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Daredevil (1964) #158-161, 163-191
Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Omnibus
Frank Miller's spellbinding scripts and pulse-pounding pencils herald one of Daredevil's greatest eras, just in time for the Kingpin and Bullseye's efforts to rob the Man Without Fear of everything he holds dear! Featuring the first appearances of Elektra, Stick and the Hand! The daring discovery that drew Ben Urich into Daredevil's domain of darkness! Such forgotten-yet-formidable foes as Death-Stalker and the Gladiator! Guest-starring the Hulk, the Avengers, and Power Man and Iron Fist! Collects Daredevil #158-191.
787 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1983
106 people are currently reading
1414 people want to read
About the author
Frank Miller
1,358 books5,384 followersFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
December 24, 2021
This book started out just ok. Decent few adventures for DD. But as the book progressed and Frank Miller took over writing, it worked as a slow crescendo. It just got better with each issue. A lot of small plots working, like Matt and his girlfriend and her company, Foggy and Matt getting a new office, dealing with the Punisher and dealings with Black Widow. Then you have the bigger plots like, Kingpin returning to take over the crime world, the Hand, Stick and his plot against them and Elektra and Bullseye. These are things I’ve only heard of as Frank Miller’s run was popular but it was great to read it and see all this stuff unfold first hand. Like I said, the deeper into the book you get, the more of a page turner it becomes. My favorite was definitely all the stuff with Elektra. But definitely have to mention the small stuff with Turk. There were definitely some fun stuff there. Overall, great omnibus and if you haven’t checked out Miller’s run on Daredevil I recommend you do.
December 14, 2018
This is a handsome collection of Frank Miller's initial run of Daredevil. However, the whole run is not created equally.
It's the center, issues #168-182, which were originally Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 2 that's the meat of the book. This is Miller's best (early) writing on Daredevil, where he introduces just about the entirety of the modern Daredevil mythos, including Elektra, Stick, the Kingpin as Daredevil villain, and Bullseye as arch-villain. Some of these issues are quite beautiful, including the shocking #181 and the unbalanced #182.
The rest of this volume isn't quite as good, The early issues, #158-167, which were originally Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 1, are mostly Miller as artist, and they're more typical superhero fare (though they set up villains like Bullseye and the Gladiator who carry into Miller's issues proper). The latter issues, #183-191, which were originally Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 3, are much more scattered and contain some questionable stories. But, there's still innovation and the excellent issue #190, one of the best in the entire Daredevil run.
This entire volume is well worth reading, just be aware that the center issues are a step above the rest.
It's the center, issues #168-182, which were originally Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 2 that's the meat of the book. This is Miller's best (early) writing on Daredevil, where he introduces just about the entirety of the modern Daredevil mythos, including Elektra, Stick, the Kingpin as Daredevil villain, and Bullseye as arch-villain. Some of these issues are quite beautiful, including the shocking #181 and the unbalanced #182.
The rest of this volume isn't quite as good, The early issues, #158-167, which were originally Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 1, are mostly Miller as artist, and they're more typical superhero fare (though they set up villains like Bullseye and the Gladiator who carry into Miller's issues proper). The latter issues, #183-191, which were originally Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol. 3, are much more scattered and contain some questionable stories. But, there's still innovation and the excellent issue #190, one of the best in the entire Daredevil run.
This entire volume is well worth reading, just be aware that the center issues are a step above the rest.
June 6, 2022
Review/Overview in video form - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fst6...
Well this was the missing link for a long time. I've read Bendis legendary run, brubaker, waid, and so on. I, however, never did read the original Frank Miller run. I did read Born again, I did read Man without fear, and while I enjoyed both I didn't love them. This...I oddly fell in love the second Miller jumped on as head writer.
So this big ass book, they call those Omnibus, starts off with Frank Miller as actually just a artist. But a couple of issues in he becomes a plotter too. And by about 7 or 8 issues in he becomes the actual writer of this series while Klaus Janson continues the excellent art with Miller's penciling. What really worked well here with the two is both are artist and Frank Miller, when he was on the top of his game, was a hell of a writer/plotter.
While the first few stories here showcase a more fun side of Daredevil and some cool moments with the hulk, they feel very typical superheroish. Then we get into Frank Miller's world and right away he sets up Elektra in such a intriguing way. A woman who once loved Matt, and he loved her, swallowed by grief and rage goes down a much darker path than Matt. Still, inside her, you can tell she loves him.
Then Miller sets up Bullseye and makes him a extremely evil threat. While doing so he also gets to showcase Matt's limits and how close he is to letting Bullseye finally die. It's a great issue and only helps set up the big showdown later in the omnibus. Then Miller introduces the man, the legend, Fisk, into the big picture and things get even more crazy.
I won't spoil anything despite this being old but the amount of world building, chaos, and sadness this book contains is awesome. Even if the middle is near perfection I still think the ending of this Omnibus holds up extremely well too. Getting close to the end Matt becomes more joking, but not over the top, and it's refreshing. The fights can be brutal as hell, but also over the top and silly like Stiltman fight. The very last issue too is great, and a good deconstruction on superheroes.
Overall, very much worth reading. I can't say the start was perfect, but the middle was, and the last third was great. A 4.5 out of 5.
Well this was the missing link for a long time. I've read Bendis legendary run, brubaker, waid, and so on. I, however, never did read the original Frank Miller run. I did read Born again, I did read Man without fear, and while I enjoyed both I didn't love them. This...I oddly fell in love the second Miller jumped on as head writer.
So this big ass book, they call those Omnibus, starts off with Frank Miller as actually just a artist. But a couple of issues in he becomes a plotter too. And by about 7 or 8 issues in he becomes the actual writer of this series while Klaus Janson continues the excellent art with Miller's penciling. What really worked well here with the two is both are artist and Frank Miller, when he was on the top of his game, was a hell of a writer/plotter.
While the first few stories here showcase a more fun side of Daredevil and some cool moments with the hulk, they feel very typical superheroish. Then we get into Frank Miller's world and right away he sets up Elektra in such a intriguing way. A woman who once loved Matt, and he loved her, swallowed by grief and rage goes down a much darker path than Matt. Still, inside her, you can tell she loves him.
Then Miller sets up Bullseye and makes him a extremely evil threat. While doing so he also gets to showcase Matt's limits and how close he is to letting Bullseye finally die. It's a great issue and only helps set up the big showdown later in the omnibus. Then Miller introduces the man, the legend, Fisk, into the big picture and things get even more crazy.
I won't spoil anything despite this being old but the amount of world building, chaos, and sadness this book contains is awesome. Even if the middle is near perfection I still think the ending of this Omnibus holds up extremely well too. Getting close to the end Matt becomes more joking, but not over the top, and it's refreshing. The fights can be brutal as hell, but also over the top and silly like Stiltman fight. The very last issue too is great, and a good deconstruction on superheroes.
Overall, very much worth reading. I can't say the start was perfect, but the middle was, and the last third was great. A 4.5 out of 5.
August 8, 2016
Actually finished the story parts of this a few weeks back, but I really wanted to read the long interview in the back with Miller and Janson. Glad I did too because the pair give a very informative take on their run on the book and on the character and even into the comic book industry itself.
As for the omnibus itself, well, look: if you've read more than 1 comic by now, you've probably heard of this run. And the reason you have is because it's as great as everyone makes it out to be.
I was a little worried it would be dated or really ultra violent like some of Millers other work, but it was neither. Yes, there are violent scenes and some iconic characters getting stabbed, but it's levelled out nicely with humour and good story. In the interview in the back, Miller actually expresses a few times how he wanted to level the humour and violence so there was almost a balance, so one wouldn't become too much and make the book boring (shame he still doesn't take that approach, but I won't get into that).
It's a brilliant take on daredevil and really good comics. Absolutely a must read.
As for the omnibus itself, well, look: if you've read more than 1 comic by now, you've probably heard of this run. And the reason you have is because it's as great as everyone makes it out to be.
I was a little worried it would be dated or really ultra violent like some of Millers other work, but it was neither. Yes, there are violent scenes and some iconic characters getting stabbed, but it's levelled out nicely with humour and good story. In the interview in the back, Miller actually expresses a few times how he wanted to level the humour and violence so there was almost a balance, so one wouldn't become too much and make the book boring (shame he still doesn't take that approach, but I won't get into that).
It's a brilliant take on daredevil and really good comics. Absolutely a must read.
February 15, 2025
4.0 - 4.5
I frequently open reviews of Frank Miller comics by saying I simultaneously mock his work’s ultra grittiness (to almost comical levels) while also acknowledging his enormous contributions to the superhero genre by writing some fantastic stories including for my favorite superhero Daredevil. So why should this review be any different? Anyway, I previously read “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Man Without Fear”, considered to be Miller’s most essential Daredevil stories. I was curious to see what else Miller had done with the character during his tenure as the comic’s lead writer. Minus the aforementioned stories, his omnibus collects his and artist Klaus Janson’s entire work in the monthly series that introduce important parts of both the Daredevil mythos and the wider Marvel Universe be they characters like Elektra, Stick and The Hand or introducing formulative/long lasting relationships/rivalries with The Punisher and The Kingpin.
The start of the omnibus is fine, starting off when Miller was working on the artwork for Roger McKenzie. These stories are a bit all over the place but they had their moments. It was neat though seeing Miller go from just doing the artwork for Daredevil before becoming its main creative force. Once Miller takes over as the writer that’s when this omnibus soars and iconic and influential storylines and moments become more frequent. Writing wise, Miller does frequently hit home runs. I can’t say if this is the first time a writer had Matt question the morality of not taking crime fighting to an extreme and killing someone like Bullseye. But it’s still good to see Miller address this and keep Matt on the proverbial straight and narrow considering how otherwise ruthless the characters he writes are. As overly dramatic and gritty as his prose can get, there is something enjoyable about how Miller sets up and describes a scene. There’s also moments when Miller drops the machismo and lets more heartwarming moments creep in like Foggy’s breakdown about not being able to financially support the law practice and Matt comforting him in turn. There's also funny moments as well, like the issue where Turk thinks Foggy is some sort of highly skilled assassin and Daredevil plays along with that. These moments at least shows Miller has the capability to move beyond stoic badassery and touch on other lighter and softer content. There are story moments I can’t fully get behind like the Yellow Peril aspect of stories about The Hand. But for every one of those moments, there’s others that are quintessential for the overall character’s mythos and that of his supporting cast (i.e., it was fun seeing Ben Urich start to put the pieces together to figure out Daredevil’s identity and realize why he can't publish his findings).
Art wise, Miller and Janson are great as well with some really creative art decisions as well like the page where Matt leaves his girlfriend on hold while taking another call and you can see her give up silently on the call and relationship. Besides this there is plenty of iconic imagery
Individual issues I liked:
- #163. This is before Miller takes the lead but I still like this issue with Matt facing the Hulk and stopping the rampage in a more subdued manner (talking).
- #164 The aforementioned Ben Urich reveal and Miller doing a revamp of the origins story.
- #168 finally seeing Elektra’s debut issue was a trip considering how big of a character she went on to be. It's a bit weird though how Matt told her everything about his powers right off the bat.
- #169 was genuinely terrifying with Bullseye seeing Daredevil everywhere and killing innocents “disguised” as him. That said, I liked Matt’s speech establishing why he did not kill Bullseye.
- #170-172, Daredevil’s first interactions with Kingpin was this late after their introductions? Odd considering how they’re seen as mortal enemies but well worth the wait though.
- #180 My college library had a mural of Daredevil doing gymnastics in a leg cast once and I really appreciated getting the context of the panel now.
- #181 is the best issue of the collection due to the iconic Bullseye vs Elektra confrontation and the almost silent follow-up fight between Matt and Bullseye. It was also neat that Bullseye was the one who first figured out and then told Kingpin about Daredevil's secret identity
- #183 This had the first meetup between Daredevil and The Punisher, a combo that’s always narrative gold
- #191 final issue of the run and I really liked the set-up, both Matt playing Russian Roulette with a paralyzed Bullseye and his contemplating how even if he means well in crimefighting he sent wrong lessons to a mentally fragile kid with tragic results. It was a very contemplative way for Miller to end his initial period writing for Daredevil.
While I do think this omnibus contains many of the issues that I have with Frank Miller, it also clearly establishes how great he was at writing Daredevil. Stan Lee might have created the character and I think other lead writers have done plenty of great work with the character (including moving away from the dark and gritty content at points), Miller, with plenty of help from Janson, really did lead a character defining run for my favorite Marvel character. Any fan of the character and Marvel Comics should check this out.
I frequently open reviews of Frank Miller comics by saying I simultaneously mock his work’s ultra grittiness (to almost comical levels) while also acknowledging his enormous contributions to the superhero genre by writing some fantastic stories including for my favorite superhero Daredevil. So why should this review be any different? Anyway, I previously read “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Man Without Fear”, considered to be Miller’s most essential Daredevil stories. I was curious to see what else Miller had done with the character during his tenure as the comic’s lead writer. Minus the aforementioned stories, his omnibus collects his and artist Klaus Janson’s entire work in the monthly series that introduce important parts of both the Daredevil mythos and the wider Marvel Universe be they characters like Elektra, Stick and The Hand or introducing formulative/long lasting relationships/rivalries with The Punisher and The Kingpin.
The start of the omnibus is fine, starting off when Miller was working on the artwork for Roger McKenzie. These stories are a bit all over the place but they had their moments. It was neat though seeing Miller go from just doing the artwork for Daredevil before becoming its main creative force. Once Miller takes over as the writer that’s when this omnibus soars and iconic and influential storylines and moments become more frequent. Writing wise, Miller does frequently hit home runs. I can’t say if this is the first time a writer had Matt question the morality of not taking crime fighting to an extreme and killing someone like Bullseye. But it’s still good to see Miller address this and keep Matt on the proverbial straight and narrow considering how otherwise ruthless the characters he writes are. As overly dramatic and gritty as his prose can get, there is something enjoyable about how Miller sets up and describes a scene. There’s also moments when Miller drops the machismo and lets more heartwarming moments creep in like Foggy’s breakdown about not being able to financially support the law practice and Matt comforting him in turn. There's also funny moments as well, like the issue where Turk thinks Foggy is some sort of highly skilled assassin and Daredevil plays along with that. These moments at least shows Miller has the capability to move beyond stoic badassery and touch on other lighter and softer content. There are story moments I can’t fully get behind like the Yellow Peril aspect of stories about The Hand. But for every one of those moments, there’s others that are quintessential for the overall character’s mythos and that of his supporting cast (i.e., it was fun seeing Ben Urich start to put the pieces together to figure out Daredevil’s identity and realize why he can't publish his findings).
Art wise, Miller and Janson are great as well with some really creative art decisions as well like the page where Matt leaves his girlfriend on hold while taking another call and you can see her give up silently on the call and relationship. Besides this there is plenty of iconic imagery
Individual issues I liked:
- #163. This is before Miller takes the lead but I still like this issue with Matt facing the Hulk and stopping the rampage in a more subdued manner (talking).
- #164 The aforementioned Ben Urich reveal and Miller doing a revamp of the origins story.
- #168 finally seeing Elektra’s debut issue was a trip considering how big of a character she went on to be. It's a bit weird though how Matt told her everything about his powers right off the bat.
- #169 was genuinely terrifying with Bullseye seeing Daredevil everywhere and killing innocents “disguised” as him. That said, I liked Matt’s speech establishing why he did not kill Bullseye.
- #170-172, Daredevil’s first interactions with Kingpin was this late after their introductions? Odd considering how they’re seen as mortal enemies but well worth the wait though.
- #180 My college library had a mural of Daredevil doing gymnastics in a leg cast once and I really appreciated getting the context of the panel now.
- #181 is the best issue of the collection due to the iconic Bullseye vs Elektra confrontation and the almost silent follow-up fight between Matt and Bullseye. It was also neat that Bullseye was the one who first figured out and then told Kingpin about Daredevil's secret identity
- #183 This had the first meetup between Daredevil and The Punisher, a combo that’s always narrative gold
- #191 final issue of the run and I really liked the set-up, both Matt playing Russian Roulette with a paralyzed Bullseye and his contemplating how even if he means well in crimefighting he sent wrong lessons to a mentally fragile kid with tragic results. It was a very contemplative way for Miller to end his initial period writing for Daredevil.
While I do think this omnibus contains many of the issues that I have with Frank Miller, it also clearly establishes how great he was at writing Daredevil. Stan Lee might have created the character and I think other lead writers have done plenty of great work with the character (including moving away from the dark and gritty content at points), Miller, with plenty of help from Janson, really did lead a character defining run for my favorite Marvel character. Any fan of the character and Marvel Comics should check this out.
Read
June 18, 2022I am slowly reading Miller-Janson's run of Daredevil. I have started from issue #168, the first one where Miller is in command of the writing. I will try to update this review with my impressions issue by issue. In some cases it will be a reread, as I am already familiar with key issues of the run. But a lot of the material is new to me. [Pictures ahead, click 'see review'.]
#168: ELEKTRA
This issue is a cornerstone of American comics. The first relevant comic book completely conceived by Frank Miller. The first appearance of an icon of the medium, the tormented character of Elektra Natchios, ninja assassin by training and by vocation. A plot directly and unapologetically inspired by an issue of Will Eisner's The Spirit. The beginning of the complicated relation between Frank Miller and his female characters, destined to go down the drain over the years, after the death (spoiler?) of his 'daughter' Elektra.
In retrospective, the cover itself seems a representation of Miller's artistic excursus:
On the front we have a muscular Daredevil, representing Miller's style of the time, fascinating but quite stiff, recognisable but still reminiscent of Marvel's house style. On the back, a shadowy stylised figure, not much more than a silhouette, representing where - who knows how consciously or unconsciously - Miller's hand wanted to go, and will go from Ronin on.
The story is Miller's Daredevil 101. Your friendly neighborhood blind devil stopping petty criminals on the street of Hell's Kitchen with sarcasm even more than punches. A backstory thrown there to create - somehow, softly retcon - the character, and turn him step by step into 'Miller's Daredevil'. Acrobatic ninja-i-esque choreographies, with an emphasis on throwing stuff in cool ways. (And Bullseye is not even in this one!)
WTF moment: young Murdock trying to hit on a Greek-born girl by calling her 'olive oil'! What the Hell's kitchen, Matt! Anyhow, as you can see from the image above, Deedee's cultural insensitivity pays in a pivot moment, so all's well what ends well.
#169: DEVILS
This issue starts with young Miller experimenting with one of his future tropes: narration by tv screens!
Frank has yet to figure out that all he needs are panels shaped like screens: no necessity to draw a complete tv set six times in a row. Nonetheless, pretty cool start.
So, Bullseye is out and he is gone crazy. More than usual. Hallucinatory crazy. He now sees Daredevil in every person. Like, he sees everyone literally dressed in a red spandex, 'so tight that you can see what religion people are', to quote a legendary joke by Robin Williams. A tumour in Bullseye's brain may be responsible for the further degradation of his mental state, as explained to Daredevil and to us by a sexy oncologist. The central part of the story revolves around a fist fight in a movie theatre, with the Maltese Falcon in background. Actual 'screentoned' images of Humphrey Bogart in it! Could Marvel get away with it nowadays? In the final fist fight in the subway DeeDee has a chance to get rid of the bastard for good, with a little help from NYC railways. But he opts to save the killer's life. And you know what, he is right:
#170-172: the GANGWAR arc
For his first attempt to write a long story (longer than one issue), Miller recycles a retired Spiderman foe, the Kingpin. Or maybe vice versa, in order to inject Kingpin into his own narrative, Miller needed a plot worth 60 pages of mob fights. Anyhow, from then on, Wilson Fisk (I think Miller gave Kingpin his actual name) will become Daredevil's nemesis.
Matt Draper, a comics-focused YouTuber who likes to analyse every bit of Daredevil lore as if it was Dostoevsky, has this video on the story. So watch that if you want to hear about its themes: crime and redemption, salvation through love, perdition through loss. Whatever.
Here what I liked the most. First, I don't know if it was already established by previous writers, but Miller's Daredevil is a funny superhero. His comedic times especially shine when he appears out of nowhere. I don't know, I just find hilarious when some bad guys are making conversation and he is already fucking there:
Deedee's stealth mode eve defies the rules of optics:
Poor Turks, he is the main victim of the sneaking Devil:
And of course, the throwing panel:
Issue #172 is famous for having all scenes introduced by vertical panels with views of the city and narration boxes. What I like, however, is the two page spread here below. Not only the lay-outs of the two pages are the same. The panel compositions are mirroring each other, with Kingping and Bullseye in similar positions, and the line of Fisk's smoke repeated as the trajectory of a buzzing fly in the following page.
#173: LADY KILLER
A minor issue, plotted around the goofy looking character of the Gladiator, a leftover of the pre-Miller era, when Daredevil was fighting a rouge gallery of buffoons. But even in less important chapters of their run such as this, Miller and Janson manage to pool out some interesting visual ideas. This issue is less appealing than previous and following issues, a bit more on the dense side of Marvel-style storytelling of the era. Nonetheless, it has some good looking panels. Economy of brush strokes and backgrounds, the big limitation of the product here, sometimes entail great results. Also, Miller comes up with a nice moral message for the kids. Daredevil is given to 'feel' like a victim of physical (and sexual, in the subtext) abuse. He is super-human, but that expression can take the meaning of 'extremely human', sometimes.
#168: ELEKTRA
This issue is a cornerstone of American comics. The first relevant comic book completely conceived by Frank Miller. The first appearance of an icon of the medium, the tormented character of Elektra Natchios, ninja assassin by training and by vocation. A plot directly and unapologetically inspired by an issue of Will Eisner's The Spirit. The beginning of the complicated relation between Frank Miller and his female characters, destined to go down the drain over the years, after the death (spoiler?) of his 'daughter' Elektra.
In retrospective, the cover itself seems a representation of Miller's artistic excursus:
On the front we have a muscular Daredevil, representing Miller's style of the time, fascinating but quite stiff, recognisable but still reminiscent of Marvel's house style. On the back, a shadowy stylised figure, not much more than a silhouette, representing where - who knows how consciously or unconsciously - Miller's hand wanted to go, and will go from Ronin on.
The story is Miller's Daredevil 101. Your friendly neighborhood blind devil stopping petty criminals on the street of Hell's Kitchen with sarcasm even more than punches. A backstory thrown there to create - somehow, softly retcon - the character, and turn him step by step into 'Miller's Daredevil'. Acrobatic ninja-i-esque choreographies, with an emphasis on throwing stuff in cool ways. (And Bullseye is not even in this one!)
WTF moment: young Murdock trying to hit on a Greek-born girl by calling her 'olive oil'! What the Hell's kitchen, Matt! Anyhow, as you can see from the image above, Deedee's cultural insensitivity pays in a pivot moment, so all's well what ends well.
#169: DEVILS
This issue starts with young Miller experimenting with one of his future tropes: narration by tv screens!
Frank has yet to figure out that all he needs are panels shaped like screens: no necessity to draw a complete tv set six times in a row. Nonetheless, pretty cool start.
So, Bullseye is out and he is gone crazy. More than usual. Hallucinatory crazy. He now sees Daredevil in every person. Like, he sees everyone literally dressed in a red spandex, 'so tight that you can see what religion people are', to quote a legendary joke by Robin Williams. A tumour in Bullseye's brain may be responsible for the further degradation of his mental state, as explained to Daredevil and to us by a sexy oncologist. The central part of the story revolves around a fist fight in a movie theatre, with the Maltese Falcon in background. Actual 'screentoned' images of Humphrey Bogart in it! Could Marvel get away with it nowadays? In the final fist fight in the subway DeeDee has a chance to get rid of the bastard for good, with a little help from NYC railways. But he opts to save the killer's life. And you know what, he is right:
#170-172: the GANGWAR arc
For his first attempt to write a long story (longer than one issue), Miller recycles a retired Spiderman foe, the Kingpin. Or maybe vice versa, in order to inject Kingpin into his own narrative, Miller needed a plot worth 60 pages of mob fights. Anyhow, from then on, Wilson Fisk (I think Miller gave Kingpin his actual name) will become Daredevil's nemesis.
Matt Draper, a comics-focused YouTuber who likes to analyse every bit of Daredevil lore as if it was Dostoevsky, has this video on the story. So watch that if you want to hear about its themes: crime and redemption, salvation through love, perdition through loss. Whatever.
Here what I liked the most. First, I don't know if it was already established by previous writers, but Miller's Daredevil is a funny superhero. His comedic times especially shine when he appears out of nowhere. I don't know, I just find hilarious when some bad guys are making conversation and he is already fucking there:
Deedee's stealth mode eve defies the rules of optics:
Poor Turks, he is the main victim of the sneaking Devil:
And of course, the throwing panel:
Issue #172 is famous for having all scenes introduced by vertical panels with views of the city and narration boxes. What I like, however, is the two page spread here below. Not only the lay-outs of the two pages are the same. The panel compositions are mirroring each other, with Kingping and Bullseye in similar positions, and the line of Fisk's smoke repeated as the trajectory of a buzzing fly in the following page.
#173: LADY KILLER
A minor issue, plotted around the goofy looking character of the Gladiator, a leftover of the pre-Miller era, when Daredevil was fighting a rouge gallery of buffoons. But even in less important chapters of their run such as this, Miller and Janson manage to pool out some interesting visual ideas. This issue is less appealing than previous and following issues, a bit more on the dense side of Marvel-style storytelling of the era. Nonetheless, it has some good looking panels. Economy of brush strokes and backgrounds, the big limitation of the product here, sometimes entail great results. Also, Miller comes up with a nice moral message for the kids. Daredevil is given to 'feel' like a victim of physical (and sexual, in the subtext) abuse. He is super-human, but that expression can take the meaning of 'extremely human', sometimes.
July 12, 2019
If you ask me, it’s hard to even conceive a better superhero than Daredevil. He’s got it all, and just in the right amount: Supernatural skills that essentially fall short compared to the set of skills he’s acquired through hard work and discipline, yet enough hot-headedness to screw up said hard work and discipline, a childhood trauma on top of another childhood trauma, plenty of brooding to last him five lifetimes and enough moral ambiguousness to save him from being disgustingly good. So much drama! Such tension! And his (new) costume is really cool, too.
That being said, Frank Miller and Daredevil suit each other like Johnnie Walker and a dark and stormy night. I am not aflutter about all of his works, but Miller does have the right kind of touch for fast-paced action and noir(-ish) atmosphere that “Daredevil” needs. And by the time he takes over, the standard early Marvel nonsense in form of obscure single-appearance characters and equally obscure plots and settings is history, so we can all focus on Hell Kitchen’s guardian devil and vigilante going against the mob and a shadowy ninja order.
The first issues in the Miller-Janson run are quite a challenge. You have to get past Daredevil being somewhat of Spiderman’s sidekick or nanny or whatever, which is beyond ridiculous. How does a highly-educated grown man with admirable boxing ninja abilities end up running after an annoying brat? After their affiliation has ended, “Daredevil” is still left with poor hand-me down villains and flat one-shot episodes. The (maybe unintentionally) comical Otto Octavius might be an apt antagonist for a hero adequately adored by five-year-olds, but not for someone at war against social and political scheming in the underworld.
As soon as the Kingpin, a devious spider of a mob boss who has sucked himself fat on the blood of his prey, is adopted into the “Daredevil” comics, as soon as Bullseye becomes not only unfathomably skilled but also completely deranged, so that none of his actions and motifs could possibly be grasped, as soon as Elektra is, paradoxically enough, consumed not only by personal rage but even more by emotional detachment, not unlike Daredevil himself, this become a proper comic for adult readers. One about personal profit and interests, spent passions and ideals, an underworld network spreading its tentacles throughout the city like a Kraken, and personal relationships reaching from dysfunctional to exploitative. In a way, the best thing about the general plot in Miller’s “Daredevil” is that it would work just as brilliantly without any superpowers, supermutations or super-gadgets. On top of that, you get great artwork with well-chosen perspective to match the dynamics of the action. Visually, this is simply an eighties gem of a superhero comic which look exactly like an eighties gem of a superhero comic.
In a sea of good things to offer, Miller’s grand feat is probably turning Daredevil into an antihero above anything else. He is determined to obsession, undoubtedly intelligent, a compete jackass, manipulative and self-absorbed, and you’re still dying to see what happens next. Miller’s only fail, on the other hand, are the unnecessary and completely moronic comic reliefs, in which inherently half-witted characters like Turk, Iron First or Luke Cage are propelled into unfathomable heights of imbecility, and an intelligent and compassionate man like Franklin Nelson becomes the butt of every idiotic schoolyard joke. Seriously, humour neither contributes to every situation nor should everyone consider themselves funny. So why (almost…) ruin something so perfect with embarrassingly dumb stunts?
That being said, Frank Miller and Daredevil suit each other like Johnnie Walker and a dark and stormy night. I am not aflutter about all of his works, but Miller does have the right kind of touch for fast-paced action and noir(-ish) atmosphere that “Daredevil” needs. And by the time he takes over, the standard early Marvel nonsense in form of obscure single-appearance characters and equally obscure plots and settings is history, so we can all focus on Hell Kitchen’s guardian devil and vigilante going against the mob and a shadowy ninja order.
The first issues in the Miller-Janson run are quite a challenge. You have to get past Daredevil being somewhat of Spiderman’s sidekick or nanny or whatever, which is beyond ridiculous. How does a highly-educated grown man with admirable boxing ninja abilities end up running after an annoying brat? After their affiliation has ended, “Daredevil” is still left with poor hand-me down villains and flat one-shot episodes. The (maybe unintentionally) comical Otto Octavius might be an apt antagonist for a hero adequately adored by five-year-olds, but not for someone at war against social and political scheming in the underworld.
As soon as the Kingpin, a devious spider of a mob boss who has sucked himself fat on the blood of his prey, is adopted into the “Daredevil” comics, as soon as Bullseye becomes not only unfathomably skilled but also completely deranged, so that none of his actions and motifs could possibly be grasped, as soon as Elektra is, paradoxically enough, consumed not only by personal rage but even more by emotional detachment, not unlike Daredevil himself, this become a proper comic for adult readers. One about personal profit and interests, spent passions and ideals, an underworld network spreading its tentacles throughout the city like a Kraken, and personal relationships reaching from dysfunctional to exploitative. In a way, the best thing about the general plot in Miller’s “Daredevil” is that it would work just as brilliantly without any superpowers, supermutations or super-gadgets. On top of that, you get great artwork with well-chosen perspective to match the dynamics of the action. Visually, this is simply an eighties gem of a superhero comic which look exactly like an eighties gem of a superhero comic.
In a sea of good things to offer, Miller’s grand feat is probably turning Daredevil into an antihero above anything else. He is determined to obsession, undoubtedly intelligent, a compete jackass, manipulative and self-absorbed, and you’re still dying to see what happens next. Miller’s only fail, on the other hand, are the unnecessary and completely moronic comic reliefs, in which inherently half-witted characters like Turk, Iron First or Luke Cage are propelled into unfathomable heights of imbecility, and an intelligent and compassionate man like Franklin Nelson becomes the butt of every idiotic schoolyard joke. Seriously, humour neither contributes to every situation nor should everyone consider themselves funny. So why (almost…) ruin something so perfect with embarrassingly dumb stunts?
April 12, 2022
(Zero spoiler review) 4.25/5
Ok, so I liked this, I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Miller's Daredevil run is one of the most lauded, most hyped runs of any character, at least in my experience anyway. To say I was going into this expecting something special would have been an understatement. I'd had the book for months and was holding onto it for a special occasion. Waiting for that moment when I needed a guaranteed winner to wash the taste of mediocrity out of my mouth. Did this book suffer from my ungodly level of expectation... maybe... probably... almost certainly. It's still pretty bloody good though.
Sin City is Frank Millers masterpiece, and I was kind expecting that, only with Daredevil. Of course, 1980 Marvel were never going to get away with Sin City levels of maturity, although one could always have hoped, yet for al the talk of street level grit and grounded storytelling, there was still a little too much of the silver age tainting this run, at least early on, before Miller found his feet when he started writing it, anyway. I'd read the Stan Lee silver age Daredevil omnibus, and although far from awful, was just a little too dated to fall in love with it. Lee's run still loomed large over this, though once Miller got up to speed with his own natural style coming through, things picked up, and we were treated to some spectacular artwork, and some enthralling stories to boot. Sure, there were a few duds here and there, and more than a few missed opportunities that had me rewriting the great Frank Miller in my head, as sacrilegious as it sounds. great it is, but god tier its not, at least for me anyway. I'm just not that much of a superhero guy. I judge this stuff differently than other people do. Still, if a run like this was far more par for the course, it makes me sad to think how much better this medium could be. Absolutely should be read, I just wouldn't hype on it as much as other people. 4.25/5
OmniBen.
Ok, so I liked this, I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Miller's Daredevil run is one of the most lauded, most hyped runs of any character, at least in my experience anyway. To say I was going into this expecting something special would have been an understatement. I'd had the book for months and was holding onto it for a special occasion. Waiting for that moment when I needed a guaranteed winner to wash the taste of mediocrity out of my mouth. Did this book suffer from my ungodly level of expectation... maybe... probably... almost certainly. It's still pretty bloody good though.
Sin City is Frank Millers masterpiece, and I was kind expecting that, only with Daredevil. Of course, 1980 Marvel were never going to get away with Sin City levels of maturity, although one could always have hoped, yet for al the talk of street level grit and grounded storytelling, there was still a little too much of the silver age tainting this run, at least early on, before Miller found his feet when he started writing it, anyway. I'd read the Stan Lee silver age Daredevil omnibus, and although far from awful, was just a little too dated to fall in love with it. Lee's run still loomed large over this, though once Miller got up to speed with his own natural style coming through, things picked up, and we were treated to some spectacular artwork, and some enthralling stories to boot. Sure, there were a few duds here and there, and more than a few missed opportunities that had me rewriting the great Frank Miller in my head, as sacrilegious as it sounds. great it is, but god tier its not, at least for me anyway. I'm just not that much of a superhero guy. I judge this stuff differently than other people do. Still, if a run like this was far more par for the course, it makes me sad to think how much better this medium could be. Absolutely should be read, I just wouldn't hype on it as much as other people. 4.25/5
OmniBen.
February 5, 2026
Metti un raptus improvviso per cui una vecchia fascinazione giovanile sfocia nella bramosia bulimica d'immergersi in un mondo narrativo sconosciuto e, di sbieco, pure in un episodio di folle collezionismo bibliofilo: ecco perché sto leggendo Daredevil.
La prima volta che ho incontrato questo personaggio devo aver avuto tra i dieci e i dodici anni, quando venne trasmesso per la prima volta in TV - azzardo su Italia 1, che è il canale con cui sono cresciuto. Siccome ero già un malessere cupo, 'sto fatto dell'eroe disabile, cupo e miserabile, che si traveste da diavolo per portare la giustizia dove questa non arriva a suon di arti marziali e ranganellate, ovviamente mi aveva stregato. Vogliamo poi aggiungerci anche Bring me to life degli Evanescence come colonna sonora? E come tacere, soprattutto, Elektra *fucking* Natchios, ovvero un interesse amoroso/antagonista grigissima, sfaccettata e potente? Quei cazzo di sai, la fine tremenda che fa nel film (nota geek: la pugnalata presa direttamente dai panel del fumetto!!). MYGOD. Qualcuno potrebbe dire che quel film è stata la mia bi awakening - ma in verità non si è svegliato niente, visto quanto sono morto dentro.
[Che poi con la freddezza della posterità sono abbastanza sicuro che il film faccia cagare, anche se non lo riguardo da anni. Però allo stesso tempo ricordo una certa cupezza affascinante - sempre perché io bimbo gioioso - che ho ritrovato moltissimo in questo volume].
Insomma, stringendo, ho speso la mia tredicesima in volumi omnibus di Daredevil. Considerato che vorrei comprare casa e che dovrei risparmiare il più possibile, non esattamente la mossa con cui verrò ricordato per la mia scaltrezza.
Questa è la mia prima vera esperienza con la serialità a fumetti occidentale, che è una frase quasi paradossale da scrivere. Però è vera. Io, da ragazzino, ho letto solo manga.
Sarà che ho approcciato solo opere molto più recenti, sarà che i giapponesi hanno una cultura diversa a riguardo, non lo so, ma quanto mi ha stranito trovare in ogni numero un riassunto di chi è Devil e come è diventato un vigilante. Come se il lettore non fosse sveglio abbastanza da ricordarsi le basi del personaggio di cui aveva comprato il fumetto. Probabilmente lo scopo era lasciare sempre un punto di accesso a nuovi lettori, cosa possibile anche perché lo sviluppo narrativo è orizzontale solo in modo molto blando e cresce solo verso la fine di questa prima parte della run di Miller, preferendo imperniarsi su un susseguirsi di "casi della settimana".
Nel complesso, il tomo parte un po' in sordina. Un po' perché i primi numeri vedono Miller solo come disegnatore, un po' perché quando assume anche il ruolo di sceneggiatore si percepisce una certa scomodità negli abiti di Matt Murdock.
Recupera egregiamente.
Quando finalmente si accantona un po' la struttura verticale, legando più capitoli con la stessa trama, arrivano anche i momenti epici: la morte di Elektra, la sua rinascita, il confronto di Devil con Bullseye. Ho apprezzato moltissimo il tono farsi sempre più scuro, senza timore d'affrontare i rimestamenti neri dei personaggi. Poche scelte narrative, anche minuscole, tratteggiano Devil in modo straordinario.
Certo, su alcuni aspetti non è invecchiato benissimo e immagino conti molto il fatto d'essere stato scritto negli anni Ottanta. Però, tutto sommato, meno peggio di quanto avevo prospettato - un po' di maschilismo, alcune frasi sulla disabilità di Matt non proprio felicissime, ecc.
Ovviamente disegnato benissimo, con soluzioni grafiche intelligenti e sbalorditive.
Quanto sono un bimbo felice? Tantissimo.
(Quanto sono povero? Eh.)
La prima volta che ho incontrato questo personaggio devo aver avuto tra i dieci e i dodici anni, quando venne trasmesso per la prima volta in TV - azzardo su Italia 1, che è il canale con cui sono cresciuto. Siccome ero già un malessere cupo, 'sto fatto dell'eroe disabile, cupo e miserabile, che si traveste da diavolo per portare la giustizia dove questa non arriva a suon di arti marziali e ranganellate, ovviamente mi aveva stregato. Vogliamo poi aggiungerci anche Bring me to life degli Evanescence come colonna sonora? E come tacere, soprattutto, Elektra *fucking* Natchios, ovvero un interesse amoroso/antagonista grigissima, sfaccettata e potente? Quei cazzo di sai, la fine tremenda che fa nel film (nota geek: la pugnalata presa direttamente dai panel del fumetto!!). MYGOD. Qualcuno potrebbe dire che quel film è stata la mia bi awakening - ma in verità non si è svegliato niente, visto quanto sono morto dentro.
[Che poi con la freddezza della posterità sono abbastanza sicuro che il film faccia cagare, anche se non lo riguardo da anni. Però allo stesso tempo ricordo una certa cupezza affascinante - sempre perché io bimbo gioioso - che ho ritrovato moltissimo in questo volume].
Insomma, stringendo, ho speso la mia tredicesima in volumi omnibus di Daredevil. Considerato che vorrei comprare casa e che dovrei risparmiare il più possibile, non esattamente la mossa con cui verrò ricordato per la mia scaltrezza.
Questa è la mia prima vera esperienza con la serialità a fumetti occidentale, che è una frase quasi paradossale da scrivere. Però è vera. Io, da ragazzino, ho letto solo manga.
Sarà che ho approcciato solo opere molto più recenti, sarà che i giapponesi hanno una cultura diversa a riguardo, non lo so, ma quanto mi ha stranito trovare in ogni numero un riassunto di chi è Devil e come è diventato un vigilante. Come se il lettore non fosse sveglio abbastanza da ricordarsi le basi del personaggio di cui aveva comprato il fumetto. Probabilmente lo scopo era lasciare sempre un punto di accesso a nuovi lettori, cosa possibile anche perché lo sviluppo narrativo è orizzontale solo in modo molto blando e cresce solo verso la fine di questa prima parte della run di Miller, preferendo imperniarsi su un susseguirsi di "casi della settimana".
Nel complesso, il tomo parte un po' in sordina. Un po' perché i primi numeri vedono Miller solo come disegnatore, un po' perché quando assume anche il ruolo di sceneggiatore si percepisce una certa scomodità negli abiti di Matt Murdock.
Recupera egregiamente.
Quando finalmente si accantona un po' la struttura verticale, legando più capitoli con la stessa trama, arrivano anche i momenti epici: la morte di Elektra, la sua rinascita, il confronto di Devil con Bullseye. Ho apprezzato moltissimo il tono farsi sempre più scuro, senza timore d'affrontare i rimestamenti neri dei personaggi. Poche scelte narrative, anche minuscole, tratteggiano Devil in modo straordinario.
Certo, su alcuni aspetti non è invecchiato benissimo e immagino conti molto il fatto d'essere stato scritto negli anni Ottanta. Però, tutto sommato, meno peggio di quanto avevo prospettato - un po' di maschilismo, alcune frasi sulla disabilità di Matt non proprio felicissime, ecc.
Ovviamente disegnato benissimo, con soluzioni grafiche intelligenti e sbalorditive.
Quanto sono un bimbo felice? Tantissimo.
(Quanto sono povero? Eh.)
January 26, 2015
A estas alturas de la vida no voy a descubriros el Daredevil de Frank Miller, pero como me hice de autoregalo por navidad este omnibus americano, que recoge el momento en que Miller se puso al frente de la colección, primero como dibujante y después como guionista, pues habrá que hacerle al menos una pequeña reseña. Dicho sea de paso, que tenéis esta etapa en tomos de Best of Marvel Essentials de Panini y en el coleccionable Daredevil de Forum, pero me crucé con la oportunidad de hacerme con este ominbus americano a mejor precio que estas otras ediciones inferiores y tuve que hacerme con él. De hecho a la hora de poner el precio, no sabia que poner, así que lo he dejado en "variable". De salida costaba 100$ en su reedición, a mi me ha costado 40€ que es un precio acojonantemente bajo, y ahora mismo lo vuelvo a ver en amazon por 3 veces ese precio, así que "variable". Pero en un formato u otro, en inglés o castellano, hay que tenerlo en la colección del cuernecitos que todo el mundo debería tener en casa.
Estábamos en el año 79 y este que escribe era un retaco empezaba a ir al colegio. En aquella época brumosa y de fotos amarillentas, Daredevil iba cuesta abajo y sin frenos.. otra colección camino a la cancelación por ser una tontunada como tantas otras, por ejemplo spiderman (torta gratuita, sip). Entonces llegó Frank Miller como dibujante a las ordenes de Roger McKenzie y nos encontramos cosas impensables como que un fachon irredento como el Miller de hoy en día, dibujara a la viuda negra, veterana de Stalingrado en aquella época, jurando por las barbas de Lenin en el guion de Mackenzie.. no imagino el rechinar de dientes de Miller hoy en día ante tal infamia.
El estilo de dibujo de Miller, fue comiéndose al propio guionista y no porque Miller sea (o fuera) un grandísimo dibujante propiamente mismo, sino por la forma de narrar visualmente, lo que empujó poco a poco a que las historias fueran también mas cinematográficas en todos los aspectos. Poco después el bueno de Frank agarró al demonio por los cuernos y se puso al mando de la colección con la total libertad que da saber que estas en una colección que ya tiene los días contados. Y haciendo lo que le daba la gana, no solo salvó a Daredevil, sino que marcó un punto y aparte que ha influenciado y ha sido respetado durante casi 40 años por los autores que llegaron a la cocina del infierno después él.
Al menos hasta ahora mismo, que vivimos la época mas baja en cuanto al personaje y mas triste al ver que la alaban tanto los que nunca han hecho ni puto caso al personaje. Es esta una época dura para ser un fan de Daredevil, porque uno ve con estupor como la vergüenza ajena brota por doquier y como algo que nada tiene que ver con los últimos 40 años y mas con la etapa tontuna que casi lo lleva a la cancelación en la etapa pre-Miller, es encima aplaudido hoy en día. Pero bueno volviendo a lo que tenemos entre manos, nos encontramos con grandes historias como el retorno al crimen de Kingpin, la propia Elektra, la Mano, los ninjas blancos, Stick, Viuda Negra, Punisher, Bullseye y el gran final demoledor de la ruleta rusa donde en unas pocas paginas se deconstruye (toma ahí) todo el genero de los superheroes. No todo es estupendo y tiene algunos altibajos, pero en general es el personaje negro y duro que ha llegado casi hasta nuestros días y que con un poco de suerte volveremos a ver dentro de un par de meses en la serie de Netflix.
Estábamos en el año 79 y este que escribe era un retaco empezaba a ir al colegio. En aquella época brumosa y de fotos amarillentas, Daredevil iba cuesta abajo y sin frenos.. otra colección camino a la cancelación por ser una tontunada como tantas otras, por ejemplo spiderman (torta gratuita, sip). Entonces llegó Frank Miller como dibujante a las ordenes de Roger McKenzie y nos encontramos cosas impensables como que un fachon irredento como el Miller de hoy en día, dibujara a la viuda negra, veterana de Stalingrado en aquella época, jurando por las barbas de Lenin en el guion de Mackenzie.. no imagino el rechinar de dientes de Miller hoy en día ante tal infamia.
El estilo de dibujo de Miller, fue comiéndose al propio guionista y no porque Miller sea (o fuera) un grandísimo dibujante propiamente mismo, sino por la forma de narrar visualmente, lo que empujó poco a poco a que las historias fueran también mas cinematográficas en todos los aspectos. Poco después el bueno de Frank agarró al demonio por los cuernos y se puso al mando de la colección con la total libertad que da saber que estas en una colección que ya tiene los días contados. Y haciendo lo que le daba la gana, no solo salvó a Daredevil, sino que marcó un punto y aparte que ha influenciado y ha sido respetado durante casi 40 años por los autores que llegaron a la cocina del infierno después él.
Al menos hasta ahora mismo, que vivimos la época mas baja en cuanto al personaje y mas triste al ver que la alaban tanto los que nunca han hecho ni puto caso al personaje. Es esta una época dura para ser un fan de Daredevil, porque uno ve con estupor como la vergüenza ajena brota por doquier y como algo que nada tiene que ver con los últimos 40 años y mas con la etapa tontuna que casi lo lleva a la cancelación en la etapa pre-Miller, es encima aplaudido hoy en día. Pero bueno volviendo a lo que tenemos entre manos, nos encontramos con grandes historias como el retorno al crimen de Kingpin, la propia Elektra, la Mano, los ninjas blancos, Stick, Viuda Negra, Punisher, Bullseye y el gran final demoledor de la ruleta rusa donde en unas pocas paginas se deconstruye (toma ahí) todo el genero de los superheroes. No todo es estupendo y tiene algunos altibajos, pero en general es el personaje negro y duro que ha llegado casi hasta nuestros días y que con un poco de suerte volveremos a ver dentro de un par de meses en la serie de Netflix.
August 11, 2017
Recopilación de la etapa de daredevil dibujada por Frank Miller... en los inicios de esta etapa Miller comenzó dibujando los guiones de Roger McEnzie, tras unos cuantos números de adaptación pasó a hacerse cargo del guión y los lápices siendo entintado por Klaus Janson, Miller y Janson desarrollaron un estilo muy adecuado y efectivo para la serie que les proporcionó un gran éxito, al final de esta etapa Miller fue delegando en la parte gráfica, parcela en la que Janson iría ganando más peso cada vez.
En esta etapa de daredevil, Frank Miller comenzó a alejarse del tono superheroico habitual en la serie, en lugar del elenco de supervillanos tradicionales de la serie, Miller decidió darle un gran protagonismo a Kingpin, que no era habitual en la colección hasta el momento, convirtiéndole en una figura omnipresente en los bajos fondos de la ciudad, una sombra que movía los hilos y que resultaba un enemigo prácticamente intocable, así Miller le dió a la serie un tono más realista y urbano... los antagonistas pasaron a ser secuaces de la mafia en lugar de supervillanos. Al mismo tiempo Miller fue introduciendo en un ejercicio de retrocontinuidad bien realizada personajes nuevos como Elektra, una antigua amante del pasado convertida en asesina y el maestro Stick, que le enseñó a dominar sus sentidos aumentados de joven, todo esto lo trenzó en un arco de larga duración en el que presentó también a la organización criminal de la mano, un grupo de asesinos ninja a sueldo que adquirieron gran protagonismo en esta etapa y luego serían utilizados recurrentemente en esta y otras colecciones.
Pero ya entrando en el aspecto técnico, lo que realmente destaca de la etapa de Frank Miller en Daredevil, lo que marcó el mundo del cómic en los años posteriores, es el estilo del dibujo y lo bien que se complementaban dibujante y entintador, Miller planteando las páginas y haciendo los bocetos y Janson dando detalle y profundidad al dibujo. Miller utilizó todo el repertorio de técnicas que aprendió de los cómics del maestro Will Eisner, en especial Spirit, para plasmar el movimiento y la acción de daredevil... puso mucho énfasis en retratar los barrios de New York, creando una ambientación genial para las aventuras del personaje, huyó de las estructuras clásicas del comic book para presentar las páginas de forma inusual en la época, con grandes viñetas rectangulares, tanto panorámicas como verticales que eran más adecuadas para representar la ciudad y el movimiento del protagonista por ella, asimismo, Miller fue capaz de realizar un dibujo fluido y fácil de interpretar para el lector, de manera que se podía arriesgar a presentar gran cantidad de páginas que reflejaban la acción sin cuadros de texto que la explicaran, cosa bastante inusual en aquellos momentos. Incluso a día de hoy sorprende lo fácilmente que se leen estos cómics.
En resumen, la mejor etapa del personaje aún a día de hoy y un momento clave en la historia del comic book de superhéroes en general
En esta etapa de daredevil, Frank Miller comenzó a alejarse del tono superheroico habitual en la serie, en lugar del elenco de supervillanos tradicionales de la serie, Miller decidió darle un gran protagonismo a Kingpin, que no era habitual en la colección hasta el momento, convirtiéndole en una figura omnipresente en los bajos fondos de la ciudad, una sombra que movía los hilos y que resultaba un enemigo prácticamente intocable, así Miller le dió a la serie un tono más realista y urbano... los antagonistas pasaron a ser secuaces de la mafia en lugar de supervillanos. Al mismo tiempo Miller fue introduciendo en un ejercicio de retrocontinuidad bien realizada personajes nuevos como Elektra, una antigua amante del pasado convertida en asesina y el maestro Stick, que le enseñó a dominar sus sentidos aumentados de joven, todo esto lo trenzó en un arco de larga duración en el que presentó también a la organización criminal de la mano, un grupo de asesinos ninja a sueldo que adquirieron gran protagonismo en esta etapa y luego serían utilizados recurrentemente en esta y otras colecciones.
Pero ya entrando en el aspecto técnico, lo que realmente destaca de la etapa de Frank Miller en Daredevil, lo que marcó el mundo del cómic en los años posteriores, es el estilo del dibujo y lo bien que se complementaban dibujante y entintador, Miller planteando las páginas y haciendo los bocetos y Janson dando detalle y profundidad al dibujo. Miller utilizó todo el repertorio de técnicas que aprendió de los cómics del maestro Will Eisner, en especial Spirit, para plasmar el movimiento y la acción de daredevil... puso mucho énfasis en retratar los barrios de New York, creando una ambientación genial para las aventuras del personaje, huyó de las estructuras clásicas del comic book para presentar las páginas de forma inusual en la época, con grandes viñetas rectangulares, tanto panorámicas como verticales que eran más adecuadas para representar la ciudad y el movimiento del protagonista por ella, asimismo, Miller fue capaz de realizar un dibujo fluido y fácil de interpretar para el lector, de manera que se podía arriesgar a presentar gran cantidad de páginas que reflejaban la acción sin cuadros de texto que la explicaran, cosa bastante inusual en aquellos momentos. Incluso a día de hoy sorprende lo fácilmente que se leen estos cómics.
En resumen, la mejor etapa del personaje aún a día de hoy y un momento clave en la historia del comic book de superhéroes en general
May 27, 2015
Hands down the best Daredevil I've read!
December 30, 2025
An amazing collection of stories that really hits its stride when Miller takes over writing and drawing duties. The highs of the Kingpin and Punisher stories more than compensate for the few dud issues that are inevitable in over 700 pages. The artwork is incredible too. For newcomers and Daredevil fans alike, this omnibus is worth the time.
January 16, 2017
I read Daredevil as a kid, though not Miller's stuff. I liked what he did with Batman, so I picked this up to check it out. Overall, I really did enjoy it. It was great to see DD cross paths with the Punisher (my other favorite), get involved with Kingpin, see the Elektra storyline and tie-in with Stick and his mysterious crew.
I'll have to follow up to see what the series did with the last two in particular.
I'll have to follow up to see what the series did with the last two in particular.
March 14, 2019
Nehodnotím jako historický artefakt a to, co Miller pro Daredevila a komiks jako takový udělal. Čistě jak mi přijde, že to funguje teď.
Kvalitativní změna mezi McKenzie a Millerovými psaním je naštěstí zřejmá. I mezi jeho čísly jsou celkem znatelné kvalitativní výkyvy - snad vše s Elektrou je super, druhé hledání Sticka naopak dost špatné.
Bohužel je to z doby, kdy o "show don't tell" v komiksech nikdo neslyšel a na spoustě míst je to vidět dost bolestivě.
Kvalitativní změna mezi McKenzie a Millerovými psaním je naštěstí zřejmá. I mezi jeho čísly jsou celkem znatelné kvalitativní výkyvy - snad vše s Elektrou je super, druhé hledání Sticka naopak dost špatné.
Bohužel je to z doby, kdy o "show don't tell" v komiksech nikdo neslyšel a na spoustě míst je to vidět dost bolestivě.
December 31, 2019
Seminal and character defining run for Daredevil. Miller’s artwork is incredible and once he and Janson click (around issue 166), the art is unmatched. First appearance of Elektra included. I loved the way Miller wrote and drew her. Favorite issue was probably 191... where DD plays Russian roulette with Bullseye. This one lives up to the hype. Breezy read with only one or two slower issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2021
This is Frank Miller’s legendary Daredevil run. Frank Miller changed everything in comics when he wrote The Dark Knight Returns. But even earlier than that he was already developing his distinct style on this Daredevil run.
Miller started as the artist for two issues on the Amazing Spider-Man serial which happened to feature Daredevil in them. Then after that he was promoted to the main penciler for the DD monthly. My criticism of his run lies solely with the fact that he wasn’t also providing the story for these issues. Roger McKenzie wrote some terribly basic issues for the run. They read as very dated. Another basic story for another goofy superhero that nobody cares about. Then David Micheline wrote another issue or two, which admittedly was a little better, but still not very good. Frank Miller’s art during this time is very good but nothing sticks out as memorable until Miller takes the writing reins.
Immediately as Miller takes over the writing duties, the story improves. Daredevil’s world becomes focused, gritty and interesting. Frank establishes The Kingpin as Daredevil’s main villain. Which was a stroke of genius. At the time Kingpin was under utilised and one of Spider-Man’s goofy villains. Miller turned him into one of the most complex, feared and powerful villains that marvel has. On top of that Miller introduced Elektra as DD’s love interest and ally. And not only does he establish, reestablish, and create new characters, he has terrific stories for them as well. Stories that are intricately connected to the loose story threads that were made before Miller wrote on the book and he ties those ends up beautifully in the end.
I also have to mention how insane Frank Miller’s art is once he takes over the writing duties. His art is intricate and complex. He uses many, many panels but it works so well. It’s a good thing he’s doing his own art because he would be an illustrators nightmare with how much detail he crams into every page. It’s one of the things that makes the run so good. It’s the icing on top of the most delicious cake you’ve ever had. It was really a golden time for Frank Miller.
This run signalled a change in the winds of the comic landscape. A slight breeze had now come over it and Miller was creating it. On his Daredevil run, he broke the mold that had been the standard on marvel. His stories had depth, something that Marvel was struggling to find. The template was to have the hero meet the villain and for the villain to go to jail after a bit of a romp. Frank Miller didn’t do that. He made a villain who was too powerful and rich to go to jail. The template was not to let stories spill over into the next issue too much. Frank Miller used every issue he had on this run to tie into the last one he wrote and made everything connected. The breeze in the comic landscape was truly blowing and in a few years when The Dark Knight Return came out, that breeze would turn into a tornado.
I still haven’t read Bendis’ run on daredevil. I own it now and it’s what I plan on reading very soon. That being said, I can’t imagine it being better than this especially since Miller wrote Born Again a few years later and then The Man Without Fear after that. I honestly think he wrote the best stories of this character. And other than Bendis’ run... the only one you really need to read.
Miller started as the artist for two issues on the Amazing Spider-Man serial which happened to feature Daredevil in them. Then after that he was promoted to the main penciler for the DD monthly. My criticism of his run lies solely with the fact that he wasn’t also providing the story for these issues. Roger McKenzie wrote some terribly basic issues for the run. They read as very dated. Another basic story for another goofy superhero that nobody cares about. Then David Micheline wrote another issue or two, which admittedly was a little better, but still not very good. Frank Miller’s art during this time is very good but nothing sticks out as memorable until Miller takes the writing reins.
Immediately as Miller takes over the writing duties, the story improves. Daredevil’s world becomes focused, gritty and interesting. Frank establishes The Kingpin as Daredevil’s main villain. Which was a stroke of genius. At the time Kingpin was under utilised and one of Spider-Man’s goofy villains. Miller turned him into one of the most complex, feared and powerful villains that marvel has. On top of that Miller introduced Elektra as DD’s love interest and ally. And not only does he establish, reestablish, and create new characters, he has terrific stories for them as well. Stories that are intricately connected to the loose story threads that were made before Miller wrote on the book and he ties those ends up beautifully in the end.
I also have to mention how insane Frank Miller’s art is once he takes over the writing duties. His art is intricate and complex. He uses many, many panels but it works so well. It’s a good thing he’s doing his own art because he would be an illustrators nightmare with how much detail he crams into every page. It’s one of the things that makes the run so good. It’s the icing on top of the most delicious cake you’ve ever had. It was really a golden time for Frank Miller.
This run signalled a change in the winds of the comic landscape. A slight breeze had now come over it and Miller was creating it. On his Daredevil run, he broke the mold that had been the standard on marvel. His stories had depth, something that Marvel was struggling to find. The template was to have the hero meet the villain and for the villain to go to jail after a bit of a romp. Frank Miller didn’t do that. He made a villain who was too powerful and rich to go to jail. The template was not to let stories spill over into the next issue too much. Frank Miller used every issue he had on this run to tie into the last one he wrote and made everything connected. The breeze in the comic landscape was truly blowing and in a few years when The Dark Knight Return came out, that breeze would turn into a tornado.
I still haven’t read Bendis’ run on daredevil. I own it now and it’s what I plan on reading very soon. That being said, I can’t imagine it being better than this especially since Miller wrote Born Again a few years later and then The Man Without Fear after that. I honestly think he wrote the best stories of this character. And other than Bendis’ run... the only one you really need to read.
January 31, 2025
this is what it's all about!! miller's take on daredevil as a flawed, grim man often unknowable even to the people he most loves is a genius iteration on the classic character. matt murdock may have been created by stan lee, but frank miller really made the character. this run is full of some of the most incredible comic art ever to that point (and even to this day), it is wall to wall stunning, even when miller eventually leaves as penciler around issue 185. the work of klaus janson throughout the run is also mind blowing. the work of an inker can go unnoticed in a lot of comic art, but not here. here, his work as inker (and later colorist) is on full display, elevating miller's pencils and almost singlehandedly establishing the moody, noir vibe of this hell's kitchen.
the stories -- once miller took over as writer especially -- were truly next level stuff. the drama of the elektra saga; the way matt's character actually develops in a way unusual for marvel; that PHENOMENAL final issue!! so much good stuff in here. i love bullseye and kingpin and really all the villains. this is a book i can rave about on and on probably forever. it simply rules.
the highest praise i can give a work of art is "this made me want to create". Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson did just that.
(read the individual issues on marvel unlimited, i do not own the omnibus)
the stories -- once miller took over as writer especially -- were truly next level stuff. the drama of the elektra saga; the way matt's character actually develops in a way unusual for marvel; that PHENOMENAL final issue!! so much good stuff in here. i love bullseye and kingpin and really all the villains. this is a book i can rave about on and on probably forever. it simply rules.
the highest praise i can give a work of art is "this made me want to create". Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson did just that.
(read the individual issues on marvel unlimited, i do not own the omnibus)
February 23, 2019
As with most Omnibus focused on a creator, the reader will need to get through a few issues where the creator (Frank Miller) plays a smaller roll, but when Miller is given position of "Writer" the story begins to take off within a few issues. Miller begins his own process of what a few Marvel writers before had true success with; an continuing interlaced story from issue to issue, rather than each issue being a "villain of the week."
Tedious at times due simply to its bulk, this omnibus is a great start for many readers wanting to discover Daredevil. Miller sets forth the reasonings for Matt Murdoch's love of Elektra, why Bullseye is an arch nemesis (even in light of the Kingpin's constant control of the underworld), the history of Daredevil's mentor Stick and provides for Elektra's death and resurrection. All these stories are what elevated Daredevil as a continuing and truly interesting character.
Tedious at times due simply to its bulk, this omnibus is a great start for many readers wanting to discover Daredevil. Miller sets forth the reasonings for Matt Murdoch's love of Elektra, why Bullseye is an arch nemesis (even in light of the Kingpin's constant control of the underworld), the history of Daredevil's mentor Stick and provides for Elektra's death and resurrection. All these stories are what elevated Daredevil as a continuing and truly interesting character.
April 18, 2025
I am currently reading my way through Miller's authorship, both for nostalgia's sake and to rediscover what made such a huge impact on me as a boy reading his graphic novels.
This time I got around to the classic Daredevil run with Janson. This reads like a study in an artist finding his own voice. And what a voice! To begin with the storytelling is like any other mediocre superhero comic, but gradually Miller starts to unfold a more complicated story arc centering on the Kingpin, Bullseye and Electra - and later Black Widow - and his unique style starts shining through. When best, this omnibus is a truly outstanding work. Among the many innovations are the shift in personal narrator and the wide, elongated frames that are used which makes it a bit like reading in widescreen. I am a huge fan of Stick as the teacher who Daredevil seeks when his powers are either gone or he cannot control them, and the inclusion of the The Hand, Kirigi and ninja themes is impossible not to love.
Back in the days, I read the story in black and white, because it was published like that it in my country. Actually, I liked the sombre noir B/W-tone better than this coloured version. It suited the darker parts of the story better and sort of anticipated the style of Sin City.
This time I got around to the classic Daredevil run with Janson. This reads like a study in an artist finding his own voice. And what a voice! To begin with the storytelling is like any other mediocre superhero comic, but gradually Miller starts to unfold a more complicated story arc centering on the Kingpin, Bullseye and Electra - and later Black Widow - and his unique style starts shining through. When best, this omnibus is a truly outstanding work. Among the many innovations are the shift in personal narrator and the wide, elongated frames that are used which makes it a bit like reading in widescreen. I am a huge fan of Stick as the teacher who Daredevil seeks when his powers are either gone or he cannot control them, and the inclusion of the The Hand, Kirigi and ninja themes is impossible not to love.
Back in the days, I read the story in black and white, because it was published like that it in my country. Actually, I liked the sombre noir B/W-tone better than this coloured version. It suited the darker parts of the story better and sort of anticipated the style of Sin City.
November 15, 2018
Fantastic run on Daredevil, it starts a bit strange, in the middle of a story, but i think they put it in for completions sake. The first couple stories are kinda bad, but after Frank Miller takes really over, it shows. This is recommended reading for every DD fan. The stories are good and fast paced, and the artwork by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson are spectaculair. The action scenes really flow and the use of the panels is brilliant. Loses half a star for the Mckenzie issues who are just wonky. 4.5 stars.
December 30, 2023
Frank Miller's run on daredevil is one of those legendary runs that you hear about as a comic book fan. After finally reading it I can see why. Many if the major cornerstones of Daredevil's character can find their roots in this run. Elektra, Kingpin, the dark gritty underbelly of Hells Kitchen, all of these stories are masterfully told and hold up surprisingly well to the test of time. Would recommend this being the starting point for anyone looking to getting into reading Daredevil comics. Continued to be astounded in the quality of the writing.
February 5, 2024
Daredevil isn't only an incredible character, he's also a representation of the comic book medium. This run is an excellent showcase of that. Each story hits but some trancends. Frank Miller's art gets better and better the deeper it gets. It's good and consistent. Great inks by Klaus Janson. Rating: 4.4/5
December 23, 2024
Such a great run, such a great omnibus !
I show and tell about it here :
https://youtu.be/_9ONoa46bt4
February 10, 2025
Started out a bit with an outdated feeling, but that quickly changed after a couple of chapters and became a steady sense of deep connection with Miller's Daredevil.
You can feel all the characters come alive on these pages, and especially DD & Elektra.. Their electricity just jumped off the pages!!
Once in awhile there was a chapter/villian/story that I wasn't completely sold on, but all in all this was an absolutely thrilling read!!
You can feel all the characters come alive on these pages, and especially DD & Elektra.. Their electricity just jumped off the pages!!
Once in awhile there was a chapter/villian/story that I wasn't completely sold on, but all in all this was an absolutely thrilling read!!
February 4, 2023
Prima parte invecchiata, con Miller ai testi inizia una run iconica ed incredible. 'Roulette' l'apice della sua gestione.
February 18, 2023
I loved this book! I read for the first time a year ago via paperbacks but now I got this big boy. This was the series that got me into comics!
May 23, 2024
Once Miller fully takes over it gets better every issue.
September 14, 2024
This is one of my favorite runs in all of comics, Miller and Janson essentially created the modern characterization of Daredevil and brought a truly incredible amount of depth to the character. Miller’s writing is gritty and fits excellently with the shadowy, grimey version of New York that him and Janson have created. The art and the writing fit so well together to the point where they’re inseparable, this run would not exist and would not be nearly as potent without both aspects. Janson’s work with inks is fantastic and cements him as one of the best inkers to ever work in comics. I love this run, Daredevil has been one of the most consistently well-written characters in comics for the past four decades and that stems from the solid foundations built here.
December 24, 2021
"I don't think I've ever seen Matt so grim...so cold-blooded. He's changed. He's not the same man I used to know."
-Black Widow in Daredevil #161
Just as Frank Miller would later go on to define Batman for a new generation, he did the same for Daredevil a few years earlier. Miller's Daredevil is grim, tormented, flawed and, most of all, human.
Not only does this collection re-invent the Man Without Fear, but it also shapes his world in ways that are still very much felt in Marvel comics, movies, and TV shows to this day. Here we meet Elektra, Stick, and the Hand. Melvin Potter-the Gladiator-opens his costume shop (which would be used as a call-back in the Netflix show). The Kingpin and Daredevil form and interesting hate/tolerate relationship, and Daredevil and Bullseye have some of their greatest battles. We even get some cameos from the Heroes for Hire and Black Widow.
Also note that, before Miller came along, the Daredevil comic was floundering on the edge of cancellation. Not only did Miller re-invent horn head, he literally saved his very existence.
If you want to read Daredevil for any reason-you want to know more about him, you like the character, you are interested in comics history, you are interested in Elektra, etc. etc. etc.-this omnibus is a must read.
-Black Widow in Daredevil #161
Just as Frank Miller would later go on to define Batman for a new generation, he did the same for Daredevil a few years earlier. Miller's Daredevil is grim, tormented, flawed and, most of all, human.
Not only does this collection re-invent the Man Without Fear, but it also shapes his world in ways that are still very much felt in Marvel comics, movies, and TV shows to this day. Here we meet Elektra, Stick, and the Hand. Melvin Potter-the Gladiator-opens his costume shop (which would be used as a call-back in the Netflix show). The Kingpin and Daredevil form and interesting hate/tolerate relationship, and Daredevil and Bullseye have some of their greatest battles. We even get some cameos from the Heroes for Hire and Black Widow.
Also note that, before Miller came along, the Daredevil comic was floundering on the edge of cancellation. Not only did Miller re-invent horn head, he literally saved his very existence.
If you want to read Daredevil for any reason-you want to know more about him, you like the character, you are interested in comics history, you are interested in Elektra, etc. etc. etc.-this omnibus is a must read.
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