at, writing his favorite genre. He might rock the pages of New Avengers and House of M with two-fisted super-heroic action, but at the end of the day, his crime/noir material is his best.

His Daredevil is not a standard superhero comic. And because it's not a standard superhero comic, Bendis can take time to establish things like plot and setting with the understanding of his fans. I'm not looking down on readers who don't enjoy this, I'm just saying it might not be your thing.

What is seen as "padded" and "slow" is important to the establishment of the tone of the story. Bendis isn't just writing about the character, he's writing about the city. And that takes time.

I like to see the New Avengers fight hordes of ninjas, too, and a book with that kind of depth is fun, fast-paced and exciting. But I really like Daredevil more overall, because of the depth and layers Bendis writes into it.

I think you should try looking at this book differently than a lot of other books, and try enjoying it in a new light, and then if you don't like it, it's not your thing (and that's totally cool).

[hbkabdul]

Good Lord, someone get Iron Fist a new costume or put him in street clothes.

How many more issues is there of Bendis' run?


I think its more the way that Maleev draws that makes the costume look so out of place especially with its bright colors.

[hbkabdul]

Matt told Del Toro to put on the amulets when she was already wearing them!


I figure its either maleevs fault or we could just chalk it up to the fact that matt is blind and maybe didnt know she had them on.

[takashimiike]

His Daredevil is not a standard superhero comic. And because it's not a standard superhero comic, Bendis can take time to establish things like plot and setting with the understanding of his fans. I'm not looking down on readers who don't enjoy this, I'm just saying it might not be your thing.

What is seen as "padded" and "slow" is important to the establishment of the tone of the story. Bendis isn't just writing about the character, he's writing about the city. And that takes time.


I'm beginning to think it just isn't my thing. I love stuff like Miller's Dark Night Strike, but then was bored to tears with The Long Halloween. I'll think I'll ride it out through Brubaker's first arc just to see if I like him any better though.

I do agree with it being Maleev's artwork that makes Iron Fist's costume look so weird. I generally thought every costumed hero looked really out of place in this book.

[TheOnlyXTremeFan]

Here is what I think about the rest of Bendis' arc and Brubaker's run on the character.

When he first outed Murdock as DD, Bendis always said he had a plan for the character, he wasn't just going to let it up to the next writer to fix it. I think this is where Bendis is heading with the storyline:

1. Kingpin rats out Murdock, becomes a free man.

2. Feds crack down on Murdock after receiving the "Murdock papers".

This is my speculation on what will happen next. I think Matt Murdock will then become a vigilante working for the FBI. In exchange for freedom, he has to work for the FBI on certain cases.

Brubaker's run will be about Murdock's multi-tasking between being the Kingpin of the Kitchen, working as a lawyer, Daredevil, and doing jobs for the FBI. Add in a free Kingpin gunning back for his kingdom and a crazed lunatic like Bullseye.

That's just speculation though.

[onizuka]

another great issue. can't think of anything else to add that hasn't already been added really.

[scouse mouse]

Read my issue and it was absolutely brilliant! I loved the tension between Elektra and Black Widow. This was actually their first proper meeting and Bendis got Natasha's long standing jealousy of Elektra spot on. cant wait for the next issue and see how Matt and more importantly, Elektra handle Bullseye.

[Doom Hammer]

Here is what I think about the rest of Bendis' arc and Brubaker's run on the character.

When he first outed Murdock as DD, Bendis always said he had a plan for the character, he wasn't just going to let it up to the next writer to fix it. I think this is where Bendis is heading with the storyline:

1. Kingpin rats out Murdock, becomes a free man.

2. Feds crack down on Murdock after receiving the "Murdock papers".

This is my speculation on what will happen next. I think Matt Murdock will then become a vigilante working for the FBI. In exchange for freedom, he has to work for the FBI on certain cases.

Brubaker's run will be about Murdock's multi-tasking between being the Kingpin of the Kitchen, working as a lawyer, Daredevil, and doing jobs for the FBI. Add in a free Kingpin gunning back for his kingdom and a crazed lunatic like Bullseye.

That's just speculation though.

I don't know...the Feds seem very determined to very publicly shut Matt down and lock him up. They're trying to make themselves look good, and employing a "criminal" who is worth releasing Wilson Fisk and dozens of homocidal maniacs is not making them looks good.

[agrich]

As for what's going to happen next, the fact that the Kingpin's evidence can be gotten suggests that Daredevil is going to get it. I mean, unless you think he's going to lose to Bullseye or something.

Matt Murdock as lawyer is a pretty established, reliable part of Marvel continuity. I don't see Bendis leaving the book by blowing up that part of the character. Especially since he knows someone would just fix it before too long anyway.

[The Master Meglomaniac]

I'm beginning to think it just isn't my thing. I love stuff like Miller's Dark Night Strike, but then was bored to tears with The Long Halloween. I'll think I'll ride it out through Brubaker's first arc just to see if I like him any better though.

I do agree with it being Maleev's artwork that makes Iron Fist's costume look so weird. I generally thought every costumed hero looked really out of place in this book.

Loeb wrote "Long halloween" not Miller.

[The Master Meglomaniac]

What game do you think Owl is playing?