Daredevil by Mark Waid, Vol. 1

Daredevil by Mark Waid #1-2

by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera (Illustrator), Marcos Martín (Illustrator)

Collects Daredevil #1-10 and 10.1 and Amazing Spider-Man #677.

THE DEVIL IS REBORN. RENEWED. RESSURECTED. With new enemies, new friends and that same old “grinnin’ in the face of hell” attitude, the Man Without Fear is back and leading with his face! Mark Waid (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Irredeemable, RUSE) joins neo-legendary artists Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin for a new, Eisner Award-winning spin on Daredevil that will leave you gasping for air. Having turned his world upside over the past several years, Matt Murdock realizes justice may not be blind to his past — and villains may not be the only ones looking for answers. Klaw, master of sound. The Megacrime cartel. Mole Man. The Black Cat. Bring it on! If Matt Murdock could see what he was doing...he’d be terrified.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2013

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty nice transition from the dark broody Daredevil from Bendis, Brubaker and Diggle that lead up to this. Even Frank Miller. Waid, with the help of Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin, brings a more lighter toned DD run. In the previous run, Matt’s identity of Daredevil was revealed that has slowly morphed into only rumor. This causes Matt to not be able to try cases without a bunch of nonsense, so he turns to teaching and coaching clients to represent themselves. Pretty cool angle. Also, a hard drive is brought in to the picture containing information that all the different villainous agencies, who have teamed up, want. Hydra, A.I.M., Black Spectre, Agencé Byzantine and the Secret Empire. Matt gets his hands on it and plans go into effect to get it from him which brings in the Spider-Man issue #677. I’m having fun with this one so far.

[Donovan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely made it halfway through this. Can't say I'm a huge fan of Waid's writing here. Or maybe indie comics are just killing it right now for me. Because this doesn't feel real enough. But the artwork is very well done.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Let's go find the bad guys!"
With that speech bubble, and a full page illustration of Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Black Cat swinging into action over the Big Apple, it's pleasing that this edition rarely takes a wrong step. It's also lighter in tone - not necessarily a bad thing - and more humorous than some of the previous collections.

Stories include DD preventing a kidnapping at a Mafia wedding (even managing to steal a kiss from the bride-to-be), leading a group of stranded blind children to safety from a wintery bus crash (shades of the forgotten ABC Movie of the Week "Seven in Darkness"), and getting freaky with a frisky Cat (warning: coitus interruptus) after an adventure.

[L. McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I decided that I needed to try Waid’s Daredevil. I have an odd opinion on this character in general I’d say.
I haven’t found a Daredevil comic that I would say I love. Despite that, the Netflix series is my favorite live action TV series (I say live action because let’s be honest, it still doesn’t quite beat Archer)

(ALL HAIL CHERYL TUNT, FUTURE QUEEN OF MARS!)
So anyways, I heard that this is a fan favorite so I tried it out...

What’s it about?
Really, these are mostly just fun little adventures of Daredevil.

Pros:
The story is fun. I should note that this is not nearly as dark and violent as the TV series and while many fans of the show (including myself) will be looking for that grittiness, this is still good and I still enjoyed it.
The art is very good and suits the tone of the book very well. I also love how much the colors pop out, the colorists did a wonderful job there!
The action scenes are fantastic and there are a lot of them.
There’s a lot of comic relief stuff and it’s often fairly humorous.

Cons:
One thing annoyed/confused me throughout the book. Pretty much everyone makes comments about knowing that Matt is Daredevil even though he keeps insisting he’s not. How did they find out? Is there something I was meant to read before this run?
The characters in this comic have very little personality. They pretty much just play their part in the story and that’s it.
This one is a pretty predictable one for the most part. It’s very much your typical good guy punches bad guy until good guy wins sorta book, no real plot twists or anything.

Overall:
Would I say I love it like the show? No. Did I still enjoy it and think I’ll add book 2 to my reading list? Yep! Though I didn’t think it was a masterpiece I still had fun reading it and would recommend it to folks looking for a fun superhero comic.

4/5

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auch wenn der Comic gut war, bin ich froh, dass die Netflix Serie bisher ohne metaphysischen Bullshit auskam und sich mehr den organisiertem Verbrechen widmet.

[Benji Glaab · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Coming off Zdarsky's run its hard not to feel let down a little, but this is still a worthy read. Waid totes this book as a departure from putting Matt Murdock through hell and back. Keeping things on the lighter side I enjoyed the simplistic clean art lines and colors.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always like Daredevil as a character. Funny I should say that, because when I was a kid, I never read his book. I remember reading a Fantastic Four comic once where Galactus was super-hungry and made a last ditch attempt to eat the earth, because, you know, yum, and the Avengers and the FF were having it out with him. It was all lightning in the sky and buildings falling over and all that.

During the fight, there was a panel, or two, of Daredevil and Spider-Man sitting (or standing) on top of a building and watching it all unfold and Spidey was like, ‘hey, should we be down there?’

Daredevil, I think, said something like, ‘Nope. But maybe someone is getting mugged or something. I'll do something about that instead.’

And ever since them, I liked him. Still never read his comic. But I know that Kevin Smith wrote the book for a bit, and so did Frank Miller. I heard it was really good several years ago, and dark, and I wanted to read it, but never did. I don't know why. Don't judge me. You don't know me.

So when the Netflix show came out (you guys, it’s so good!) I decided it was time to suck it up and read the actual comic.

I picked Mark Waid as my introduction to the character, officially.

Turns out, it was pretty good. It had an arc and all that, but it was a pretty loose one. Wasn’t wrapped in the melodrama I expected. I read later that this run has a much lighter tone that the previous several.

Whatever. It was good. I’m going to read more. Also, springtime is great. But my yard sucks. Stupid grass is mostly been taken over, it’s nothing but weeds and crabgrass out there. I’d like to see Daredevil come and punch my yard in the face. That’s the hero I need. Worry about organized crime later. Fix my damn lawn first.

[Bryan Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the biggest shift in tone the series has had since Miller took over in the 80s. It is a welcome change after so many runs of dark depressing DD content, not that I don’t love that stuff too, but I like this as well!
The writing was top notch throughout. It is a much lighter tone and brings the character back to its roots. A more villain-of-the-week style of storytelling rather than huge mystery based noir stories. The writing (and some visual gags) even made me laugh out loud multiple times.
The art style, like the writing, is also more light hearted and fun. It harkens back to early comic artwork, and reminded me a lot of Aja’s work on Hawkeye.
Can’t wait to continue this run!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time reading all of these stories, and I have to say, they read just as fresh and exciting as they did the first time around. Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera's styles compliment each other perfectly, and they do a fantastic job elevating Daredevil out of the horrible, depressing mire the character fell into during the Shadowland era.

They've really done the unthinkable: they've made Matt Murdock positive. I mean, a brooding hero from time to time is great, but it's been done a million times, and this new, positive Daredevil is so refreshing and welcome that it feels like it's never been done before. This is pure, comic-booky fun with a great heart at its core and a slow-building adventure that keeps you coming back. Besides maybe Fraction's Hawkeye, I don't know if there's a better Marvel comic out right now.

[Jordan Lahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series gets A LOT of praise, but it's taking me a while to get into it. So far I'm having trouble getting over the shift to cheery Daredevil. Throughout the Miller/Bendis/Brubaker stuff, Daredevil is kind of Marvel's closest analog to Batman, and this take on the character is clearly reflected in the TV show. At the tail end of this collection I'm starting to see hints at where Waid wants to take Daredevil with this story, but for now it's just kind of puzzling. It isn't really my favorite style of art, but I appreciate the unique way of showing Daredevil's radar vision. Because of the buzz I'm going to keep reading this series, but I hope it starts to grab me soon.

[Dusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Its is a lighter Daredevil than we are used to... not as dark and gritty as other runs. Its a nice change of pace. The highlight of this book is the team up with Spidey and Black Cat... so good!!!

[Ben Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So nice to see DD happy and less moody

[Jorge Schumacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 estrelas

[Guilherme Nunes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bom início para esta run, já queria ler este daredevil há muito tempo, muito diferente das outras runs, parece mais leve e mais colorido, a arte do Rivera é impecável

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm coming into Daredevil after really liking the character for the first time based on the work of Bendis and then Brubaker. This run has been getting a lot of positive press so I thought I would check it out.

The atmosphere is starkly different than where I left off reading (with Brubaker). This Daredevil is cheery, determined to keep his chin up, and crack a smile no matter what happens. It's a little off-putting compared to where he is coming from.

There are a couple art styles displayed in the book though the quality never made me fall in love with it. There are some fantastic layout sections and the atmosphere change in writing is also reflected in brighter colors in the coloring. I thought the book was starting to hit it's stride and draw me in towards the end.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an AMAZING interpretation of Daredevil.

Mark Waid goes back to the basics and reinvents the character. People say it's too lightly or too cartoonish or so on. But it's actually great. It starts fresh and it goes deeper and deeper as it moves further. Matt may not be the completely broken, damaged individual we all know and love, but he is not having a fun time either.
The supporting characters are great, the plot is seriously amazing.

I read this during the summer, when I was going through some unpleasant stuff. And it saved my life. Or at least my sanity.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a truly massive volume that I hoped would collect all issues of a single story arc to kickstart my reading of Daredevil comics. Nope. 13 issues, four distinct story arcs, and many art styles. Sorry. Just wasn't digging it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros: Nice set up for Daredevil-y hijinks, a slightly more cheerful tone with some fun writing, clean art that doesn't make me feel like my optic nerve's been severed and tossed into a food processor. Cons: Cheerful Daredevil? What the hell?

[Adam Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading Marvel comics as a teenager because I picked up a copy of X-Men vs Fantastic Four #1 when I was hanging out with someone I thought was cool, and was trying to impress. This led to a couple of years following the X-Men comics before losing touch with comics for five or six years.

When I got back into comics, I started picking up other titles, and found that I preferred the street level characters: Spider-Man and Daredevil, and a few years down the line Punisher and Hawkeye.

I had lost all interest in Daredevil during the Shadowland run, and apart from reading X-titles out of habit, had mostly abandoned Marvel and DC for Image comics and some of the less-mainstream biographies and other non-superhero books. But I still read comic sites that talked about ongoing titles so that I could continue to recommend books to customers with an affinity to superhero books, without being the old guy who told everybody to read Watchmen or Fables because he'd grown out of touch with more recent books.

Some article mentioned that Mark Waid's run on Daredevil was really refreshing, as it marked the first time in twenty-five years that Daredevil was smiling on the page of a comic. So I picked it up. The smiling wasn't the hook, though. Paolo Rivera's layouts are spectacular in this book. And, sure, his art is miles away from the Maleev/Gaydos/Mack/Quesada/Lark/Francavilla eras, but that's as refreshing as Waid's lighter tone in writing.

I love that this isn't a fresh start, and yet Matt Murdock is virtually unrecognizable from the previous runs. Sure, he's still a blind lawyer playing dressup and fighting crime, but the Catholig guilt noose has been cut away from him, and he's started to be more focused on solving problems than brooding over past mistakes.

While, after Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada's run, I never felt like the Catholocism in Daredevil was rammed into the reader's eyes, it was always there. The guilt. The rituals. The guilt. The brooding. The need to confess. The belief that you're being punished for being imperfect. I enjoyed the story, but it was So Heavy.

Waid has, at least for now, lifted that heaviness away. Do terrible things still happen? Yes. Innocent people are still targeted. Criminals still win sometimes. But it's not because of some judgey old white guy's God, it's just life. And instead of waiting for God to give him answers about things, Murdock is finally just trying to solve problems to move forward, not atone for his past.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. This is my first time reading a Daredevil run yet I feel right at home, just as well as Mark Waid gives us a Matt Murdock that is trying to start anew, think positively and overall just enjoy life a little despite all of the shit he’s had to go through (and still is in a way). Daredevil’s adventures here felt swashbuckling and exciting, he still gets into trouble and at times gets the crap beat out of him but Waid gives him this sardonic tone of voice through the writing that charms you regardless of what he’s going through. I like that despite the tone being lighter it doesn’t sacrifice the more mature nature that I’ve heard about from the character, not just through violence but how characters go about life and how the world is presented.

Add on to this I loved how both the writing and the art brought the reader into seeing the world through Matt’s eyes. Theres tons of monologues from Matt as he analyzes situations, people and the environment through his senses, and it’s showcased through the art using visual cues that feel natural to the reader rather than in your face. It really helped me understand Matt’s daily experience and got me thinking of what sights and sounds and the like that I ignore or take for granted each day. By the way the art is vibrant and bold I loved it and I think it fits the nature of the narrative.

There’s probably stuff here that I’m overlooking, cracks in visage but coming home from work and reading a few issues every other day I was always having fun reading this. I smiled, I laughed, I pondered. It’s been a while since a comic has grabbed me so thoroughly, I hope the rest of the run stays as strong.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It certainly takes time to start following Mark Waid down the path he wants to go with this character. Bendis set such a strong tone in the 00s which Brubaker was happy to follow (even if he upped the pace and action) and now, for a time at least, we're done with the doom and gloom and Daredevil would almost have a Bronze age feel to him here but for the slightly self-reflexive air to the writing. It was the art which threw me the most, though, also eschewing any signs of grit it's almost pop-art pomo at times and after shaking my head in disbelief I had to admit ... it's good and it works.

But is it genuinely good beyond the superficial stylings and direction change? There lies the problem with reviewing a run before it's finished because I really don't know. I'd say on an issue to issue basis the stories seem to be there - they don't shoot too high (it closes out with a fight with the Mole who has been stealing graves, including Daredevil's Father. That's neat) and largely workout, including a little spiderman/black Cat teamup and some fun courtroom and interpersonal antics. I'm undecided by the heft and smarts of the ongoing storyline yet though, but weirdly confident it's gonna work out. Put it this way, my brain is thinking about going home and reading the next issue.

[José Ignacio · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing change of pace for DD

Mark Waid is one of those writers I can’t name a single bad book from, and this is no exception.

After the somewhat overwhelming drab tone that DD's book took towards the end of Brubaker's era and the entirety of Diggle's era, it’s fun to get a book that is funny and lighthearted yeah, but also not afraid to raise to raise the stakes and take itself seriously whenever necessary. It’s just a good book with some honest-to-god superheroing with no ifs and or buts about it; while also showing how far Matt has come as a character from Shadowland.

The book is also drawn gorgeously, the brighter colors and softer, more cartoonish style from Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin do an excellent job complementing Waid's more lighthearted tone beautifully.

My only major problem is Spider-Man's characterization, but that’s less of a problem with the actual writing of the book and more of a problem with how Marvel Editorial has disrespected and mistreated his character since Quesada's god awful decision with One More Day. But that’s neither here nor there.

Overall, a damn solid read I can recommend to anyone, be they a seasoned Daredevil fan or just someone looking for a damn good, fun comic book.

[chad chrysanthemum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok this was SO good!! I've read a bit about Daredevil and I think he's got such a cool character concept, coming at criminals from both sides of the law as a lawyer and vigilante, so I thought I'd take the plunge and read some of the actual comics. Waid's run was the one I saw most recommended, so that's where I started. I'm glad I did too, because it has been incredibly enjoyable so far. It's maybe dangerous to start here as I've also seen it described as the most colourful and upbeat version of Daredevil, so I might be shocked to find the rest of them to be quite different, but whatever I like my characters to get to be happy every once in a while. I think this volume is really well-written, and the art is (for the most part - I don't like the art on 3-6) really gorgeous, especially in how his radar sense is portrayed. It's a really cool way of showing what he's experiencing, and also of making sure that his disability isn't erased - he's still clearly blind, and his radar sense (& other powers) can be totally thrown off in a number of ways. So, yes, this was a really great introduction to the character, it looks great, and I think the stories are really well-written to boot. I'm excited to read the rest of this run!!

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun take on Daredevil, a lot lighter and quippier in tone than what I've read before (mostly Miller's brooding). In this story, Matt Murdock's secret identity was outed by the press, and he's doing his best to keep a low profile, while still practicing law. His workaround being to teach his clients to represent themselves, which I found pretty clever. This first book's kind of all over the place tonally, but it works. It starts very typical Daredevil style: mafia bosses and street vigilantes. But it quickly moves into worldwide crime, AIM and Hydra come into play. His Spidey team up left me a little cold though. He even makes a quick stint underground to fight the mole man ! Quite varied but still cohesive. I just hope the whole Megacrime thing doesn't take too much space in the narrative, that was my least favorite bit so far.. And I also hope Marcos Martin gets to draw a bit more ! As much as I like Paolo Riviera's art, I'm a die hard for Martin..

[Maciej Matusz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read several Daredevil runs this year, but this one, even though it’s just the first volume is my favorite. I really like how Mark Waid reshaped Matt into a more positive, lighter character who even jokes about being Daredevil. The sweater scene will stay with me forever.

I also appreciate how characters from previous runs are reduced to a minimum, with Foggy remaining and Matt helping him lose weight. You can criticize the lack of follow-up on characters from earlier series, but in my opinion, after the events of the previous runs, this works as a clear break, and even a new reader can jump in without any trouble.

I don’t often talk about this when writing about comics, but I absolutely love the panel sequencing here it’s very storytelling-driven and incredibly immersive. The art is also very simple and cartoony, with fairly bright colors, which I personally like because it reinforces the shift in tone of the story.

[Gabriel Kelso · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I am using this as a review for the Waid run overall)
9/10 super fantastic

I almost can't even muster any complex ideas for this review, this volume (and run as a whole) is an incredibly well written, gorgeously colorful, high-flying, swashbuckling, change of pace for a character who seriously needed it.

it should be said though, even though it is less grounded/gritty than most DD stories, when it needs to, it can take a much more serious tone. and im not just talking about the *personal obstacles* some characters face(keeping it vauge to avoid spoilers) but several situations characters are placed in in this run are pretty seriously upsetting and gnarly, and these moments land even harder when contrasted with the lighter tone of the rest of the run.

[Joshua]

I’ve been meaning to reread the Waid & Samnee run and as the fun I had with this volume can attest, it’s been too long. These were my first Daredevil comics and Waid’s pitch of not just making Matt as miserable as possible had sufficiently warped my perspective on the character such that I’m always asking “yeah but does it really need to be this gritty?”

Except for with Chip. Chip can do whatever he wants.

It’s worth noting that I always thing of this as Waid & Samnee’s run but Samnee is nowhere in this first volume and the book is still excellent thanks to the talents of Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin.

Anyway pretty sure Daredevil is “smelling his fingers” in this one panel.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A completely different vibe. Not that it’s bad, just very different. I skipped shadowland because I heard it wasn’t that good, just read a quick recap of it and I don’t feel I missed a lot. Waid and Rivera immediately set the tone as a new daredevil run, colors are brighter, joyful, art style more cartoonish and we leave behind the mature storytelling which I’ll miss a bit. Also we get some supernatural stories, more sci fi stuff, and those are enjoyable just not my preferred ones. I appreciate the new approach, a new Matt and bringing back villains. My fav thing is the art of his radar sense

[Chaitanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never read anything about Matt Murdock. Never watched DD on Netflix. It was such a fresh work for me and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. There seemed to be ton of backstory of MM/DD being negative, gloomy etc but, this work definitely delivered a very positive character. It was pure comic book fun. I absolutely loved the slow burns, the adventure and exciting law business. Some scenes felt forced and didn't completely fit in but, that is such a little flaw in this amazing work.

Damn excited about more DD & will definitely watch the Netflix series. 4.75/5!

[Arturo Romero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Español
Tenia tiempo queriendo leer algun comic de Dare Devil, la verdad es que la serie me gusto mucho en sus dos primeras temporadas. No es un comic malo pero tampoco encuentro algo que me haga recomendarlo, la historia no es muy interesante, y las ilustraciones son buenas.

English
I had wanted to read a Dare Devil comic for a long time, the truth is that I really liked the series in its first two seasons. It's not a bad comic but I can't find anything to recommend it either, the story isn't very interesting, and the illustrations are good.