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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Frank Miller: Year One, 14 Jan 2001
By A Customer
This is where it all began- not for Daredevil, who was already 157 issues old at the start of this collection, but for Frank Miller. A few years later he would be seen as one of those writers and artists that helped superhero comics grow up by writing and drawing "The Dark Knight Returns", and writing "Batman: Year One".Before all that, he worked on Daredevil, Marvel's blind superhero. At the start of this volume, Miller was the new penciler on the comic, with Klaus Janson inking. This team is not as much to my taste here as they would be on "The Dark Knight Returns", lacking that distinct Miller style which can be seen in that story as well as in his more recent solo work such as "Sin City" and "300", but you can see hints of what was to come. However, their clear, expressive style is still better than many other artists of that period. Six issues in, Miller becomes co-plotter and in volume two we will see Miller as writer and penciler but these Roger McKenzie written stories are good enough while we're waiting for that next volume. They're basically crime stories with a superhero twist; gangsters mixed with costumed heroes and villains in the dark underworld of New York. Of the 9 issues here, the best are the three-part "Marked for Death" story line, and "Exposé". In the former, Daredevil is targeted for assassination, leading to a battle with the deadly killer Bullseye to rescue a former lover. The grim determination of the vigilante is the focus here as he fights his way through the city's criminals, and proves himself unbeatable, even when faced with a psychotic killer. "Exposé" is a more personal tale, with the hero lying on a hospital bed, retelling his origin to reporter Ben Urich. A great introduction for those wondering exactly how blind lawyer Matt Murdock can possibly jump around on rooftops, beating up criminals and wearing red spandex, although his motivation is a bit similar to that of Batman. The final page of this story is particularly powerful, as we see Urich sacrificing what could be his future career. This is all the more touching because of what it implies the hero means to the people that he helps, without any of them knowing who he really is.
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by Frank Miller
by Frank Miller
by Alan Moore
by Jeph Loeb
by Jeph Loeb
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