The origin
Matt Murdock, a boy from Hell's Kitchen, pushes an old man clear of a runaway truck and is blinded by the radioactive canister it spills. The accident takes his sight and hypersensitises everything else, hearing, smell, touch, and a radar sense that maps the world in a way sighted people cannot imagine. His father, a boxer, is murdered for refusing to throw a fight. Matt becomes a lawyer by day, and by night the thing criminals in Hell's Kitchen are actually afraid of.
What makes Daredevil different
Daredevil is Marvel's Catholic guilt made flesh. He is a devout man who beats people in alleys and then goes to confession, a lawyer who has sworn to uphold a system he circumvents nightly. Where most heroes have a secret identity, Matt has a genuine contradiction he can never resolve. That is why the great Daredevil runs read like crime novels rather than superhero comics.
Where to start reading
The full reading order
Frank Miller's Daredevilessential
This is where Daredevil becomes essential. Miller reinvents him as a street-level noir hero, introduces Elektra, and redefines the character forever. Start here, genuinely.
+ Add to my want listElektra: Assassindeep cut
Miller & Sienkiewicz. Wild, experimental, and gorgeous. A deep cut but a stunning one.
+ Add to my want listBorn Againessential
Miller & Mazzucchelli. Karen Page sells Daredevil's identity for a fix and Kingpin systematically destroys his life. Widely considered one of the greatest comic stories ever written. Non-negotiable.
+ Add to my want listBendis & Maleevessential
A noir crime saga that treats Daredevil like The Wire. Kingpin, the outing of Matt's identity, and consequences that stick. Superb.
+ Add to my want listEd Brubaker's runrecommended
Picks up directly from Bendis and keeps the crime-noir intensity. Reads as one continuous epic with the previous run.
+ Add to my want listMark Waid's runessential
A deliberate tonal reset: lighter, brighter, swashbuckling. A brilliant modern jumping-on point if the darkness isn't your thing.
+ Add to my want listChasing any of these Daredevil issues?
Whether you are hunting a key, thinking about selling a collection, or just want to talk comics, I am always happy to hear from you.