#brubaker daredevil

[foggynelsonarchive]

I've been rereading this arch for comfort reasons, and I want to bring out this detail that I really love.

Something few people, or the right people, notice in the Daredevil world is that the only constant in Matt's life is his best friend.

They are grown men in their 30s - although I believe Foggy is older than Matt.

They are adults living in a cold world where expressing feelings is not a "man thing". However, they are always touching and hugging and referring to each other as "my best friend".

Foggy is the only man who knows Matt like the back of his hand. He loves Matt and wants to protect him, even if he doesn't have the means to do so. And we can see that in this arch.

This arch is brutal, especially this issue in question.

I won't give spoilers, but, if you're looking forward to the series, maybe you have already heard about it.

And I brought these two parallels only for show the measure of love they feel for each other.

A platonic love, some would say.

Just read these two excerpts and take draw your conclusion.

The only thing I know is that they really love each other.

Since the beginning of Daredevil, Matt has said that if Foggy died, he would be completely alone in the world.

*You can see it here*

Foggy had already been killed* when Milla went to see Matt in prison.

And Matt was scared of losing Milla, the same way he lost Foggy.

And now that he lost Foggy, he couldn't afford to lose another loved one.

It came from Foggy placing his hand on the glass partition so Matt could touch it. They always hugged each other, they were always tactile around each other.

This is some kind of comfort for them.

But Milla is blind, she couldn't see what Matt was doing.

That was the last thing Matt saw Foggy do, before he heard him die.

That was the hug they couldn't give.

And Matt repeating Foggy's gesture, and expecting Milla would respond, is what makes this whole scene so touching.

[ddmmcomics]

Before this, Matt refused to team up with Bullseye and left Kingpin behind to go find Frank.

"You're hurtin' a lot right now, Murdock. With good reason. But you don't want to be me. You needed to remember that."

I'm such a sucker for Frank and Matt as reluctant allies who respect each other and always save each other when it comes down to it.

Daredevil (Vol. 2) - Issue #86-87

Brubaker | Lark

[vertigoartgore]

2007's Daredevil Vol.2 #95 (LGY : #475) cover by Marko Djurdjevic.

[charlesbernardbarton]

Something that I deeply appreciate about the Bendis and Brubaker eras of the Daredevil book is how they take pains to show Hell's Kitchen rallying for Matt-- not just Daredevil, but Matt. His identity is an open secret at this point, no matter how vehemently he denies being Daredevil. They all know. And most of them have personal stories of Daredevil saving their lives, or their loved ones, or chasing costumed crime off their block. His presence makes them feel safe because they can count on Daredevil looking out for them. And so when Matt's life is coming apart at the seams in front of the whole world, when he's hounded by the press and the FBI day and night, when he gets sent to fucking Ryker's Island, they are all there to have his back. The one guard at Ryker's who answers a question of whether or not they should do something about Murdock simply with "I grew up in the Kitchen." The random people in the Daredevil support group who all readily share how DD saved their lives, or their kid's lives, how they believe in him more than anything. The cops who not only refuse to take him in when he shows up at a crime scene, but actively bar out-of-neighborhood cops from trying to get him, too. Matt feels so alone all the time, but this whole place is here for him. He's the beating heart of Hell's Kitchen and everyone there knows it, and they love him. The moments where Bendis and Brubaker go out of their way to highlight this are some of the best in the book from the early 00s.

[bi4bisamjess]

Thinking about mattfoggy today

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[helenaheissner]

Top 15 Marvel Comics runs:

15. Bryan K Vaughan’s Runaways

14. Gillen and McKlevie’s Young Avengers

13. Al Ewing’s Guardians of the Galaxy

12. Mark Waid’s Fantastic Four

11. JMS Thor

10. Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man

9. Saladin Ahmed’s Miles Morales

8. Ewing’s Immortal Hulk

7. Zdarsky’s Daredevil

6. Lee & Kirby’s Fantastic Four

5. Slott’s She-Hulk

4. Fraction’s Hawkeye

3. Brubaker’s Captain America

2. Bendis’ Daredevil

1. Hickman’s Fantastic Four

[co-mixed]

All Hell Breaks Loose (again)

Ed Brubaker’s take on Daredevil made me want to talk about so many things at once. 

Let's start at the beginning or rather at the source of all the problems - Matt Murdock. Before I start trashing him, and that is inevitable, I want to make it clear  - his never-ending list of personal flaws is what makes his books frustratingly enjoyable. And when everyone says that Miller created the foundation his future books stand on, it's that gray area in which his morals reside, that I look back on. He is a hero and he is not a good person.

That's arguably the most interesting type of character: one who believes they're doing the right thing and believes they're willing to sacrifice their personal happiness to achieve that. But in reality, Matt is extremely selfish and inconsiderate. He often gives in to his passions and anger, believing he has been pushed towards the edge. He blames himself almost as much as he does everyone around him. I would probably put him in the same bin as Angel or Batman. Except Bats can step away from his selfishness for his mission and Angel is kind of all over the place. Either way, this is as much of a compliment as it is a judgment.

Who the Hell is Milla?

Matt’s personal life makes up a good half of Brubaker's run. He gives him happiness and he takes it away in an old-fashioned damsel-in-distress way. Milla is a 100% cardboard lady who was created to advance the plot. We know this won't last and frankly, it still lasted longer than I expected. But she is an entirely helpless person thrown into Matt's bizarre world. Anyone who's not a superhero (or villain, hi, Typhoid), would be. She is an antipode of Echo and she is a pre-Nocenti Karen type.

She is also a rebound gone too far, whether or not Matt is willing to admit that. He is stubborn in his search for simple happiness and he keeps refusing the fact that it's either one or the other for him. I think he doesn't realize he's not Spider-Man and for a person, who's supposed to be clever, he makes truly unintelligent decisions. 

In a way too Batman arc, Milla ends up in a mental health facility, catatonic, as a result of being poisoned by Mr. Fear. What I do appreciate is that the effect, at least for the entirety of Brubaker's run, is permanent. To make matters worse, they are still married when Matt sleeps with Dakota North (who was conveniently reintroduced as a former model). And then Milla’s parents reasonably sue for custody. 

Now here is when my lack of respect for Matt Murdock hits a new low: he intends to fight them. He actually has the audacity to face her parents who very well know what he is and who he does, and claim that he should be the one responsible for her. As if he hadn't done enough damage, which is what they say. Yes, he eventually gives up but not for the right reasons. He just can't cut losses and accept yet another destruction as his fault. He fights it for himself and his conscience, which somehow still functions. 

What makes matters worse, he still insists on “making things right” with Dakota because what would he really be if he didn't drag one more woman into his mess? Meanwhile, Dakota is potentially a badass, and if anything, that relationship could've worked much better than the others. Especially considering how she repeatedly refused to be signed off as a helpless love interest. I guess that's not Matt's type.

I have a beautiful theory and maybe 30% of a long read on how superheroes should only date each other. This guy provides 70% of my reasoning. 

Speaking of Law...

Matt's disastrous love life plays very well alongside the action and detective arcs. I can't say it's focusing on the lawyer side of things: Foggy and Becky do most of the lifting in that department and half of the time their job is actually defending Matt. The other - Matt provides a stellar clientele in the form of his former rogues gallery or his wife (yes, nice and sweet Milla had accidentally killed a man.) Matt is running around town creating new problems. 

The run starts with Matt in Riker's. He ends up there after Kingpin makes a successful deal with the FBI. Considering he has already proven he wasn't Daredevil and a person can't be tried for the same crime twice, I’m not sure how this makes sense. Honestly, I’m not a lawyer so I won't try and get into that. Either way, Matt escapes prison parading as Punisher's hostage. Let me say, that was a brilliant plan and a masterful cameo. Frank sees the headlines and immediately gets himself arrested, knowing he will have to help Daredevil escape. This is a long shot too, as you see the events play out and pretty much forget Frank is there. Definitely one of the comic book whoa moments, that I think would play extremely well if it ever makes its way to our screens.

World Tour

After his escape, Matt charges off to Europe to track down the person seemingly responsible for all his misfortunes. That's such a classic move from him, you half expect it to be a setup. Well, you also know it is. And then the events get chaotic but lead to none other than Vanessa Fisk. 

We last saw Vanessa when she offed her own son, Fisk Jr, after he participated in an attempt at Kingpin’s life, poetically modeled after that of Julius Caesar. So here Vanessa is poisoned by what she's done and is dying. For that, she very fairly blames Matt and Wilson. And she delivered the truest thing I have heard in the run so far: how selfish and clueless about that Matt is. This is what helps her set him up, and this is why she knows he would do what she tells him. Vanessa gives a beautiful insight into the never-ending fight between Daredevil and Kingpin. And yeah, you know it's true even if they manage to achieve a weak semblance of peace. Vanessa warns you it's not forever and you don't doubt her words for a second. 

So Matt weasels his way out of Riker's. And at this point, you can see vividly the cracks in his image of a noble believer in law and justice. He hasn't believed in law for a long while now, and he breaks it every chance he gets. But now he lives in lies upon lies. 

Not So Secret Identity

There's another element that Brubaker utilized well: everyone in New York knows who he is. Matt Murdock is Daredevil, which may be unspoken, and some people may claim he isn't, but everyone knows he is. So what happens next? Despite believing the world would fall apart around a hero whose identity is well-known, not much changes. People on the streets don't really care that much. Villains weigh their options when going against him. Those closest to him weren't safe to begin with. There's also a panel in one of the special issues, that shows Spider-Man’s monologue on the matter. And he says he always knew that would happen but expected he’d get there first.

And you know what? Spider fears aside, I think this is the most realistic interpretation of what having your secret identity leaked would be like. If you work it out with the feds and smooth out all the legal issues, people will quickly move on to the next thing. Everyone will be calling you by your name and there would be no need to look aside every time Bruce Wayne adopts a new kid and Batman miraculously obtains a new sidekick. But hey, at least Bats manages to train everyone around them, so he doesn't need to feel that bad when they die. 

Where to Next?

Brubaker leaves Matt's story on a high note, and his parting gift for Daredevil is another one of my favorite tropes. He gets the offer to lead the Hand. And when the offer is on the table, you know he has to take it. He doesn't even have extenuating circumstances like Angel did when he took over Wolfram & Hart, he is just that vain, tired, and selfish. He believes he’s doing it so it doesn't go to Wilson Fisk and he very well knows he's being manipulated by Izo. But something in him believes he will be able not to get corrupted. Of course, he believes that, and of course, I’m eagerly awaiting to see him proven wrong. 

Not All There Is

I am focusing on the writing here but an integral part of this run is art (mostly) by Michael Lark. His work follows Maleev’s style from Bendis’s run: similar panel structure and similar color scheme (I suppose that was more of a colorist+editorial achievement). But just like one run very smoothly morphs into the next, art continues to support the narrative. Daredevil comics work best with rainy, grainy, broody visuals and this duo certainly understood the assignment. I rarely talk about this, but we know that building a visual narrative is just as important as constructing a good word structure. And every close-up has to be in the right place and lead you to a massive splash page. Daredevil doesn't give you a lot of those, I believe, helps build and limit the scale of events. DD is an unfriendly neighborhood character and he doesn't need epic appearances. He stalks, which is best shown in this run’s art. 

To sum it all up, I enjoyed this run so much. It gave enough soap-level drama while keeping the interpersonal conflicts very human and very unheroic. It never steps into the realm of unrealistic, despite all the superpowers. It’s perfectly structured and split into interconnected case-like arcs that bleed into one another effortlessly. Most importantly, the creative team knows how to build up intrigue, where to pause and resume the story, how to leave you wanting more and give you a breather. So far it's been my favorite Daredevil run that dragged the devil through figurative hell and never quite brought him back.

[naoa-ao3]

The Answer You Don't Like

Frank asks Matt a question he doesn't like and Matt gives him an answer he doesn't like.

Originally written in 2014 or 2015.

"Why do you still believe in God?" frank asks. It's a simply phrased question but so volatile in nature that it could never be simple.

Matt doesn't know how to answer and he doesn't know why it's being asked. It's a repulsive question too, for how can he be expected to answer? Why do you Still believe in God? It's not even why do you believe in God. It's so much worse than that. It's why and how do you believe in god when everything on earth tells you not to? It's a humiliating and cruel question and it says I used to but now I don't. And that's awful too. Because it seems so defeated.

Frank doesn't move. He doesn't speak. He doesn't say why he wants to know. He just waits, hunched over on a roof top, taking a midnight break. He waits patiently because he knows Matt will answer and in a petty way he's glad his question is causing so much turmoil. There's something violently satisfying about challenging someone's most closely held beliefs. Oh, he doesn't get off on destroying someone's faith or hurting them. He hates people who do but he can't stand a man who claims to believe wholeheartedly. He doesn't believe a man can be wholehearted about anything good anymore. He used to. Used to be he believed it when a man said he wanted to help another man but now he believes that the only thing a man can be wholehearted about it evil. Because it's so much easier to believe in evil than it is in good and it makes him angry when someone still believes in pure good. It makes him angry that he can't. So it makes him angry that Matt can still believe in God.

Matt wants to ask, Why shouldn't I? But he knows that's a stupid question. There are a billion reasons he shouldn't. He's felt pain and in pain faith isn't easy and sometimes it would be easier to believe in nothing but he looks at Frank and is almost disgusted. Frank is eternally angry and more honestly in pain. He doesn't want that and so he has to believe. Has to believe that for every man he can't punish God will and for every person he can't help God will. But how can he still believe in God after the life he's seen? A life that's gone on while the people he cares about are lost? In that moment he almost hits Frank. Wants to hit him for making him feel so dirty. He feels ashamed and guilty that he can't answer the question.

His long silence forces Frank to speak again. "Do you like it? Guilt, penance, Absolution?" No response. "I don't believe in that. A priest can't forgive my sins or anyone else's."

Matt looks up because there it is, plain as day. The difference between them. Frank doesn't believe in making up. Once you go bad it doesn't matter how many good things you do you can never make up for the bad ones. What a terrible way to live. No forgiveness, no redemption, no remorse. How ugly. And he wonders if life is ugly to Frank.

Frank's losing his patience, he's angry that he's not getting an answer. He wanted something from Matt. He wanted an answer because he can't see one but Matt's still riled from the question. Get over it. He thinks, willing him to answer before the break gets too long.

"I just do." Matt says at length. "I can't tell you why Frank but I do."

Frank sneers. That's not the answer he wants. "It's that simple?"

"No, it's not simple at all."

Frank nods and he's glad that it's not and some long ago part of him understands.

They're interrupted by a cry from a few streets over. Matt knows he has to beet Frank to the scene because if he doesn't it'll be a death on his hands.

They race. Frank doesn't care about Matt or his answer any more. He's got an itchy finger and an unsatisfied feeling in his gut. He marches on. Matt worries about Frank. He can't let him get there first. Not when he can prevent it. He jumps from rooftop to rooftop, going as fast as he possibly can. It's up to him.

When he gets there it's seconds before Frank. He meets a mugging in process. A couple out late is held at gun point by some washed up druggie. He makes them all stop. "Put the wallet on the ground and drop the purse." He says. The frightened addict does as he's told and Matt prays that he can defuse the situation before Frank gets there because to Frank all sins are the same and none of them can be made up for. He doesn't think Frank will spare some loser looking for drug cash.

The couple grab up their things and make a break for it and Matt clocks the junkie. Franks steps out from the shadows. He was there all along although Matt doesn't know if he got there first. Maybe that night he decided to spare the junkie after all.

"You don't make up for your sins in church Matt. You do it on the streets."

Matt gives him a side long look. Frank does believe penance exists. "Then why the Punisher?" He wants to know.

"Because most people don't even try and God doesn't punish them."

"Then who does?"

"I do." it's a chilling answer and a terrifying one coming from a man who's foregone forgiveness.

And then quite suddenly he's gone and Matt hates the answer. Neither one of them sleep that night. They've both been shaken. They both feel dissatisfied and angry.

Bones are broken as they try and work through their anger. They both go a little too hard on petty criminals. And in the morning Matt looks at his bruised and bloody fists and thinks of them as penance and Frank looks at his empty chamber and thinks of it as Absolution. The kind that begs forgiveness and the kind that doesn't forgive.

[sinvulkt]

[davidmann95]

The bit so good Brubaker, Lark, and Gaudiano decided two years later ‘Eh, fuck it, we can just do that again, it’ll still rule’ and they were right.

(With some additional kick to the latter since I understand that was the first time Frank had been used outside of MAX in years.)

So, what's your two cents on ol' Gotham Central: Soft Targets as a Joker story?

Granted that it's been - Jesus, a decade if not more? - since I actually read the thing, but it might be the only Joker story with Greg Rucka's byline that I really like! I could be mean and assume Brubaker wrote all the Joker bits-

-or that Michael Lark's art is what's really carrying the thing (I've read that he deliberately went back to Conrad Veidt as a study, in which case he gets Professionalism points through the roof), but at the end of the day, it clicks along at a pace that assures you this was a Joker story everyone wanted to work on, not something editorial made them.

And even after all these years, there's a very hypnotic kind of novelty to a Joker story told from the little-man's POV - something that strips away all the romance and grandeur of A Batman Story (even at his grittiest) and just leans all-in on the folks who're actually getting hurt and can't do much of anything about it. The way even the most seasoned cops react to him, bitter-verging-on-bored resignation somehow coexisting with a streak of "every Joker rampage feels like your first" horror, is maybe the ideal of what I want his reputation to be like - outside the mask-and-cape crowd, and maybe inside it, too.

(Could the nuts-and-bolts have gone more creative than shoot-shoot-shoot-BOMB? Yeah. But for this story's specific post-9/11, post-Beltway atmosphere, I'm hard-pressed to say I'd have it any other way.)

[daresplaining]

do you think matt murdock finds catharsis in violence? in the context of comics btwi'm of the opinion that he isnt a sadist and doesnt necessarily enjoy violence but i also cant think of any comic pages that would support my interpretation, was wondering if u could help w that?

I certainly think he does, at times. One thing that tends to happen when Matt reaches his lowest points, generally in darker runs (I'm about to post a whole bunch of Brubaker/Lark...), is that he will lash out physically. The Daredevil identity serves as an escape for him in a variety of ways: it frees him, it empowers him, and when his mental health is suffering, yes, it gives him an excuse to hit people. He doesn't always give in to that urge, of course, but it is there. This internal rant he goes on during a moment of frustration in Bendis's run comes immediately to mind:

"There is this overwhelming desire I’m filled with to punch someone in the face!!! Anyone will do at this point. But I know that isn’t right. And it certainly isn’t what my sensei taught me, but I can’t help it. I want to punch someone really, really badly." 

Grief can make Matt impulsive and careless. He starts a bar fight while in civvies immediately following Milla's hospitalization.

Dakota: "This is just what we need...a blind man who half the city knows is really Daredevil...getting in a bar fight. I manage to extricate him without too much injury...and get us out of there before anyone takes his picture. He tells me with his special senses he overheard those two guys planning a robbery. So he decided to scare them out of it. After hearing that, I know Matt's judgment is impaired. And not just because of a few drinks." Daredevil vol. 2 #106 by Ed Brubaker, Paul Azaceta, Matt Hollingsworth, and Chris Eliopoulos

In the very next issue, he loses his temper and punches Luke Cage (and hurts his hand, because he's Luke Cage).

Daredevil vol. 2 #107 by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Matt Hollingsworth, and Chris Eliopoulos

In "The Devil in Cell Block D", Matt becomes so violent in prison following Foggy's apparent death that Frank Castle decides he needs to swoop in and rescue him from doing something he might regret. Here's Ben Urich in court after Matt has been denied special protection in prison, noticing the same thing (like the Dakota scene above, it's neat to see this side of Matt from the perspective of outside observers):

Ben: "As they're carting him away, though, I see something that chills me to the bone. Matt smiles. Just a little. Just enough so that I know my worst fears have come to pass...that they're sending him exactly where he WANTS to be..." Daredevil vol. 2 #83 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Frank D'Armata, and Cory Petit

(As I said: lots of Brubaker/Lark.) Nocenti, too, was deeply interested in exploring the violence inherent in superhero stories, and approached Matt's relationship to it in a variety of ways in her run, including in this memorable scene where he shares some of his darkest urges:

Daredevil vol. 1 #267 by Ann Nocenti, John Romita Jr., Gregory Wright, Al Williamson, and Joe Rosen

And heck, we can also look at Matt's various murder attempts: his near-murder of Bullseye following Elektra's death, and then actual murder of Bullseye that kicked off the "Shadowland" story arc:

Shadowland #1 by Andy Diggle, Billy Tan, Christina Strain, Joe Caramagna, et al.

And of course, his various attempts to kill the Kingpin, most recently following Mike's death in Devil's Reign:

Devil's Reign #6 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marcio Menyz, and Clayton Cowles

On the subject of Mike: I would argue (and did, at length, in this post) that Matt's dream of his brother shooting Bullseye in the "Death of Daredevil" story arc was its own form of violent catharsis.

A key early issue that delved into this side of Matt's character for what I'd say was the first time is Daredevil volume 1 #140, written by Bill Mantlo. In this issue, what begins as a seemingly standard fight between Matt, Gladiator, and the Beetle becomes a violent, brutal beatdown as civilian lives are put on the line and Matt becomes increasingly angry.

Daredevil vol. 1 #140 by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema, Klaus Janson, and Karen Mantlo

I don't like to overemphasize this aspect of Matt's character-- not because I don't find it interesting (I do!) but because a lot of modern takes on Daredevil (notably, the live action adaptations) have leaned into this idea of him as a violent, brooding, bone-breaking bruiser, which is an oversimplification and also plainly not true about a lot of his stories. However, this is a side of Matt that does undeniably exist. He gets unpleasant when his life falls apart, and this can be a part of that deterioration.

I will also say that it's not just Matt. Here is my dear friend Danny Rand, who (at least in his modern comics) is waaay more well-adjusted and emotionally controlled than Matt, succumbing to this very same urge:

Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 2 #4 by Fred Van Lente, Wellinton Alves, Bruno Hang, Nelson Pereira, and Joe Caramagna

(He goes and beats up some white supremacists, as you do.)

All I'm saying is that it happens to the best of them.

[bullseyelover]

DAREDEVIL #88

writer: ed brubaker | artist: david aja

[pastafossa]

Pasta! Pasta! Pasta! I think you mentioned that you were currently reading through Daredevil comics. Is there any you recommend as a must read?

I DID! I've gone through a decent amount of runs now, working my way through the Big Rec'd arcs, and it is wild to see all these bits and pieces that I recognize as contributing to the show that really got my love for Matt started, there's some really good shit here.

I'd say Frank Miller's classic The Man Without Fear, and Born Again runs are the biggest Must Read! Having read through some of the arcs that came out before Miller's runs, I get now why people say Miller changed the game with Daredevil. These runs are foundational to all of our modern depictions of Matt, and a huge part of Daredevil's history and development. Miller's arcs aren't necessarily my favorites in terms of pure enjoyment, but they're top of the list because you just get so much of who modern Matt and Daredevil is, distilled down into its purest form.

The Brian Michael Bendis + Alex Maleev run is so gut-wrenching (and somewhat heartbreaking, but what else is new with Matt) in a stunning way, and fleshes out the world around Matt so gd well. The tonal darkness Netflix pulled a lot of its vibe from is on full display, and I loved the importance of characters like Ben Urich. I can see how this run inspired writers that came after, this was another foundational run for Matt. (I'd continue with Brubaker's run immediately after this since it continues the story!)

I know Matt's whole thing is depression, but I feel like Mark Waid's run was a really solid amalgamation of Matt's lighter tone earlier on and the more serious vibe he gets later. This is both a fun read and a solid one, allowing us to kind of see a bit more of what Matt's like when his life's not spiraling from tragedy to tragedy even if he's still taking things seriously when necessary. And damn was this a breath of fresh air. It's on my Must Read list because what's the point of following Matt if we never get to see him happy? This might be my personal enjoyment favorite.

Kevin Smith's Guardian Devil run, not necessarily because I think it's the best but because we really dig into Matt's catholicism here in a way that ends up influencing a lot of what comes later. Must Read for this take alone, since Matt's faith has become a big part of who he is as a character, even if parts of this run are a bit rough (there is sometimes waaay too much text on the page, which from what I understand Smith has acknowledged).

That's what I've got so far! I still have a TON on my list I want to get to (Soule's the next one I'm eyeing) before fully diving into Chip Zdarsky's current run (which I am very excited about), but these are the Big Reads that I think give an excellent sense of who Matt is as we understand him, his history, and how he's developed over the decades. ❤️

[spideyysenses]

DAREDEVIL GUIDE

Overview -

Total Comics: 1079 (Spanning from 1964 to 2024)

Featured: 920 | Appearance: 159

full list - best reading guide

Main Runs / Reading Order -

Original Run (1964-1998 / 381 Issues / Multiple Writers)

Marvel Knights Run (1998-2001)

Brian Michael Bendis Run (2001-2006)

Ed Brubaker (2008-2009)

Andy Diggle / Shadowland (2009-2011)

Mark Waid (2011-2014)

Charles Soule (2015-2019)

Chip Zdarsky (2019-2023)

Saladin Ahmed (2023-Present)

list of appearances, one-shots, and more here: x

Where to Read -

marvel unlimited app (subscription & digital)

in print (print volume guide on goodreads)

My Status: Complete

Free Tracker: x

[bringbackwendellvaughn]