Daredevil Visionaries Frank Miller Volume 2 Tpb

by Frank Miller

Book Overview

In 1981, a young Frank Miller took the reins of a second-class superhero, Daredevil, and turned the comics world on its ear with a dynamic, cinematic storytelling style, complicated characters, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0785107711
• ISBN13: 9780785107712
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Marvel Comics Group
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.7" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

Miller Daredevil

The other reviews are correct. I don’t have much to add. Great Miller, classic Daredevil. These soft covers are great for planes, trains, parks, backpacks, etc

Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Vol.2

Just before Frank Miller on Daredevil: The series was bi-monthly and in danger of cancellation; Marv Wolfman had created a villain with potential called Bullseye, but Wolfman's run on Daredevil was not his finest work, and even the Bullseye stories seemed silly; the Daredevil series was being used to introduce new superheroes like Torpedo, who fizzled, and Paladin, who remains a somewhat popular supporting Marvel character, but what of Daredevil himself? The character was having the same old adventures, and bringing back the wonderful Gene Colan as artist just made the book a too-familiar throwback. Enter Frank Miller. And let's skip right to issue #s 168-182 while we're at it, which, collectively, make up the brilliance of what they are now calling Daredevil Visionaries - Frank Miller, Volume 2. Four magic words: Daredevil, Bullseye, Kingpin, and Elektra. Lion, tiger, bear, and Elektra, oh my. Marv Wolfman, in his tremendously underrated run on Amazing Spider-Man #s182-200ish, had retired an old Spidey foe named the Kingpin from organized crime. Frank Miller took him and made him into the perfect Daredevil nemesis once Kingpin's only redeeming feature, his wife, was killed in an explosion apparently caused by old rivals. And every good crime boss needs a top-notch assassin; Bullseye would be such a good candidate if he weren't trying to kill the Kingpin. Bullseye would also like to kill Daredevil as a thank-you to Daredevil for defeating him in combat and saving his life...but Daredevil's old love, Elektra, is back, and she has decided to rekindle their passionate love by trying to kill Daredevil. Love and hate. Business and pleasure (assassination, that is). Politics and Organized Crime. Power Man and Iron Fist. Daredevil versus Bullseye. Daredevil versus Elektra. Elektra versus Bullseye. It's all here, controlled somewhat by the Kingpin and with the ninja group called The Hand lurking in the shadows, but through all the character-juggling and plot-twisting, Daredevil--he is, after all, the star of this show--becomes an awesome, compelling presence in his own book, all the more impressive given the supporting cast. He retains some humour (I'd forgotten the light touch Miller can apply when necessary to soften the mood for even a few panels), and has never seemed more like a fearless blind man with astonishing super-powers. What else? The Punisher shoots his way into the story, at the very end of this Volume (it was inevitable). My favourite "old school" Daredevil foe, the Gladiator, figures into things. Daredevil takes a fascinating inner journey to confront his own worst demon. Ben Urich, reporter, assists Daredevil with alligators in the sewers, while Foggy Nelson, lawyer partner of DD's alter ego Matt Murdock, shows Matt how to handle a tricky trial. Elektra tries to kill them both, when she's not busy with The Hand's most feared ninja-assassin, the legendary and possibly unkillable Kirigi. Elektra tries to kill him

Daredevil Becomes Great

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; Mike Grell with The Warlord; 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

One single comic book made all the difference.

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

These are the Daredevil stories not to be missed

When Frank Miller was only drawing and co-plotting "Daredevil" in the late 70's and early 80's the issues were a lot of fun, but once he took over the writing chores... wow. "Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller, Volume 2" reprints the first dozen or so "Daredevil" issues featuring Miller as both writer and artist, and wait 'til you see the leap in quality from the undeniably entertaining stories seen in volume 1, where Miller was only the artist and sometimes plotter. How good are these stories? Well, right out of the box, we meet Daredevil's first love turned killer-for-hire Electra (in Miller's FIRST issue as writer!); get plunged into a major gangwar featuring the Kingpin, Bullseye, and the mysterious group of ninja assassins known only as "The Hand"; meet yet another previously unseen figure from Daredevil's past, his streetwise and battle-scarred teacher and mentor "Stick"; and experience all kinds of other fun stuff still talked about twenty years after the stories first appeared. And I haven't even talked about the memorable, operatic Daredevil #'s 180, 181, and 182, the classic issues that close this volume. By the way, the storyline of the upcoming Daredevil movie was heavily influenced by this fan-favorite run of stories, so why not experience them in their original form first? Great stories, great art, and even some humor (in the form of recurring, not-very-efficient crooks Turk and Grotto)-- what more can you want?

Daredevil's Darkest Story

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.