VOICE FROM THE LONGBOX

It’s impossible to mention Daredevil without mentioning Frank Miller. Some people think Miller made Daredevil. Most readers don’t realize that Frank started as a penciler working with a writer, and eventually took over both jobs. Yes, he created Elektra. And while he did not create Bullseye, he certainly defined him. Under Miller, DD became the grim and gritty hero of Hell’s Kitchen. A few years ago, moviemaker and comic fan Kevin Smith gave readers his take on ol’ Hornhead with a story arc called “Guardian Devil”. I like this story as well, and recommend it highly. But Daredevil has been published since 1964, and many talented creators get overshadowed when the more than 400 issues get summed up solely with the work of Miller and Smith. Here’s a list of some DD stories that may not get as much press, but still deserve a look. Essential Daredevil Vol. 1 contains reprints of issues 1–25 in affordable black-and-white. There have also been two Daredevil Marvel Masterworks hardcovers, which reprint issues 1–20 in color, but are much more expensive. Early in his crime-fighting career (#25), DD’s secret identity had been revealed to his friends. Thinking quickly, Matt Murdock created another identity for himself; his twin brother, Mike Murdock, who wears loud Hawaiian shirts and has messed-up hair. Even though Matt and Mike can’t be seen together, it fools his friends. Then Matt fakes his \"twin’s\" death. And you thought soap operas did this stuff better! Some of my earliest DD comics were #135–137, featuring Jester, (think DC’s Joker) who convinces NYC that Daredevil has gone bad. I bought this when I was eight, which is probably why it still seems so cool. Leaping over the aforementioned Miller eras, we come to issues 297–300, which have been collected as the Fall of the Kingpin. Kingpin returns, and Murdock is forced to \"die\" in the \"Fall From Grace\" (#319–325) arc that gives DD a new costume and a new secret identity. That story is resolved in issues 340–350, titled “Inferno”, which returns Murdock’s costume and identity. Also worth mentioning is a run by writer Karl Kesel, who came on in #353, and added humor back into the title. DD was a bit more of a wisecracking swashbuckler, and I loved it. Towards the end of Volume One (#365), writer Joe Kelly produced the \"Trial of Mister Fear\", and really fleshed out Matt’s supporting cast. This entire trip down back issue memory lane means nothing unless you seek out some comics. At the very least, visit manwithoutfear.com, which was the website I used to nail those issue numbers. That site concentrates on the comic and its storied history. It has cover images, summaries, and an impressive list of DD creators.