Daredevil By Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Vol.1

This collection is fascinating, as you can track how one age of comics slowly gives way to a new one, issue by issue. The start of what is sometimes called the “dark age of comics” is typically said to be the mid 80s, when both The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen were released. But here it becomes very obvious that this was, of course, just the culmination of a years-long transitional period.

Miller's influence on the content of each issue seems to follow a (mostly) linear gradient for the first half of the collection. He's starting out as “just an illustrator” working in a very classic but nondescript style, then progressively adds his own twist on the art, goes on to transition into a co-writer role, and finally ends up as the sole architect of what Daredevil–and with that, in a way, comics in general–will be for the next 40 years, and so in a way, you can see him invent part of the future, step by step, right here.

It's especially fun because both the silly and overly grim-dark things that defined the modern era–especially Miller's part in it–during the 80s, that by now have been commented on, abstracted, ironized, and developed for decades, are used very, very sincerely here. Of course, Bullseye immediately starts using throwing stars once Miller pens him. Of course, the Kingpin moves to Japan and fights ninjas. Of course, New York turns into a maggot-infested hell-hole from page one. And of course, the tragic damsel in distress turns into a mentally ill homeless person roaming the sewers in the final panel. (Yes, Miller's ... difficult politics start seeping into the stories immediately as well. No surprise here.)

Another thing that surprised me is how consistently great the art is throughout the whole collection. It's dynamic, it's ambitious, it's clear. It's just really fun to look at most of the time.