the Devil's right hand

for those who are just joining us, this is a continuation of my 5-cent ruminations on Daredevil v2.0.

"Lowlife"
v2, #41-45
Brian Michael Bendis/Alex Maleev

after his (disastrous) jousting with Al Roker for the soul of the White Tiger, Matt returns to the daily banality of trying to figure out how to outwit the publisher of the Daily Globe, and roughly 4 billion people who even know what a Daredevil is, about the question of his no-longer secret identity. why he even got into a tiff with a tabloid, is due to his own inability to wipe the smug off his face and close a done deal.

after taking the Kingpin out of the picture (?), Bendis shuffles the deck and starts to build a post-Fisk world, but fraught with risks from new fronts like that secret ID pain in the ass. we know Foggy wants Matt to stay put and stop jumping off rooftops, but what do you do with a problem child?

the vacuum created by Fisk's departure (i know, its XXXXXL-sized) attracts a lot more scum, but there's a sequence here which explains a whole lot - i mean, after Mr. Hyde's rampage, there hasn't been much trouble on the doorstep of Nelson/Murdock's law offices.

Alex Maleev returns to the drawing board (and for good measure) and opens with a spectacular rescue of a blind person. the odd thing is, the savior is also sightless, leaving the local news networks to trumpet at 6 o'clock: "Blind Saving the Blind".

polite date rape is all the rage these days.

Matt starts having fun with the parade of his own rogues gallery in and out of his office, who think they're ah, close, after all those fistfights they had. i don't know how he could keep it up though, without giggling like a girl.

of course, Foggy is always the voice of reason in the building while Matt is always the poster boy for insanity. Foggy must think he's gone deaf as well as blind. or at least he gained selective hearing.

what Matt heard: "... don't ... let ... tabloids ... stop ... you ... stupid."

the sequence i mentioned had the Stilt Man (currently, R.I.P.) leaving his Stilt Man suit with Matt because he's allegedly sick of this post-Kingpin world. i mean, he can't even get beat up by Daredevil anymore. and Daredevil's right there in front of him, laughing his ass off. whatever. so off he goes, but drops some info about the Owl taking over the streets. oh by the way, Stilt Man mentions that the reason why no one has blown up the law office yet is because everyone does think Matt is Daredevil, and the mere thought makes them wet their pants. but that really doesn't make one give up the criminal life, does it?

yeah, like the Owl. he's a cross between Wolverine and the Penguin, with Sabretooth's ugly mug. a crimelord wannabe. of course, Matt acts on this information and starts beating up people in Hell's Kitchen to close his operation down (here's a hint, fellas: move to Pittsburgh).

can you can imagine Ben Affleck doing his best Batman growl, trying to make his voice more menacing, and strike fear into the hearts of your everyday drunk petty criminals? ugh.

but Batman aside, i still think a devil much scarier than a flying rodent.

"heeeeeere i come to save the night!"

as Daredevil tracks down Owl's people and taking their lunch money, it takes all of his own lawyer to keep a straight head, and deal with it maturely. yeah, we're all adults here, leave the fisticuffs to Daredevil.

what's the Owl's game? why, peddling the newest designer drug of course. however, somebody might be getting high on their own supply: at first, its mentioned as MGN, then a couple of panels later, they correctly say it as MGH (or Mutant Growth Hormone, steroids for freaks - the current bane of the Marvel Universe).

Daredevil finally makes the Owl's hideout but they're prepared for him busting in. an owl is reputed to be a wise bird, but this Owl seems to debunk that myth - he just wants to - aarrgggggghhhhh - breaks someone's face in - aaaaaaaaaaarghhhhh! all that yelling and growling ain't helping.

vocabulary was never my strong suit and neither is it Leland's

the cunning lawyer matches wits with DD outside of the courtroom, trying to trap him to admit to his rumored identity, but Matt is smarter than all of these fools put together.

i wonder if Matt would pass a lie-detector test. yeah, he prolly would.

a startling development puts a new spin on things, as the publisher Rosenthal still debates whether or not to continue with the trial.

we find later that Rosenthal has been decapitated in his own swimming pool, and the only clue we have is this photo:

wait ... i recognize the guy!!! that's Bendis himself!!! damn i'm goood!

on a somewhat lighter note, we welcome the next great love of Matt's life (well, currently she's still alive in issue #98, so that counts for something). Milla Donovan, the blind girl saved by the blind man, takes a leap of faith in what the other senses do and visits Matt in his office (yes, of course, she reads the Braille version of the tabloids).

this means Matt can have a new career if this lawyering thing doesn't work

now i don't know why Milla missed this sign on Matt's door, but maybe she just chose to ignore it. oh well, your funeral, girl.

Matt tries his standard ploy of 'deny, deny, deny' but aw shucks, its a cute blind girl, dammit!

eventually, Matt is busted and the adage 'love is blind' takes a literal meaning. Cupid goes cartwheels.

nobody draws a smuggier Matt mug than Maleev

this sequence in issue #43, much like the J. Jonah Jameson rant in #34, is the one thing i enjoyed in this storyline. Matt and Foggy trade barbs, one and multi-liners, the whole nine yards. this could be a sitcom by itself.

Bendis treats us to four pages of Matt & Foggy gems - i don't know, its too simple, but its a gift, and Bendis makes it work. when Foggy hits him with "how is it that, blind as you are, every one of your girlfriends end up looking like a European supermodel?", i think soda came out of my nose as i rolled on the floor busting my gut (and that's a big gut).

Foggy (voice of reason) cautions Matt (insanity poster boy) again against taking a relationship public. references to the current events (the Owl thing) and previous (the White Tiger case) come up, and Matt, to his credit, is torn between risking more Daredevil appearances or letting the situation escalate.

here we get a hint of the growing kinda-sorta relationship between his pals/bodyguards Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.

for the last few years, am glad they made Cage a significant character again, even away from his blaxploitation roots. Captain America recruited him directly for the Avengers and even after Civil War, he epitomizes the strong, opinionated, resolute, badass black dude that he was written to be - no offense to the Black Panther and Bishop. here he even goes into a deep, philosophical discussion (name-calling included) with Matt regarding his decision to keep denying the tabloid rumors and scale back his Daredevil appearances.

going back to the Braille warning sign on the door, Milla ignores this and Matt is promptly "questioned" by the cops (after discovering the murdered Rosenthal) after their first date (i think they watched Ice Castles? or was it At First Sight?). Maleev brilliantly weaves a silent montage as Matt is hustled to a cop car and Foggy looks on helplessly.

if only the cops knew Matt could hear every single thing while being made to stew inside the interrogation room. i wouldn't call this an unfair advantage now; it could be in a courtroom, and am sure Matt used it more than once. c'mon, admit it, Mister Billy Club of Justice.

Matt wants to shut up this guy

Foggy still plays the loyal friend and we are treated to more witty dialogue.

get him an iPhone, Foggy ... oopps, bad idea.

two wiseass detectives (is that how it is? you get promoted, then you become more of an arrogant prick than what you used to be?) try to push Matt's buttons, and also try to remove them (it was to check if he was wearing the costume - get your mind out of the gutter!).

after that encounter in the precinct, Matt is shaken up and has a heart-to-heart with Foggy ("i heart you, Foggy!"). they both realize Matt sitting here isn't doing anyone any good, and maybe Cage has a point. there is no manual on how to act in this kind of crisis, so Matt has to make it up as they go along. plus he needs to smash some faces.

Rosenthal's murder and the subsequent picking up of Matt for questioning sends the bad guys into confusion. the Owl just proved he has no idea on how to manage a criminal organization. loser.

the FBI comes marching in, and more confusion ensues (on the part of the bad guys). this is strictly amateur hour. the Kingpin must be laughing. did i say the Kingpin?

the Owl tries to escape and who else is waiting for him but our scarlet avenger? this is where it sucks a bit - we are treated to a stiff fight scene that's slower than molasses. all things considered, the Owl isn't that kind of an athlete ... but then again, i think they could have made this scene (stretched to four pages?) a lot more fluid. and the Owl's vocal stylings gets more annoying as time passes by.

Daredevil makes tentative peace with Eff-Bee-Ay, and they just hold back telling him some great news.

4 words that Matt doesn't need. or does.

am sure he heard that. didn't he? he's Daredevil!

just to prove the FBI's assertion, let's have our last look at our lowlife worm, Sammy Silke, who was 'enjoying' his stay at a minimum security prison in Pennsylvania. emphasis on was.

Brian Michael Bendis has succeeded in taking Daredevil back to its crime noir excellence, and Alex Maleev helps out hugely in this regard. my hats off to both.