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Daredevil (1998) (Collected Editions)
Daredevil: Guardian Devil
Daredevil's notion of faith is tested when a mysterious baby winds up on his doorstep. Following the death of his longtime lover, Daredevil must find the strength to continue.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 1998
140 people are currently reading
2413 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Smith
453 books964 followersKevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, director, as well as a comic book writer, author, and actor. He is also the co-founder, with Scott Mosier, of View Askew Productions and owner of Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic and novelty store in Red Bank, New Jersey. He also hosts a weekly podcast with Scott Mosier known as SModcast. He is also known for participating in long, humorous Q&A Sessions that are often filmed for DVD release, beginning with An Evening with Kevin Smith.
His films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, they do frequently feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon in what is known by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions. He has produced numerous films and television projects, including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II.
His films are often set in his home state of New Jersey, and while not strictly sequential, they do frequently feature crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon in what is known by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions. He has produced numerous films and television projects, including Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 448 reviews
July 6, 2017
Docked a star because every freakin' character talks like Kevin Smith.
October 17, 2022
When Daredevil winds up responsible for a baby who may or may not be the anti-Christ, things quickly spiral out of control
Way back in the day, I'd largely left super hero comics behind until my favorite director at the time, Kevin Smith, signed on to write an arc or two. This is his first arc, issues #1-8 of Marvel Knights Daredevil.
So when I first read this, 20+ years ago, I was a tremendous fan of Kevin Smith and held Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti in high regard, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Tastes change, though. Firstly, it's the wordiest comic I've read in a long time. Part of it might be that modern comics don't have much meat to them but I think another part was Kevin Smith writing a property he had great affection for and trying to strut his stuff. The first issue in particular is a wordfest. He eases into things after that but it's still more work than I like to do from a super hero comic.
The art is fine. The Quesada-Palmiotti partnership was still at full strength. Joe Q's art has never been my favorite but I don't think the art has aged badly in any case. Not my cup of tea but not the worst Daredevil artist by a long chalk.
The story itself doesn't really come together for me. The big bad's motivation doesn't ring true and it seems like he goes through a lot of trouble for someone he's only fought once or twice before. I feel like maybe the story has too many moving parts. Again, it might be part of Kevin Smith's immaturity as a writer at that point, trying to shoehorn as many things in as possible.
Yeah, it sounds like I'm shitting on this but I did still enjoy it after forgetting 80% of it since initially reading it in singles a couple decades ago. There's great Daredevil action and some good Miller-esque angst. It also felt like there were actual stakes. I'm surprised one of the deaths in this has yet to be undone. The other was undone before six months elapsed, IIRC.
I still liked this, despite my perceived problems with it, just not as much as I did when I was in my early 20s. 3 out of 5 stars.
Way back in the day, I'd largely left super hero comics behind until my favorite director at the time, Kevin Smith, signed on to write an arc or two. This is his first arc, issues #1-8 of Marvel Knights Daredevil.
So when I first read this, 20+ years ago, I was a tremendous fan of Kevin Smith and held Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti in high regard, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Tastes change, though. Firstly, it's the wordiest comic I've read in a long time. Part of it might be that modern comics don't have much meat to them but I think another part was Kevin Smith writing a property he had great affection for and trying to strut his stuff. The first issue in particular is a wordfest. He eases into things after that but it's still more work than I like to do from a super hero comic.
The art is fine. The Quesada-Palmiotti partnership was still at full strength. Joe Q's art has never been my favorite but I don't think the art has aged badly in any case. Not my cup of tea but not the worst Daredevil artist by a long chalk.
The story itself doesn't really come together for me. The big bad's motivation doesn't ring true and it seems like he goes through a lot of trouble for someone he's only fought once or twice before. I feel like maybe the story has too many moving parts. Again, it might be part of Kevin Smith's immaturity as a writer at that point, trying to shoehorn as many things in as possible.
Yeah, it sounds like I'm shitting on this but I did still enjoy it after forgetting 80% of it since initially reading it in singles a couple decades ago. There's great Daredevil action and some good Miller-esque angst. It also felt like there were actual stakes. I'm surprised one of the deaths in this has yet to be undone. The other was undone before six months elapsed, IIRC.
I still liked this, despite my perceived problems with it, just not as much as I did when I was in my early 20s. 3 out of 5 stars.
January 23, 2010
If I had the choice I would go with three and a half stars, because it was pretty good, but I didn't get that 'wowza' feeling about it. Still, it's a very good story, and I would definitely recommend it.
March 8, 2023
This was siiiiiick. The cameos, Matt’s exploration of religion and guilt, and the central mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. I had a blast reading this
April 21, 2023
Kevin Smith, I'd argue, is an overrated filmmaker. But he's a surprisingly good adept comic book writer, and although he doesn't write those scripts very often those occasional graphic novels are welcome reads. This one is better than Green Arrow, in this reviewer's humble opinion.
Daredevil: Guardian Devil is a cliched Daredevil story in many ways. It's dark, it's about how his life is ruined yet again for the nth time. It also has some dialogue that has aged rather badly. That said, it's a high-quality mystery story that is a near-perfect book for anyone intrigued by the streaming series. Some of that series was indeed inspired herein.
It's very religious as well, leaning on Catholicism in imagery and plot (kind of like the film Dogma but serious). Another thing to appreciate is that Kingpin isn't the villain, which has been overused, as another character turns out to be pulling the strings in the end. There are the fights with Bullseye, other Marvel universe tie-ins peppered throughout, all in ways that works well while still feeling like it's Daredevil's world.
And the art by Joe Quesada is among his best ever. Eight issues in a row was pretty good for him, and after this his 'Marvel Knights' line would be so successful it would lead to him becoming the editor-in-chief of the entire company. A well-deserved classic, worthy of adaptation, just note this is still a time capsule into late 90s angst.
Daredevil: Guardian Devil is a cliched Daredevil story in many ways. It's dark, it's about how his life is ruined yet again for the nth time. It also has some dialogue that has aged rather badly. That said, it's a high-quality mystery story that is a near-perfect book for anyone intrigued by the streaming series. Some of that series was indeed inspired herein.
It's very religious as well, leaning on Catholicism in imagery and plot (kind of like the film Dogma but serious). Another thing to appreciate is that Kingpin isn't the villain, which has been overused, as another character turns out to be pulling the strings in the end. There are the fights with Bullseye, other Marvel universe tie-ins peppered throughout, all in ways that works well while still feeling like it's Daredevil's world.
And the art by Joe Quesada is among his best ever. Eight issues in a row was pretty good for him, and after this his 'Marvel Knights' line would be so successful it would lead to him becoming the editor-in-chief of the entire company. A well-deserved classic, worthy of adaptation, just note this is still a time capsule into late 90s angst.
March 24, 2022
I normally review on my tablet after I finish a comic but this was SO fucking awful I had to wait to get on my computer so I can really express how much I hated this shit.
I double checked to see if this the one I read because that fun blurb about being besties with Spider-man was not this at all?
It's so funny to me because I already didn't like Kevin Smith from everything I've ever seen from him / about him. Dude gives bad vibes and this just slams that home. He isn't a good writer, send tweet.
First off the story is absolute bat shit- and not in a good way. Daredevil is told that some random baby is the antichrist and everyone around it is cursed. What does he try to do? Oh throw it OFF THE ROOF... TWICE (once with him along with it). Then we have Foggy being called a rapist and getting arrested after a woman he was (cheating on his gf with) turned into a lizard person and then jumped out a window. THEN THEN Karen shows up and she's done awful things to Matt in the past before ditching him but she's back and now has AIDS.
The art was horrible and ugly to look at. The way women were treated (and drawn) in here was so awful and while I love seeing my girl Black Widow, yeah I wish she didn't make an appearance. Then oh yeah Daredevil had a gf get killed by Bullseye before? Yes let's do it again!! It's so ick that some of this made it into the show (but the show did it 100% better than this dude ever could ofc). I don't know if this was prior characterization but I'm glad this awful portrayal of Karen didn't make it to the show because what the fuck? Talk about hating women.
The over the top plot was such a joke and then the end of it was just??? It was so drawn out over so many issues for very little content, but a LOT of dialogue that was unnecessary.
In the end it was literally Mysterio all along and he spent like 20 pages monologuing his entire plan only to be defeated by Matt simply going "no u". It explains why Matt was acting like a fucking psycho half the time and Dr Strange was pretty cool in this but it was so stupid??? All of this was SO dumb and then the later issues were just Matt about to kill himself and being emo over another dead gf.
Awful. How you gonna do my boy Daredevil like this?
I double checked to see if this the one I read because that fun blurb about being besties with Spider-man was not this at all?
It's so funny to me because I already didn't like Kevin Smith from everything I've ever seen from him / about him. Dude gives bad vibes and this just slams that home. He isn't a good writer, send tweet.
First off the story is absolute bat shit- and not in a good way. Daredevil is told that some random baby is the antichrist and everyone around it is cursed. What does he try to do? Oh throw it OFF THE ROOF... TWICE (once with him along with it). Then we have Foggy being called a rapist and getting arrested after a woman he was (cheating on his gf with) turned into a lizard person and then jumped out a window. THEN THEN Karen shows up and she's done awful things to Matt in the past before ditching him but she's back and now has AIDS.
The art was horrible and ugly to look at. The way women were treated (and drawn) in here was so awful and while I love seeing my girl Black Widow, yeah I wish she didn't make an appearance. Then oh yeah Daredevil had a gf get killed by Bullseye before? Yes let's do it again!! It's so ick that some of this made it into the show (but the show did it 100% better than this dude ever could ofc). I don't know if this was prior characterization but I'm glad this awful portrayal of Karen didn't make it to the show because what the fuck? Talk about hating women.
The over the top plot was such a joke and then the end of it was just??? It was so drawn out over so many issues for very little content, but a LOT of dialogue that was unnecessary.
In the end it was literally Mysterio all along and he spent like 20 pages monologuing his entire plan only to be defeated by Matt simply going "no u". It explains why Matt was acting like a fucking psycho half the time and Dr Strange was pretty cool in this but it was so stupid??? All of this was SO dumb and then the later issues were just Matt about to kill himself and being emo over another dead gf.
Awful. How you gonna do my boy Daredevil like this?
April 3, 2018
I almost passed over checking out Guardian Devil from the library - I was not a fan of Kevin Smith's mostly talk / lacking action take on Green Arrow in Quiver, which I read earlier this month - but I'm glad I reconsidered because his assured work here on 'DD' was really good.
Matt Murdock / Daredevil is plunged into a mind-screw plot involving a mysterious newborn baby and his Catholic faith / guilt is tested, which I think is one of the strengths of the character. Along the way he receives a helping hand from Dr. Strange and sympathetic ears are lent by the shrewd Black Widow and, in one of the best-written scenes, a sensible Spider-Man. Also, there a solid trifecta of trouble involving his work, friends, and family. Did I also mention there's a tragic death?
Smith has a lot of irons in the fire but, to his credit, the things come together to form a solid book.
Matt Murdock / Daredevil is plunged into a mind-screw plot involving a mysterious newborn baby and his Catholic faith / guilt is tested, which I think is one of the strengths of the character. Along the way he receives a helping hand from Dr. Strange and sympathetic ears are lent by the shrewd Black Widow and, in one of the best-written scenes, a sensible Spider-Man. Also, there a solid trifecta of trouble involving his work, friends, and family. Did I also mention there's a tragic death?
Smith has a lot of irons in the fire but, to his credit, the things come together to form a solid book.
March 24, 2022
Whoa, man. HEAVY.
Kevin Smith goes all-in on the Catholic Guilt and Our Hero's Life Going Off the Rails classic DD tropes, with mixed results.
And who is the shadowy perpetrator behind it all?
Ahem.
AUDIOBOOK NOTE: Due credit to the Graphic Audio folks who adapted this, btw. It was short and sweet but the narration was great, even when weighed down by some of Smith's more cumbersome word choices. I was convinced the one guy was actually Kelsey Grammer for the longest time, as well! Nice pipes.
Kevin Smith goes all-in on the Catholic Guilt and Our Hero's Life Going Off the Rails classic DD tropes, with mixed results.
And who is the shadowy perpetrator behind it all?
Ahem.
AUDIOBOOK NOTE: Due credit to the Graphic Audio folks who adapted this, btw. It was short and sweet but the narration was great, even when weighed down by some of Smith's more cumbersome word choices. I was convinced the one guy was actually Kelsey Grammer for the longest time, as well! Nice pipes.
December 9, 2023
So the version I read was the gallery edition. Collecting Daredevil 1-8 and the 1/2 issue. This is a giant gorgeous book at 13 and a quarter inches tall. Joe Quesada’s art never looked so good as this oversized format. Each page was like a poster. The story? Pretty dope. Matt gets visited by a young girl giving him her baby to protect. She says she’s a virgin and this was an immaculate conception. She says her child is the redeemer and will bring peace on earth and men are after her trying to kill the baby. According to her heartbeat, Matt detects she’s telling the truth. Hmmm. The next day, an old man visits Matt and knows he’s Daredevil. He tells Matt the opposite. He says the baby is the Antichrist and will bring tragedy to all around Matt and usher the destruction the world. Now according to his heartbeat, he’s telling the truth also. Hmmm. This obviously puts DD on a weird space as he doesn’t know what to do now. We eventually get the big reveal as to who’s behind it all which was a nice touch. There were definitely some emotional beats in here that were pretty jacked up and some heart stopping moments that were also used in the DD Netflix show. But overall a nice concept for a story with good execution.
September 6, 2010
Re-read to fill in any details I need to know before diving into Parts of a Hole (David Mack's follow-on that was only published as a GN this year). Realise now that, aside from the adoration I had for Kevin Smith in his heyday, this isn't nearly as special a run of DD as I'd thought ten years ago. It was an interesting story but seemed like a big letdown with the "supervillain explains his nefarious plot in excruciating detail, just before getting his ass handed over by the hero".
And the art? Queseda seems to be doing a great run as Executive Editor, but I'm not convinced on his artwork. He does fine with the scenery, and I *get* the artistically-exaggerated bodies, but my good god, the faces are just awful. A combination of horror movie fright and grade-school flat.
And the art? Queseda seems to be doing a great run as Executive Editor, but I'm not convinced on his artwork. He does fine with the scenery, and I *get* the artistically-exaggerated bodies, but my good god, the faces are just awful. A combination of horror movie fright and grade-school flat.
Want to read
January 19, 2022
December 20, 2017
Weird. Apparently, I had read this about 10 years ago, but I don't remember reading it at all.
I liked it more then they I did now, too.
This is the eight-issue Kevin Smith written run of Daredevil. While I was reading it I was enjoying it, but then thinking about it more afterward I didn't like it as much. Read the spoiler if you'd like to know why.
I liked it more then they I did now, too.
This is the eight-issue Kevin Smith written run of Daredevil. While I was reading it I was enjoying it, but then thinking about it more afterward I didn't like it as much. Read the spoiler if you'd like to know why.
July 1, 2016
I'd give this a 3.5 because I did like the majority of it.
First big plus for me is the art. I really dug the way everything flow, especially the mystical parts of it. The fights all looked great, and it was a darker take on Daredevil (if you can believe it) so it all jelled well together.
Most of the dialog was pretty good. I liked the plot, and the idea of having Matt challenge his religious views was both interesting and entertaining to witness. The death of a certain major character was heartbreaking, and his flashbacks really made me enjoy the character of Matt even more.
On the flipside the pacing and some dialog was off or way to longwinded. Like I would take FOREVER to read a page sometimes because it was bogged down by so much damn dialog, and sometimes it meant very little.
Still, overall another solid book for Daredevil. Being that he's one of the best heroes of all time that's pretty great to have another writer so solid work. Still staying away from Diggle's work.
First big plus for me is the art. I really dug the way everything flow, especially the mystical parts of it. The fights all looked great, and it was a darker take on Daredevil (if you can believe it) so it all jelled well together.
Most of the dialog was pretty good. I liked the plot, and the idea of having Matt challenge his religious views was both interesting and entertaining to witness. The death of a certain major character was heartbreaking, and his flashbacks really made me enjoy the character of Matt even more.
On the flipside the pacing and some dialog was off or way to longwinded. Like I would take FOREVER to read a page sometimes because it was bogged down by so much damn dialog, and sometimes it meant very little.
Still, overall another solid book for Daredevil. Being that he's one of the best heroes of all time that's pretty great to have another writer so solid work. Still staying away from Diggle's work.
January 23, 2019
First of all, f@!$ you Kevin smith. Zero stars. This is easily the worst run of daredevil, or dare I say any marvel, I've ever read. I cannot find any redeeming factors.
Kevin Smith is overly wordy for an over the top, complicated plot that turns out to be written off as the fault of all of the women in murdock's life for damaging his judgement through the trauma of not doing enough women's work or some misogynistic b.s. All of the female characters are treated poorly and either abused and killed off or diminished into harpies with ticking baby clocks. The end sums up with a not at all subtle blaming of every woman daredevil has chosen to be with as well as his mother for every death in the story. Karen and natasha deserve better than this abuse.
The male characters don't fair much better in the the two leads are painted as horrible womanizers incapable of being faithful only to expect forgiveness when the inevitably do their partners wrong. They are incompetent and cruel.
In addition to Smith's long winded prose is his insufferable habit of referencing his own works and life. This narcissism caused me many eye rolls and brought me immediately out of the story that already felt more like fan fiction than canon.
Not only is Smith's story, characters, plot, and pacing all wrong but the art leaves much to be desired as well. The men are drawn in a weird cartoon distortion while the woman are drawn as big lips teetering on a pair of breasts. Most of the art is taken over by gigantic speech bubbles attempting to hold Smith's wordiness so I suppose it doesn't matter much anyway.
On top of all that each issue had at least one lettering mistake that led to confusion. It seems that every hand that touched this arc dropped the ball entirely.
I honestly only finished reading it so that I could write an honest zero star review. Please don't waste your time on this lazy, self serving, sexist garbage fire.
Kevin Smith is overly wordy for an over the top, complicated plot that turns out to be written off as the fault of all of the women in murdock's life for damaging his judgement through the trauma of not doing enough women's work or some misogynistic b.s. All of the female characters are treated poorly and either abused and killed off or diminished into harpies with ticking baby clocks. The end sums up with a not at all subtle blaming of every woman daredevil has chosen to be with as well as his mother for every death in the story. Karen and natasha deserve better than this abuse.
The male characters don't fair much better in the the two leads are painted as horrible womanizers incapable of being faithful only to expect forgiveness when the inevitably do their partners wrong. They are incompetent and cruel.
In addition to Smith's long winded prose is his insufferable habit of referencing his own works and life. This narcissism caused me many eye rolls and brought me immediately out of the story that already felt more like fan fiction than canon.
Not only is Smith's story, characters, plot, and pacing all wrong but the art leaves much to be desired as well. The men are drawn in a weird cartoon distortion while the woman are drawn as big lips teetering on a pair of breasts. Most of the art is taken over by gigantic speech bubbles attempting to hold Smith's wordiness so I suppose it doesn't matter much anyway.
On top of all that each issue had at least one lettering mistake that led to confusion. It seems that every hand that touched this arc dropped the ball entirely.
I honestly only finished reading it so that I could write an honest zero star review. Please don't waste your time on this lazy, self serving, sexist garbage fire.
February 5, 2015
Someone at Goodreads really needs to re-do the abstract above about this book.
I think the last time I read Daredevil was during the Frank Miller period, when Elektra was a major character in the book and all that. I don't remember much about it, to be honest. It was just "cool" and "wow" and "destined to be a classic!" So I bought those issues, but may not have even read them. I dunno.
So, there's a lot of water under the bridge from the early 80s to the late 90s, and Daredevil, as a character, may as well be brand new to me. I know very little about him, his supporting cast, or what's happened to him in the past decade and a half. I came to this book with no preconceptions on, well, anything.
I know who Kevin Smith "is" and I've read some of his DC work. I haven't seen his movies, and quite frankly, he comes across as a frat boy who's too cute by half most of the time. I would never have expected to read something as beautiful as this story. Smith delves into the intricacies of Daredevil's life, from his religious faith to his troubled relationships with women, and weaves a tale that is ultimately not about the bad guy of the day, but the moral core of Matt Murdock.
Smith is very talky, and you'll definitely get your money's worth of text in this book. The villain's exposition-heavy detailing of why he committed his crime is priceless, a nice nod to the comics of the author's youth, but it never veers into cheesiness. One reviewer below hates the exposition, saying comics are a visual medium, but that's only half the story. They're also a written medium, with text just as important as the art. I thought Smith served up his story very well.
Not familiar with Quesada as an artist, and it has a very late 90s/early 00s feel to it, when a fair number of artists were popular with a "cartoony" element to their work. I thought the art did justice to the tale very well, and Quesada never veers off into Todd Nauck territory, thankfully.
I think the last time I read Daredevil was during the Frank Miller period, when Elektra was a major character in the book and all that. I don't remember much about it, to be honest. It was just "cool" and "wow" and "destined to be a classic!" So I bought those issues, but may not have even read them. I dunno.
So, there's a lot of water under the bridge from the early 80s to the late 90s, and Daredevil, as a character, may as well be brand new to me. I know very little about him, his supporting cast, or what's happened to him in the past decade and a half. I came to this book with no preconceptions on, well, anything.
I know who Kevin Smith "is" and I've read some of his DC work. I haven't seen his movies, and quite frankly, he comes across as a frat boy who's too cute by half most of the time. I would never have expected to read something as beautiful as this story. Smith delves into the intricacies of Daredevil's life, from his religious faith to his troubled relationships with women, and weaves a tale that is ultimately not about the bad guy of the day, but the moral core of Matt Murdock.
Smith is very talky, and you'll definitely get your money's worth of text in this book. The villain's exposition-heavy detailing of why he committed his crime is priceless, a nice nod to the comics of the author's youth, but it never veers into cheesiness. One reviewer below hates the exposition, saying comics are a visual medium, but that's only half the story. They're also a written medium, with text just as important as the art. I thought Smith served up his story very well.
Not familiar with Quesada as an artist, and it has a very late 90s/early 00s feel to it, when a fair number of artists were popular with a "cartoony" element to their work. I thought the art did justice to the tale very well, and Quesada never veers off into Todd Nauck territory, thankfully.
January 31, 2016
I'm not going to write a formal review of this, because it will inevitably devolve into a rant. Is this my least favorite Daredevil installment that I've read? Absolutely. Is the writing so pretentious, so self-congratulatory, and so excessively wordy that I wanted to bash my head against my desk? Oh, yes. Does someone make some ridiculous "eyes rolled in their head, semi-anguished, semi-stoned" face on every single page? Just about.
There are very, very few things about this installment save it from being a one-star book. And it is saved by the slimmest of margins. If you're looking for good Daredevil reads, check out Miller, Bendis, Brubaker or Waid. All are phenomenal, and there are installments to suit almost every type of reading/genre preference. Don't waste your time here.
There are very, very few things about this installment save it from being a one-star book. And it is saved by the slimmest of margins. If you're looking for good Daredevil reads, check out Miller, Bendis, Brubaker or Waid. All are phenomenal, and there are installments to suit almost every type of reading/genre preference. Don't waste your time here.
June 11, 2016
Ugh, where to even start with this, from the bad writing to the awful, awful art, to the nauseating sexism inherent in both, I just had a bad taste in my mouth from very nearly the beginning. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore, and put it down. And as far as the plot goes? I didn't even care enough about ANY of it to flip through to the end to see how it turns out.
March 25, 2016
“The conclusion I’ve come to after years spent doing this is that there are no innocents. Everyone’s guilty. Even us. Especially us… no Peter — there are no innocents. Even in the strictest of definitions, people like the loved one you mentioned and Karen are still guilty. They are guilty of dying and leaving us alone in this mire of solitude and misery.”
Excuse me while I get a hold of my emotions.
Regardless of whether or not you are a Daredevil fan, regardless of whether you hate the “Women in Refrigerators” trope, this is just a really good story. And really, what makes it great is not the plot itself, which can be generic at times, but the writing, and the way the story is handled. It’s not just that things happen in this story, but those things are followed through in the plot and you get the closure you need.
It’s not a spoiler to say that this is the infamous story in which Karen Page, arguably Daredevil’s greatest love interest is killed by Bullseye with Daredevil’s own billy club. I mean, that right there is just brutal. What makes it more brutal is that Karen didn’t have the greatest life either — an ex drug addict who was tricked by Mysterio into thinking she was dying of AIDS, and believed that Matt no longer loved her, only to sacrifice what she thought remained of her life in order to save Matt.
Yes, brutal treatment of Karen; she really didn’t deserve it. However, if we were bound to get this story, I’m really glad that it was one that was so well written. I keep saying this, but really, I enjoyed the way it was written. Karen’t death was heartbreaking and different kinds of horrible with terrible repercussions on Matt, but ultimately, on an emotional level, I got the closure and justice I wanted from it.
It also helped that it was tied with the overall story arc of the “demon baby” because in the end that just helped bring the story together in the closing pages. But, really this story was all about Karen. My favourite scene has to be when, after her funeral, Peter (Parker) asks to meet Matt and it turns out they go to the Brooklyn Bridge where Peter basically tells Matt “look, I know what you are going through, I lost someone I greatly loved right here on this spot,” and then we get a sort of mirage image of the night Gwen Stacy died. I mean, just… look…
As if I wasn’t already teary eyed by this point in the story! GWEN!!! (I will always weep for Gwen whenever her death is mentioned). I mean, this! This right here is one of the things that made this story so good. And there are other little instances like this scene where the emotions, and the dialogue and the paneling are just perfect.
I really enjoyed this, and I would recommended it to general comic book fans. I will now go and cry for Karen Page.
Excuse me while I get a hold of my emotions.
Regardless of whether or not you are a Daredevil fan, regardless of whether you hate the “Women in Refrigerators” trope, this is just a really good story. And really, what makes it great is not the plot itself, which can be generic at times, but the writing, and the way the story is handled. It’s not just that things happen in this story, but those things are followed through in the plot and you get the closure you need.
It’s not a spoiler to say that this is the infamous story in which Karen Page, arguably Daredevil’s greatest love interest is killed by Bullseye with Daredevil’s own billy club. I mean, that right there is just brutal. What makes it more brutal is that Karen didn’t have the greatest life either — an ex drug addict who was tricked by Mysterio into thinking she was dying of AIDS, and believed that Matt no longer loved her, only to sacrifice what she thought remained of her life in order to save Matt.
Yes, brutal treatment of Karen; she really didn’t deserve it. However, if we were bound to get this story, I’m really glad that it was one that was so well written. I keep saying this, but really, I enjoyed the way it was written. Karen’t death was heartbreaking and different kinds of horrible with terrible repercussions on Matt, but ultimately, on an emotional level, I got the closure and justice I wanted from it.
It also helped that it was tied with the overall story arc of the “demon baby” because in the end that just helped bring the story together in the closing pages. But, really this story was all about Karen. My favourite scene has to be when, after her funeral, Peter (Parker) asks to meet Matt and it turns out they go to the Brooklyn Bridge where Peter basically tells Matt “look, I know what you are going through, I lost someone I greatly loved right here on this spot,” and then we get a sort of mirage image of the night Gwen Stacy died. I mean, just… look…
As if I wasn’t already teary eyed by this point in the story! GWEN!!! (I will always weep for Gwen whenever her death is mentioned). I mean, this! This right here is one of the things that made this story so good. And there are other little instances like this scene where the emotions, and the dialogue and the paneling are just perfect.
I really enjoyed this, and I would recommended it to general comic book fans. I will now go and cry for Karen Page.
June 22, 2022
Final Rating: 6.5/10
I may eventually write a full length review of this title over on my Official Website , but for the time being you can read a brief summary of my thoughts below.
OVERVIEW
The principal reason why I’m not the biggest fan of graphic novels is because when I finish a good one, I find it impossible not to wonder how much better a novelisation by one of my favourite authors would be. That’s very much how I feel about this Daredevil story, Guardian Devil. The plot, with it’s many surprising twists and shocks, is genuinely gripping. However, I feel that it is wasted on the visual medium of comic book artwork. There’s no doubt in my mind that well written prose would greatly enhance Kevin Smith’s narrative, because Guardian Devil has all the ingredients to make an excellent novel.
I always feel uncertain as to how I should rate a graphic novel. While my inclination is to rate solely on the basis of plot, narrative, and characterisation, I’m also cognisant of the fact that the format is a visual medium, so I have to take into consideration the actual artwork. As I’m not a fan of comic book art in general, this always works against the few graphic novels I take a chance on, and that is the only reason for my 3 star rating of what I feel is actually a 5 star story.
For people who have no interest in graphic novels, I would recommend the audio dramatisation produced by GraphicAudio . The full voice cast, sound effects, and musical score really brings all the characters to life, and enhances the emotional impact of the story. You certainly won’t be disappointed with the quality of the production. Sadly, it can no longer be purchased legally, so your best chance to hear it is to take to the “high seas”, unless you can find someone selling the CDs on ebay.
Subscribe to my author Newsletter
Vist my Official Website and Personal Blog
Make tip jar donations via Ko-fi or PayPal
Follow me on social media:
Facebook | Last.fm | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter
I may eventually write a full length review of this title over on my Official Website , but for the time being you can read a brief summary of my thoughts below.
OVERVIEW
The principal reason why I’m not the biggest fan of graphic novels is because when I finish a good one, I find it impossible not to wonder how much better a novelisation by one of my favourite authors would be. That’s very much how I feel about this Daredevil story, Guardian Devil. The plot, with it’s many surprising twists and shocks, is genuinely gripping. However, I feel that it is wasted on the visual medium of comic book artwork. There’s no doubt in my mind that well written prose would greatly enhance Kevin Smith’s narrative, because Guardian Devil has all the ingredients to make an excellent novel.
I always feel uncertain as to how I should rate a graphic novel. While my inclination is to rate solely on the basis of plot, narrative, and characterisation, I’m also cognisant of the fact that the format is a visual medium, so I have to take into consideration the actual artwork. As I’m not a fan of comic book art in general, this always works against the few graphic novels I take a chance on, and that is the only reason for my 3 star rating of what I feel is actually a 5 star story.
For people who have no interest in graphic novels, I would recommend the audio dramatisation produced by GraphicAudio . The full voice cast, sound effects, and musical score really brings all the characters to life, and enhances the emotional impact of the story. You certainly won’t be disappointed with the quality of the production. Sadly, it can no longer be purchased legally, so your best chance to hear it is to take to the “high seas”, unless you can find someone selling the CDs on ebay.
Subscribe to my author Newsletter
Vist my Official Website and Personal Blog
Make tip jar donations via Ko-fi or PayPal
Follow me on social media:
Facebook | Last.fm | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter
December 11, 2017
In the years since its publication, Kevin Smith's eight-issue contribution to Daredevil have been lost in the shadow of the Bendis and Brubaker runs that immediately followed it. In retrospective ... it's a little hard to know what to think of this story.
Every one remembers it, of course, because it's the story about Bullseye and Karen Page. And, oh, Karen is treated badly in this story. I don't mean what happens, but instead how she's depicted, and I get the impression that was a follow-up to years of treating her badly.
But the story itself, it's a lot more than that. It's a complex plot with lots of twists and turns. To a certain extent, I feel like it's too clever for its own good. And to a certain extent, I don't feel like it earns out the place that it demands in Daredevil lore. There's pure silliness at the start, and a really out-of-place villain at the end, and in between, well ... you remember issue #5.
I gave it a 4-star rating, but this is a volume where I really could see that you might love it or hate it, and that's not just about the events within, but also the path that leads us there.
PS: Don't use those cursive fonts, and especially don't use them in white print on black paper, and especially don't use them for some of the most critical parts of the comics!
Every one remembers it, of course, because it's the story about Bullseye and Karen Page. And, oh, Karen is treated badly in this story. I don't mean what happens, but instead how she's depicted, and I get the impression that was a follow-up to years of treating her badly.
But the story itself, it's a lot more than that. It's a complex plot with lots of twists and turns. To a certain extent, I feel like it's too clever for its own good. And to a certain extent, I don't feel like it earns out the place that it demands in Daredevil lore. There's pure silliness at the start, and a really out-of-place villain at the end, and in between, well ... you remember issue #5.
I gave it a 4-star rating, but this is a volume where I really could see that you might love it or hate it, and that's not just about the events within, but also the path that leads us there.
PS: Don't use those cursive fonts, and especially don't use them in white print on black paper, and especially don't use them for some of the most critical parts of the comics!
August 25, 2014
Not a bad intro to the Daredevil character. While Kevin Smith definitely overwrote this arc (a disturbing trend in the last three volumes of Marvel works I've tried out), the plot ended up pretty solid and there are some pretty nice dialogue gems to be found within this volume.
Matt Murdock has lost his faith. He's been through a rough patch lately and the normally devout Catholic has been handed enough curveballs to leave him feeling pretty bitter with the man upstairs. The love of his life has left him and the tights gig is beginning to feel a more and more like spitting in the wind. In short Matt's in the middle of a huge crisis of conscience and identity when into his lap is thrust a small child. Who, or what, the child is becomes the focus of a bit of an obsession for Murdock. What's clear is that the child is at the center of a struggle between factions of light and dark that have him questioning his beliefs and his role as the child's guardian as his life unravels further and further.
There are strong thematic tones of dark and light, layered double entendres and a seamless blending of the mystic and scientific that gave this run a complexity I wasn't really expecting. Parts of it gave me that old X-Files feeling as Murdock attempts to define which elements of his life are the result of supernatural forces and which are caused by the more mundane and manipulative. Ultimately the resolution took some of the wind out of the sails. It wasn't a terrible explanation, but it falls a bit short of the epic it promises to be in the very beginning. The story has huge consequences for the DD universe though with several characters meeting their soap opera "ends" within the arc.
That last Avengers story and a variety of other aborted reads had me doubting my goal of powering through most of the Marvel Universe since the 2000s, but this one has restored some hope in the endeavor. I like Daredevil. He's like Batman. He and Bruce would get along just fine. They're bitter as @*!#. I also kind of like how he stays kind of exclusively in Hell's Kitchen. I hadn't really noticed before that Daredevil maintains a super low profile in all the major crossover events. I kind of respect the reasoning and like that he's gotten such little exposure and he's fine with it.
Matt Murdock has lost his faith. He's been through a rough patch lately and the normally devout Catholic has been handed enough curveballs to leave him feeling pretty bitter with the man upstairs. The love of his life has left him and the tights gig is beginning to feel a more and more like spitting in the wind. In short Matt's in the middle of a huge crisis of conscience and identity when into his lap is thrust a small child. Who, or what, the child is becomes the focus of a bit of an obsession for Murdock. What's clear is that the child is at the center of a struggle between factions of light and dark that have him questioning his beliefs and his role as the child's guardian as his life unravels further and further.
There are strong thematic tones of dark and light, layered double entendres and a seamless blending of the mystic and scientific that gave this run a complexity I wasn't really expecting. Parts of it gave me that old X-Files feeling as Murdock attempts to define which elements of his life are the result of supernatural forces and which are caused by the more mundane and manipulative. Ultimately the resolution took some of the wind out of the sails. It wasn't a terrible explanation, but it falls a bit short of the epic it promises to be in the very beginning. The story has huge consequences for the DD universe though with several characters meeting their soap opera "ends" within the arc.
That last Avengers story and a variety of other aborted reads had me doubting my goal of powering through most of the Marvel Universe since the 2000s, but this one has restored some hope in the endeavor. I like Daredevil. He's like Batman. He and Bruce would get along just fine. They're bitter as @*!#. I also kind of like how he stays kind of exclusively in Hell's Kitchen. I hadn't really noticed before that Daredevil maintains a super low profile in all the major crossover events. I kind of respect the reasoning and like that he's gotten such little exposure and he's fine with it.
December 28, 2021
Guardian Devil marks a new path in Daredevil's life. There are several events happening in a superhero's life, but this is certainly one which will have major ramifications in their mythos. Kevin Smith has set several Catholic themes in this storyline, which fits Daredevil's overall character, but there are times when it overflows.
August 19, 2013
artless, misogynistic, needlessly self-referential. i only read this because people i trusted said it is worthwhile back story for what comes later but i probably should have skipped Smith's offering and gone straight to the Bendis stuff.
July 19, 2022
Тази история в осем части е предназначена за по-възрастна аудитория. Няма го хроничния инфантилизъм в сюжета и персонажите. Можеше още повече при тази "развързаност" на ръцете на Кевин Смит, но като цяло съм доста доволен и приятно изненадан. 4,5!
November 15, 2017
This is a fun comic for new readers but I think it lacks a consistent tone which makes any events within the story feel hollow.
February 4, 2017
Boy did I ever hate that. Looking for intelligent, engaging plots, gender equality, complex character motivations, or well-written dialogue? Well, go somewhere else.
September 30, 2018
kevin smith unpublish this arc challenge
April 2, 2020
I liked the plot..matt questioning his religion was well done. The art was awesome. However this was way too dialogue heavy. Espcially as sometimes it didnt really feel like important dialogue
January 9, 2020
Longwided... so very longwinded... Even the author himself makes fun of it in the last leg of the story. This is one of the slowest reads I've encountered in comics. I'm not a fan of the amount of text, but the story succeeds in raising Daredevil above the status of masked vigilante. His secret identity, his faith, his family, his confidence - all will be put to the test. It was almost worth it to read through the whole thing, if only to experience how not to write a comic. The ending was more enjoyable than the ride.
It's a low point in Matthew Murdock's life after his girlfriend Karen Page leaves him. He tries to occupy himself with work and the life of a vigilante. The latter brings him face to face with a teenager who is wanted by some bad men for her baby which she claims resulted from an immaculate conception. Matt is left confused when she gives him the baby whom she calls a savior and leaves. Many characters will be involved with either protecting or trying to kill it. Matt himself opts for the latter more than once. The reason for this uncharacteristic hatred is revealed only at the very end.
It's a low point in Matthew Murdock's life after his girlfriend Karen Page leaves him. He tries to occupy himself with work and the life of a vigilante. The latter brings him face to face with a teenager who is wanted by some bad men for her baby which she claims resulted from an immaculate conception. Matt is left confused when she gives him the baby whom she calls a savior and leaves. Many characters will be involved with either protecting or trying to kill it. Matt himself opts for the latter more than once. The reason for this uncharacteristic hatred is revealed only at the very end.
December 22, 2023
Puntaje: 4.3 Estrellas.
Este año fue, sin duda, el año en que me reencontré con uno de mis personajes de Marvel favoritos: Daredevil. Si bien no había leído mucho del personaje antes del 2023, siento que ya conocía mucho sobre él, en especial por su serie de Netflix que fue magistral. Este año me puse en la tarea de descubrir varias de sus historias, esto gracias a las diferentes colecciones de cómics que han salido en Colombia.
De estas colecciones he leído cómics impresionantes como los de Daredevil y Elektra de Los Héroes Más Poderosos de Marvel, así como Daredevil Renacido y el cómic que protagoniza la reseña de hoy: Demonio Guardián. Todas estas lecturas me han confirmado que disfruto mucho las historias de este personaje, y que quiero leer más de sus cómics en el 2024.
En este caso, “demonio guardián” marca el inicio de una serie de Daredevil que se imprimió bajo el sello de Marvel Knights, la cual comenzó en 1998 y llegó hasta el año 2009. Este es uno de los runs más famosos del personaje y siempre había tenido curiosidad por leerlo.
De hecho, y hablando de curiosidades, este es el primer cómic “moderno” que leo de Daredevil, pues todos los demás cómics que he leído de él suelen ser de sus épocas más antíguas.
En este tomo veremos a Daredevil siendo la víctima de una profecía sagrada que involucra a un bebé como el salvador del mundo, quien también podría ser la razón por la que el mundo cese de existir. Es allí cuando unos seres con aparente conexión al Dios católico le dan instrucciones de acabar con la vida de este bebé. Pero Daredevil no podría hacerlo, cierto? Se supone que los héroes no acaban con la vida de una pequeña criatura sólo porque una profecía así lo exige, ¿cierto?
Esta ha sido una lectura muy interesante, la he disfrutado de principio a fin, y me ha gustado también que cuenta con cameos de otros personajes como Black Widow, Spider-Man y del Dr. Strange. Quiero seguir con esta serie de Marvel Knigths así que ya veremos si el 2024 será el año en que lo haga.
Este año fue, sin duda, el año en que me reencontré con uno de mis personajes de Marvel favoritos: Daredevil. Si bien no había leído mucho del personaje antes del 2023, siento que ya conocía mucho sobre él, en especial por su serie de Netflix que fue magistral. Este año me puse en la tarea de descubrir varias de sus historias, esto gracias a las diferentes colecciones de cómics que han salido en Colombia.
De estas colecciones he leído cómics impresionantes como los de Daredevil y Elektra de Los Héroes Más Poderosos de Marvel, así como Daredevil Renacido y el cómic que protagoniza la reseña de hoy: Demonio Guardián. Todas estas lecturas me han confirmado que disfruto mucho las historias de este personaje, y que quiero leer más de sus cómics en el 2024.
En este caso, “demonio guardián” marca el inicio de una serie de Daredevil que se imprimió bajo el sello de Marvel Knights, la cual comenzó en 1998 y llegó hasta el año 2009. Este es uno de los runs más famosos del personaje y siempre había tenido curiosidad por leerlo.
De hecho, y hablando de curiosidades, este es el primer cómic “moderno” que leo de Daredevil, pues todos los demás cómics que he leído de él suelen ser de sus épocas más antíguas.
En este tomo veremos a Daredevil siendo la víctima de una profecía sagrada que involucra a un bebé como el salvador del mundo, quien también podría ser la razón por la que el mundo cese de existir. Es allí cuando unos seres con aparente conexión al Dios católico le dan instrucciones de acabar con la vida de este bebé. Pero Daredevil no podría hacerlo, cierto? Se supone que los héroes no acaban con la vida de una pequeña criatura sólo porque una profecía así lo exige, ¿cierto?
Esta ha sido una lectura muy interesante, la he disfrutado de principio a fin, y me ha gustado también que cuenta con cameos de otros personajes como Black Widow, Spider-Man y del Dr. Strange. Quiero seguir con esta serie de Marvel Knigths así que ya veremos si el 2024 será el año en que lo haga.
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