by Andy Diggle (writer), Roberto De La Torre (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: An out of touch Matt Murdock becomes familiar with the current Dark Reign environment.  Meanwhile, the power shifts continue in Hell’s Kitchen.

What’s Good: It seems that most Marvel comics are more focused on Osborn and his Avengers running about and appearing at inopportune moments.  While this can be fun, it glosses over the larger, overall effect of Osborn’s rise to power.  This issue of Daredevil is thus somewhat refreshing as it takes a street level look at Dark Reign, a world where the police and the entire justice system are under Osborn’s sway.  Daredevil isn’t battling the Sentry, but rather Osborn’s diseased system itself.  In many ways, this approach only makes Osborn seem all the more powerful: we never see or hear him, but we see his effects on the world and the people he has in his pockets.

This ultimately makes Matt’s use of the Hand all the more interesting.  It’s the always-fun trope of beating bad guys by becoming a bad guy.  Matt’s using the ninja deathcult to combat police officers, and this really encapsulates what Dark Reign should be about, as the positions of good and evil are reversed.  Meanwhile, behind this all, the Kingpin still lurks, plots, and consolidates.

Roberto De La Torre meanwhile continues to put out some of the best work of his career.  It’s clear that he was born to draw Daredevil and is the perfect choice for the series.  Art-wise, it’s a real challenge to think of a book currently on the racks that’s any darker, grittier, or more shadowy than this.  De La Torre’s work is in this sense really quite daring, as its far darker and grimier than you might expect from such a mainstream book.  The design for Matt’s DD-inspired ninjas is also completely awesome.

What’s Not So Good: It’s hard not to be incredibly let down, even frustrated, when Diggle completely reverses the giant twist he dropped on us last month.  It was such a daring move and to see it completely taken back only leads to a bevy of “what ifs” and a feeling that the book has somehow been dumbed down, that it’s become less brave and risqué and more typical.  It also makes me feel like a lot of page-space has been wasted these past couple of months on what is essentially a very simple, even unimaginative, trick.

Indeed, instead of the relentless forward progression that last month’s twist furthered, we end up spending a couple of pages listening to the same old conversation we’ve heard several times already: destroy the hand, or try to use it for good?  It’s as though we’ve gone back to square one, replete with psychological water-treading.  The relentless rush of story progression that the last couple months have seen for DD slows this month to your bog-standard, steady trickle.

Conclusion: It’s by no means a bad book, but it’s hard not to be aggravated by Diggle going back on what made his first issue so great.

Grade: B -

-Alex Evans

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Ann Nocenti (second feature writer), Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Klaus Janson, Chris Samnee, and Paul Azaceta (art), David Aja (second feature art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Battles with the Hand and bad guys aplenty sees Matt Murdock finding himself in a role in which he never imagined himself.

What’s Good: Daredevil #500 succeeds where other landmark, giant-sized issues have failed in that it actually has a thrilling, must-read main feature.

The main feature is a kinetic thriller with electrifying action scenes coming one after another at a breathless pace.  The pages fly by and it is definitely a very, very fun read.  After the blandness found in Captain America #600, I almost feel that Daredevil #500 shouldn’t be allowed to be this exciting.

That’s not to say that it’s mindless, however.  Daredevil’s fight with the Owl in particular is brutal, thanks in part to its emotional savagery and DD’s final act this is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Of course, I can’t go without commending the cliffhanger that Brubaker ends his run on.  It really is a case of leaving the reader dying to know what happens next.  It’s so unexpected, it has Matt making a complete 180. Although Brubaker could be condemned, he nevertheless manages to pull it off through making Matt’s change of heart logical; making him grow out of his self-loathing.  It’s a natural choice and Brubaker successfully injects the sense of tragedy always present in Daredevil.

Ann Nocenti’s back-up story is absolutely, pitch-perfect fantastic. Brooding, cerebral, and at times downright surreal. It’s simply amazing work.  After taking a beating from Bullseye, Daredevil finds himself recovered by a retired boxer, Larry, and a schoolgirl, Gina.  The dynamic here is fascinating and both Larry and Gina are uncomfortably interesting characters.

On the one hand, Larry and Gina reflect different aspects of superhero voyeurism.  Larry’s the backseat driver, full of criticism, while Gina is the bloodhound, in it purely for the violence.  Yet, the genius is that despite this seeming division between DD and these two viewers, in their surreal dialogue, they almost seem to be parts of himself, Gina the off-kilter Id and Larry the curmudgeonly superego.

Aja’s art meanwhile is beautifully realized and thoroughly imaginative.  There are some truly inspiring images here, from DD’s fall through a cloud of balloons, to DD preparing to leave Larry’s bar, pausing at the doorway before breaking out into a run.  It’s very dark, yet oddly beautiful, poetic even, and that’s how DD should be.

What’s Not So Good: For the main feature, with so many fight scenes, some of them were just too quick and as a result, too easy.  Essentially, one side just totally steamrolls the other in a thoroughly non-competitive two page brawl.  Lady Bullseye in particular is far too much of a pushover.

Also, though I loved it for its mood, I at times found Aja’s stylized work to be a little too barren detail-wise.

My only real complaint about Daredevil #500 however is the package itself, which is absolutely brimming with filler.  Along with these two stories, you also get a preview of Diggle’s Dark Reign: the List entry, a pin-up gallery, a reprint of Frank Miller’s Daredevil #191, and a cover gallery.  The galleries offer some cool pictures, but  I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t prefer another story instead.

The Dark Reign: the List preview is even more offensive.  It’s pure advertisement, but it dwells right smack in the middle of the book, not at the end.  What’s worse, Dark Reign and Norman Osborn feel completely out of place in this book, as does Billy Tan’s slick, bright artwork.

Miller’s reprint is, well, a reprint.  A fantastic issue, yes, but also one that I’ve read before and have in a trade.

Conclusion: A very good main feature and an absolutely fantastic back-up in a book that would reach an A, were it not for all the damn filler.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Wenn ihr meine Reviews zu den aktuellen Daredevil Ausgaben verfolgt habt, wisst ihr ja, dass mir bei den meisten der Hefte das gewisse Etwas gefehlt hat. Wie schon bei X-Factor hat man (genauer gesagt Schninkel aus dem Marvel FanForum) mir aber auch hier empfohlen mich von Beginn an einzulesen und mir den Kauf dieses Trades nahe gelegt. “The Devil in and out” umfasst den Arc „The Devil in Cell Block D“ (82-87) und markieren gleichezitig auch die Daredevil Übernahme durch das neue Team Brubaker/Lark.

Matt Murdock sitzt hier auf Rykers Island im Knast und wird verdächtigt Daredevil zu sein. Auf Grund seiner Blindheit sitzt er noch im geschützten Bereich, doch einige Leute drängen bereits darauf ihn im offenen Vollzug verlegen zu lassen wo natürlich Schurken wie Owl, Hammerhead etc. leichten Zugriff auf ihn hätten.

Ich kann hier nicht viel vom Inhalt schreiben ohne dem potentiellen Leser die Spannung zu nehmen, aber die Story ist wirklich ne Wucht!

Korrupte Bullen, schockierende und dramatische Wendungen und eine wahre Star-Riege an Superhelden und Schurken gibt es hier zu bestaunen. Daredevil, Owl, Hammerhead, Kingpin, Bullseye, Punisher, Iron Fist, JJJ, Black Tarantula, Ben Urich, Dakota North und Foggy… Alle geben sich ein Stell dich ein im Rykers Hochsicherheitsknast.

Ed Brubaker führt hier wirklich fort was Bendis begonnen hat und zusammen mit Michael Lark liefert er Szenen die für die Ewigkeit geschaffen sind. Bullseyes Ankunft im Knast bekommt sicherlich eine Top-Reihung in meiner All-Time-Fav Liste.

Brubaker stößt Matt hier wirklich immer knapper an seine Grenzen und man bekommt einen Daredevil zu sehen der es leid ist immer nur herumgeschubst zu werden.

Michael Larks Zeichnungen sind natürlich ein Hit. Auch hier will ich mal wieder die fantastischen Regen-Szenen hervorheben. Regen, Schnee… Der Typ hat das einfach drauf!

(Lark verrät in einem Interview im Bonus-Material dieses Trades übrigens, dass er hierfür einen eigenen PhotoShop Background hat mit dem er die Fallrichtung des Regens leichter ändern kann. Ob das wahr ist?)

Ich sollte hie dazu sagen dass der Trade zwar den Cell Block D Arc abschließt jedoch noch in einem weiteren Teil mündet. Mann kann ihn sich zwar ohne Bedenken alleine kaufen und lesen, doch wer hinter all dem steckt erfährt man eben nur wenn man sich auch die Vol.2 besorgt. Diesen Trade werde ich mir aber auf jeden Fall auch noch holen, denn was Brubaker und Lark hier vollbracht haben ist wirklich verdammt großes Kino.

Jeder der auf HardBoiled-Crime steht MUSS sich diesen Trade einfach besorgen!

Hätte wirklich nicht gedacht dass mir ein Post Bendis/Maleev Daredevil wirklich noch so gut gefällt. Tja, Empfehlungen lohnen sich doch noch!

5/5

By Ed Brubaker (writer), Michael Lark and Stefanao Guadiano (art), Matt Hollingsworth (colors)

The Story: In this penultimate installment of the “Lady Bullseye” arc, Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, faces the reality that custody of his ailing wife has been legally black-mailed away from him by her parents. Meanwhile, Master Izo, the near-immortal, drunken kung-fu master, plots counter measures against the Hand by leveraging the Immortal Iron Fist and the Black Tarantula on separate missions. Unfortunately, Lady Bullseye and the Hand are one step ahead of the ancient master and are coming for Daredevil with a couple surprise fighters that he may be unable to battle, let alone defeat.

What’s Good: The opening scene is exceptional with perfect symmetrical beats between Matt’s dialogue with Foggy and Matt’s inner monologue. I enjoy how Brubaker, like Bendis, puts Matt’s self-righteousness and border-line insane sense of self-entitlement (even when he totally in the wrong)  out-there for the reader to see. It shows that Daredevil is a flawed hero; a characterization that obviously  fuels  the”real” feel of this series. Additionally, the supporting cast in this arc is great. Everybody plays a role rather than just taking up space as throw-ins.

Lark’s art is solid. The violence is presented accurately and devastatingly. He also seems to excel at positioning characters in just the right pose to reflect Brubaker’s script.

What’s Not So Good: Not too much. It should be noted that this is one of those issues when Matt never dons the costume. Also, there is way to much legal drama in Daredevil as of late. Yes, yes, the whole “justice is blind” as the underlying metaphor for Daredevil has to be there for the character to work, but I really think this volume of Daredevil has had more than enough explicit legal drama.

Conclusion: I find Brubaker and crew to be at the top of their  game on this current arc and this issue holds true to that. Perhaps there is justified frustration in the slow build of this issue that detours into heavy back story (Milla and Matt never signing marriage papers, etc) that seems irrelevant to this arc. But then again, long time fans will be very fulfilled with this approach.

Grade: B+

-Rob G.