Devil’s Due: A Daredevil Reading List
The second season of Marvel's Daredevil drops on Netflix today. If you're reading this just after emerging from your binge-watching rabbit hole, you should probably get some sleep. Luke Cage doesn't premiere until September, so you have time to train for your next superhero-streaming marathon!
If you're new to the television show, Daredevil is the alter ego of Matthew Murdock, a blind lawyer who moonlights as a crime-fighting vigilante in the battle-scarred New York City of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Expectations are high for the sophomore season, and the heat in Hell's Kitchen has been turned up correspondingly. Matt must contend with lethal assassin Elektra Natchios, who happens to be his former flame, and Frank Castle, the Punisher, whose ruthless approach to dispensing justice comes into conflict with Matt's tactics.
Looking to delve into the source material from which the show is adapted? Read up on the comics! Check out the Man Without Fear's daring exploits and uneasy alliances in these graphic novels:
After Frank Miller took over writing duties on the Daredevil comics in 1981, he introduced readers to the deadly and driven Elektra. This volume contains Issue 168, where she makes her first appearance. Also popping up is a host of other regulars in the Daredevil mythos: the Kingpin, Bullseye, Matt's mysterious mentor Stick, and the ninja cabal known as the Hand.
Born Again by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli
In one of Miller's darkest storylines, Daredevil's crime lord nemesis, the Kingpin, discovers his identity and sets out to systematically destroy him. This 1986 title is noted for its bleak themes and for David Mazzucchelli's striking art (Miller and Mazzucchelli went on to collaborate on the iconic Batman: Year One). Will audiences get to see this arc played out onscreen — possibly in Season Three?
The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, Jimmy Palmiotti
Previous incarnations of the Punisher have appeared in various film adaptations, and now there are plans to give this fan favourite character his own television spinoff. Fan speculation was stoked when an early promotional image for Season Two recalled a panel from this Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon/Jimmy Palmiotti volume, where Daredevil and the Punisher engage in philosophical as well as physical bouts. In the sequel, Punisher: War Zone – The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci, the matriarch of a crime family demolished by the Punisher returns to exact her revenge. Actor Jon Bernthal, who plays the new Punisher, tweeted a picture of himself holding the book, presumably part of his homework for the role. Cue more intense fan discussion and theorizing!
Daredevil Volume 1 by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martin
Want more swashbuckling heroics and less grit and darkness? Mark Waid's writing combined with the art of Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin resulted in bright, dynamic and fun storytelling.
This is by no means a comprehensive list! Writers Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker both turned out well-received runs during the recent history of Daredevil comics. In addition, the Merril Collection carries the earliest stories dating back to the character's 1964 debut. The classic series, penned by Stan Lee and compiled in Daredevil Masterworks, can be read in the library. The adventures were wackier and the Man Without Fear was once of a sunnier disposition — he even wore a yellow costume!
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