Reviewer: Tim Sheridan
Story Title: Golden Age: Part 2 of 5
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Alex Maleev
Colored by: Dave Stewart
Lettered by: Cory Petit
Editor: Jennifer Lee
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Published by: Marvel Comics
There is nothing that I dislike about Daredevil. Nothing at all. Every month, this is one of the books that I look forward to the most. I am always absolutely delighted to see one on the “new comics” table at the store. I’ve enjoyed the book for some time, and have sort of gotten used to the typical level of quality I read in it every month.
And of course this month was no exception. I’ve read that some people think that Bendis and Maleev’s run on the book “jumped the shark” after issue 50, but I disagree. After that point, and especially with this Golden Age story arc, Bendis is going back and filling in some gaps for the history of Daredevil. These are gaps I never really knew existed, but they seem perfectly logical, so hey, I’m just gonna enjoy the story.
We see the history of Alexander Bont, who was the Kingpin before Wilson Fisk. A lot of this issue takes place in flashback, and rather than just saying “this happened 10 years ago” or what have you, Maleev actually does the art in the style of that era. It’s like if you were watching a movie that took place in 1912, the film would look like it was shot in 1912. This is an incredibly effective, if a little gimmicky, trick. It helps you get acquainted with the characters.
The issue is framed with a scene in which Daredevil, or Matt Murdock is being beaten by The Gladiator, who I have not heard much of since Frank Miller’s run. (I’ll have to ask Tim Stevens if this is correct or not.) But is seems that Gladiator doesn’t want to beat up DD, but this Bont dude is making him.
The whole issue is sort of a mystery, very much a part of a larger (much larger) story, so it is a bit frustrating because I want to know more, now. But I can’t be too upset, because this is done with such craft and such care, that it totally makes up for any frustration. I know I’ll be more than entertained next month.
If you read Daredevil, I don’t need to tell you how good this book is. If you don’t read it, please go get some of the trades.
