Comics Over Time

By Duane Eckholm and Dan NewlandArts Leisure History Visual Arts Animation & Manga

Comics Over Time episodes

October 07DC Sampler: Birth of the Silver Age
Episode 1 - DC Sampler: Birth of the Silver Age
Welcome back for another season of Comics Over Time!
This season, we’re turning our attention to the other member of the Big Two in comics: DC Comics. So, let’s turn back the clock, open up the DC Universe, and see what was happening in the late 1950s and into the early 1960s for our kickoff to season four!
Reintroduce podcasts and hosts
Birth of the Silver Age Quiz
What super-slow villain was Barry Allen’s first adversary?
To what century did the Legion of Super-Heroes take Superboy after coming to Smallville to meet him?
Action Comics 252 features the first appearance of Supergirl. What DC supervillain also debuted in this issue?
Why was Carol Ferris angry at Green Lantern after their first meeting?
Who was the first chairman of the Justice League?
Spotlight Story (or Stories) Introduction
Short History of DC Comics
Why These Stories
Creator Bio
Character History
Spotlight Stories and Discussion
Showcase #4 – The new Flash, Barry Allen!
https://www.comics.org/issue/13042/
Adventure Comics #247 – The Legion of Super-Heroes!
https://www.comics.org/issue/14358/
Action Comics #252 – You will believe a girl can fly!
https://www.comics.org/issue/14999/
Showcase #22 – The new Green Lantern, Hal Jordan!
https://www.comics.org/issue/15200/
The Brave and the Bold #28 – Tying it all together…with starfish arms!
https://www.comics.org/issue/15487/
Duane's Last Word
DC can do a pretty good origin
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on BlueSky @comicsoftime.
Website comics.historian.us
Patreon Patreon.com/ComicsOverTime
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
1 hr 19 min
February 25Murdock and Marvel: 2025
Episode 99 - Murdock and Marvel: 2025
In a year so recent that we don’t even have Eisners for it yet, comics continued to thrive and movie ticket sales continued to dive. It was a great time to be a comic retailer, but a very bad year if you happen to be a political cartoonist. Lets talk about the year that was 2025.
Preshow
New era of Daredevil comic begins in March: https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/daredevil-stephanie-phillips-lee-garbett-new-era-true-believer-blind-bags-march-2026
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards - Hall of Fame Judges Choices
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v8 #15-25, Daredevil: Unleash Hell – Red Band #1-5, Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1-3, Timeslide #1, Alligator Loki Holiday Special #1, Women of Marvel: She-Devils #1, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur 10th Anniversary Special #1, Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil #19, Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman #1, Undead Iron Fist #2
Writer: Saladin Ahmed (#15-25)
Pencils: Luigi Zagaria (#15), Aaron Kuder (#16-19), Jose Luis (#20, #24-25), Luis and Carlos Nieto (#21-23)
Inks: Luigi Zagaria (#15), Aaron Kuder (#16-19), Oren Junior (#20, #24-25), Junior and Carlos Neito (#21, #23), Junior, Nieto and Jonas Trindade (#22)
As we open the year, the Introductory Rites storyline continues: Daredevil and Elektra find her private investigator dead in an alley, and the tension between them is thick. Matt insists he’s chasing Jason, not causing collateral damage — and Father Javi backs him up later at Saint Nicholas, reminding him that not every tragedy is God’s doing. But before Matt can steady himself, a scream in the night leads him to a rooftop encounter with the sin demon Wrath — fast, brutal, overwhelming. Matt gets absolutely wrecked and blacks out.
He wakes up shaken, served with a legal summons from Nelson & North Legal Services. Foggy is suing Saint Nick’s over Matt beating down a would-be pimp, Chris Rizzollo — and Matt is convinced a demon is behind it. He tries to exorcise Foggy with scripture, only to learn the hard way that when he burned his priestly clothes, he gave up that authority. The demon inside Foggy taunts him: judgment is coming. Even She-Hulk can’t help — legally, Matt has to defend the youth home himself.
Meanwhile, the horror escalates. Matt finds part of Bullseye’s detached arm in an alley and soon discovers Wrath again — only this time, when he looks closely, he sees Jason’s face inside the monster. Realizing he can’t fight this with holy words, Matt tries violence, but Wrath slips away. Back at Saint Nick’s, the kids are divided — some happy to see him, others angry and afraid. And as Foggy challenges him to beat him in court to learn where Cole North is, we see North barely alive… with Wrath looming over him.
Courtroom Matt returns, defending Saint Nicholas himself while Foggy — still demon-possessed — tears him apart on the stand. During a recess in the park, Matt admits he’s ready to concede. That’s when the demon Pride abandons Foggy in fury, claiming Wrath will finish Matt anyway. Free at last, Foggy points him to the building where North and Jason are being held. Inside? A massacre. Daredevil finds North barely breathing before Wrath attacks again and forces Matt into the cruelest choice imaginable: save Foggy… or Bullseye.
In the final rooftop showdown, Matt refuses to play the demon’s game. He saves Foggy without hesitation and even throws a line to the one-armed Bullseye — who misses and plummets to the street below. Wrath releases Jason and declares Daredevil “worthy of hell” before vanishing. Days later, Elektra tells Matt she still can’t find Kingpin. Matt offers to help — she declines. And in a quiet, heavy final beat, Matt returns to Saint Nicholas one last time… to apologize, and to say goodbye.
In the second and final storyline of volume 8, Rites of Reconciliation, It opens with Matt wakes up from devil-and-Bullseye nightmares and we find him living with Nyla Skin—someone he first connected with back when he was “Jack” and had lost his memory. He’s freelancing legal advice through an app, trying to be semi-functional, but of course a missing girl case pulls him back into the suit. What starts as a simple disappearance turns into a full-blown bio-horror situation: spores, infected tenants, shady corporate cover-ups, and Justin Stromwyn reborn as the fungal monster Lionsmane. Nyla actually saves Matt with a coded clue, and he finishes the job with industrial fungicide—because sometimes the devil fights mold with hardware-store science.
Meanwhile, Hell’s Kitchen is tearing itself apart under a new gang called Nouvelle Direction. Matt learns that Cole North has been working with Elektra—and yeah, that stings. He clashes with Taskmaster (who was hired to kill him), gets his senses scrambled by grenades, and Elektra swoops in for the save. Matt tries to talk feelings; Elektra shuts that down immediately. Back home, Nyla calls him out for always leaving, always choosing the mask. She’s right. He walks away realizing he’s pushed almost everyone out of his life.
Back in the red suit, Matt rescues Father Javi, reconnects with Elektra, and starts chasing the real power behind Nouvelle Direction. Bodies begin turning up—gang leaders executed, scripture written in blood. After a brutal bar fight with Wrecker and another grisly discovery, Daredevil finally recognizes the handwriting. The blood. The message. It’s not just gang warfare.
It’s Kingpin.
The conclusion of Rites of Reconciliation and volume 8 will be our final spotlight...
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 8 issues #25 (#687 LGY) from November 2025 “Rites of Reconciliation Part 6”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
Comics had their biggest year yet.
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 41 min
February 18Murdock and Marvel: 2024
Episode 98 - Murdock and Marvel: 2024
Can comics survive without big-screen movies to prop them up? Yes, it appears they can. It was another great year for comics in stores, even as the pop-culture phenomenon of the MCU seems to have largely died.
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v8 #3-14, Daredevil: Black Armor #1-4, Daredevil: Gang War #1-4, Daredevil Omnibus #3, Giant-Size Daredevil #1, Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1-4, Venom War: Daredevil #1, Daredevil Epic Collection #7, Avengers Epic Collection #11, Amazing Spider-Man Collection #10, Defenders Epic Collection #2, Scarlet Witch #5, Dazzler Omnibus and the Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu: Gang War graphic novel.
Writer: Saladin Ahmed (#3-7, #9-14), Ahmed, Erica Schultz, Elsa Sjunneson, Ann Nocenti, D. G. Chichester, and Ty Templeton (#8)
Pencils: Aaron Kuder and Farid Karami (#3), German Peralta (#4), Karami (#5), Kuder (#6-7 and #11-12), Kuder, Jan Bazaldua, Eric Koda, Stefano Raffaele, Ken Lashley, Tommaso Bianchi and Ty Templeton (#8), Juann Cabal (#9-10), Chris Campana (#13), Luigi Zagaria (#14)
Inks: Cam Smith and Farid Karami (#3), German Peralta (#4), Karami (#5), Kuder (#6-7 and #11-12) Kuder, Jan Bazaldua, Eric Koda, Stefano Raffaele, Ken Lashley, Tommaso Bianchi and Ty Templeton (#8), Juann Cabal (#9-10), Craig Yeung (#13), Luigi Zagaria (#14)
Matt Murdock is living as Father Matt, devoting himself to St. Nicholas Youth Home, which is suddenly facing shutdown over financial and other disagreements with the church despite its bills being secretly paid by Elektra. When Matt aggressively defends a girl from attackers, it’s clear Daredevil’s instincts are still right under the surface — even if he’s trying to bury that life.
A mysterious demonic force possesses Elektra and turns her against Matt. During their fight, his lost memories begin resurfacing — her name, their past, everything. He frees her through prayer, but the entity warns they’re only the first wave. Matt refuses to abandon the priesthood, yet the pull of Daredevil grows stronger.
Online smears claim St. Nick’s is a criminal training ground, bringing police and CPS to the door. As Daredevil, Matt traces the lies to Ben Urich and the Daily Bugle — who’s shockingly possessed by a demon — and learns about a new gang called The Heat rising under Bullseye. Matt begins realizing these possessions aren’t random.
The pattern clicks when She-Hulk is also overtaken. After Matt frees her, Doctor Strange arrives with the truth: the Seven Deadly Sins have manifested as demons, and they followed Matt back from Hell. Strange sends him on a spiritual trial that returns him to New York wearing a white Daredevil suit, symbolizing a holy war rather than street justice.
Trying to stop the spread, Matt clashes with a demon-controlled Wolverine (Lust) in a brutal, city-spanning fight. Instead of winning through force, Matt prays and drives the demon out. Proving faith is his greatest weapon in this new battle.
Meanwhile, gang war erupts in Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil and Elektra confront The Heat and Bullseye, only to discover Wilson Fisk is backing the operation — who is also supernaturally empowered by the demon of Greed, which makes him stronger and more cunning than ever. This was part of a 60th anniversary issue that will be this week’s spotlight.
At St. Nick’s, Jason — a troubled boy whose father died in a past Daredevil-related disaster — learns Matt’s secret and runs away, believing Daredevil ruins lives. Bullseye manipulates the boy while demonic forces begin directly attacking the orphanage.
After repeated setbacks, Matt confronts a painful truth: he’s been guilty of greed too, trying to keep both lives — priest and vigilante. Accepting he can’t do both, he burns his clerical clothes and offers one final prayer, choosing to serve God the only way left to him — as Daredevil.
As the year closes, Jason is still missing and there’s whispers of a monster haunting Hell’s Kitchen. Matt is fully back in the mask full time and appears determined to take on whatever is coming.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 8 issues #8 (#670 LGY) from June 2024 “Introductory Rites Part 8”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
The takeaway is back, just long enough to say comics seem to have hit a new level of popularity post-pandemic, and that popularity has the potential to grow even more.
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 28 min
February 14Murdock and Marvel: 2023
Episode 97 - Murdock and Marvel: 2023
The pandemic book that brought comics to their highest sales figures ever finally ended, and sales dropped about 7% from 2022’s all-time high. Even so, both sales and quality made this another fantastic year for American comics. The movies…well that is something else…
Preshow Talk
Alec Seguera’s Enemy of My Enemy: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781368095365
Comic Book Yeti: https://www.comicbookyeti.com/
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v7 #5-14, Daredevil & Echo (#1-4), Daredevil Omnibus #2, Daredevil v8 #1-2, Daredevil Epic Collection #6 and #17, Thor Epic Collection #9, Captain America Epic Collection #5, Defenders Omnibus #2, Moon Knight Epic Collection #7, Iron Man Epic Collection #6, Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection #27, Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil #18 and Devil’s Reign Omnibus
Writer: Chip Zdarsky (#5-14), Saladin Ahmed (v8 #1-2)
Pencils: Marco Checchetto (#5, #8, #10, #12-14) Rafael De LaTorre (#6, #11) Checchetto and De Latorre (#7), Manuel Garcia (#9), Aaron Kuder (v8 #1-2)
Inks: Rafael De LaTorre (#5-6, #11), Elisabetta D’Amico (#7), Marco Checchetto (#8, #10, #12-14), Manuel Garcia (#9), Aaron Kuder (v8 #1-2)
Quick refresher from last week’s 2022 Daredevil talk: We left off with The Red Fist Saga kicking into gear—Matt confronting Butch, revealing his identity to Spider-Man, and realizing the Hand is now being steered by bigger, scarier forces tied to the Stromwyns and the Punisher, making it clear Hell’s Kitchen isn’t the endgame anymore.
Where it landed: Matt pulls Foggy and Cole North out of New York, links up with Elektra and Stick, and by the end of issue #4 the ritual is complete—Matt and Elektra are declared King and Queen of the reborn Fist (and man and wife), officially stepping into a global war that takes Daredevil far beyond the streets we’re used to.
As 2023 kicks off we learn - A reborn Fist with real stakes. The resurrection ritual doesn’t just crown Daredevil and Elektra as King and Queen—it supercharges everyone, including Foggy and Cole North, and the Book of the Fist literally rewrites itself to guide them. Its warning is chilling: the Hand is using the Lunate Talisman to replace world leaders with undead puppets, quietly steering global power while no one notices.
Recruiting monsters to stop monsters. Daredevil leads a breakout at the Myrmidon, offering prisoners a chance to fight for something bigger. Speed Demon, Stilt-Man, Agony, Stegron, and others join up. During the escape, Matt easily takes down U.S. Agent and is shaken to find Robert Goldman imprisoned there, clearly still part of a larger “plan.” In the aftermath, Iron Man and Captain America watch the footage and agree on one thing—Daredevil has crossed a line and needs to be brought in.
Elektra lights the fuse. While Doc Sasquatch tries to hold this unstable team together through therapy, Elektra infiltrates the White House, confirms the President is a Hand construct, and throws him out a window—on camera. It’s a tactical win and a PR nightmare, pushing the Avengers closer and painting the Fist as terrorists instead of saviors.
Doing good the hard way. Matt insists the Fist prove they’re different, leading a mission to North Carolina where they stop illegal evictions, defuse coordinated bombings, and protect a falling child—caught midair by Stilt-Man. Afterwards, Bullet leaves to find his son Lance, and we learn he’s unknowingly walking straight into the Hand’s trap.
The war with the Hand. Knowing it’s a setup but knowing they need to save Lance, Daredevil still attacks when the Book warns that the Punisher—who’s leading the Hand—is killing again. The battle is massive and brutal: Daredevil and Elektra vs. the Punisher, Stick vs. Aka, Cole North vs. a Hand-controlled Bullet, and the rest of the Fist fighting dragons and assassins. They lose ground, barely escape, but Elektra steals the Lunate Talisman—proof the Hand can be beaten.
Everything falls apart. The Avengers close in, the Stromwyns escalate, and Re-Cid gas bombs rain down on the Fist’s base. Elektra destroys the Talisman, which reveals the truth _ Stick and Foggy were resurrected by the Hand—then disintegrate. The cost to beat the Hand is devastating as the Avengers arrive to arrest most of the team.
God’s plan goes loud. Daredevil manages to escape along with Robert Goldman, who unleashing an avalanche that forces the Avengers to retreat while nearly everyone else is captured. Weeks later, Cole North snaps Matt out of his spiral—telling him to put the suit back on, go fix it. Matt confronts the Stromwyns and trades himself for Elektra’s freedom, proving his loyalty by plunging blades into his own eyes.
Death, rebirth, and the real enemy. Believing sacrifice is the only answer, Matt travels to Japan to die at the Beast’s gate and rescue the trapped souls—Foggy included. Elektra tries to stop him; he dies anyway, is reborn in white, and learns he’s been manipulated by the Wild, sister to the Beast. In the collapsing afterlife, Matt rejects comforting illusions, frees Foggy and the others through love and willpower, and stays behind—armless but defiant—to face the Beast alone.
The final book of volume 7 and the Red Fist Saga was an epilogue to this story and seemly sets us up for volume 8. This seemed like a good book for this week’s spotlight story.
We did get the first 2 books of volume 8 at the end of this year with a new creative team but we are going to save those and talk about them when we look at 2024.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 7 issue #14 from October 2023 “The Red Fist Saga Part 14”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
No takeaway - too recent
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 36 min
February 06Murdock and Marvel: 2022
Episode 96 - Murdock and Marvel: 2022
It was a good year for comics, with things being stable, but still pointing up. In the movie world, though, there were some dangerous signs of problems to come…
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v6 #36, Daredevil v7 #1-4, Devil’s Reign #1-6, Devil’s Reign Omega #1, Daredevil Epic Collection #12, Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus #1, Marvel Masterworks: Werewolf By Night #1, Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Namor the Sub-Mariner #1
Writer: Chip Zdarsky (v6 #36, DR #1-6, v7 #1-3) Zdarsky, Rodney Barnes and Jim Zub (Omega)
Pencils: Manuel Garcia (#36), Marco Checchetto (DR #1-6, v7 #1), Rafael De Latorre, Luciano Vecchio and Guillermo Sanna Bauza (Omega), Checchetto, De Latorre, Alex Maleev, Paul Azaceta, Phil Noto, Chris Samnee, Klaus Janson, Mike Hawthorne and John Romita Jr (v7 #2), De Latorre (v7 #3-4)
Inks: Cam Smith, Scott Hanna and Victor Nava (#36), Marco Checchetto (DR #1-6, v7 #1-), Rafael De Latorre, Luciano Vecchio and Guillermo Sanna Bauza (Omega) , Checchetto, De Latorre, Alex Maleev, Paul Azaceta, Phil Noto, Chris Samnee, Klaus Janson, Mike Hawthorne and Scott Hanna (v7 #2), De Latorre (v7 #3-4)
The year begins with the final book of the Lock Down storyline we talked about in 2021. Fisk gets married to Typhoid Mary and while at his summer home finds his secret file with information on Daredevil’s secret identity.
That leads us into the big crossover event for 2022 – Devil’s Reign. Since it’s a huge crossover event that basically takes the place of a Daredevil volume for much of 2022, this will be our Spotlight story for the week.
Following Devil’s Reign in July, we get an epilogue book called Devil’s Reign Omega. In it there are 3 stories:
In “Fall and Rise” Reed Richards tells Daredevil he believes Fisk has traveled to Latveria before everything pauses for Matt Murdock’s funeral, with Kirsten delivering the eulogy and the Marvel cast quietly circling the truth—Foggy grieving, Jessica learning Joe is alive but warehoused in an orphanage, and Butch Pharris showing up just long enough to confirm he knows Mike died in Matt’s place and to ask the one question no one can answer: where is Matt?
Daredevil and Elektra watch the post-funeral scene, telling Luke Cage and Danny Rand that Matt being “dead” is the only way they can leave New York and take the fight to the Hand. A quick bank-robbery stop turns awkward when the Thunderbolts arrive and remind everyone that Fisk may be gone, but the Powers Act—and their authority—very much isn’t.
The story ends with Jessica Jones freeing Joe from his inhibitor collar and takes responsibility for him, Kirsten quietly buries the Norn Stone with Matt and admits she knows, somehow, this isn’t goodbye.
In “Mayor For Hire” we see Luke Cage reflect on his past before his first press conference as Mayor. During the opening statement he tries to bring people together and afterwords talks about the role of the Thunderbolts.
In “Cleaning House” Luke Cage tries to recruit Monica Rambeau to lead the Thunderbolts and reform them from within. She turns him down and it’s suggested they try asking Clint Barton next.
By September the events of Devil’s Reign have wrapped up and Daredevil volume 7 starts. In it we get the first 4 issues of a storyline entitled “The Red Fist Saga”. It opens with Matt —posing as Mike—confronting Butch and learns about Fisk’s fate. He then drops the act and with Spider-Man backing him up gives Butch a clear warning: rule like Fisk, and the heroes will come. Before leaving the city, Matt finally trusts Peter with his secret identity, then races to stop Kirsten from leaving town—only to miss her train as it explodes, pulling him into a nightmare orchestrated by the unnervingly calm Robert Goldman – a former college friend.
Goldman claims he’s been shaping Matt’s life all along, pushing him toward greatness through tragedy—revealing he may have caused Elektra’s father’s death and the train bombings to “reforge” Daredevil. Their rain-soaked clash ends with Goldman leaping away and turning himself in, while Matt reunites with a very much alive Kirsten, confessing his love but still keeping his true identity hidden.
Elektra and Stick establish a base near the Fist’s origin, meanwhile Luke Cage stands his ground as mayor against the Stromwyns. Matt recruits Cole North for what’s coming, learns the Hand is allied with the Stromwyns and the Punisher is now leading the Hand from Aka, a former mentor of Elektra’s while she was in the Hand.
As the year ends, Matt and Elektra complete a brutal spiritual trial, defeating the lingering souls of the Hand. Stick seals the ceremony, declaring Matt and Elektra King and Queen of the reborn Fist as well as husband and wife—before calmly telling them, “Now let’s get to work.”
This Week's Spotlight: Devil’s Reign issues #1-6 from February 2022 to June 2022
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
Oversaturation and poor quality led to comic book fatigue.
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 32 min
January 29Murdock and Marvel: 2021
Episode 95 - Murdock and Marvel: 2021
As the Covid-19 pandemic entered its second year comics continued to charge forward, with the unchallenged biggest year in the history of the medium (so far!) in 2021. Great books and a public desperate to be entertained combined to make this a great year to be a comic retailer…or a comic fan!
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v6 #24-35, Daredevil Epic Collection #5 and 16, Avengers: Marvels Snapshots #1, Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler #2, Namor, the Sub-Mariner Epic Collection #1, Avenger’s Epic Collection #6 and 20, Power Pack Classic Omnibus #2, Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil #15, Heroes Reborn: American Knights #1, Marvel’s Voices: Pride #1, Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #8, Phoenix Omnibus #1, Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four #23, Thor Epic Collection #7 and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, along with Daredevil No.1 Halloween Comic Extravaganza 2021, Shang-Chi: Earth’s Mightiest Martial Artist, Marvel Snapshots, X-Men: Fall of the Mutants Omnibus graphic novels
Writer: Chip Zdarsky (#24-35)
Pencils: Mike Hawthorne (#24, #31), Marco Checchetto (#25, #28-29, #33) Checchetto and Hawthorne (#26-27, #30-32), Stefano Landini (#34), Landini and Francesco Mobili (#35)
Inks: JP Mayer (#24), Marco Checchetto (#25, #28-29, #33), Adriano Di Benedetto (#26, #30-32), Checchetto and Di Benedetto (#27), Stefano Landini (#34), Landini and Francesco Mobili (#35)
As the year begins, we open with Matt Murdock behind bars — two years into a sentence he chose — when Elektra pays him a visit with classic Elektra energy and apocalyptic stakes. She and Stick have uncovered a book that could finally wipe out the Hand, but it requires a King and a Queen. Translation: Daredevil and Elektra. Matt refuses, believing prison is his penance. Elektra walks away… but not from Hell’s Kitchen.
On the streets, Elektra becomes Daredevil — literally putting on the horns to protect the neighborhood while Matt can’t. Her first night nearly kills her until Stick intervenes, confirming the book’s prophecy: only one of the King or Queen survives. Meanwhile, symbiotes descend on the city, targeting a mother and her daughter Alice, and Elektra-as-Daredevil jumps straight into the chaos.
The symbiote crisis explodes everywhere at once — Typhoid Mary joins the fight, Fisk scrambles for control, and the creatures even breach Matt’s prison. Mistaking them for Venom at first, Daredevil is briefly overtaken by a symbiote tied to Knull himself, who offers partnership and power. Matt rejects it the hardest way possible — strapping himself into an electric chair to burn the symbiote out rather than escape prison.
Elektra’s war turns personal as Mary bonds with a symbiote and targets her. In a brutal construction-site showdown, Mary kills Alice’s mother, nearly kills Elektra, and walks away believing Daredevil is dead. Elektra survives, consoles Alice, and quietly takes the orphaned girl under her wing — not to comfort her, but to prepare her. “First you’re sad,” she tells her. “Then you’re angry. That’s when I can help.”
Back inside, Matt spirals — poisoned, hallucinating, and haunted by the deaths tied to his past as a prosecutor. Inmates die mysteriously; the warden circles him like a vulture, and when Daredevil is lured into the yard, he’s jumped, stabbed, and left bleeding out as the warden declares him dead.
Crime shifts hands in Hell’s Kitchen while Matt is down. Elektra shakes down Izzy Libris, demands tribute, and Izzy responds by handing control of Hell’s Kitchen to Butch — an Owl defector and, in a major reveal in the Daredevil Annual last year, Wilson Fisk’s son. Meanwhile, Mike Murdock is posing as Matt on the outside, secretly working with Butch to undermine Izzy from within.
Matt survives the prison attack and wakes up in the hospital to Foggy, Kirsten, Cole North, and the FBI. They want his help investigating a string of inside-job murders in exchange for commuting his sentence. Matt agrees… but insists he’ll still serve the full two years. This isn’t about freedom anymore — it’s about responsibility.
Everything starts breaking loose at once: Elektra and Alice survive an ambush when Alice pulls the trigger herself; Fisk and Mary quietly plan their future over dinner; and Ravencroft calls with catastrophic news — Bullseye has slaughtered everyone inside and escaped. Two Daredevils. A rising crime heir. And the Devil’s deadliest enemy is back on the board.
The final story arch of 2021 is an action packed 6-book story arch called “Lock Down”. Which definitely feels like the spotlight for this week.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 6 issues #31-36 from August 2021 to January 2022 “Lock Down”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
This was a “making lemonade” year. Sometimes you need to have something big happen to shake things up.
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 28 min
January 25Murdock and Marvel: 2020
Episode 94 - Murdock and Marvel: 2020
In case you don’t remember, 2020 pretty much sucked. Comics did not escape the vortex of Covid-19 and its associated disruptions and dangers, but the industry actually weathered the first year of the pandemic better than one might expect.
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v6 #13-23, Daredevil Annual #1, Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #1, Tarot #2-3, True Believers: The Criminally Insane – Bullseye #1, True Believers: The Criminally Insane - Purple Man #1, Hawkeye: Freefall #3-4, Captain America: Marvels Snapshots #1, True Believers: Black Widow & Daredevil #1, Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising Prelude #1, Spider-Man: Marvels Snapshots #1, True Believers: Black Widow - Yelena Belova #1, True Believers: Black Widow & the Avengers #1
Writer: Chip Zdarsky (#13-23)
Pencils: Marco Checchetto (#13, #19-21, #23), Checchetto and Francesco Mobili (#14-15), Jorge Fornes (#16-18), Mobili (#22)
Inks: Marco Checchetto (#13, #19-21, #23), Checchetto and Francesco Mobili (#14-15), Jorge Fornes (#16-18), Mobili (#22)
The year begins with a massive 8-part story entitled Through Hell that appears to be just that for Matt Murdock. We pick up with Matt trying to not be Daredevil… and basically failing at it. Elektra tells him he’s gone soft, Mindy is spiraling after the sniper attack, and Matt’s stuck between messy romance and even messier morality. Meanwhile, Detective Cole North gets a new partner and a new perspective when Spider-Man drags him out of a vigilante sting operation and gives him the “law vs. justice” pep talk he desperately needs. And in the background? Fisk tries to put the Owl in his place—but the Owl refuses, kills Fisk’s men, and openly challenges the Kingpin’s throne.
Matt keeps trying to help people without putting the horns back on, but New York just won’t let him stay retired. He checks in on Tom—the brother of the man Matt accidentally killed—and then stumbles into a fake Daredevil getting pummeled. Matt and Foggy try to save the impostor without throwing punches… which lasts about 30 seconds. When it all goes sideways, Elektra swoops in, makes her “train or die” pitch again, and this time Matt finally says yes. Meanwhile, Fisk loses control during a tense meeting with the ultra-rich Stromwyns and ends up murdering a loudmouth in a bathroom—triggering a cover-up and putting him in the crosshairs of people way more powerful than he expected.
As Matt and Elektra begin intense, targeted training, Hell’s Kitchen spirals into a full-scale mob war. The Owl challenges Izzy Libris openly, kills her men, and declares himself the new kingpin; Izzy responds by forging an alliance with Hammerhead before the whole thing goes south. Cole North, beaten down by cops and politics, is still trying to be the “good cop” in a rotten system, and Daredevil—watching him stand up for a homeless man—asks the detective to coffee. They have a brutally honest conversation about guilt, accountability, and the difference between lawful and right that starts to bridge the gap between them.
The Stromwyns’ influence becomes the heart of the conspiracy, pushing the story from street-level grit into political corruption on a terrifying scale. They convince the governor—via massive donor pressure—to pull police out of Hell’s Kitchen entirely, setting the neighborhood up for collapse so they can swoop in and buy it all. Matt and Elektra infiltrate the governor’s summer home, confirm the Stromwyn plan, then tumble into an emotional, romantic reconnection. Meanwhile, Fisk is punished by the Stromwyns for his unauthorized murder—forced into a brutal fight he loses, tossed out a window, and reminded that he’s still just a “thug” to the true elites of New York.
Daredevil and Elektra strike back, Robin Hood–style, as the mob war escalates to bloodshed. They break into a Stromwyn server farm, steal millions, and funnel the cash into Hell’s Kitchen—though Elektra takes her own cut for “something big.” Izzy Libris uses her share to flip Hammerhead’s crew and put him down herself. But the Owl retaliates by kidnapping Belle, Mindy’s daughter. Daredevil teams up with North to save her, defusing a hostage situation without bloodshed. The Owl, enraged at the loss, murders Tom Libris, pushing the crime family to the brink.
And just when it seems things can’t get worse… the Stromwyns pull the nuclear option. With police back in Hell’s Kitchen and the neighborhood refusing to collapse, the Stromwyns call Fisk and tell him a purge is coming. They deploy a nightmare roster—Bullseye, Rhino, Crossbones, Bullet, and Stilt-Man—to wipe the slate clean. Daredevil, newly trained, morally sharpened, and more determined than ever, now faces a city where the mob, the government, the cops, and the ultra-rich have all decided Hell’s Kitchen is theirs to burn.
Up next, we get the short 2 book “Inferno” story arch that continues the story. Hell’s Kitchen becomes a war zone, and the heroes are just… regular people. With Bullseye, Rhino, Crossbones and the rest tearing the neighborhood apart, the cops won’t enter—not out of orders, but pure fear—so citizens pour into the streets, many wearing makeshift Daredevil masks, and start fighting for their homes. Cole North joins them. Matt meets one of the “fake Daredevils,” comforts him, takes his mask, and steps into the fire. When Bullseye mocks him as just another imitator, Matt corrects him: “Not a fake… just Daredevil.” Across the neighborhood, Sister Elizabeth—Matt’s spiritual confidant—reveals herself as Typhoid Mary, throwing herself into the chaos. Fisk and Wesley watch helplessly as the villains slaughter civilians.
Daredevil turns the tide—reminding the city who he really is. Drawing on Elektra’s training, Matt cuts through the chaos, coordinating with Mary, who charges Rhino straight into the river—only for him to swim out. The Owl’s men abandon him, unwilling to aid in destroying their own neighborhood, and Fisk finally storms into the streets himself, beating the Owl senseless as news cameras capture the destruction the Stromwyns unleashed. When the smoke clears, Fisk orders Cole North to arrest Daredevil for murder. North refuses. So Matt, battered, masked, fully reclaiming the mantle, simply turns himself in.
The final story of the year is called “Truth / Dare” which appears to be the reckoning for the death caused by Daredevil way back in issue 1 of volume 6. This 4-part story arch will be the spotlight for this week.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 6 issues #21-24 from September 2020 to January 2021 “Truth / Dare”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
No matter what your industry was, it was all about the pandemic this year.
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 30 min
January 15Murdock and Marvel: 2019
Episode 93 - Murdock and Marvel: 2019
In 2019 Marvel Studios completed the most ambitious movie cycle in history with its 2 billion dollar Avengers: Endgame masterpiece, even as comic stores wondered about the future and politics made deeper and deeper inroads into comics and comics fandom.
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v5 #611-612, Man Without Fear #1-5, Daredevil v6 1-12, Marvel Knights 20th #2, Guardians of the Galaxy #1, Spider-Man / Deadpool #47-48, Avengers: No Road Home #10, War of the Realms #1-6, War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1-3, Avengers #20 True Believers: Spider-Man – The New Spider-Man! #1, War of the Realms Omega #1, History of the Marvel Universe #3
Writer: Charles Soule (#611-612), Chip Zdarsky (#1-12)
Pencils: Phil Noto (#611-612), Marco Checchetto (#1-5 and #11-12), Lalit Kumar Sharma (#6-9), Jorge Fornes (#10)
Inks: Phil Noto (#611-612), Marco Checchetto (#1-5 and #11-12), Jay Leisten (#6-9), Jorge Fornes (#10)
In the final storyline of volume 5, “The Death of Daredevil”, We open with Matt Murdock on the brink of death—lying in an ER after being hit by a truck while saving a child, eerily echoing the childhood accident that made him Daredevil in the first place. And as the doctors fight to keep him alive, Matt mentally resets his mission. He decides this is war with Wilson Fisk, and war requires honesty. So he tells his entire team the truth: he’s Daredevil. No more secrets.
When he gets back out on the streets in his mind’s version of events, he barely has time to breathe before a bone-knife-throwing assassin attacks him. And when he limps home afterward, who’s waiting in his apartment? Elektra. They fall back into old patterns, but when Matt asks her to stay and join the team.
From there, Matt and his crew move aggressively—they decide to kidnap John Wesley, Fisk’s right-hand man, to force him to spill how the election was rigged. The plan blows up in their faces, but somehow, they still manage to grab Wesley. They lose his guards, get attacked by more bone knives, and end up scrambling into a church for cover…where Fisk’s assassin, Vigil, is already waiting. Daredevil and Elektra take him on in a brutal fight. Elektra almost kills him, Daredevil stops her, and in that split second, Vigil drives a bone knife straight into Wesley’s back. The only man who could presumably tell them how Fisk did it is now dead—Elektra walks out.
While out on patrol he’s ambushed by a swarm of Stilt-Men, forced into an arena, and dropped into a who’s-who gauntlet of enemies—Klaw, Ikari, Electro, Gladiator, Typhoid Mary. But Matt turns the tables, manipulating the villains into fighting each other for the “honor” of killing him. It works. At least until he reaches the roof, hoping to catch his breath, and is immediately shot by Bullseye. Matt’s seconds from dying again when he’s unexpectedly saved…by his magically created, now-fully-real brother, Mike Murdock, who claims he can help end all of this.
Mike’s intel leads Matt straight to the truth: the Mad Thinker helped Fisk rig the mayoral election. With that, Matt convinces the DA to prosecute the mayor and put Daredevil himself on the witness stand. A parade of heroes testify. Fisk slips up under questioning, admits to “adjustments,” and Fisk loses the court case and he’s recalled as mayor. It’s a victory…until Vigil returns. Daredevil unmasks him—and sees his own face staring back.
And that’s when the illusion cracks. We realize the entire story, every moment, every battle, every twist, has been in Matt’s head while he lies unconscious in the hospital. He’s still fighting for his life. In the quiet between heartbeats, he sees Karen Page beside him. She tells him gently that it isn’t his time. The panels go dark…until a single heartbeat rises from the silence. Daredevil isn’t dead. He’s choosing to fight.
In March we get the Man Without Fear limited series from writer Jed Mackay and artists Danilo Beyruth, Stefano Landini, Iban Coello, and Paolo Villanelli. It’s a haunting bridge between Daredevil’s fall and whatever comes next. It’s a really interesting story – deserving our spotlight for this week.
In April, Volume 6 starts with a new creative team – Writer Chip Zdarsky and art by Marco Checchetto. The opening storyline is titled “Know Fear”. In it we see Matt Murdock back on the streets as Daredevil—too early, too shaky, and already in over his head. Between flashbacks of young Matt talking to a priest, we watch him struggle through patrols, botch a robbery takedown, and accidentally kill one of the thieves due to head trauma. New-to-NYC Detective Cole North zeroes in on him immediately, refusing to play the usual “look the other way” game, and soon Daredevil is shot, chased, cornered, and nearly arrested as Wilson Fisk—now Mayor—watches from a distance, thrilled to see his old enemy unraveling.
Things spiral further as Daredevil finds himself rescued—and judged—by the one man he never wants to owe anything to: the Punisher. Frank Castle drags Matt to his hideout and brutally challenges the idea that Daredevil is still a hero. A prisoner dies, blows are exchanged, and Matt ultimately escapes, injured and ashamed, just as the NYPD begins questioning Cole North’s escalating methods… even while Fisk quietly rewards him for keeping the pressure on.
The breaking point comes when Matt is rescued from the Owl’s men by Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand—street-level peers who’ve been watching him self-destruct in real time. After Matt admits he accidentally killed the robber, the others acknowledge they’ve made mistakes too… but they also agree he’s too unstable to keep wearing the mask. Matt slips away, heads home, and meets Spider-Man waiting for him on the rooftop—delivering the final gut punch: Matt’s done. No more Daredevil. And if he suits up again? His own friends will stop him.
In the final full story arch of 2019, “No Devils, Only God”, Eight weeks after Daredevil “died,” Matt Murdock is trying hard to live a normal life—working as a probation officer, meeting ex-cons, even starting a romance with Mindy from the local bookstore—but the shadows keep tugging at him. NYC is shifting: Fisk is secretly beating inmates to a pulp while publicly claiming he’s going legitimate, and Cole North—now targeted by dirty cops and nearly killed—is the lone detective trying to clean up a precinct drowning in corruption. As Matt finds himself drawn into Mindy’s family dinner, he realizes her in-laws are the Libris crime family… just moments before a sniper attack (courtesy of the Owl) leaves one man wounded and Matt forced to intervene without revealing who he once was.
The city whispers that Daredevil is back, but Matt insists he’s not—at least, not fully. He shadows crimes with his senses and quietly calls them in, plays tortured theology chess with Reed Richards, and wrestles with whether God expects him to rise again. He slips into a makeshift costume to save a runaway boy from gang life, and that taste of heroism only deepens his conflict. Meanwhile, Matt’s relationship with Mindy crosses into an affair, complicating everything just as the Owl escalates his war, burning down her bookstore and pulling Matt in deeper.
When Cole North is targeted again—his partner beaten so badly he later dies—Matt can’t stay retired. He joins North in the police station brawl, stopping the detective from killing corrupt officers and telling him to pin the chaos on Daredevil. As Matt slips away into the night, bleeding and conflicted, he finds Elektra waiting on a rooftop… it seems on a matter of time until Matt Murdock is putting the mask back on for real.
This Week's Spotlight: Man Without Fear Limited Series issues #1-5 from March 2019
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
The Billion dollar question: Is the comic world just too small for both the Joker and Captain Marvel?
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 29 min
January 07Murdock and Marvel: 2018
Episode 92 - Murdock and Marvel: 2018
It was a great year for comics, everywhere except the shops, and movies, graphic novels and TV continued to do well.
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v5 #595-610, Daredevil Annual #1, She-Hulk #159, Falcon #6, All-New Wolverine #33, Avengers #687-689, Hunt for Wolverine #1, Hunt for Wolverine: Weapon Lost #1-4, Hunt for Wolverine: Dead Ends #1, Infinity Countdown: Daredevil #1, True Believers: Infinity War #1, True Believers: Fantastic Four – The Wedding of Redd & Sue #1, True Believers: Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary – Daredevil by Bendis and Maleev #1, True Believers: What if Kraven the Hunter Had Killed Spider-Man? #1
Writer: Charles Soule (#595-610)
Pencils: Stefano Landini (#595-597), Ron Garney (#598-600), Mike Henderson (#601-605), Phil Noto (#606-610)
Inks: Stefano Landini (#595-597), Ron Garney (#598-600), Mike Henderson (#601-605), Phil Noto (#606-610)
Most of 2018 is devoted to one storyline – Mayor Fisk. The Kingpin has fully legitimized himself — not in the shadows or backrooms like the past, but right out in public with a suit, a flag pin, and a press conference. His first major move? He weaponizes the entire NYPD against vigilantes. Anyone in a mask is now considered a rogue element. And he’s specifically asked the DA’s office, and in particular Matt Murdock, build a case against Daredevil.
But that doesn’t last very long as Fisk offers Murdock a job as Deputy Mayor (keep your friends close…) which Murdock surprisingly accepts. Fisk’s plan is to keep him occupied with things of his choosing so Fisk can continue what he’s doing without Murdock full attention.
Meanwhile, the inhuman serial killer Muse escapes from prison so Frank McGee (head of security force for New Attilan) asks Daredevil to help find him while Muse creates new pro vigilante art throughout the city. But it’s Blindspot who ends up coming face to face with the killer who once took his sight. Meanwhile, 6 cops get killed in the Meatpacking District and Fisk uses it as an opportunity to further demonize vigilante’s by blaming the killings on Frank Castle aka the Punisher.
In an oversized issue 600 adorned on the cover with the who’s who of street level heroes and villains behind our man in red. In it we see a trap set by Fisk to roundup street level heroes as well as the confrontation between Blindspot and Muse that ends up having major consequences. This issue will be our spotlight story this week.
Over the next few issues, we see Matt Murdock as the acting mayor and see him enlist heroes and then villains in the fight against the hand. Murdock fires Welsey, Fisk’s chief of Staff, for fighting him every step of the way and installs his lifelong friend Foggy Nelson in the role – He also gets to act as cover so Matt can go out and fight the hand as Daredevil. This continues until the Hand launches their latest offensive – a gas cloud that incapacitates Matt Murdock who was looking down at the city from the roof of city hall. And he’s only able to be awoken by Father Jordan, Matt’s priest, who arrives at city hall offering the help of Ordo Draconum, The Order of the Dragon, of whom Jordan is a member.
The story comminates with a final battle at City Hall that includes horses and swords. It ends with Daredevil plunging a sword into the Beast and a bright white light. With the Hand now defeated, Matt and Wilson Fisk, who has recovered, talk. To spare New York further stress and political turmoil, Matt agrees to relinquish the mayor's office back to Fisk, but only on the condition that Fisk ends his anti-vigilante crusade. Fisk agrees to the terms. As Matt and Foggy are leaving, Matt overhears Fisk and his associate Wesley admitting to rigging the mayoral election.
Now knowing for sure the election was rigged, Daredevil reaches out to Frank McGee to help him start an investigation into Wilson Fisk. McGee brings in a couple inhumans to help them with the case. Cypher, who can read and understand any code or language as well as Reader (and his dog Forey) who has the ability to make anything he reads manifest into reality 3 times per day.
In a short 2-book story in the latter part of the year, we see the return of Mike Murdock – and not just Matt Murdock pretending to be his twin brother but an actual separate person. Daredevil saves Mike from some C list villains at the Bar with No Name. We learn Reader read Mike into existence and can easily erase him. But Mike insists on talking to his brother Matt. He escapes and enlists Foggy’s help (at gunpoint) in setting up a meeting.
The two meet in public and after talking Matt lets Mike leave saying it’s not their decision to erase Mike anymore. Mike then approaches Wilson Fisk and to prove he’s not Matt, tells Fisk that Matt knows he rigged the election and is trying to build a case against him. The story ends with the Hood offering Mike an opportunity to prove himself.
The year ends with the start of the final story arc of volume 5 “The Death of Daredevil” which spills over into 2019 so we are going to save this story until next episode.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 5, Issue 600 May 2018 “Mayor Fisk part 6”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
Everything is a circle!
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 18 min
December 24, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2017
Episode 91 - Murdock and Marvel: 2017
It was a big year for comics in theaters, but local comic shops did not do nearly as well, with sales diving substantially from 2016.
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
Comic Sales
Notable Comics
Top Comic News
Notable Passings
Marvel
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil v5 #13-28, Power Man and Iron Fist #10, Avengers #3.1, Kingpin #2-3, Elektra #3, Doctor Strange #21-24, FCBD All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #1, Defenders #1 and 6, X-Men: Gold #6, Thanos #10, Iron Fist #73
Writer: Charles Soule (#13-28)
Pencils: Ron Garney (#13-14, #17-18, #20, #26-28), Goran Sudzuka (#15-16, #21-22), Marc Laming (#19), Alec Morgan (#23-25)
Inks: Ron Garney (#13-14, #17-18, #20, #26-28), Goran Sudzuka (#15-16, #21-22), Marc Laming (#19), Alec Morgan (#23-25)
As we teased in 2016, the year starts with the Dark Art storyline that actually begins in October of 2016 and features the debut of serial killer/artist Muse. Daredevil’s protégé Blindspot is invited to a warehouse where a giant blood mural has been painted. He phones Daredevil and the pair investigate while the owner of the warehouse starts charging admission so people can see the twisted art.
When the mural gets desecrated by an address, the pair find another equally horrifying art exhibit made with inhumans. Daredevil has a brief interaction with Muse on the building’s rooftop before Muse escapes. While Daredevil tries to get help from Medusa and the inhumans, Blindspot goes after Muse and finds his hideout and several hostages he plans to use in his next art piece. Blindspot frees the hostages and acts as a decoy to Muse so they can escape. Blindspot though is captured by Muse and before Daredevil can save him, Muse gouges his eyes out.
Ultimately Daredevil defeats Muse and gets Blindspot to a hospital, but the damage is done. Matt Murdock is left feeling very guilty he let his student be hurt.
This leads to a short 2 book story arch called the Seventh Day where Matt enters a church for the first time in a while and speaks with Father Jordan. The story is light on action but makes up for it with real character development will be our Spotlight story of the week.
Next, Matt Murdock returns to Father Jordan and the confessional booth and finally answers the question we’ve had all series – “How was Matt able to make everyone forget he is Daredevil?” as he recounts his final days in San Francsico in a story called Purple.
Not surprising it has to do with Killgrave and his purple children. Killgrave used a guard in prison to escape and upon escaping sought his children to elevate his power beyond it’s already dangerous level. Two of the children show up a Mat Murdock’s house just ahead of a hoard of crazed people sent by Killgrave to capture them. Matt locks them and Kirsten in a panic room and then incapacitates the mob.
Daredevil goes after Killgrave and upon finding him, the rest of the kidnapped children and his power-boosting machine, Daredevil can’t keep from falling under the purple man’s influence. Killgrave toys with him asking asks Daredevil what exactly the worst possible thing he could do is. Daredevil suggests the Purple Man to have everybody, heroes, villains and civilians, wreak havoc upon the streets. When asked what he would do in this scenario, Daredevil simply says "nothing".
This outrages Killgrave which is apparently enough for Daredevil to break free of control and takedown Killgrave. As a thank you for saving them, the Purple kids decide to help Daredevil by using the device and making everyone in the world forget that Matt Murdock and Daredevil are one in the same. Daredevil returns home where Kirsten doesn’t realize Daredevil and Matt are the same so he leaves and decided to use this free start to go back to New York and start over.
This leads us into the next story – Supreme. In it we see Matt Murdock and Daredevil team up take the fight against criminals to the courtroom. Daredevil, with the help of Luke Cage and Echo – stop the Munition Militia from blowing up city hall but are only manage to capture Simon “Slug” Slugansky in the process. It’s then ADA Murdock puts his idea into motion – have Daredevil testify against Slugansky in court – without revealing his secret identity.
The defense team tries to discredit the red suit wearing Daredevil saying “anyone can wear a suit”. Daredevil proves he is the real deal when the Milita charge into the courtroom attempting to free they cohort. When the dust settles, Daredevil is able to give testimony and the District Attorney’s office wins the now high-profile case.
Seeing how the decision could affect his business interests, Kingpin launches a two-part attack on Matt Murdock to see the case go away is it gets appealed to higher and higher courts. He hires a former lead attorney for Tony Stark called just “Legal” to represent Slugansky in court and hires Tombstone to take out Murdock when not in court.
Legal is able to get the verdict overturned in the New York Supreme Court – which angers D.A. Hochberg (Matt’s boss) saying he needs to stop using New York resources. That causes Matt to reach out to Foggy for help – which is interrupted by a Tombstone attack. Matt uses his Daredevil skills to beat him and escape with Foggy and Foggy agrees to help. Fast forward 2 weeks and the case is being heard by the Supreme Court.
To Foggy’s surprise, Matt confesses that he lost the previous appeals case on purpose. He says he needed it to come before the Supremes in order for the ruling to have true power. And while waiting to for the case to be called, Matt gets confirmation Kingpin was the one who hired Legal. While arguing before the Justices, Murdock imagines his exchange with them as a physical battle, and feels like he’s getting beat up badly. In his rebuttal to Legal’s opening statement he stresses the voluntary good that all citizens are obliged to do.
Ten days later, the court rules in Matt’s favor, potentially changing the entire landscape of law enforcement. Matt calls Foggy and tries to explain why he needs to fight criminals both in the courtroom and in the streets at once. He reverts to his classic red costume. Meanwhile, In NYC, and enraged Kingpin punches out a window, and tells Wesley to turn to Plan C.
The year ends with a 3-book story called “Land of the Blind”. Matt learns Samuel Chung (aka Blindspot) is in China, so he travels there looking for him. Shortly after arriving, he’s captured by Blindspot and put in a hole for what seems like several months. We learn he has gotten his eyesight back thanks to a deal his mother made with the Beast and the Hand. Sam wants to trade Daredevil’s life for the life of his mother – which he does. Though he has a change of heart during their escape and the pair return and help Daredevil escape. Upon returning to NYC, Daredevil learns Wilson Fisk has been elected Mayor of New York.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil v5 Issues 15 and 16 from March 2017 “The Seventh Day”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
It was a big year for women in comics.
Questions or comments
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @comicsoftime.
------------------
THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING CREATORS AND RESOURCES
Music: Our theme music is by the very talented Lesfm. You can find more about them and their music at https://pixabay.com/users/lesfm-22579021/.
The Grand Comics Database: Dan uses custom queries against a downloadable copy of the GCD to construct his publisher, title and creator charts.
Comichron: Our source for comic book sales data.
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_English-language_comics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_superhero_debuts
https://comicbookreadingorders.com/marvel/event-timeline/
https://www.comic-con.org/awards/eisner-awards/past-recipients/past-recipients-1990s/
1 hr 26 min

About Comics Over Time

From the publisher's feed

Each week Dan, Duane and Siena bring you a look at comics new and old! Since 2021 we have been discussing comics, TV and film. For 2024 Duane and Dan are focusing on Marvel history that centers on Daredevil, and Siena and Dan are keeping up with current happenings in the Marvel Comics Universe. Our previous seasons are also available here: Phases of the Moon Knight covered the Moon Knight character in comics and TV, and our MCU Review saw us comparing the Phase 1 thru Phase 4 Marvel Cinematic Universe films with the comics that inspired them.

Share Comics Over Time

Sign up to save your podcasts

Comics Over Time

Comics Over Time episodes

About Comics Over Time