Daredevil: End of Days #7 (of 8)
Written by Brian Michael Bendis & David Mack
Pencils by Klaus Janson
Finished Art by Bill Sienkiewicz
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Review by Joey Braccino
Brian Bendis and David Mack’s Daredevil: End of Days barrels closer and closer to its conclusion with issue #7!!! As Ben Urich works to unravel the mystery of Matt Murdock’s final days, the recently-escaped Punisher continues his reign of terror on Murdock’s old rogues gallery. These two threads have intersected over the last two issues, and Urich and the Punisher come face-to-face once again this issue after a run-in with the Hand. The plot thickens as Urich and Castle are joined by the shadowy “new” Daredevil that has been acting as Urich’s guardian angel (devil?) since issue #1!!!
For those that have been reading this mini-series, rest assured that End of Days continues its trend of nuanced mystery-thriller storytelling. Fans of Bendis’ run on Daredevil from the early ‘00s will immediately recognize the gritty, pulpy tone and the intensely character-driven, personal drama that graces the page. As the book’s lead, Urich has served more as an audience-identifier character, trudging his way deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of Matt Murdock’s life and working to answer the “Mapone” question. The twists and turns in this issue, however, truly establish End of Days as a Ben Urich story as much as it is a Daredevil story. Think Kurt Busiek’s Marvels mini from the ‘90s, except with a much seedier, much darker spin.
Comics legends Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz have done some masterful work on this series. While Sienkiewicz’ gorgeous painted panels have been used sparingly in the mini-series (and not at all in this week’s issue), Janson has been firing on all cylinders 20+ pages per issue since the very beginning. Janson does subscribe to a brand of realism in his pencils, but there is just enough contortion and abstraction in the lines to maintain the unsettling, nigh-disturbing tone of the book as a whole. And Matt Hollingsworth’s colors? I have not been subtle in my admiration for Hollingsworth’s work on Marvel’s “street” books. From Punisher to Hawkeye, Hollingsworth just knows how to accentuate and intensify the linework of any book with his diverse color palette.
Verdict
Daredevil: End of Days is one issue away from completion. Thus far, Bendis and Mack have written a perfect Daredevil mini-series. From the tone to the weight and scope of the story, Bendis and Mack are hitting all the right notes. Speaking of perfect, Janson, Hollingsworth, and Sienkiewicz (hell, even Maleev on covers) are producing some of the finest visual storytelling on the stands today. The cliffhanger ending to issue #7 promises one heck of a resolution to this mini-series, and I eagerly await the final issue next month!!!
