Comic Review – “Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2”

This is where Elektra first appeared. This is also where Daredevil and the Kingpin first meet. This is the set of issues that inspired the movie that’s out this weekend (and will be reviewed here in a couple of days.) This source material sets the bar for that adaptation very high.

General Information

Title: Daredevil Visionaries: Frank
Miller Vol. 2
Story and Art: Frank Miller
Original Publication
Date: 2002 reprint of material first published 1981-1982
ISBN: 0-7851-0771-1

Cover Price:
Buy from: Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Premise

Daredevil is reunited with a past love, who is a changed woman.
Meanwhile, Bullseye and the Kingpin come out of retirement.

The Issues

This collects the issues starting with Frank Miller’s first turn as
writer. The issues are numbers 168-182, and were the issues that
inspired the movie. (The movie review will come later.)

High Point

The first few pages of issue 181. I loved reading things from
Bullseye’s perspective.

Low Point

The villain look-a-like. That’s an overused plot device usually
reserved for cheap comedies.

The Scores

I’d read over 40 issues of the title before reading this, and the idea
of a blind superhero still feels original. Add to that the
ex-love turned enemy without the happy ending, and a Kingpin storyline
that depends on the character’s brains instead of his brawn, and
you’ve got a great read that feels fresh. I give it 5 out of 6.

The artwork is inconsistent. The set-ups, poses, and design
are always fantastic, but the implementation ranges from wonderful to
ugly. Still, the ugly panels are often forgivable given how well it
all fits together. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story is well-crafted. The early issues read almost like
one-shots, but by the end of the set, they’ve all been brought
together. I give it 5 out of 6.



The characterization was also well handled. We learn about
Daredevil’s philosophy, the woman Elektra was, and the man Bullseye is
in the first two issues. From there, Miller builds up on that
foundation, and gives us a well defined cast of old and new
characters. He even makes some fundamental changes to Daredevil, some
of which are permanent. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response this produced was very strong. It had
me at the outside, and held me through the end. I loved the fact that
he’d pulled out the supernatural and superhuman villains the in the
first Frank Miller volume (which wasn’t written by Miller) and instead
chose to use very human characters. I give it 6 out of 6.

The flow was fantastic. Miller’s writing and art blend,
moving the reader through the story and showing the action sequences
very clearly. I give it 6 out of 6.

Overall, this is an excellent read. I can see why it would
inspire someone to put part of this story on film. Tony Stark may be
Marvel’s Bruce Wayne, but Daredevil is Marvel’s Batman. I give it 6
out of 6.

In total, Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2 receives
38 out of 42.