Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Daredevil #36

   There are some Marvel heroes who should have a secret identity.

   As they found out the hard way, Spider-Man is one. Daredevil is another one. (Iron Man, on the other hand, works better with his identity public.)

   But several years back writer Brian Michael Bendis let the cat out of the bag and "outed" Daredevil as attorney Matt Murdock.

   I thought (and still think) it was a bad idea. But to their credit, the creative teams have largely embraced it, rather than cook up some lame way around it (there's never a Daredevil robot around when you need one).

   But this final storyline (before the next restart with a new issue #1) by writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee embraces the problem and uses it to generate a terrific story that focuses on the pros and cons of secret identities and the toll it can take on a hero's morality.

   It's a terrific wrap-up to an outstanding three-year run on this title, and it sets up a fresh start for the Man Without Fear.

   This is one of Marvel's best, with amazing art and sharp storytelling - it should be on your "must-read" list.

    (Oh, and the cover merits close inspection - there are some wonderful nods to past stories, creators and bits of business - my favorite being the Mike Murdock hat and glasses.)

Grade: A

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