A to Z Challenge - D is for...


...Daredevil!

DD by Alex Maleev


Created back in 1964 by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, Daredevil has been a staple of Marvel comics line-up almost constantly since then. Although for a time in the early 1980s it almost went the way of the dodo...


Yes...DD originally wore yellow!


Miller

 Faced with declining sales during the 70s, DD was on the verge of being canceled when Frank Miller joined the team as artist. Shortly after being handed the writer job too, Miller embarked on turning the "sightless swashbuckler" into a dark anti-hero.

 Roger McKenzie was the first writer to bring the dark tone to Daredevil, but Miller intended to push the character further than many were comfortable with. Original fans were disappointed in the new direction, but new fans came in droves.
Much coveted DD vol. 1 #181 - The "death" of Elektra

 Miller's reinvention of Matt Murdock included many new elements: Stick (blind mentor), The Hand (ninjas), Kingpin becoming Daredevil's main nemesis, and introducing the iconic character of Elektra. Many of the themes and characters introduced by Miller have been used to great effect in the Netflix television series of Daredevil.

 Miller later paired up with artist David Mazzucchelli to create one of the most widely acclaimed storylines in all of comic books: Born Again. In this story arc, Daredevil's secret identity is made known to the Kingpin who then slowly dismantles Matt Murdock's life. It became the story by which all other Daredevil writers were gauged. Miller left Daredevil at the end of Born Again.
Opening page to vol. 1 #230 - "Born Again"


 Bendis

 Several acclaimed writers and artists followed Miller on the book, among them Ann Nocenti who I blogged about last year: Comic Book Chaos #2, Kevin Smith (the movie director) and Brian Michael Bendis.

 Bendis is now a well known name in comics, but at the time of taking over Daredevil he was new to the Marvel Universe, having come over from indie comic books. His success on writing Ultimate Spider-man in 2000 (part of a whole new line-up of rebooted Marvel titles) got him hired on as regular writer on Daredevil.
vol 2 #32 - Bendis/Maleev

Bendis' subsequent 50+ issue run, most with artist Alex Maleev, is considered as good, if not better, than Miller's work on the book. Again stories were crafted around DD's war with the Kingpin and the reveal of his identity to the public, with Bendis' history of writing indie crime and noir comics making him a perfect fit with the character.
Alex Maleev's dark and gritty art was a perfect fit for DD

Present Day

 Daredevil is still protecting Hell's Kitchen, both in comics and on the television. Season 2 of Daredevil debuted recently on Netflix and Volume 5 of the ongoing adventures of Daredevil is available at all good comic book stores.
Vol 5 #1 by Charles Soule/Ron Garney

GSY

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 5, 2016 at 9:11 PM

    Great blog. Daredevil was one of my favorite comic books when i was younger now I watch it on Netflix just started the new season.
    I hope you're enjoying the A to Z.
    @ScarlettBraden from
    Frankly Scarlett

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GusApril 6, 2016 at 1:15 AM

      Season 2 was great! And yes, I am enjoying the A to Z :) Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
    2. GusApril 6, 2016 at 1:16 AM

      Season 2 was great! And yes, I am enjoying the A to Z :) Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  2. dSavannahApril 5, 2016 at 10:02 PM

    Should have known this is what you would choose for your D. :)

    @dSavannahCreate from
    dSavannahRambles
    #AtoZChallenge2016 theme: dSavannah Defects

    ReplyDelete
  3. Samantha BryantApril 6, 2016 at 7:02 PM

    I need to find some time to read some more Daredevil in the comics. I've gotten some of these in trades recently. Too many good comics, too little time!

    ReplyDelete

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