I’ve Read It All: Review & Rank
I finally finished reading all of Daredevil, so I decided to review and rank each run. Please enjoy, and let me know your thoughts! Feel free to follow the reviews with my collection in the photos.
Lee
I think the first issue is a must read. The art is really good as well, with some great stuff from Wally Wood and John Romita Sr. Sadly, the stories are simply not good. The characters and plots pale in comparison to Lee’s work on ASM. Cool to see the origin and the yellow suit, but that’s about it for me.
2/10
Miller
This is a run I could write about all day. It holds some sentimental value for me too, as it’s the first omnibus I ever read. Miller truly created Daredevil. The character was on the brink of cancellation before a young Frank Miller, who was on art at the time, was given a chance to write Daredevil. We’ve all seen the memes about Miller’s storytelling and art later in his career, but the man was a certified legend writing in his prime.
Here are some things that are considered cornerstones of Daredevil’s character: Bullseye as truly evil menace, Daredevil in the grimy underworld of New York, Kingpin as Matt’s arch nemesis, Elektra, Ben Urich and Matt’s relationship, the Hand, Stick. What do they have in common? They were all born or truly created as we know them in the Miller run.
I frequently call this the Daredevil Bible. Everything that people love about this character comes from this run. Elektra is forever my favorite pairing for Matt. Klaus Janson provides some beautiful art throughout as well, and the Mazzucchelli art in Born Again is legendary in its own right. A must read run that should be evergreen.
10/10
Nocenti
This run takes a little while to find its feet, but once it does it soars. The use of villains that reflect society and its underbelly were really good. RJR is on art after 15 issues or so, and his art here is of course spectacular. Rough start to the run though, and Matt in blackface was… not cool. I really do like Nocenti’s voice for Matt. The legal clinic, the Fatboys, and the villains really create a city that feels very alive. Also, Karen and Matt have truly never been written better together.
I have only read the first omni of this run, and I will read the second half this summer when it releases. I could totally see this jumping Soule once I read the full run, who knows.
8/10
Chichester
I have only read two arcs of Chichester’s run, and they are polar opposites. Last Rites is a fantastic arc that feels like the spiritual ending for the Miller-Nocenti saga. I think that may be a top ten if not top fifteen DD arc for me. Unfortunately, the other arc I read was Fall from Grace. That was a confusing, boring, and bloated story. If an omnibus is ever released for this run, maybe I will read the full run. Probably not.
4/10
Smith
Guardian Devil. Man, what a polarizing run. The first time I read it, I absolutely hated it. The second time I read it, I liked it a tiny bit more. The art is really not for me. It is great at times, just not my personal preference. I do not like how Matt is written, and what happens at the end with Karen was not done well in my opinion. I don’t like Smith’s writing, but this story undeniably has some cool moments. Doctor Strange and the overall Mysterio (censor for spoiler) plot were kinda fun. Overall, not a fan and glad I didn’t spring for the omni.
4/10
Unusual Suspects TPB/Echo Stuff
I grabbed this paperback and read the missing Echo stuff online. I actually really like Echo. David Mack has the coolest freaking art. The Daredevil: Ninja story was not for me at all. It didn’t even seem like Matt enjoyed being involved in ninja BS. The Spidey crossover series also did not grab me. Bob Gale’s short arc about Matt suing Daredevil was kinda fun but also very silly. I bought and then sold this book, sadly just not any interesting DD content in here.
3/10
Bendis
Every run following Bendis builds on what happens here. A crime noir in a world that is constantly oozing with mood and grime thanks to the stunning art by Maleev. My second reading of this run is when its greatness really hit me. Milla is so different and interesting, and Matt’s mental state is wonderfully toyed with by Bendis. Another thing that shines here are the iconic moments with the Kingpin and Bullseye. These are Matt’s best foils, and Bendis really flexes his muscles with them. I like the flashback arc, and I loved the Daredevil support group arc at the church.
10/10
End of Days
I did not really enjoy this at all. The funniest thing to me was the implication Matt may have had many children with many women, because of course he did. The final fight in the streets that starts this book off is interesting, but the pay off for the entire story didn’t really hit for me.
5/10
Brubaker
I have such a tough time with this run. Devil in Cell Block D is simply phenomenal. I think it is significantly better than the Zdarsky jail arc. After that arc, though, the story quality drops. The art by Lark is great throughout the story. The Mr Fear arc was well done. By the end of this run, I was so happy to be done. Really really strong start, but the rest of this averaged from decent to meh.
7/10
Noir
I grabbed the single issues of this story in a comic shop. The art was cool and fun. I thought the story was pretty simple and bland. Nothing to write home about, and certainly much less interesting than Spider-Man Noir.
5/10
Shadowland
Stinky, stinky garbage. Thankfully I did not buy this omnibus, even though the spiral cover is really cool. Genuinely the only upside is the black Shadowland suit is kinda cool. This is a gross mischaracterization of Matt, and it was an unenjoyable, bloated slog to read. I read this for completion’s sake, but I think it is the worst Daredevil out there. Actually unbelievable how this compares to the runs before and after it.
1.5/10 (half a point for the Assassin’s Creed style wrist knives DD has)
Waid
It is hard not to call this the best Daredevil run. Beautiful art, poignant and moving storytelling, and a really satisfying ending. Rivera and Samnee consistently provide some of the most vibrant art in comics, and Javier Rodriguez and even the Allreds for an issue provide some fun guest art. Waid is fantastic about taking what people love about a character and amplifying it. Matt’s resilience, hope, and determination have never shone brighter than in this run. I personally adored both the first and second halves, but I can understand people not liking the San Francisco bit as much. Kirsten is my second favorite love interest for Matt, and her relationship with Matt is so fun and loving. He was almost happy!!
This run is deeply emotional, and at the same time it is light-hearted and fun. It hits serious notes in the tone of Bendis and Brubaker, and it has silly stories that harken back to the Silver Age. Truly a marvelous run of Daredevil.
10/10
Soule
At this point, I started to think there is no way Daredevil keeps getting great writing. Soule proved me wrong. Blindspot instantly became my favorite addition to the Daredevil cast. Garney’s art rules, and his use of black, white, and red was so simple yet so sharp. Muse is the coolest and most menacing villain Daredevil has seen since Miller’s Bullseye. I dug the Mayor Fisk stuff as well, and it was cool to see the TV show adapt aspects of this run. My biggest complaint is the jarring change from the status quo in the Waid run. The explanation made sense, but it still hurt to see so much of what Waid built get destroyed. I also felt like the ending dragged.
Now, I don’t want to end this review negatively. This run totally rocks. Blindspot and Muse are incredible. The art is great, and the black suit is dope as hell. This is another fantastic chapter of Daredevil, and I hope Marvel reprints the omnibus soon.
8.5/10
Zdarsky
Once again, I entered this run with a grain of salt. Zdarsky’s DD run has a lot of haters online, and I kinda get why. It feels like it was heavily inspired by Miller’s run as well as the TV show. I love Elektra, and I think this is the second best run with her in it behind her origin with Miller. It could certainly be said this is her best run. Checchetto’s art is ridiculous. He especially shines in action, characters, and backgrounds. Matt’s white suit, the King Daredevil suit, and his basic red suit are all brilliantly drawn by Checchetto.
The first half of Zdarsky’s run is undeniably breathtaking. The religious aspect of the character was a cool thing to explore, I feel like that is really unique to Matt. The Stromwyns were a diabolical (and realistic) villain. If you love this run or not comes down to if you liked Devil’s Reign and the Red Fist Saga. I thought both were pretty good. I quite enjoyed the Red Fist Saga and the ending, so this run really hit for me. Zdarsky takes some really big swings, and even if you don’t love it all you have to respect Checchetto’s art.
9/10
Cold Day in Hell
Great mini by Soule, I read this as it came out in singles. The art was gritty and fit really well here. Bullseye being an absolute depraved menace is always wonderful. This was a short but sweet run that did the trick for me.
8/10
Now, to rank all of the runs:
1 Miller
2 Waid
3 Bendis
4 Zdarsky
5 Soule
6 Nocenti
7 Brubaker
8 Chichester
9 Lee
10 Shadowland
Any of those top 3 could be shifted around, this is just my opinion. The margins between those 3 runs are very narrow, and it pains me to have to rank any one of them over the other. Miller is the Daredevil Bible, and the writing and art are so strong together. Waid provides a masterwork on the character that genuinely moved me. Bendis created a stunning crime thriller that enthralled me.
If you’re still here after reading my flood of opinions on Matt Murdock, thank you. It is truly rare for a character to have this many good writers and artists. It is even more rare for me to say a character has THREE runs that are a 10/10. Daredevil speaks to a sense of justice in all of us, and that really compelled me to fully read this character. He is also an emotionally flawed person, and his humanity is just as compelling as his sense of justice. I encourage anyone who hasn’t read Daredevil to do it.