Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Volume 1

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: Great Collection of Some Amazing Comic Books
Review: I am not a big Daredevil fan. I like the character but I have never been a hard core fan. But if Frank Miller was still doing the book I would definitely become a Daredevil diehard.

I picked the book up because I do have an appreciation of the work Miller has done with The Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: Year One. This artwork is some of his earliest and I do have to say some of his best. While at this point he had not taken over the writing duties of the book the stories are very good. Some good storytelling both in words and pictures.

I recomend this book to any comic fan as Frank Miller's art is too fantastic to be ignored. Two follow up volumes are already planned to get the rest of Miller's Dare Devil work out, but you need to start with this book. Amazing crime art is Miller's niche in the comic world and this is has it all. A real sense of realism was brought to the world of Daredevil and Matt Murdock thanks to Miller.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliance about to burst forth
Review: I decided to reacquaint myself with these early Daredevil classics to whet my appetite for the upcoming movie. Volume One of "Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller" is a terrifically entertaining collection, giving us the first nine issues that Frank Miller worked on during his famous run on the "Daredevil" title from the late 70's to the mid-80's. Just keep in mind that these are early Miller works, before he finally broke forth as the brilliant writer/artist he would later become on both this title and many others. Here he isn't the writer at all, in fact (though a "co-plotter" credit eventually emerges), but instead is teamed up with writers Roger McKenzie and David Michelinie. The result are some pretty basic but undeniably entertaining superhero adventures featuring such villains as the Gladiator, the Mauler, Doctor Octopus, and fan favorite Bullseye. Yes, one definitely sees signs of the Miller-to-come emerging (especially in some of the darker, brooding panel layouts), but try not to fixate too much on that history-in-the-making aspect and just enjoy these prime examples of the kind of great old Silver Age superhero melodrama that Marvel cornered the market on early in the game.

Rating:
Summary: Miller's early beginnings as a writer
Review: If there was ever a reason to read Daredevil, Frank Miller is it. While this book is only the very beginnings of Frank's writing career, it still sparks with brilliance. Frank Miller hit the scene back in the late 70's as one of the hottest new artists of the time. His first work that made people notice was on Daredevil. These issues were collected in Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Volume One, but as hot as his art was (for the time) it wouldn't be until he started writing that he would turn the comic industry upside down.

In 1980, Frank Miller wrote (and drew) his first issue of Daredevil at the same time introducing fans to what would become the most popular Daredevil character ever, Elektra. He gave Matt Murdock, the comic worlds most swinging bachelor, a love interest fans actually cared about and at the same time made her his most mortal enemy. Then he did the unthinkable (especially in Marvel comics); he killed her.

Frank Miller's early run on Daredevil in the early 80's continues to be a monumental milestone in the comics medium to this day. Certainly, the writing is not as well crafted or refined as what we would find in his later acheivements (Batman: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, or any Sin City series), but that is to be expected. This is his first work, and on top of that, the 70's had only just ended.

But one fact remains. No one has ever done Daredevil better. Not before. Not since.

Rating:
Summary: The true story on this series
Review: Ok, this IS volume one. There is another one listed just as "Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller". That is actually Volume 2, although it is not listed as such. This is a good collection, as you see the early work of Miller, and see how his influence slowly started to take over the comic. Good stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This first collected edition of Frank Miller's (The Dark Knight Returns) brilliant run on Daredevil features some of the best storytelling to come out of Marvel in years, and the best Daredevil storyline to ever be published. Collecting all the classic issues that let readers read their favorite blind vigilante tangling with his arch nemesis the Kingpin of crime, the insane assassin Bullseye, and the mysterious group known as The Hand. But Miller's run was most notable for the introduction of Elektra: the beautiful assassin who was the love of Matt Murdock's life, and the tragic enemy of Daredevil. Miller's writing gave the Daredevil/Matt Murdock character more depth than he had ever had before, and the fact that when a new character is introduced (Elektra) and dispatched not long after and the reader actually cares, that in itself is a milestone in the comic biz, especially Marvel Comics. The showdown between Elektra and Bullseye gives me chills to this day when I read his dialog; I'm still surprised the comic was printed way back when considering the comic code. The art may turn off some readers, but it manages to grow on you (just like Miller's art on Dark Knight Returns). All these years later and all the writers and artists that have come and gone like Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, John Romita Jr., and others (regardless of how great work they all did on the character), it is Frank Miller's which still remains the best. The mega budget feature film which starred Ben Affleck was mainly based off the events from these issues, and if you enjoyed the film than you should definitely pick this up.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but later issues are better
Review: This is for completists. The volume comprises the early part of Frank Miller's still-unparalleled run on "DD," when he was limited strictly to penciling chores.

While the art has that distinct touch, you can see even then Miller was yearning for something darker. But DD was still being written somewhat campily, complete with cartoonish / buffoonish foes and witty repartee--not as the darker, more obsessed force that Miller transformed him into when he got full reign on the book.

This volume consists of DD's 158 - 161 and 163 - 168 (# 162, a repackaged origin story drawn by Steve Ditko, is omitted for obvious reasons). They're good, but to get a better feel for what Miller is capable of, I'd suggest volume 2. There you'll get Elektra, more of Bullseye, the Kingpin, the Gang War plotline...this volume is merely groundwork.

Rating:
Summary: Miller's early beginnings
Review: [NOTE: This review is actually for Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Volume One, but for some reason, Amazon keeps posting it as volume two.]

When it comes to Daredevil, there is only one name you need to know; Frank Miller. Over 20 years ago, Frank Miller began his immortal run (and indeed his career) on a lesser known comic called Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. No other writer (with the exception of Chris Claremont's historic run on X-Men) has so completely owned and placed such a big stamp on another's creative property. Stan Lee may have come up with the idea Daredevil, but it was Miller who made him.

Frank Miller may be better known for his work on Batman, but his work on Daredevil is far more extensive. Everything Daredevil is today since 1980 is because of Frank Miller, and Marvel Comics has wisely captured it in a three volume series aptly named Daredevil Visionaries. This is where it all began.

There are a few things I must point out to newcomers. First and most importantly, Frank Miller is a fantastic artist and few artists can compare to his skill at storytelling (the comic term for telling the story in pictures). But, the reason Frank Miller is so reveared is because of his writing. That said, this first volume only features Frank Miller's art (and early art at that). It isn't until vol. 2 that you really get to experience the wonder. This is the reason for only 3 stars (the book is not bad by a longshot, but neither is it magnificent). Second and also important, is that not all of Frank Miller's work on Daredevil can be found in these volumes. In the storylinee, chronologically, there is another tradepaperback that you should read first. It's simply called, The Man Without Fear, and it is ironically the last work Miller ever did on Daredevil.

Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol 1 is a good, but not great tradepaperback collecting Frank Miller's early beginnings in comics as a hot young artist. It's worth having to complete the three volume set, of which volumes 2 and 3 are must owns. Just, whatever you do, don't stop with this volume if you are unimpressed. It only get's better; much better.