Daredevil: Born Again

Synopsis: This was originally printed as Daredevil #227-233.

Karen Page, Matt Murdock’s former lover and one time secretary, has fallen on hard times. After going to Hollywood to become a movie star, she instead wound up working in adult films and becoming a junkie. When she hits rock bottom, she sells the one thing she still has left—the secret that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. The information makes it to the Kingpin, and he decides to take advantage of that information, but first, he orders everyone killed that has any knowledge of the secret.

In the meantime, the Kingpin makes Matt Murdock’s life a living hell through the use of the machinery at his disposal. He gets Murdock’s bank accounts and credit cards locked up tight, gets him disbarred and destroys his home, at the same time that his girlfriend Glori leaves him for his partner Foggy. Destitute, Murdock wanders the streets, until finally he finds sanctuary. Meanwhile, Karen is running for her life, and running to Matt because he’s the only one she thinks can help her now.

Eventually Matt recovers both his health and his sanity and begins rebuilding his life. In a last desperate move, the Kingpin calls in a favor from some generals he owns and convinces the psychotic super soldier known as Nuke to destroy Hells Kitchen. Some timely intervention by Captain America and the Avengers ends the carnage, but not before many are killed. Karen has also located Matt, and with his help she kicks her drug habit. Eventually, in a second attack, Daredevil manages to subdue Nuke and carries his lifeless body to the Daily Bugle, exposing the Kingpin to a great deal of unwanted scrutiny and an even greater deal of inconvenience.

Good Stuff: Almost every story written in the last ten years in comics where the hero is dragged down to the very depths of his soul and then rises back to the occasion is based on this particular story—however, I’d have to say that this story is much better than any of the other stories like it that I’ve read.

This is a very well done story, with outstanding storytelling by both Miller and Mazzuchelli. Miller does an excellent job of characterization here and creates several very memorable characters, including Nuke and the hitwoman Lois. In addition, he does a great job of exploring another character who’s also going through an ordeal in Ben Urich, the reporter who gets a little too close to the story.

Not so Good Stuff: If you’re a lifetime fan of Daredevil like I am, it’s pretty uncomfortable watching him descend through the depths as he does. Also, it seems as though there are a few moments where the effort is more to shock than to tell a story. That said, it’s still a really well done story, I just wish people would stop aping it badly.

I give this book 9/10.