Customer Reviews

Daredevil, Vol. 6 (v. 6)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The above review says that "Wake Up" was part of the DD Vol. 2 HC. It was not, although it was released in a TPB. The DD HC Vol. 2 starts with "Underboss," Bendis' second arc. I was actually glad that Marvel included "Wake Up" at the end, since it got rid of that annoying TPB in the midst of the HCs on my shelf. Also, "Wake Up" is a wonderful story in its own right, and deserves to be read--and timeless enough to be read at either end of the continuity.
That's my opinion, anyway--5 stars just to boost the rating a little.

"Wake Up" (4 issues/art by David Mack) is not reprinted in HC format. It was printed as a tpb, but is not, and was not to my knowledge, ever included in any previous Daredevil HC.
This HC also collects Bendis last arc on DD, "The Murdock Papers" (6 issues/Alex Maleev) and also "What if Karen Page had lived"(came out in 2005), plus some "extras" including full comic scripts to Bendis first and last issues, some artwork from Alex Maleev and David Mack and a "farewell" article from Bendis.

"The Murdock Papers" is pretty good and very exciting, though really I wish I've gotten it in tpb form. It's a very fun read though!
"Wake Up" is alright as well, but it is not a continuation of the main storyline but rather a past story featuring mostly Ben Urich, with a minimal appearance by DD in the last issue. Unique artwork by David Mack. I suggest reading it first, because if you expect a DD or action oriented story, prepare to be severely dissapointed.

The What If featured is also by Bendis and is quite pedestrian (in light of what has already occured...), and half of the story is spent recapping the death of Karen Page before actually presenting the story. Art by Michael Lark, DD regular artist under Brubaker.

I wet my pants when I read this. I'm not going to be able to hold back the superlatives here. The final arc of Brian Bendis' Daredevil run is such a perfect capstone to such an amazing story. I don't believe super-hero comics have ever been taken this far to their logical conclusions. Bendis manages to have it all--the incredibleness of having super-powers, the magic of a world with aircraft carriers that float in the sky and ninjas fighting NYC cops in broad daylight, combined with a fascinating realism: the realism that takes seriously the concept of having a secret identity as a super-hero.

The entire Daredevil series by Bendis represents nothing short of a revolution in mainstream comics. It re-sets the bar by which all other comics must be judged, and it re-frames the entire concept of super-hero books. All the themes that were originally introduced by Stan Lee in a simplistic way back in the day (represented best by Spider-Man)-- the tension of the secret identity, the strain that puts on the hero's "normal" relationships, the sense of obligation to use powers, the conflict between the vigilante and society--all of these are re-cast for the modern era in an incredibly vivid mold with an added expectation of realism.

This last book takes all that to the wall. The plotline revolving around Daredevil's secret identity being revealed and DD's conflict with the Kingpin finally reaches its climax and it is done on a grand scale. It is a ton of fun to see so many of DD's buddies, ex-girlfriends, enemies and whatnot jammed into a bag and shaken. The scenes with Elektra and the Black Widow are so cool. The dialog just crackles with energy. The artwork is, as usual for Alex Maleev, simply amazing.

This is pure genius on so many levels. The entire Bendis run is quite simply essential and this book is a marvelous and stunning conclusion to such an epic masterpiece.

this book contains the story-arcs: "the murdock papers", "wake up", and the single-issue "what if karen page had lived?".
basically, the murdock papers is really awesome (like all of bendis' work on daredevil) and as it stands i'd give it 4 1/2 stars--its not perfect cause it has too many unrealistically-played guest-appearances throughout, making the last few issues a little claustrophobic.

then the low point comes with bendis' first arc in his daredevil history, wake up, which is beautifully painted but features bendis' worst daredevil story. the plot creeps along at a snails pace, and after each issue you think "who cares! that was just like the last issue." i can't believe bendis loves that story most out of all his others in the run. i'd give "wake up" 3 1/2 stars.

then the "what if?" story is pretty good...except it kinda contradicts the whole concept of the murdock papers. i'd give it 5 stars.

As a casual comics reader, the plaudits and accolades given to some writers and illustrators may have escaped me.

The entire DD series as scripted by Bendis is quite enjoyable. The outing of DD's secret, his takeover of Hell's Kitchen as the new Kingpin and so far, his arrest for being DD. The overall plot is great. Overall, I would score the Bendis/Maleev work on DD as a 5-star, for plotting and complementation of text and illustration.

However, some of the stories and characters are not that great. One of the most implausible story involves a grotesque goblin monster. I feel that a horror/fantasy story such as this is out of place in DD's world. Not sure if I was reading DD or Hellboy.

Furthermore, the character of Milla Donovan is also uninteresting. A very pedestrian looking lady, DD would forego the Black Widow and Elektra for her?

Now on to the dialoque and scripting. Bendis uses numerous thought balloons and panels for any single scene. This is OK in some scenes but in every scene? It is like laboured work to read every balloon. It appears to make for effective realistic dialogue but really, what it does is slow down the pace of the comic and, allows characterization to build up thru dialogue. You either like it or not. I think that it makes the Milla character plausible but also underlines her lack-lustre appeal. Bendis' style is really complemented by the artwork of Maleev. I really don't like this kind of artwork as it appears static and posed. There is no flow to the drawn images. Overall, text and images go hand in hand and create at best, a film noir experience or at worse, an afternoon tv grade B movie feel.

In this hardcover volume, the plot continues to be great. The fact that the Kingpin manipulated the system and people involved was in character. I would have given this volume a 5-star except for the inclusion of the Mack drawn stories and the "What if Karen Page" ... story. I skipped the Mack stories (really not into the graphics) and the "What If" story which had no real plot.

As previously stated, the Bendis/Mack "Wake Up" story was released as a TPB but is long Out Of Print. It is included at the end of this Hardcover, after the conclusion to the Bendis/Maleev run. The Wake Up story is short & sweet. It is VERY unique and it takes an angle, never before used in comics. The end of the Bendis run "Murdock Papers" is excellent as well. I'm now waiting for the Brubaker/Lark Omnibus so I can continue poking my head into Murdock's life!!!

SOOO... for those of you who already own "Wake Up" in TPB form, you might want to pick up the "Murdock Papers" TPB and save a few bucks. OR..... for those of you who LOVE (as I do) these hardcovers, this one is a no-brainer!

Brian Michael Bendis. Not many currently-active comic writers are so good at splitting public opinion down the middle. Can the man write? Hell, yes. Can the man plot? Well...

The problem with this book is not the plotting. It collects two story arcs, the first being Bendis' final one for his run on Daredevil. The second is a reprinting of his first arc on the title, "Wake Up", and therein lies the problem.

Not only did "Wake Up" first appear serialized in single issues, but it was also reprinted as a trade paperback. It was THEN collected in volume two of the hardcover series as the first arc of Bendis' run. So why does it bookend his run in volume six...?

Money.

How can Marvel be expected to extort $30 out of thier readers if a hardcover only reprints six issues? I guess they should kill a few trees to take up some more of my bookshelf space and justify the gouging.

Story-wise, the first half of volume six is solid. Great, even. It's a great capper to Bendis' Daredevil legacy, but without mucking things up for his successor. In fact, it presented such an excellent jumping-off point for new writer Ed Brubaker that Daredevil is one of, if not the most critically-acclaimed Marvel title of the last year. While I will miss Alex Maleev's art (immeasurably important in conveying the noir vibe of Bendis' writing style), this is the best way to go out--at the top of one's game.

But seriously...75 pages of filler? Is that really how you want to play your consumer base, Marvel?

5 stars for the first arc, -3 for making me buy the second arc twice.