Daredevil Month is finally upon all your stupid faces! I was scouring my comic collection and bouncing ideas off friends to determine just what would be the best way to crack open a month dedicated to my joint-favourite character of all time.
I realised there would be no better way than to start off with what many call the definitive Daredevil story.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the first post in Welcome to the Mast's Daredevil Month!
Born Again.
Before we get into what this story's about and my review OF it, let me give you a bit of background.
The Birth of Born Again.
Born Again was a story arc that ran in Daredevil's first volume from issue #227 to #233.
Those are the covers to the indivdual issues in order of release, from February to August 1986. I wasn't even a year old, crazy.
I think those are some pretty amazing covers! Click for full size versions.
Frank Miller returned for a second run on Daredevil after Dennis O'Neill left the book. They co-wrote Daredevil #226 and one month later, the first issue of Born Again hit shelves/stands, whatever it was back then. Accompanied by artist David Mazzucchelli, Frank Miller wrote what many consider to be the arc that turned Daredevil from a second tier character to a major player in the Marvel Universe.
Born Again: The Review.
Born Again is the tale of Matt Murdock's fall from sanity and ruination at the hands of Wilson Fisk, known to many as the Kingpin.
Years prior to this event, Karen Page had left New York City to pursue a career in movies. We see her at the beginning of Born Again, a shell of her former self. Her failed career, or attempt at one, resulted in her becoming a pornographic actress with a heroin addiction. In an attempt to gain money to satisfy her habit, she sells the identity of Daredevil, and so this begins the nudge that began the toppling of dominos in Matt Murdock's life.
It's at this point that the real trouble begins. If you could choose an enemy to have your identity to fall in the hands of, the furthest name from the preferred slot would be the Kingpin. Unfortunately for Matt Murdock, that's who manages to receive this information. Upon clarification that this information is correct, he slowly and accurately begins to tear Matt's life down from the inside.
What makes it so hard and painful to watch, especially if you have any attachment to Matt's character, is the way in which the Kingpin does it. He has his accounts frozen by the I.R.S., causes a foreclosure on his house and even uses his criminal influence to get a police officer to say that he saw Matt pay a witness to alter his case. The latter development causes Matt to endure a court case and, though winning, he is barred from practicing law. On top of all these events, the Kingpin makes life generally unbearable for Matt.
Matt tries, with increasingly violent methods, to find out who is behind it all and does so with no positive findings. In a momentary overreach and lapse of ruthless skill, the Kingpin has Matt's house firebombed. Knowing this to me a signature act of the mob, Matt deduces that the Kingpin is behind his currently dire predicament.
Destitute and now homeless, Matt finally becomes mentally unstable and has a hard time trusting anyone. He falls victim to flights of fantasy and begins to convince himself that Foggy Nelson, his best friend and partner, is conspiring against him.
As the story progresses, Matt's life takes bad turn after bad turn. Ben Urich, his only hope, finds evidence of the Kingpin's role. When his source is killed and he is beaten into hiding, Matt is once again left on his own. Confronting the Kingpin in a weakened state, Matt is beaten and restrained in a taxi with a bottle of liquor. Instructing his goons to push the taxi into the river, the Kingpin expresses joy at the fact that he defeated the only good man he knew, rendering him destitute and broken along the way. The final nail, he says, will come when the taxi is discovered and he is disgraced forever for the apparant drunken suicide.
Matt's resurrection of sorts comes when he frees himself from the car. This is part of the story where the theme of resurrection and indomitable spirit in the face of evil and adversity comes to light.
He tries to stop a robbery and is stabbed for his trouble, further highlighting the heartbreaking dark times of Matt Murdock. His mother (He doesn't actually know it's her at this time) nurses him back to health as he crawls to a convent for aid and shelter. During his convalescence, he rediscovers faith in his Catholic roots and sets out to regain his life somehow, with a few star-studded guest appearances!
Due to the very dramatic and twist based nature of this incredible story, I've decided to end the review here. I really think it's best read in person, trust me.
On that note...
How You Can Get It.
You CAN read the full synopsis here, or buy it from any good comic store in trade paperback format. The hardback is also available, as all compilations are at first.
If you cannot get it from a comic book store, or do not have one at convenient length, buy it from Amazon.Com or whatever regional Amazon site suits you best.
If you would enjoy buying the single issues, you'll be pleased to know that they do not actually cost that much! You can definitely get them in an eBay bulk sale, or even in singular form they are very affordable.
Why It's an Important Part of Daredevil's History.
I REALLY, STRONGLY recommend this story to ANYBODY. Even if you're not into comic books that much.
This story shows Matt Murdock deal with a madly influential, powerful and resourceful crime lord, and he does it mostly as Matt Murdock. He does not appear as Daredevil until somewhat near the end. It's a great example of how the truest heroes are still human inside, and are heroes despite the costume.
Mazzucchelli's art is captivating and has somewhat of a coloured noir feel to it. Frank Miller entirely changes the dynamio of these two arch-enemies throughout this story and things aren't ever the same again as a result. It's not a story that happens and then ends up forgotten. Even today there is a hefty weight of tension between the two.
A truly important tale of one man's indestructible will to fight against his tormentor and a cautionary tale of how ghosts can come back to cause irrepairable or very nearly irrepairable damage to your current life.
Do not die without having read this story.
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Thank you all for reading the post that kicks off Daredevil Month, and do not forget to keep checking back for all the posts that I'll be making during it.
Daredevil is an amazing, awesome and perfectly memorable character, yet he is still someone that operates juuust below the general consciousness of comicdom. He's not a star like Spider-Man, and that's why I'm doing Daredevil Month. Hopefully, when all's said and done, you'll know more about Daredevil and maybe even spent some time and money on getting to know the character personally!
I'll be back with the next installment in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled!
Thanks!
Until then, peace.
-The Mast
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