Marvel Knights Daredevil: Unusual Suspects

Daredevil (1998) (Collected Editions)

by Brian Michael Bendis, Bob Gale (Contributor), David W. Mack (Contributor)

Dazzling Daredevil stories from creators without fear! When the staff that once belonged to his mentor Stick is stolen, Matt Murdock is determined to get it back - even if that means joining an ancient ninja battle between the Seven and The Hand! When villains from Gladiator to Stilt-Man target the Kingpin, DD and his old friend Spider-Man must stand in the way! When a rich client hires Matt to sue Daredevil, it's time for everyone's favorite attorney to play to the camera - but where does the Jester fit in? And Echo returns, courtesy of her co-creator, David Mack! In a bid to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, Maya Lopez embarks on a Native American vision quest...but she never expected to encounter Wolverine! COLLECTING: DAREDEVIL: NINJA 1-3; DAREDEVIL/SPIDER-MAN 1-4; DAREDEVIL (1998) 20-25, 51-55; SPIDER-MAN/DAREDEVIL 1

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Adventure, Action

472 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2018

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

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little aggravated for a while about how difficult it was to collect/follow these books. Particularly, I think the Gale books had never been collected.

But now I kind of get the sense of why Marvel shied away from giving them the full Knights treatment. Some of the Bendis books really make a statement. Others are just extra-competent.

These all feel kind of off-kilter. And oddly they don't fit with the Bendis books (or each other) at all!

DAREDEVIL: NINJA 1-3: This seems to suggest that Stick never really died and it makes light of the Hand and ninjas in weird ways. It winds up being goofier than the material should.

DAREDEVIL/SPIDER-MAN 1-4: This one seems like a follow-up to the classic (or, at least, old) DD#61 (vol. 1) at first. But then it tries to go grimdark with demons and loses its footing. The battle is kind of on some sort of unclear spiritual plane for unclear reasons. And this Owl feels different from the concurrent Owl in the Bendis book.

DAREDEVIL (1998) 20-25, 51-55 Issues 20 through 25 tells one of those trademark Dardevil stories where he winds up on the wrong side of the law. Here, he's sued for property damage in a plot that ultimately becomes pretty convoluted and resurrects the Jester to do nothing in particular. There's also a subplot about an assistant at Murdoch & Nelson that I was convinced was the villain in league with the Jester, but she is really just a distraction apparently.

Issues 51 through 55 are a sequel to Parts of a Hole. They kind of apologize for the Native American motif they gave Echo by making her actually Native American. (The first book indicates that her father was called "Crazy Horse" because he was erratic and so his gangster friends gave him a racist nickname.) Most of it feels like the the art is swallowing the story and decreasing intelligibility, but it works well enough in the end thanks to an understated Wolverine appearance. (!)

SPIDER-MAN/DAREDEVIL 1: A too cute story that suggests that Daredevil does not get credit while Spider-Man is lionized. (?)

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little underwhelming. We start out with the Daredevil: Ninja limited series, which just didn't click for me. Then we get a Daredevil/Spiderman limited series that started out well as a crime story, but then somehow morphed into a supernatural, almost Lovecraftian tale. Normally that wouldn't bother me, but it was too jarring and to me just didn't work. Then we get a Daredevil arc that wasn't really bad, but dragged and had a somewhat flat ending.The story could have easily been told in four issues rather than six, and the ending was meh. Next is a Daredevil/Spiderman one-shot that was pretty decent. Then we end things with a David Mack Daredevil arc that focused almost entirely on Echo. We did get a Wolverine appearance, but this was possibly the most experimental story arc ever seen in a mainstream Marvel comic.

In any case, this just wasn't up to the standards of the concurrent Daredevil run from Bendis and Maleev, so was a little disappointing considering how strong the series had been otherwise.

[Kyle Berk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvel Knights Daredevil by Bendis, Jenkins, Gale & Mack: Usual Suspects is a large collection. It includes Daredevil/Spider-Man 1-4, Daredevil: Ninja 1-3, Spider-Man/ Daredevil #1, and the 1998-2011 Daredevil series 20-25 and 51-55. Literally the only collection I could find issues 20-25 in.

And save issues #51-55 this is a 2 star collection all the way through. Most of it feels like filler. Daredevil Ninja is about his relation to Stick. Daredevil/Spider-Man is about them saving the city from some B lister villains with appearances by better villains. These two are my least favorite in the collection as it felt like a slot to read them. Both of them get 1 star because I didn’t like them and I don’t recommend them. They aren’t bad but they aren’t worth reading.

Spider-Man/Daredevil #1 is a fun little one off about saving a girl from both perspectives and it’s wonderful. This issue gets four stars.

Daredevil (1998) #20-25 is fun enough but is confusing and contrived by the end as the plot could have been finished in four issues. Though it’s interesting to note that Daredevil runs a case against himself. 2 stars for this batch of issues.

Then lastly my favorite story of the bunch #51-55 which tells the story of Echo after she disappeared right before Bendis began his run. She’s gone to find herself and the story may be simple but the art is entrancing and the best part about it. The only gripe I’ve got is the tie to “Daredvil” is slim for s story within his own title. But this is absolutely worth a read because of how it is plotted and drawn. I will search for more of this character. 3.5 stars that I’ll bump to 4 because I try to not do decimals.

3 star collection even though I doubt ill remover a large portion of the stories contained. Don’t know that I’d recommend anything other than the Echo story.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going to focus on the main storyline from 20-25 where Daredevil is getting sued and Matt has to defend the guy suing Daredevil while also being Daredevil.

Was a interesting story, with a cool idea. If Daredevil stopped a crime but created a bunch of damage, should he be held accountable. On the other hand, that's what insurance is for. I liked Matt having to work double time, trying to defend his client but also not wanting Daredevil to obviously lose the court battle. The ending is a bit "Oh come on" in terms of wrapping it up but overall was fun, if not a bit too wordy.

The 3 Ninja story and Echo story are just okay. Never was a mega fan of Echo despite her cool powers and designs and this didn't change my mind. 3 Ninja story is just mostly a action based story with lots of fighting. Cool but not memorable.

[Nate]

Collects a bunch of early 2000s Daredevil stories, including the issues that fill the gaps in Bendis' run. None of them save David Mack's Echo story are very memorable.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a mixed bag for me.

I didn’t care for Daredevil Ninja (2.5/5 stars)

I liked both Spider-Man/ Daredevil stories (4 and 3.5 stars).

I really liked Daredevil 20-25 (4.5 stars)

Finally, I didn’t love the Echo story in Daredevil 51-55. The art was fantastic. But my complaint is I’d rather read about Echo in her own series. Plus it’s curious they included that story line in this collection and not the “Parts of a Whole” collection. (3 stars)

[47Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daredevil has Spiner-Man one-liners now. The whole story feels.like a mediocre 80's legal drama that ends with a resounding flop. A lot of stu& is believable, but that ending ruined it all. The writer even threw in a deus ex machina to wrap things up.

While superheroing, things get damaged. Who pays for those damages? Philanthropist Samuel Griggs is convinced that Daredevil fought two criminals in his greenhouse and left it in shambles. He visits Matt Murdock to sue Daredevil. Matt doesn't remember ever visiting
Griggs's house, so it may have been an impostor. He sees the advantages of controlling a case against himself, especially since his rival Claude Unger would jump at the chance to play for the cameras with this case. It's still a difficult decision. The outcome of this case can impact superheroes and supervillains alike.

Murdock's new employee Elaine Kendrick publicly presents the legal documents for Griggs vs Daredevil, which attracts the media and many citizens, some in support of Daredevil. The client forces his hand when he makes a press release with the news. Then, while chasing the Jester, a ridiculous bank robber Elaine hired, he gets served legal notice, which binds him to the case legally.

Daredevil is forced to hire his own lawyer, a woman named Kate Vinokur. They try to be professional, but there is clearly attraction between the two. The case gets more complicated when Griggs and Daredevil get into a contest that escalates dangerously. It seems over for Daredevil when he is recorded apparently threatening a potential witness that he believes manipulated Griggs's memories.

The case goes to trial and it looks bad for Daredevil. Still, Matt has a plan. He sends Peter Parker to jump around in a Daredevil suit to prove that, while keeping his identity a secret, anyone can identify as a superhero. An unexpected addition is a guy named Hillman who claims to be old Daredevil who is training the new one who is now on the stand. The judge declares a mistrial.

Revelation time. It was the Ringmaster behind it all. He was testing a technology designed to implant memories. Wow, all that reading and the story still sucked.

A thief steals something very personal to Matt - the staff he inherited from Stick, the man who trained Matt after he lost his sight. A ninja is to blame - Matt hates ninjas. Daredevil tracks her down, fights her and a second ninja, and kind of wins when they retreat. Matt is surprised when they call him 'little runt'. He retrieves his staff and falls asleep at his home only to awaken in another country.

When he awakens in Osaka, he meets Stone, another of Stick's disciples, who asks for help against the Hand, a criminal organization Daredevil has faced in the past. Stone's order has been decimated by the Hand, who believe they hold the next reincarnation of a figure from Japanese myth. After a fight in the airport, all ninjas, good and bad, disappear. Matt feels used, but there is little he can do.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unfortunate break in the midst of the incredible Bendis run on this title.

We begin with a Bendis miniseries called Ninja, which is mostly a poorly choreographed, uninteresting fight scene that makes its way to Japan that has Daredevil saying "I hate ninjas" in every third panel. I'm guessing it's from about a decade before his actual run on Daredevil because, while I find some of later Bendiw writing to be trite and grating, this is the first time I read something by him and thought it was poorly conceived AND executed. The art is forgettable. 2/5

I forgot everything that happened in theDaredevil/Spider-Man crossover every time I turned a page. 1/5

When I was first collecting the Bendis Daredevil run, there was always a hole in the collection because Bob Gale wrote a few issues in the midst of them. I wondered what about them was so bad that they didn't warrant their own book. Well, it turns out that the first issue is Hella Racist in a 90s sort of way. A man of color sues his employers for racial discrimination but, hold up, it turns out he's just a lazy slacker stealing from the company. Meanwhile, Daredevil breaks up a theft ring of all people of color. *Thumbs down* The rest of the story is pretty white and inoffensive, it's just....silver agey in the plot. 2/5

The Spider-Man Daredevil 1 shot was also pretty forgettable, but I do remember the focus was on how Spider-Man was rewarded for his heroics while Daredevil was punished for his, even if they were working together. It's not great, but it's the best So Far. 3/5

The book ends with David Mack's sequel to Daredevil, Vol. 2: Parts of a Hole. This is, by a wide berth, the best part of the collection. We learn of Echo's Native American heritage, we see her try to reconnect with Daredevil, and eventually get spiritual guidance from Wolverine. I'm a sucker for Mack's art, and I thought this story did a good job of redeeming some questionable decisions Mack made during Parts Of A Hole. 4/5

I am excited to get back to Bendis, though. I don't think I'll be reading this collection again, should I ever do another DD readthrough.

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This compilation groups 6 stories.

We start off with Daredevil: Ninja 1-3. This was a very linear story with little depth. It was alright, but nothing special. It even tends on the goofy side of things.

We continue with Daredevil/Spider-Man 1-4. This was better and had a better story, thought don’t have a lot of thoughts on it.

We move forward with Daredevil 20-25, and this is the story that I bought this book for. What if, Matt Murdock accepted to take a case where a client sued Daredevil? Through different hoops and turns, the lawsuit moves forward. I have to give a lot of creative chops as there was the right balance between the law/lawsuit and super hero aspect to it all. The ending isn’t as good as I thought it would be, but remains a solid story.

Spider-Man/Daredevil 1 is next. This one is a very straightforward story of 20-something pages. Given how short it was, it was on the generic side, though told the tale of how Spider-Man gets credit when Daredevil doesn’t or his credit trails behind.

Lastly, we finish with Daredevil 51-55. This was not really a Daredevil story, but rather the story of a character named Maya Lopez, or Echo. This one just wasn’t for me. Echo goes on a spiritual journey towards a vision quest seeking enlightenment of some sort. I felt that it dragged a little and didn’t fully understand the creative direction of inserting this story in the middle of Bendis’ run. This was also not the most enjoyable read as the text got lost in the art at times. I do like getting the background on Echo, it was just a bit long. Also, there was a random Wolverine appearance that also didn’t speak like Wolverine? Just odd.

All in all, Daredevil is good, but this isn’t the most solid of entries.

[Matěj Komiksumec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uff, tohle bylo náročný čtení. Co se stane když máme hodně příběhů které nikdo nechce samostatně číst? Dáme je do jedné ultimátní knihy!
Ale tak popořadě, minisérie Ninja od Bendise je fakt špatná. Během tří sešitů se nic nestane a ve finále příběh nemá žádný vliv, bylo to úplně zbytečné a nehezky nakreslené a vybarvené.

Minisérie Daredevila a Spideyho od Jenkinse je o trochu lepší, akorát člověk nemá tolik pocit, že tihle dva si dávají týmovku ale spíš to působí jakoby Spidey přišel do DD řady. Jenkins píše oukej, není to nic světoborného ale člověk se zabaví.

Pak je tu už regulérní Daredevil řada se storyarcem "Playing to the Camera". Ten je taky moc fajn, hodně mě bavil ale když se nad tím člověk zamyslí, jsou tam ohromný mezery a místy si člověk říká, že postavy jsou out of character. Prostě DD u soudu asi po stopadesáté :D. Vyřešení zápletky hrozná berlička. Standa Lee si na pár stran zahostuje a měl jsem chuť vraždit, neumí psát Daredevila.

One Shot Spider-Man/Daredevil "Neighbors" byl super. Osobně mě bavila zápletka jenom ten vztah Matt/Peter je tu zase vykreslený úplně jinak což je humorné. Ale bavil jsem se moc.

Finální story arc Echo byl fascinující. Přímo navazuje na Parts of Hole s tím rozdílem, že si Mack tentokrát vše dělá sám. Hrozně miluju snahu změnit vypravěčský styl, hrát si s médiem apod. Možná to Mack trochu překombinoval a zbytečně natáhl ale nemohl jsem z toho spustit oči. Bude ale potřeba si to brzy osvěžit protože je to hodně filozofické.

Sumec Sumárum, tohle vyjít samostatně tak to nemá šanci být úspěšný, vesměs jsou ty příběhy průměrné a dost o ničem takže je fajn, že to může člověk přečíst takhle sebraně.

[Caleb Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daredevil: Ninja #1-3: One of the word arcs I've ever read. 1 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil/Spider-Man #1-4: Pretty good. 3 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil (1998) #20-25: Mostly a courtroom drama, but it was fine. I understand why they didn't bother releasing it as it's own trade paperback. 3 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil (1998) #51-55: Very good. Beautiful art and strong story with a throwback to the arc from Daredevil #9-15. It probably could've been an issue or two shorter without losing anything, but I liked it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Marvel Knights: Daredevil/Spider-Man One-Shot: Really enjoyable crossover. Nice and concise. 4 out of 5 stars.

It's mostly a collection of filler arcs between Bendis' main work on the Daredevil line, plus the worst thing by Bendis I've ever read (Daredevil: Ninja).

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daredevil: Ninja #1-3, ☆☆☆
Daredevil/Spider-Man #1-4, ☆☆
Spider-Man/Daredevil #1, ☆☆☆
Daredevil #20-25, ☆☆☆
Daredevil #51-55, Echo, ☆☆☆☆
Pretty mediocre read overall, but it does fill in gaps that aren't covered in the Bendis omnibus. Daredevil 20-25 is referenced in a few later issues but 51-55, Echo, really feels like its should have been a separate miniseries rather than part of the main Daredevil series.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.5/10 a few different stories from different creative teams hodge podged together. They’re all okay but nothing really blew me away. I liked DD’s chemistry with Spider-Man. I’m also happy that after this, Bendis takes the reins completely on this series because out of the four different stories leading up to that all by four different writers, his was easily the best, and having one consistent voice will definitely do this series good.

[José Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection of mostly unconnected stories

This book is the definition of a gap filler, as its contents are all almost completely unconnected from each other and tell their own standalone stories.

That being said, each story is unique and memorable enough that it’s kinda cool to see them all in a single book.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd assortment of stories, but the majority of them are engrossing, though I thought the opening Ninja story was a little weaker than the rest.

[Doctor Doom · Rating 2 out of 5]

some really good, some not so much

[Scott E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should remind myself that I don’t enjoy Daredevil that much. Crippling boredom tends to be the prevailing feature

[Meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first part dull and dated (2-3* max)but David Mack’s ECHO arc is a work of art in concept and execution, 5*++.

[Fabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super enjoyable and chaotic. Matt is so dumb.

[Breiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐

[Arno Callens]

Enkel Daredevil #20-25 gelezen.

[Demi · Rating 1 out of 5]

japan ninja stuff - boooring
spider man and daredevil - mid
daredevil 20-25 was really good (3 stars good)
echo stuff - boring too

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven collection. Ninja is subpar Bendis, DD/Spidey is kind of a mess, 20-25 is actually quite entertaining, Spidey/DD is a nice little tale, and Echo - Vision Quest is just beautiful.

[Roland · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's alright. I really liked the team-up of Spider-Man and DD. I always like seeing these two interact.

[tiaᝰa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the issues incorporated into the main continuity of Bendis' run and disregarded the side stories.

[Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

Rating #20-25 'Unusual Suspects' arc only.