Since
taking over the solo writing chores on Daredevil in 2001 with
issue #26, Bendis hasn’t been afraid to shake up Daredevil’s
status quo, out DD’s secret identity or butt heads with
fans and his bosses at Marvel.
"I’m
obsessed with [screenwriter] Alvin Sargent’s quote ‘Always
put your characters where they least want to be,’"
says Bendis. "Matt [Murdock, DD’s alter ego]
has control issues. Take away his control and you have an
interesting drama."
According
to Bendis, he plans to leave his mark on Daredevil in much
the same way as top-name creators like Kevin
Smith and Frank
Miller have already done. But don’t
expect the Portland-based writer to play by conventional rules
while he does it.
"If
you think about it, it’s kind of cool that I’m
working on the book in this period," explains the
scribe. "I know what I’m expected to deal with.
This is the book that made me wanna do comics. A lot of great
creators, like Gene Colan, Wally Wood, Frank Miller, they
put their best work on this book, and that’s what people
expect."
"But
my free rein depends on how happy my employers are. I made
a promise, and I try to deliver," continues Bendis.
"On that angle, my reign’s been untouched.
I can tell you my job is to make sure that the book is really
interesting. And we can tell [fans], ‘If you pick up
DD right now, it’s interesting.’ We think the
plot is enough to get people to pick up the book."
Now that
Bendis has made public Daredevil’s secret identity,
taken the Kingpin out of the picture and
begun a running argument between Matt Murdock
and his law partner Foggy Nelson over whether
or not DD’s even needed anymore, Bendis’ next
step is to bring some romance back to the title.
"Around
the February ish (#43), we’ll have a new love interest,"
says the writer. "It’d be nice if he had one
girlfriend. He meets a blind girl -- a civilian."
Overall,
Daredevil’s become as much about crime, punishment and
the media as it has about a superhero crimefighter fighting
colorfully garbed supervillains. And while Bendis’ writing
is as superb as ever, thanks to mind-blowing plots and witty,
spot-on dialogue, one of the best parts about the title is
Alex Maleev’s
gritty art.
"People
are loving Alex," exclaims Bendis. "No
one’s gonna say a negative word. When I was working
on Sam & Twitch, it was really clicking; we were kindred
spirits. When I got canned, I was more bummed that I wasn’t
working with him. He draws the way I wanted to draw Torso;
I had to get him involved with a project with me. It turns
out he went to Marvel and asked Joe [Quesada, Marvel Editor
in Chief] about working with me on DD."
One of
the things that Maleev brings to the book is his amazingly
detailed recreation of New York City. In fact, the artist
spends hours per day touring the city with a digital camera
to capture the perfect look he wants for his reference material;
his renditions make the book look, feel and even smell like
New York City.
"The
city is an equal character. You’re not afraid of the
dark; you’re afraid of the light," gushes
Bendis. "It’s a damn pleasure; if I could draw
the way he does, I would’ve been more successful."
While
Maleev takes a much-needed break from DD, Manuel
Gutierrez will fill in for issues #37-#39,
which are titled "Trial of the Century"
and focus on Matt Murdock the lawyer instead of the superhero,
according to Bendis.
"The
White Tiger comes out of retirement and tries to break up
a pawn shop robbery. He gets caught with a TV over his head,
over the body of a dead cop," explains Bendis.
"Matt
knows he’s innocent. Luke Cage and
Iron Fist show up and tell him he’s
gotta do it. Then we do a real trial with a superhero. There
aren’t any shenanigans going on; it’s Matt fighting
for the life of this guy on trial. Just because he’s
in costume, the cops don’t believe what he says. Fans
of law shows will dig this arc—it was a lot of research.
We’ve created a case for him."
After
that, Bendis brings back DD’s #1 foe, the Kingpin. According
to Bendis though, it’s not the Kingpin anyone expects.
"Kingpin
comes back and DD and him are on equal footing,"
says Bendis. "Kingpin returns to his roots -- the
John Romita Sr. days where he wasn’t so much an overlord
as he was a thug. He’s almost back to square one."
Of course,
one of the biggest developments in Daredevil news is the impending
release of 20th Century Fox’s "Daredevil"
film, set to hit screens across the country on Feb. 14, 2003.
According to "DD" director
Mark Steven Johnson,
bringing the Man Without Fear to the big screen has always
been his dream.
"[Making
a ‘Daredevil’ film] is something I’ve wanted
to do since I was 12 years old," admits Johnson.
"It’s pretty much an obsession with me. It’s
a great, kick-ass superhero movie, and at the same time, it
has some heart."
With an
all-star cast including Ben
Affleck as DD, Jennifer
Garner as Elektra, Michael
Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin
and Colin Farrell
as Bullseye, "Daredevil"
looks like Marvel Studios has another hit on its hands. According
to Johnson, he’s taken influence from Miller, Smith
and tons of other Daredevil creators over the years and hopes
fans see that his love of comics shows through.
"This
has been a dream come true," says Johnson. "I just
hope the fans see how much we put into it."