Daredevil #56
by Ben "Mouse" McShane, Jaded Midwestern Staff Writer
February 2, 2004 + Muncie, IN
Mack With No Point
 After nearly half of year of having to tolerate David Mack's irrelevant, nearly unreadable stint on Daredevil, fans of the Man With No Fear can breathe a sigh of relief: Brian Michael Bendis is back and he returns with all the glory of his previous work.
Daredevil #56 (436) kicks off the "King of Hell's Kitchen" arc. It has been one year since Matt Murdock displaced the Kingpin and took Hell's Kitchen for his own. Reporter Ben Ulrich relates the last year's events to us.
What we come to learn is that the other hero residents of New York City (Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic, Luke Cage and Dr. Strange) are none-too-happy with Murdock's behavior as the King of Hell's Kitchen; they think he is over-stepping his boundaries. Like everything else in his Daredevil run, Bendis treats the otherwise absurd situation with so much reverence that it is not only believable, it is out-right touching.
A Devil to Call His Own
Brian Michael Bendis has already done with Daredevil what Garth Ennis did for Punisher: claimed him as his own and returned him to a place of dignity. He continues to do so here. The writing is sharp, contemporary and realistic. More often than not we are shown the story from the perspective of the people around Matt Murdock, not Murdock himself. The result is a feeling of urban legend that is especially validated coming from the mouth of Ulrich, the best-known super-hero specialist reporter.
Alex Maleev's art only further serves Bendis' vision. After the Frank Miller/Klaus Janson team from the early '80's, an ink-saturated Daredevil book is the only right kind. Maleev's art in issue #56 gives us what we expect: realistic, dark imagery that is both cinematic and still-life.
It may be blasphemy to say, but I would have a tough time choosing the best between the Miller and Bendis runs on Daredevil. The only reason I think Bendis doesn't surpass Miller is because relevant continuity no longer exists in Marvel; Bendis will probably never leave an Elektra-sized mark. Then again, if he continues to do as well as he did with issue #56, he just may anyhow.
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