I would love to see some more light-hearted Daredevil stories for a while. It’s been a long time. I’m also hoping that Dakota North manages to survive being his girlfriend somehow. Is Natasha the only one ever to date Matt and still keep both her life and sanity intact?

Old interviews with Brubaker had him talking about how, with Daredevil, it was either the tragedy we’ve seen recently or straight silver age swashbuckling, and that kind of reasoning doesn’t make sense to me. How are those the only options?

Great point.

The constant misery of the last few years (and they’ve been good, don’t get me wrong) makes Matt Murdock much harder to relate to than the “superhero next door” type he used to be. What I do love about the more modern take on Daredevil is the heightened sense of realism, but that doesn’t have to translate into complete angst. Old interviews with Brubaker had him talking about how, with Daredevil, it was either the tragedy we’ve seen recently or straight silver age swashbuckling, and that kind of reasoning doesn’t make sense to me. How are those the only options?

Oh, and while I’m at it, I’d love to see Matt actually working as a lawyer when the pendulum eventually swings back in that direction. I could go on, but I’d rather link to a post I wrote that touches on this subject generally: http://www.theothermurdockpapers.com/2009/08/daredevils-new-status-quo-2/

I liked the Kesel run. True, it was probably too cheerful for Daredevil, but I like getting the occasional hint that Murdock has something close to a normal life at least some of the time.

It’s amazing how Miller’s vision of Daredevil has so become the norm that people think a cheerful Daredevil is somehow not true to the character. Daredevil used to crack wise so much that he was actually funnier than Spider-Man for a while. I remember when Smith took over he mocked this run without explicitly naming it, saying (I’m paraphrasing) “lighthearted Daredevil? Joking? That’s not Daredevil!” and then proceeded to unleash a miseryfest faux-Miller fun that was depressing as hell.

I wish someone would tell these writers that Daredevil existed before Miller started writing him and there is more than one type of story that can be told with him.

But Boston Legal, that was a great show. Its a shame it got canceled. Maybe it had something to do with the mad cow.

On the other hand, I loved his take on Karen Page, and was astonished at how cavalierly Kevin Smith decided to chuck that to the side in the name of angst and shocking deaths (though kudos to Bendis, for sneaking it in as a major motivating force in Matt’s behavior).

I’ve not read any of Diggle’s run yet (I’m a trade-waiter), but he’s a pretty action-oriented writer, so maybe there’s hope there.

The Kesel/Nord run was great and, while it may have been a bit light, it was also very well written and illustrated and they were not doing the Miller pastiche thing, which was refreshing. I agree that it was cut too short.

And, Mario, while I get where you’re coming from, Daredevil is one of the most potent examples of a character that has powers but is actually not defined by them. He is defined by his relationships, his moral quandries, his father’s legacy and by his ability to rise above adversity. He’s one of my favorite characters.

Finally, I agree with many of you that a better balance between the superhero stuff and the lawyer stuff would be greatly appreciated. That’s also one of the things that sets him apart. Of course, I’m also one of those who wants to see Clark Kent being an actual investigative reporter along with fighting Brainiac and Lex Luthor.

To be honestly frank, I preferred the Miller/Janson, Nocenti/Romita, Jr., Smith/Quesada, and Bendis/Maleev runs of the Daredevil series.

I liked the Kesel run. True, it was probably too cheerful for Daredevil, but I like getting the occasional hint that Murdock has something close to a normal life at least some of the time. While I would imagine that some readers found the humor of this run to be out of place, I think Kesel had a pretty firm grasp of Matt’s personal brand of wit: dry, dark and self-depricating. In Rosalind Sharpe’s first appearance (or thereabouts) Kesel has Matt refuse a glass of champagne with the words “No thanks, I’m driving.” He may be dark and tortured, but I can totally see Matt Murdock actually dropping that kind of line.

“Razor” Sharpe was a regular cast member for quite a while, and also made appearances in both Kevin Smith’s run and in the issue that sees Matt attending Foggy’s mock burial in the first story arc by Brubaker and Lark.

It’s definitely worth picking these comics up in the dollar bin.