Daredevil, Vol. 1 (v. 1) [Hardcover]

Kevin Smith (Author), Joe Quesada (Illustrator), David Mack (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2006

Collects Daredevil #1-15, plus extras.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (September 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785124012
• ISBN-13: 978-0785124016
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful hardback., August 7, 2003

By 

bryssa - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Daredevil, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

Most of the reviews listed for this title aren't accurate at all, since they're for a completely different edition, so I thought I'd chime in.

This hardback is part of Marvel's new oversized line. And as I've come to expect, it's of fantastic quality. From the glossy attractive cover to the vibrant coloring of the pages, Daredevil Vol. 1 screams for a spot on anyone's bookshelf or coffee table.

As a special treat, the inspiring introduction is written by Tom Sullivan. If the name isn't familiar to you, he's a blind man that has managed to lead a very productive life despite his disability. From skiing to bungie-jumping, Mr. Sullivan has happily experienced what life has to offer, blind or not. He was also a consultant on the Daredevil movie.

Included in this hardback are the issues of Daredevil #1-11, and #13-15, the Guardian Devil (Smith/Quesada) and Parts of a Hole (Mack/Quesada) storylines. Nothing will probably ever compare to Miller's sagas (Elektra, Born Again, Man Without Fear), but these are wonderful reads, with a huge impact on recent continuity. Also, while Smith's Guardian Devil storyline seems like a rehash of the Elektra saga, there's still an incredible emotional impact, that's still being discussed today (see Daredevil: Yellow for more).

Many cameos are present, including a touching appearance by Spider-man, who is one of the few people that can truly understand what Matt has gone through at the end of Guardian Devil.

The "special features" featured after the collected issues are lacking, though that's hardly something to dock the book for. And the few sketches and artwork included are great to see. Still, comments from the writers/artists would have been wonderful.

Pick this edition up soon, or risk not being able to find it later. Besides, sales for this and Vol 2 could inspire Marvel to release the Miller sagas as oversized hardcovers. ;)

3.0 out of 5 stars The story doesn't live up to the artwork., June 14, 2011

By 

Myself (Spain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daredevil, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Hardcover)

I am not going to comment on the quality of this edition. Just on the actual content. This hardcover features Daredevil's two first story arcs under the Marvel Knights line of comics. The first one, written by Kevin Smith, generated a lot of expectation when it first came out. Being Joe Quesada (the artist) one of my favourite comic book illustrators, I bought the books without blinking. And the art was great indeed or, at least, as good as Joe Q has ever accomplished. Clean and beautiful depictions of the Man Without Fear, shot from every possible angle, doing every possible thing, great eye candy. The writing, however, wasn't up to par. Kevin smith is famous for his movies where people talk like there's no tomorrow, and he has translated precisely that notion to this comic book. So many words! Not that it's something bad per se, but the way it's done, it prevents the storyline from flowing nicely. It doesn't go with the graphics, but on a separate route. And then, there's the argument. I won't give any spoiler but my advice is, don't think that this is going anywhere: of course there's more or less, and explanation for everything, but it's completely pointless and absurd. After all the hassle, you are left wondering WHAT? WHY? Not because the answers are not given, but because the answers are not a comic book! The story ended up being a lacklustre, and to top it off, they went and did something really cheap to try and give it some transcendence.
Then there's David Mack story. Much better! The artwork mutates to accommodate to this simpler, yet much better executed plot, and becomes something almost unique. You'd think that Joe Q's art wouldn't fit with aquarelles like paintings, but it does fit, and you will discover how in these pages. The storyline, as I said, is simpler and less ambitious, but at least it doesn't have a ridiculous ending and makes quite a few points in describing the characters. All in all, a really good volume for the artwork (if you like Joe Q's style),but with very uneven stories, so you'd better skip it if you just want to read a good comic book.

4.0 out of 5 stars A New Beginning, March 25, 2010

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Daredevil, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Hardcover)

First off, Amazon has the listing for the Daredevil Volume 1 hardcover linked to the listings for the Guardian Devil and Parts of a Hole paperbacks. I am reviewing the hardcover, which collects both stories.

For all it's greatness in the 1980's, by the 90's Daredevil was one of Marvel's least popular and least impressive titles. Granted, Marvel's attempts to make the book relevant, which consisted of getting a Frank Miller knock-off artist and giving Daredevil a suit of armor (really), were pretty pathetic. Still, it was a sad state of affairs for those of us who loved the character. Then fate stepped in. Filmmaker Kevin Smith (of Clerks and Mallrats fame) was a self-confessed comics fan, and he wanted to try his hand at Daredevil. Oh, and Joe Quesada, a minor superstar in the comics world, was attached to illustrate Smith's story. For Daredevil fans this was a gift from above. More importantly, it brought a lot of attention, and a lot of readers, to the Man Without Fear.

Story
Guardian Devil - Smith took a page from Frank Miller's classic Born Again story, with a mysterious villain - who has knowledge of Daredevil's alter-ego - setting out to destroy every aspect of Daredevil's life, including his very sanity. I don't know why all the best Daredevil stories are those where his life totally falls apart, but this is no exception.

For a first effort, this is actually a very impressive story. I think Smith overplayed the religious aspects of the story, but this was released at about the same time as Dogma, so I can see how these themes would have been on his mind. Smith conveys a deep appreciation for the classic Miller Daredevil stories, and his dialogue - always one of his strengths - is sharp and modern. I know he's not universally loved, but I really enjoyed his work on this title.

Parts of a Hole - I was a David Mack fan from the very first Kabuki comic, so I'm biased here. I love the idea of Echo as well as her similarities to Daredevil, though the character is something of an amalgamation of Kabuki and Elektra, or perhaps Kabuki and Daredevil. Mack's storytelling is very memorable, especially in the use of narrative background artwork.

Artwork
Guardian Devil - Joe Quesada walked away from his creator-owned property Ash to take on Daredevil, and that was a really big deal at the time. Obviously it paid off, as the man is now literally "the man" at Marvel. He is in top form here, with dynamic and fluid action scenes, stunning backgrounds, and those distinctly Joe Quesada faces. Looking at these pages makes you wish he had more time to devote to drawing comics.

Parts of a Hole - Again, Joe Quesada does some incredible illustration, though he was falling behind and had to get Luke Ross to fill in. Ross did his best, but there is an obvious contrast in styles. David Mack's painted backgrounds are what really make this story stand out.

Beyond being a really impressive Daredevil saga, Smith and Quesada's run on the title put Daredevil back on the map, which led to a major movie (which sucked, but that's beside the point) and set the stage for Brian Michael Bendis and Alexander Maleev's epic run on the title, which may be the best Daredevil saga ever. It all starts here.