Daredevil (Vol. 2) #60
Originally Presented at Comixtreme.com.
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The King of Hell’s Kitchen Part Five
Daredevil and his crew make a final stand to clean up Hell’s Kitchen.
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Alex Maleev
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Cory Petit
Editor: Joe Quesada
Cover Art: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Marvel Knights
Review: This storyline has been mostly about establishing a new status quo after the tumultuous events of Daredevil #50. This issue, Bendis seems to have finally settled things down, and the book is ready to move on to a grand new level. To cement his hold as the new kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil has rounded up his buddies Spider-Man, Luke Cage and Iron Fist to wipe out the Yakuza.
The book starts off with a great fight scene. We already know Bendis can write a great Spider-Man, but this issue he shows he can do a pretty good team dynamic as well. Daredevil gets the lion’s share of the attention, of course, but it’s clear that none of the heroes are slouches.
Some of the best scenes in the issue come after the fight, though, as Matt Murdock goes home to face not only his wife, but his own demons as well. The last few pages wrap up this storyline and give you a feeling that things have settled into a new life for Daredevil, even if it’s not a happy one. It’s the one he’s chosen, and he’s got to live with it.
Alex Maleev’s artwork continues to impress. He does a great gritty crime saga (I’d love to see him do an arc of Gotham Central, and he proves that he can do a great big superhero battle as well. He has striking poses and a great action dynamic, and an early two-page spread of our four heroes charging into battle is one of the best such shots I’ve ever seen.
Now that this issue has established the new milieu of the title, it’s time to sit down and start telling stories there. There’s a lot of room to play in this new world, and it’ll be great to see where Bendis takes it next.
Rating: 4/5