Rating: 
Summary: Really fabulous stuff...
Review: ...I've read Miller's Dark Knight, Ronin, Batman: Year one and "Give me Liberty", and to be honest, I wasn't exactly blown away. Out of curiousity, though, I read Visionaries Vol 1-Miller's art was certainly good, but again I wasn't really impressed. However, I've heard so much about Elektra and Miller's heralded run on Daredevil, so I finally decided to give Vol 2 a try, and now I'm a believer. Vol 2, which reprints Daredevil 168-182(the entire Elektra storyline in which Daredevil finds his long-lost first love only to tragically lose her again) is fabulous and epic. Highly recomended. I'll definitely buy Vol 3, which reprints 183-191.
Rating:
Summary: One single comic book made all the difference.
Review: Back in the Fall of 1981,I was only 13 when I happened to browse a rotary stand featuring the December comic book issues(Marvel,DC,Harvey,Gold Key,et al)at a local convenient store in my neighborhood.On the rack was a lone copy of 'Daredevil #177'.I had only a vague knowledge of this interestingly "blind superhero" beforehand.But when I flipped through the 20 odd pages of this particular issue,I was imperceptibly captivated by the comic's dark and mysterious impressions,mostly due to the artist's noir-style(the instant atmospheric quality of the use of light and shadow contrasts)and overall,unsettling mood. My earliest experiences with this specific style of comic book presentation were the classic '70's Neil Adams' Batman issues that gloriously brought a long overdue return to Batman's original persona-The Dark Knight!At such a tender age(8-12 years old),I had absolutely no conscious sense of artistic style and intention.All I knew,instinctively,was that those Batman issues were unlike anything I had encountered via comic books.So when I first saw 'Daredevil #177'(and even Moon Knight #14,for that matter-thank you! Mr. Bill Seinkiewicz!)it immediately evoked those earlier Batman issues.From there on,I was hooked on Daredevil and this fascinating artist/writer:Frank Miller. I,subsequently,purchased all the following issues,and back issues as well,of course(as far back as #170,anyways,because they were all I could afford;earlier ones being expensive even back then!).For me Daredevil wasn't the same when Frank Miller left after issue #191(absolute classic issue!all the more,because of the amazing Terry Austin's inks!).From Daredevil #158-#167,you have Miller complimenting Roger McKenzie's sub-Miller writing(however,still classic issues;don't get me wrong!).And from Daredevil #183-#191,you have Klaus Janson doing most of the art a la "Miller" no doubt,but NOT Miller,nonetheless(I remember,initially,being confused when I first got issue #185,thinking the artist credit was a typo!).So for me,those brilliant,groundbreaking issues spanning Daredevil #168-#182 were and still are(I know the "Born Again" arc is a highwater mark in the Daredevil oeuvre,to be sure)THE standard for which to measure all others,including non-Daredevil titles!-Elektra was introduced! The Kingpin was brilliantly revised! Bullseye set a new standard for villianry! Miller's art revolutionized the medium to a realistically "grim'n'gritty" rendering,imitated by many(for better or for worse),and his writing also set a new standard for the maturity and modern evolution of comic books,dealing with such topical issues as:corrupt politics,urban city life,psychological impediments(see aforementioned issue #177),criminal psychopathology,social consciousness,drug and smoking addiction,relational pathology(Daredevil's/Matt's relations with women:Elektra,Heather Glenn),and a pervasive postmodern feeling overall,etc,etc.This was not simply just generic superhero saves:damsel in distress/the world/American values/the mayor/fill in requisite blank.This was closer to real life as a "beyond our world" comic book could get(save,perhaps, those aforementioned Neal Adams' Batman classic issues).I remember thinking to myself as a young teenager that these Daredevil comic books were "grown up",adult-like,unlike your standard comic books.Quite frankly,I found Frank Miller's vision of,not only Daredevil,but comics,in general,a rather liberating experience,in terms of where I felt I fitted as an often confused and frustrated young man. Ergo,this TPB(Daredevil:Visionaries Vol.2)is a must have,especially for the non-initiated.It,undoubtedly,represents comic book history.
Rating:
Summary: Daredevil Visionaries #2 Elektra Saga
Review: Be careful when reading reader revies of graphic novels. That said, this is one of the best graphic novels on the market and a most important Daredevil stroyline. This covers the Elektra saga as it originally appeared. A first attempt at an Elektra GN was a cut and paste job putting together storybits only pertaining to Elektra. That first attempt really killed the original intent of Miller. This new version restores the comics to their original glory. The stories run like good film noir movies. The Elektra story is a gripping tale of love lost, found, and lost again and woven into the context of a massive gang war. Of course, Miller's success with Daredevil led him to greater projects such as Ronin, Dark Knight, and Sin City. The stories collected in Visionaries are the work of a fresh talent bursting with ideas. Buy all the Miller Visionaries titles that you can. The third one should be published later this year.
Rating: 
Summary: Back when Daredevil was cool.
Review: Daredevil has been hovering around in the background for far too long. After the recent Kevin Smith-inspired surge in his popularity all sorts of Daredevil stuff is being resurrected. Thankfully they're starting with the good stuff. This collection begins the greatest Daredevil stories that can be found. No matter how glossy and 90's hip Smith made Matt Murdock, Miller made him cool. These are simply some of the finest DD stories around. The downside is that they are not some of the finest Miller stories around. If the only DD stuff you know is Smith's, read and learn. This is where the greatest comic book writer of the '802 cut his teeth.
Rating:
Summary: Daredevil Becomes Great
Review: During Frank Miller's first nine issues on Daredevil, numbers 158-161 and 163-167, the stories were written by Roger McKenzie with Miller supplying pencils. (Number 162 was a non-McKenzie/Miller fill-in issue.) It was only with number 168 - the first issue in this collection - that Miller was handed the writing chores as well. That's when Daredevil, since its inception in 1964 one of Marvel's second tier books, truly hit its stride. In his very first outing, Miller slammed a home run when he created Elektra Natchios, ninja assassin and Matt Murdock's(Daredevil's) old college girlfriend. Miller has since admitted the basic plot skeleton was lifted from Will Eisner's famous old Spirit story containing the first appearance of Denny Colt's ex-girlfriend Sand Saref, including the idea of the hero's old flame becoming in the present his criminal enemy, that she was turned evil by her father's violent death, the final kiss on the docks, etc. That doesn't change the fact DD #168 is an incredibly powerful piece of comics storytelling - just not as blindingly original as some people like to believe. Frank Miller was hardly comic books' first writer/artist. Jack Cole with Plastic Man; Neal Adams with Deadman; Steve Ditko with The Question, Mr. A, The Creeper, E-Man, etc.; Jim Starlin with Warlock; Dave Sim with Cerebus; all predated Miller. But he did weigh-in as an outstanding member of a group that's never been large. Not to come across like I'm downgrading Miller's accomplishments here - I'm not - but it's worth noting that, for a first time big league comic book writer and neophyte penciller, he had a powerful support team. Marvel Comics' then-Editor-In-Chief, Jim Shooter, one of the greatest writers of comics' Silver Age, and even then penning some of Marvel's best stories (he STILL had it, and in spades), took an early interest in Miller's Daredevil and, as Miller put it, "proceeded to kibitz ferociously." Klaus Janson, a seasoned comics pro, had inked Miller since his start on Daredevil, and (another Miller quote), "had to sand down many a rough edge, and rescue many a panel outright." McKenzie and Miller had spent countless hours discussing the character before Miller ever soloed. So the kid had just a wee little bit of help. None of which changes the fact that under Miller's tenure as writer/artist, Daredevil began to absolutely kick butt. McKenzie, long before Frank Miller showed up, had already begun the metamorphosis of DD from a second rate Spider-Man, instead casting him as a second rate Batman. Grim 'n' gritty, doncha know. Miller, combining his love of hyper-violent Japanese manga like Lone Wolf and Cub with a penchant for hard-boiled crime writers like Jim Thompson, took that basic idea and ran with it. Under his aegis, Matt Murdock's world became a battleground against street thugs, gangsters, hitmen, secret societies of assassins. Demonstrating an artistic sensibility heavily influenced by Eisner, rooms became chiaroscuro landscapes cut by light and shadow. The Kingpin, a laughable Spider-Man foe, was elevated by Miller to the pantheon of Marvel villains, a grotesque giant ruling New York's underworld with an iron fist inside an iron glove. Bullseye, a minor DD baddie for years, became then and forevermore Daredevil's Joker, his arch-nemesis. In these stories we find love betrayed, murder, revenge, psychosis. Our hero was driven by violence and loss to the very edge of insanity - and maybe just a tiny bit beyond. All heady stuff, the likes of which comic books had never seen. It was a time, and a comic, where you almost literally couldn't wait 30 days for the next issue. I was there, and I loved it. For those of you who weren't there, or, like me, already own these issues but just want the stories in this square bound, paperback, heavy slick paper format as well - so you can hand the book to Frank Miller Daredevil virgins, showing them how great these stories are without cracking the seal on your mylar encased, backing boarded, mint condition originals - you NEED this book. Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Volume 2 collects some of the greatest super-hero comics ever.
Rating:
Summary: From Humble Beginnings--Comic History Was Made!
Review: Five stars for this collection of very decent Daredevil stories is more a tip of the hat to an historic moment in comic history than it is to the actual contents. Without the work of Frank Miller represented in this exact book, you would never have seen a Daredevil movie, guaranteed! For a few years before Miller took over the art chores of the Daredevil comic back in the very late 70's, it was a second tier (maybe third) Marvel title and was on the verge of imminent cancellation. The stories and villains had been so lame for so long that the book was on sale bi-monthly and was ready for the ax. That is, until Marvel gave a promising young artist named Frank Miller a shot at the title and it quickly turned into the (STILL) heavyweight champion of comics. It simply doesn't get much better than Frank Miller's work on Daredevil.
This collection features Miller as an artist rather than a writer as his own stories don't appear until Visionaries Volume 2. And what an artist. Back in the day, the gritty realism and innovative design work accentuated by the inking of Klaus Janson rocked all of us young comic geeks to our collective bones. Quickly evolving from standard comic fare to eye popping visuals, Miller began establishing himself as a cornerstone of modern comic creators.
While Miller's amazing art style dominated the page and quickly won him a shot at writing the title, the scribe of the stories in this volume was the current DD writer of the day Roger McKenzie. When Miller turned up the art a few thousand notches, McKenzie answered back with some great writing of his own. McKenzie gets lost in the shuffle and often gets no credit, but as these stories attest, it was he who was a key figure in establishing a number of things Miller used so well in his run on the series. In these stories, Bullseye becomes the front-runner for making DD's archenemy list, the mob captures a major portion of Daredevil's attention, DD and the Black Widow finally end their long-standing on-again-off-again relationship, reporter Ben Urich becomes a major player in DD's life, Turk and Grotto begin their unfortunate association with old Hornhead, and the Gladiator becomes a tragic rather than a ruthless bad guy. McKenzie also worked with Miller on a duo of stories that made the Punisher a major comic player, but these tales appear in a later volume due to the Comics Code Authority's stand on drugs back in the early 80's. Although Miller had a hand in some of the stuff that went on here, you can't neglect giving McKenzie his due for getting the ball rolling in high fashion. Daredevil #164 which is re-printed here and written by McKenzie is one of the top ten Daredevil stories of all time and possibly the best Daredevil origin story ever.
Miller is and always has been an innovator. While many of his generation have spent much of the past decade churning out the same old thing, he has continued to evolve and experiment and blow the socks off of the comic world (sans the Dark Knight 2 fiasco which simply seemed to be a very fat paycheck). This volume is where Miller really began the ride (he did some earlier and mostly forgettable work for Marvel re-printed in The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man if you are a completist). The stories presented here aren't the best around, as Miller got very adept very quickly with his own writing, but they are still better than most comics of their day to this one. Daredevil #163 which is re-printed in this volume speaks to Miller's absolute tenacity. Although written by McKenzie, the concept was his--"What if Daredevil had to fight the Hulk?" When this was posed to his editor, comic apocrypha claims that the editor laughed and said, "So what happens in the second panel?" Needless to say the story runs for the full 18 pages. Daredevil fights the Hulk. So what happens in the second panel? How does a blind lawyer with moderate super abilities go one-on-one with the jade giant and survive? Well, you'll just have to buy this work and let Roger and Frank tell you themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Daredevil's Darkest Story
Review: For those of you who read the first volume of the Daredevil Visionaries series, you know that Frank Miller was a very talented artist working with subpar scripts, being forced to draw Ol' Hornhead in silly predicaments against weak adversaries. All of that changed with this book.
Daredevil was changed forever as soon as Miller took over the writing duties as well. The story begins as Elektra, Daredevil's college sweetheart-turned-assassin, returns to New York to collect a bounty. Meanwhile, Bullseye has escaped a hospital where he was about to undergo surgery for a deadly brain tumor. The tumor makes him hallucinate that everyone is Daredevil. Bullseye maims and kills various innocents before the real Daredevil can reel him in. While all of this is happening, Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin of Crime, is forced back into the underground when his loving wife is kidnapped by his mob enemies. The enemies want the documents that Kingpin has that could incriminate all of them.
As plots twist and turn, Daredevil faces many things. As Bullseye lay unconscious in front of an oncoming train, Daredevil must decide whether he lives or dies. He also has to square off against Elektra, the deadly league of ninja known as The Hand, and even Kingpin himself. Before it's all over, Bullseye will be cured of his tumor and will be deadlier than ever, Kingpin will have regained control of the underworld, and Elektra will die.
Miller's prose is as dynamic as his artwork. Any comic writer can make you feel a punch or kick, but Miller is of a rare breed that can not only make you feel the fighting, but the emotion as well. When Elektra determines that Daredevil, who, as Matt Murdock, was the only love she ever knew, is a hindrance to her and her mission, you can feel her heart sink. When Kingpin's wife is captured, you can feel the blood boiling in his veins. When Daredevil is shackled and thrown into a water main, you can feel his panic. You get the idea. Miller is able to mesh the emotion and substance of a suspense novel with his top-notch artwork, and it really hits home. In short, Daredevil fans are treated with substance and style that is rare in comic books. Frank Miller proved with this collection that he is the premiere writer/artist of our age. I can't say enough about him, or this book. It is essential for all comics fans, not just Daredevil devotees. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!!!
Review: Frank Miller made Ol' Horn Head what he is today. If you've seen the Daredevil movie...that Daredevil is Frank Miller's Daredevil. This book however is better than the movie. This being the 2nd book of the Frank Miller Daredevil Visionaries, i would have to say that this book is very good. The drawing is so good. The use of black in alot of the panels give the effect that Daredevil really is fighting the underworld. And...you'll notice...that the movie took stuff from this book...like when DD catches all of Bullseye's throwing stars on his billy club. Daredevil is my all time favorite super hero (after Spider-man). This book is one of the greatest of the Frank Miller books. I guarantee that all of the Frank Miller Daredevil books are very good like Daredevil: Born Again. Daredevil had his greatest run with Frank Miller.
Rating:
Summary: Setting The Bar
Review: Frank Miller set the bar for all the rest. This, of all the three Frank Miller Visionaries, is the best, as he did both the writing and art work, a first in comics. Thus, that was but one of many that he set an example as. His stories also set an example. He was undoubtedly one of the best at imbedded storylines. By that, I mean that he had a central focus, a story arc if you will. However he did not have Daredvil fighting the same bad guy each issue. Instead, the arc was about growth, in which all was related to one focus. He created the character Elektra, who has endured two decades, despite her death 14 mere issues after her first appearence. She has been drawn dynamically in hundreds of varying styles, but all have been related to that first time by Miller. Millers work in this volume was the central plot in the Daredevil movie, and his character Elektra has been given her own movie and her own comic in recent years. All in all, if you want a true Daredevil book, then you want this.
Rating: 
Summary: You might want to start with Vol. 2
Review: I am a huge Daredevil fan but this was new material for me. This features Frank Miller art from very early in his career, and you nmight be hard pressed to identify it as him if you are not a Frank Miller afficiendo. In addition, he did not write the issues in this book. It is okay, but if you are not compulsive about owning every DD book or Frank Miller book, you may want to start with vol. 2. Miller wrote those issues and I have heard they are much better than what is included here.
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