Daredevil Modern Era Epic Collection, Vol. 2: Underboss

Daredevil Modern Era Epic Collection

by Brian Michael Bendis, Bob Gale, Kevin Hall

Industry legend Brian Michael Bendis begins his acclaimed five-year DAREDEVIL run!

When the staff that once belonged to his mentor is stolen, Daredevil is determined to get it back — even if that means joining an ancient ninja battle between the Seven and the Hand! Then, why is investigative reporter Ben Urich focusing on the catatonic son of two-bit costumed criminal Leap Frog — and how is Daredevil connected to a child he doesn’t even know? When a rich client hires Matt Murdock to sue Daredevil, it’s time for everyone’s favorite attorney to play to the camera! Ambitious gangster Sammy Silke has inspired Wilson Fisk’s lieutenants to rise up against the Kingpin of Crime! But what is the connection between Silke’s coup and the contract on Matt Murdock’s life? Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev’s gritty reinvention of Daredevil’s world begins right here!

Ninja (2000) 1-3, Daredevil (1998) 16-31

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book

488 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2024

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is very uneven. The first story, Daredevil: Ninja, is okay but the open light airy art doesn't suit the story at all and it doesn't stack up to the other story involving Grasscutter, the Usagi Yojimbo story of the same name by Stan Sakai.

The second story, the Bendis and Mack tale about the Leap Frog's kid, is great. The Bob Gale courtroom story about the guy suing Daredevil pretty good. The Bendis-Maleev story ending the collection was fantastic.

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome collection of Marvel Epic Modern era graphic novel series. I hope they make more stories like this about Marvel: Daredevil Lore/Universe.

I had fun reading this graphic novel. Also, finally I got read for the first time about Daredevil graphic novel.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently completed Chip Zdarsky's brilliant run, I decided to pick this up for Daredevil's earlier tales, and I'm glad I did! This volume contains four very distinct story arcs, so I've broken them down.

Ninja - 3 stars
A fairly straightforward story arc that was a bit heavy on action and light on plot. I do wonder if the threads from this story will continue elsewhere. I really wasn't a fan of the art.

Wake Up - 4.5 stars
A great story following reporter Ben Ulrich's investigation of a boy's traumatic experience encountering Daredevil. The stellar art really helped elevate the story.

Playing to the Camera - 4 stars
Overall a fun story involving Matt Murdock suing Daredevil. Story probably could have been a bit shorter and I felt the ending let it down thanks to a bit of Deus ex machina in the form of a sudden arrival, as well as an underwhelming reveal of the 'evil mastermind' behind it all.

Underboss - 5 stars
A brilliant concluding arc with great art and a cliffhanger ending that leaves me eagerly awaiting the next volume later this year.

[Chris W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best issues are the last few where Bendis finally finds his voice for the characters and Maleev's art adds that beautifully gritty atmosphere that made this run work. Underboss is the real beginning of the good stuff

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ninja was kind of mid and the art style wasn't my favorite, but Wake Up was beautiful and Playing to the Camera and Underboss were pretty good. Their art styles were also pretty solid and I want to know what happens next in Underboss. I still obviously don't know how comics work because I don’t know where I can read the rest of Underboss lol but I'll make an attempt and see if I can find it somewhere.

[Doug Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super good read, and a book I couldn't put down once things got rolling. The first arc focused on daredevil fighting the hand in Japan, which was fun but nothing crazy. The next arc was beautifully drawn, following Ben Urich solving a mystery regarding a supervillains son and it was really good. I also really enjoyed the next storyline where Matt Murdock sues Daredevil. It was a bit goofy but I thought it was a really fun read. The highlight was absolutely the titular storyline which I read in one sitting and was one of my favorite marvel arcs I have read in recent memory.

[Hal · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I missed out on this series when it first came out. Am I ever glad that Marvel started with the one series i was missing. Pretty bold of Marvel to make a DD comic that didnt focus on DD but on a reporter. Love that cliffhanger thou...

[Daniel Pappas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four different aspects to the Daredevil mythos and I happened upon this at my public library just in time for the tv show to drop. Lucky me I did. Each of these four stories Bendis writes to a different part of what makes Daredevil who he is: ninja training, attorney, friend to Ben Urich, foe to Wilson Fisk. Depending on which aspect of DD you like you’ll gravitate towards some and away from others. Me? I’m not so into the ninja stuff. It’s perhaps a little too mystical for a guy whose dad was a boxer. The lawyer stuff? Now that was incredible. Classic overhyped artwork with buff men and thing women so certainly of it’s era but the legal question at the center is priceless: How do you take a superhero to court? The comic doesn’t eschew the answer in favor of some plot-driven event. Instead the whole plot behind it is weak and unsatisfactory - the villain isn’t even technically committing a crime - but it’s the jurisprudence at the center of this I’m in love with. How to serve a costumed hero. Murdock having to Sue Daredevil. A super hero’s lawyer. It smacks of all kinds of thorny questions Bendis does his best to answer and each issue paints Murdock into a bigger and bigger corner. The Ben Urich story is certainly one for the books as well - the artwork drives the story and for fans of more experimental types of comics this one is for you. I liked it for its very simplistic storytelling and focus on emotional reaction. I think there’s something beautiful about DD helping this child cope with killing his father. Then there’s the final story - sort of a Mark Millar (without all the weird rape stuff) tale of a mafioso coup. Split storylines? Tactile DD stuff? Sign me up. I think I’ll forever be dreaming about the panels of DD as nothing but two greedy red eyes and two sharp horns radiating from the darkness as blind Kingpin fumbles around. This might’ve had my favorite artwork of all of them and it’s quite telling that I got to read something so violent and criminal and I kinda loved it? Either way this was just a good primer for all things DD. Would recommend.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hodge-podge of stories. Bendis hadn't taken the full time gig on Daredevil yet when this started. He did do the Ninjas miniseries in this and it's terrible. Some of that is do to the art and coloring that make it look like a Saturday morning cartoon. Some of it's to do with the nothing of a story in this.

Then we get to the regular book. Bendis does an arc with David Mack and it's terrific. Daredevil's cheesy villain Leap Frog is missing and his son is catatonic. It's about Ben Urich digging in to find out what happened. And then you have Mack's glorious artwork. That guy can draw in all these different styles.

Bob Gale, the writer of the Back to the Future movies does an arc where Nelson and Murdock are hired to sue Daredevil for damages. It moves really slowly and could have been an issue or two shorter.

Finally Bendis and Maleev take over Daredevil permanently for Underboss. A new upstart mobster joins the Kingpin's crew. When he finds out the Kingpin knows who Daredevil is and has declared him untouchable, he hatches a scheme to take him down. Man it's really good. I love Maleev's photorealistic work. It's perfect for a gritty book like Daredevil.

[Desmond Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like Funderboss! Bendis' Daredevil is some of the best comics I've read in a while. Ninja is a fun miniseries and I'm glad it's included here for completion's sake. Wake Up is BMB's first arc on the ongoing title and, although it's light on Daredevil, it's a character spotlight for Ben Urich and an artist showcase for David Mack. Underboss sets up the rest of the run with a story arc that culminates in Silke going to the police with Daredevil's secret identity. However, the reason that I'm rating this collection 3/5 is the Playing to the Camera arc by Bob Gale. Wake Up was Bendis' try-out piece but before he came onto the book full-time Marvel needed to run an inventory story to kill a couple issues. And it's the saggiest filler arc I've ever read. Murdock & Nelson are hired to sue Daredevil for property damages. Six issues of Murdock/DD going round and round in circles about how he's gonna get out of it. The art is cool but you can totally skip ahead.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bendis begins his redefining run on the Man without Fear in this modern era epic collection. Filled with some great action/adventure stories at the beginning but completely changes tone when Alex Maleev takes over on art and Bendis taps into his crime noir/thriller background to set the new tone of modern Daredevil.

[Vank14a · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection of stories but the one that definitely stands out the most is "Wake Up". The only downside to Underboss is that it ends kind of abruptly and they should have put some more issues in it.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very good. Definitely made me a fan of Bendis' writing. Looking forward to the next volume.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 'Wake Up' story arc is so good it makes the others seem pretty silly. I always like David Mack's art, and it's a good style for the story.

[Charles Mennerick · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Mack’s art in this is so freaking cool