Daredevil Message Board

[jduteau]

I have always been a big DD fan but I've never really read his comics. I've picked up one here and there over the last 20 years and always enjoyed it. I have a couple of the TPBs and I really want to get into the current book. But I'm semi-anal so I keep trying to find a cutoff point to start reading from. Luckily, even though I really want to start at the beginning, I recognize that a) I don't have that much time and b) reading too much Stan Lee can be harmful to your health! So I've decided that starting with DDv2 seems a decent jumping in point.

But I don't think that I should just dive in there. I believe that there are some early runs that I should read that would give me context and let me understand a bit more of what's going on. Thus I have come to the experts.

I've looked at the Recommendeds on the website and they are mostly helpful. But I think that there's either too much to read or too little.

Here's what I've read already:
DD:Man Without Fear
DD:Yellow (I already knew that Karen was dead before reading this, I just don't know how)
DD v1 #1-7 (from the Marvel Masterworks)

assorted one-offs in v1, about 5-6 random

Here's what I've got and I'd like to see if this is considered "enough" by longtime DD readers for me to then jump into v2 with a full head of steam.

DD v1 159-191 (the Miller Visionaries stuff)
DD: Love and War
Elektra Lives Again
DD v1 215-222 (O'Neil without the SW stuff)
DD v1 225-233 (Born Again)
DD v1 272-268 (Typhoid Mary)
DD v1 278-291 (Ann Nocenti run)
DD v1 345-350 (JMD's run)

I'm missing the Black Widow stuff, and missing the last thirty episodes of v1, and I'm not sure if I have enough Bullseye or Elektra story arcs (I'm also not sure if I need to).

Thoughts?

Jean

[jumonji]

Well, while the early work has its charm, I can certainly see why you wouldn't necessarily want to read all of it. It's also not necessary (unless you thrive on things like the Foggy-Karen-Matt love triangle, Matt becoming his own fictional twin brother and Daredevil fighting the villain of the month).

Of the things you listed, the Frank Miller Visionaries volumes (at least numbers 2 and 3, since he didn't do any writing for the first one), and Born Again stand out as must-reads. While I'm not sure you need them to appreciate Vol 2, they are excellent in their own right and are important for understanding the character. Frank Miller Visionaries Vol 2 also gives you absolutely everything you need to know about Elektra and Bullseye (that's my opinion, at least).

If you want to do a short-cut through Volume 2 and jump straight into the current storyline, I would start with Vol 2 #26 (the first issue of Bendis's extended run) and read through to the end of The Widow (this would correspond to HCs 2 through 4). While Golden Age and Decalogue are interesting story arcs they are not in any way essential to understanding anything currently happening in the book. I would then cut to the Murdock Papers TPB (though if you buy it in HC it comes collected with the excellent Wake Up arc, Bendis's first work on the book). I'm not exactly a die-hard fan of the Murdock Papers, but since it leads directly into Brubaker's run, it is pretty much essential reading, I suppose. Then get all of Bru's TPBs and you're set.

That would be my recommendation. I'm sure there are many other views on this, but this will quickly bring you up to speed if that's your #1 priority. You can always go back later and read more. Unfortunately, Volume 2 HC 2 is out of print, but you could always get the TPBs. As for volume 1, there's a lot of good stuff out there, but aside from getting to know the character better, not much of it is necessary in order to enjoy Vol 2. Good luck!

UPDATED: HC 4, the one with The Widow arc, includes the two issues featuring Daredevil's and the Black Widow's first encounter. Also, sorry for not including more tips on Volume 1, but what I guess I should have said is that what you have seems more than enough to me. Hope that helps.
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The Other Murdock Papers

[Gloria]

Jean, Christine's selection is quite good, still, since the Miller work has been collected recently in omnibuses (which incñlude his classic first DD run, plus the MYTHIC Born Again, and Miller's re-telling of DD's origins in MWF mini (which you have read already)

Personally, I think that her advice to go straight for the beginning of the Bendis run, and then follow with Brubaker, is a good advice... If you like them, I'm afraid you'll be catching with the older stuff with passion, as many od us have ;D

Of the earlier V. 1 runs, I quite like the O'Neil run... And, definitely you should INCLUDE the Secret Wars issue within it: it's quite a good one-shot which says a lot about Matt Murdock. Nocenti's run has also pretty good stories.

Personally, I have a weakness for the Karl Kesel/cary Nord run starting in #353 until #364 (Just after JMD's run). I love it even more as, God! we used to have Matt SMILING on a regular basis back then.

[jduteau]

[Gloria]

[jumonji]

[jduteau]

I just finished the Frank Miller run - the issues collected in the Visionaries omnibuses - and that was some very good writing.

V1 (the one where Miller is drawing and not writing) wasn't that good - the first two issues I rated as good but then it was good art, not so good story for the rest.

I loved #168 - Elektra's first appearance. And every other issue other than #185 "Guts" I rated as solid or better. #181, the death of Elektra and #190, her resurrection were other issues that I loved.

So I can see why this run of Daredevil's is highly regarded.

Next up will be some of Denny O'Neil's run from #215 to #226 and then it's Miller's Born Again arc from #227 to #233.

Jean

[Gloria]

[jduteau]

[Gloria]

Not what you were lead to expect, eh?

I hope you enjoyed it. I never liked the SW miniseries (as a whole), but I must admit that this DD story seized the premise to say something important about Matt's integrity and heroism.

Plus: Matt and Picasso. I loved it
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Gloria
Devuélveme el rosario de mi madre y quédate con todo lo demás

"Para la cuesta arriba quiero mi burro, que la cuesta abajo yo me la subo"

[jduteau]

[Gloria]

[jduteau]

Okay, so here's this Typhoid Mary plot running through Ann Nocenti's Daredevil run. I don't particularly like the art and I'm not totally liking the Typhoid character, but it is an interesting plot.

And then the freaking Inferno crossover/tie-in issues hit and that just ruins it. I just finished #263 and that was the worst DD issue I've ever read -- actually I ended up not reading it, I just skimmed it. If I were a DD writer, I'd hate to have to do that sort of stuff that Marvel editors forced on Ann. (Assuming she was forced to do that!)

Jean

P.S.
And then I keep reading and it seems like the Typhoid Mary plot never resolves itself. Karen leaves when Mary says she loves Matt, DD leaves Hell's Kitchen. Oh well, on to a later Ann run - #278-291.