Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)

Daredevil is the name of several comic book titles featuring the superhero Daredevil, the vigilante secret identity of blind attorney Matt Murdock, who gains superhuman senses as a result of an accident involving radioactive material. All of the volumes are published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the original Daredevil comic book series which debuted in 1964. The first volume was the longest in duration, lasting until 1998. In the 1960s, the series was written by Stan Lee and first drawn by Bill Everett with some assistance from Jack Kirby. Daredevil is usually based in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. Karen Page was Daredevil's primary love interest throughout this first series, with many ups and downs. Foggy Nelson appears as a recurring character throughout all the Daredevil series, as Matt Murdock's close friend and partner in law.

Wally Wood introduced the character's standard red costume, and was succeeded by John Romita Sr. and then Gene Colan as artist. Lee wrote the stories until 1969. Roy Thomas wrote the title from 1969 to 1971. In the 1970s, it was written by Gerry Conway, among others. In this period, Daredevil temporarily teamed with Black Widow in San Francisco. In 1972, Steve Gerber became the primary artist for the series. A number of different writers worked on the title, including Marv Wolfman, who introduced Daredevil's archenemy Bullseye. In the late 1970s Roger McKenzie wrote the series and brought an influence from horror comics.

Frank Miller's influential tenure on the title in the early 1980s, drawing inspiration from crime comics, established the prominence and originality of the title. In this period, Daredevil was one of the best-selling American comic books. He introduced influences from film noir and ninja films, and created the character Elektra, Daredevil's troubled ex-girlfriend, and an army of evil ninjas, the Hand. Miller emphasized Bullseye and Kingpin as Daredevil's primary antagonists, and also introduced the Punisher to the series. The issue that concluded in Elektra's shocking, violent death was a particularly striking event in comics of the decade. After a brief tenure by Dennis O'Neil, Miller returned to the series to write the acclaimed Born Again storyline, in which Page has become a heroin addict and sells Matt Murdock's secret identity to his enemies. Ann Nocenti, his successor, focused more on themes from left-wing politics, and created the villain Typhoid Mary. Miller also wrote the Daredevil: The Man Without Fear miniseries in the early 1990s, which delved into the backstory of the title character and his early relationship with Elektra. John Romita Jr. collaborated with both Miller and Nocenti. Also in the 1990s, writer D.G. Chichester in collaboration with Scott McDaniel changed the title character's costume and emulated the tumultuous, sensationalistic style of the comics of the period. Chichester also re-introduced Elektra to the series, resurrected from the dead.

Later in the decade, Joe Quesada began volume 2 of the series, which lasted from 1998 to 2011. This new series, first edited under the Marvel Knights imprint, restored the popularity of the title. Popular film director Kevin Smith also wrote a pivotal arc, in which Karen Page was killed by Bullseye. Subsequently, Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev collaborated on a critically acclaimed arc. In the 21st century, Ed Brubaker then wrote a storyline that was similarly acclaimed. Both Bendis and Brubaker focused on the darker aspects of the character. Mark Waid, who wrote a third and fourth volume, took a somewhat lighter approach and focused on the character's unusual powers. Charles Soule wrote a fifth volume.

Daredevil is a critically acclaimed series, and has won a number of Eisner Awards.