Comics Over Time

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

Comics Over Time episodes

September 24, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2011 Part 1
Episode 80 - Murdock and Marvel: 2011 Part 1
It was a quiet year in the comics world, but there were a lot of developments going on behind the scenes, and up on the screen. Oh, and we did get ONE new character worth talking about…
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
DC Comics
Other Publishers
Sales & Industry Information
Beginnings & Endings
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Marvel
TOTAL SERIES: 791
TOTAL NEW SERIES: 636
TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 640
SERIES OVER 100 ISSUES: 3
THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): Age of X (11), Fear itself (125), Spider-Island (33), X-Men: Schism (11) and Shattered Heroes (74)
BEST SELLING COMICS:
Events & Happenings
New Titles (Ongoing and Limited)
New Characters
Series Ending
Who's in the Bullpen/Passings
Marvel anoints Bendis, Fraction, Brubaker, Hickman and Aaron as the “Architects” of the Marvel Universe.
Passings: Gene Colan and Joe Simon
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jordie Bellaire
Dan's Favorite

Next week: 2011 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil

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
September 17, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2010 Part 2
Episode 79 - Murdock and Marvel: 2010 Part 2
2010 is an odd year in a lot of ways. It was quiet, but not in a “before the storm” way. More in a “putt your head down and get to work” sense. Great comics were made, and big things were happening mostly under the surface.
This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2010.

The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil #502-512, Shadowland #1-5, Shadowland After the Fall #1, Daredevil: Cage Match #1, Daredevil Black & White #1, New Avengers #59-60, New Avengers Annual #3, What If? Secret Invasion #1, Avengers: The Initiative #32, Black Widow: Deadly Origin #3-4, Siege #4, World War Hulks: Hulked-Out Heroes #2, X-Factor #204, Sentry: Fallen Sun #1, New Avengers #1, Atlas #4, Shadowland Bullseye #1, Thanos Imperative #3, Ultimate Avengers #13-15, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #6, Shadowland Elektra #1, Shadowland Power Man #2, Shadowland Spider-Man #1 and Strange Tales graphic novel.
Writing: Andy Diggle (#502-504, 509-512), Diggle and Antony Johnson (#505-508)
Pencils: Roberto De La Torre (#502, 504, 508-509, 511), De La Torre and Marco Checchetto (#503), Checchetto (#505-507, 510, 512)
Inks: Roberto De La Torre (#502, 504, 508-509, 511), De La Torre and Marco Checchetto (#503), Checchetto (#505-507, 510, 512)
The year begins the story “The Devil’s Hand” in which Daredevil, White Tiger and Black Tarantula patrolling New York and taking on criminals and corrupt cops with the help of the Hand. Meanwhile, Foggy and Becky win a case against some corrupt cops only to have the judge throw out the verdict which outrages Foggy, and he gets arrested for contempt of court and loses his law license.
Daredevil orders the construction of Shadowland – a Japanese Style fortress to be constructed on the site of the building explosion caused by Bullseye that killed 107 protesters in the The List at the end of 2009. It is to be the headquarters of the Hand in NYC.
Tensions escalate as Kingpin sends Lady Bullseye to infiltrate and assassinate both police officers and H.A.M.M.E.R. agents to cause chaos and a reaction. Which it does as Norman Osborn responds by deploying a full H.A.M.M.E.R. unit to Hell’s Kitchen, which causes Daredevil to launch a declaration of war against the police, triggering a full-scale battle. At the end of The Devil’s Hand, Matt travels to Japan to deal with important matters involving the Hand, so he leaves Black Tarantula in charge of the city and takes White Tiger with him.
Next in story “Left Hand Path” we see Matt in Japan hoping to unite the other leaders of the Hand. However, Bakuto, the Daimyo of South America, causes trouble. The other leaders seem to be conspiring against him. Despite their differences, Matt saves Bakuto from an attack and we learn Snakeroot has co-opted White Tiger to aid in the very intricate plans for Murdock and Shadowland back in New York City.
We return back to New York and the start of Shadowland, the big crossover event that goes into the Hand’s plans for New York and Murdock ultimately, falling prey to them. This story was too big for just the Daredevil title and spawned its own limited series that needed to be read to understand what was going on in the Daredevil title. Those books along with a wrap up book entitled After the Fall while be our spotlight for this week. Buckle up everyone, you’re in for a ride...
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil #508 September 2010 “Shadowland Part 1” through Daredevil #512 February 2011 “Shadowland Final Issue” plus Shadowland #1 September 2010 “Shadowland Part 1 of 5” through Shadowland #5 January 2011 “Shadowland Part 5” and Shadowland After the Fall #1 February 2011.
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
For the first time in a long while, I am starting to feel that quality and sales are becoming decoupled in the LCS / direct market model.
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 11 min
September 10, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2010 Part 1
Episode 78 - Murdock and Marvel: 2010 Part 1
2010 is an odd year in a lot of ways. It was quiet, but not in a “before the storm” way. More in a “putt your head down and get to work” sense. Great comics were made, and big things were happening mostly under the surface
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
DC Comics
Other Publishers
Sales & Industry Information
Beginnings & Endings
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Marvel
In many ways these were the darkest days of the Marvel Universe, at least in terms of the stories told in the 616. Evil was ascendant and heroes were on the run.
TOTAL SERIES: 710
TOTAL NEW SERIES: 547
TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 552
SERIES OVER 100 ISSUES: 5
THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): The Thanos Imperative (10), World War Hulks (15), Heroic Age (116), Shadowland (31)
BEST SELLING COMICS: Avengers #1, X-Men #1 and the Siege books
Events & Happenings
New Titles (Ongoing and Limited)
New Characters
Series Ending
Who's in the Bullpen/Passings
Marvel anoints Bendis, Fraction, Brubaker, Hickman and Aaron as the “Architects” of the Marvel Universe.
Passings: Al Williamson, American comics artist and inker
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Dan's Favorite

Next week: 2010 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil

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
September 03, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2009 Part 2
Episode 77 - Murdock and Marvel: 2009 Part 2
2009 was a tough year for comics, in that sales declined and a number of stores (nearly 50% in some areas) closed their doors. Closings of Waldenbooks and other book outlets also made getting product into customers’ hands difficult. We also saw cover prices rise, even as the recession continued to impact fans ability to spend.
This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2009.

The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil #113-119, 500-501, Daredevil Noir #1-4, Dark Reign: The List – Daredevil #1, New Avengers #47, Secret Invasion #8, Secret Invasion: Front Line #5, Age of Sentry #4 and 6, Fantastic Four #562 and 569, Might Avengers #20, What If? Newer Fantastic Four #1, What If? Secret Wars #1, New Warriors #20, Amazing Spider-Man #587 and 600, Marvels: Eye of the Camera #2 and 4, Ultimate Spider-Man #132, Astonishing Tales #3-5, Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #2-3, Deadpool: Suicide Kings #3-5, Exiles #6, Strange Tales #2 and Marvel 70th Anniversary Collection.
Writing: Ed Brubaker (#113-119, 500), Andy Diggle (#501)
Pencils: Michael Lark (#113-114, 117-119), Lark, Tony Zonjic and Gaudiano (#115), David Aja (#116), Lark and Gaudiano (#500), Roberto De La Torre (#501)
Inks: Stefano Gaudiano (#113-114, 116-119), Matt Hollingsworth (#115), Klaus Janson, Chris Samnee and Paul Azaceta (#500), Roberto De La Torre (#501)
2009 begins with the final three parts of the Lady Bullseye storyline we talked about to finish up 2008. In that we Daredevil, Black Tarantula and White Tiger along with Master Izo trying to take down the Hand once and for all – but the Hand are trying to recruit Daredevil to be their leader. The story ends with Lord Hirochi, Lady Bullseye, Black Tarantula, and White Tiger board a plane to Spain, where Lady Bullseye says they will pursue Plan B.
In March, we get the return of another old foe – Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin himself in an aptly titled story called Return of the King. In part one of the story, we see Fisk in Spain where he befriends and falls in love with a woman, Marta, and her kids – only to see Lady Bullseye and the Hand killing them causing him to revert back to his old ways.
Kingpin returns to New York and announces his return and his plans to deal with Daredevil. That plan turns out to be working with Daredevil to take down the Hand. Meanwhile, Foggy is upset that Matt constant absence from the firm confronts him and ultimately fires him.
Daredevil tries to locate Master Izo without success and begins to doubt his alliance with Kingpin, suspecting that Fisk is using the Hand and the Owl to wipe out his rivals. Fisk, still haunted by visions of Vanessa, meets with the Owl and gives him Lady Bullseye’s next target – Foggy Nelson.
The conclusion of this story – is a renumbered issue 500 of Daredevil and the conclusion of Ed Brubaker on Daredevil – will be our spotlight story for this week.
In Dark Reign: The List – Daredevil #1 we see Bullseye (now operating under the Hawkeye identity) go after Daredevil at the behest of Norman Osborn. Daredevil pursues him but falls into a trap: Bullseye lures him into a building full of protestors and then blows it up. The blast kills 107 people, leaving Matt devastated and furious—determined to take action.
Following that we get the start of a new story from new creative team - Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre entitled The Devil’s Hand. In it, we see Matt as leader of the Hand. Since most of this story takes place in 2010 – we’ll save talking about it more until our 2010 discussion.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil #500 October 2009 “Return of the King, Conclusion”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
It had been a rough decade for the United States, and the Marvel Universe showed the strain as the decade ended.
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 6 min
August 22, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2009 Part 1
Episode 76 - Murdock and Marvel: 2009 Part 1
2009 was a tough year for comics, in that sales declined and a number of stores (nearly 50% in some areas) closed their doors. Closings of Waldenbooks and other book outlets also made getting product into customers’ hands difficult. We also saw cover prices rise, even as the recession continued to impact fans ability to spend.
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
DC Comics
Other Publishers
Sales & Industry Information
Beginnings & Endings
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Marvel
In many ways these were the darkest days of the Marvel Universe, at least in terms of the stories told in the 616. Evil was ascendant and heroes were on the run.
TOTAL SERIES: 681
TOTAL NEW SERIES: 513
TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 506
SERIES OVER 100 ISSUES: 7
THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): War of Kings (54 issues), Utopia (13), Nation X (21), Necrosha (14)
BEST SELLING COMICS: ASM #583 (530K!), Captain America Reborn #1 (199K), Dark Avengers #1 (136K)
Events & Happenings
New Titles (Ongoing and Limited)
New Characters
Series Ending
Who's in the Bullpen/Passings
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kieron Gillen
Dan's Favorite

Next week: 2009 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil

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 25 min
August 14, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2008 Part 2
Episode 75 - Murdock and Marvel: 2008 Part 2
2008 in the United States was a year of war and recession, leading to a bleak short-term outlook for Americans. Comics and comic book movies reflected that, but also gave fans a lot to enjoy, hopefully taking people’s minds off social and economic issues they were facing.
This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2008.

The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil #102-#112, Daredevil: Blood of the Tarantula #1, Avengers #36-37 and 39, World War Hulk: Aftersmash #1, Civil War Chronicles #5-6 and 8-12, What if? Civil War #1, Exiles #1, World War Hulk Aftersmash: Damage Control #1-3, Black Panther Annual #1, New Exiles #0, Ultimate Fantastic Four #52-53, Might Avengers #12 and 16, King Size Hulk #1, Eternals #1, New Avengers #42, Ultimate Origins #3, Wolverine #68, Age of Sentry #2, Secret Invasion #7, Secret Invasion: The Amazing Spider-Man #3, and Thunderbolts #125
Writing: Ed Brubaker (#102-106, 111-112) Brubaker and Greg Rucka (#107-110)
Pencils: Michael Lark (#102-103, 107-112), Lark and Azaceta (#104-105), Paul Azaceta (#106), Clay Mann (#111)
Inks: Stefano Gaudiano (#102, #105, #107-112) Gaudiano and Paul Azaceta (#103), Gaudiano and Tom Palmer (#104), Paul Azaceta (#106)
The year begins with the parts 3 through 6 of the Without Fear storyline we talked about in 2007. Daredevil takes down Mr Fear but not before Matt Murdock and Milla Donvan’s life is turned upside down.
In May, we get a single story “Sympathy for the Devil” that bridges us to the next big story arch. In it we see Matt Murdock struggling to deal with everything that’s happened to him and Milla. This interesting story will be our spotlight story for the year.
Next, we get the 4-part “Cruel and Unusual” story arch in which Matt Murdock tries to help a death row inmate “Big Ben” Donovan who’s unwilling to get help to stay his execution. Murdock can tell there’s more going on here and Dakota North being assaulted, warned away from investigating Big Ben case by her father Samuel North and finally shot all seem to confirm that suspicion.
After Dakota is shot, Matt decides to investigate the shooter and, after following the clues, realizes that there had been men watching his law office from the beginning. These men turn out to be federal agents, who explain why Donovan was framed. Apparently, the special units needed crime boss Eric Slaughter to watch over the docks, which is why they protected him. In the end, Matt speaks with Samuel J. North. North tells him how the special units crossed the line, that he didn’t want his daughter caught in the crossfire, that they needed someone to blame, and Donovan fit the profile. Interestingly, this story was billed as a 5-part story that ended after 4.
To finish out 2008, we get the return of Bullseye, well kind of. In a story titled “Lady Bullseye”, we see the Hand and their newest assassin – a woman who goes by the alias Lady Bullseye and was inspired by the original Bullseye who tore through the Yakuzi years before. Lady Bullseye frames Murdock for murder to keep him occupied (though he’s arrested the morning after cheating on his wife Milla with Dakota North) while they go after Iron Fist (Danny Rand) and Black Tarantula (Carlos LaMuerto).
North provides an alibi for Murdock so he gets released and upon returning home and upon returning home they find Black Tarantula hogtied and an old man rummaging through Matt’s kitchen, who introduces himself as Master Izo and says Matt is going to help him destroy the Hand. Apparently now is an opportune time as the Hand is in chaos as factions are fighting for control after Elektra is revealed to be a Skrull.
As the story progressed, we see that the Hand has a series of targets and eventually possesses Tarantula and White Tiger before a finally confrontation with Daredevil. It’s then that Lady Bullseye reveals to Matt her true plan—she wants him to lead the Hand, and her efforts so far have not been to attack his friends and family, but rather to remove them as obstacles. Stunned, Matt strikes her. They fight again and she knocks him out, saying the Hand does not take no for an answer. Master Izo helps Matt up, and assumes he refused the Hand’s offer; Matt says nothing. The story ends with Lord Hirochi, Lady Bullseye, Black Tarantula, and White Tiger board a plane to Spain, where Lady Bullseye says they will pursue Plan B.
One side story in the Lady Bullseye story arch, is Milla Donovan’s parents have checked her out of the hospital Matt’s been visiting and are trying to keep him away from their daughter.
In the Daredevil: Blood of the Tarantula one-shot, Daredevil helps Carlos LaMuerto face down his cousin, Luis, who is being backed up by his former gang from Argentina as they have arrived in New York to steal the power of the Black Tarantula and return it to its country of origin.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil #106 May 2008 “Sympathy For the Devil”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
This is the year that comic book superheroes evolve into billion-dollar movie properties.
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 14 min
August 06, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2008 Part 1
Episode 74 - Murdock and Marvel: 2008 Part 1
2008 in the United States was a year of war and recession, leading to a bleak short-term outlook for Americans. Comics and comic book movies reflected that, but also gave fans a lot to enjoy, hopefully taking people’s minds off social and economic issues they were facing.
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
DC Comics
Other Publishers
Sales & Industry Information
Beginnings & Endings
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Marvel
Marvel plunged headlong into the deep end of the event pool, as the summer event Secret Invasion was essentially a reboot of major parts of the universe.
TOTAL SERIES: 541
TOTAL NEW SERIES: 387
TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 361
THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): Secret Invasion (Skrulls, 126) | Dark Reign (Norman Osborn and Dark Avengers, 290) | X-Men: Divided We Stand (disbanding, 40) | X-Men: Manifest Destiny (West coast move, 35)
BEST SELLING COMICS: Secret Invasion #1
Events & Happenings
New Titles (Ongoing and Limited)
New Characters
Series Ending
Who's in the Bullpen/Passings
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Joe Sabino
Dan's Favorite

Next week: 2008 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil

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 19 min
July 31, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2007 Part 2
Episode 73 - Murdock and Marvel: 2007 Part 2
America continues to deal with the consequences of 9/11, and we are not mid-way through the 8 year Iraq War. Something seems to be changing on the comics landscape, as dark themes, destruction and war get more prevalent, and stories retreat to more conventional and traditional themes.
This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2007.

The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil #91-#101, Daredevil: Father #6, Daredevil Annual #1, Incredible Hulk #100. Thunderbolts #108 and 110, What If? Avengers Disassembled #1, What If? Wolverine Enemy of the State #1, Avengers Next #4, Marvel Select Flip Magazine #19 and 22, X-23: Target X #1-6, Amazing Spider-Man #538, Spider-Man and Power Pack #3-4, Black Panther #25, Bullet Points #4-5, Civil War: Front Line #11, Fantastic Four: Then End #5-6, Punisher War Journal #4, Civil War: The Confession #1, Ultimate Spider-Man #106-107 and 109-110, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #1, Ms Marvel #14, Wonder Man #5, Hulk and Power Pack #3-4, Marvel Zombies: Dead Days #1, X-Men #200, World War Hulk: Front Line #2 and 6, Civil War Chronicles #1-2, Last Fantastic Four Story #1, New Avengers #34
Writing: Ed Brubaker (#91-101)
Pencils: Michael Lark (#91-93, 95-99, and 101), Lee Weeks (#94), Lark, Marko Djurdjevic, John Romita Sr, Gene Colan, Bill Sienkiewicz, Alex Maleev and Lee Bermejo (#100)
Inks: Stefano Gaudiano (#91-99 and 101), Gaudiano and Al Milgrom (#100)
2007 begins with the final three parts of the “Devil Takes a Ride storyline we talked about in 2006 That involved Murdock going to Europe and confronting Vanessa Fisk for all the trouble she’s been causing him as well as then freeing Fisk from prison.
In April, we get a one-shot story called Our Love Story (with a cool cover from John Romita Sr) that talks about the relationship Milla Donovan has with Matt Murdock and Daredevil.
Next, we get long story arch titled “To the Devil, His Due”. Murdock and company are brought in to defend Melvin Potter, the Gladiator, who has been accused of killing inmates in Ryker's Island prison; Melvin claims that he didn't do it, even though all evidence points to the fact that he did. As the story progresses, Potter escapes prison and goes on a killing spree, Milla starts going to a psychiatrist and Lily Luca – the woman who double crossed Murdock in Europe during the Devil Takes a Ride story comes to New York looking for Murdock’s help.
When Potter shows up to ruin a dinner date between Milla and Matt, Murdock figures out that someone is behind the Gladiator’s recent behavior and must stop Potter from killing Milla. The story ends with Potter getting arrested and Daredevil turning his sights on the person behind Potter’s behavior change… Mr. Fear. Meanwhile, in a moment of jealous anger directed toward Lily (induced in no small part by Mr Fear’s gas), Milla accidentally kills a man in the subway.
That leads directly into a “Triple sized” issue 100 featuring 7 artists and a huge six-part story titled Without Fear that finishes the year and bleeds into 2008. Issue 100 will be the spotlight story this week. For this recap, Daredevil confronts Larry Cranston aka Mr Fear but Fear is able to escape and when he returns home Murdock learns Milla has been arrested for murder.
As the Without Fear story continues, we see Turk is now in the employ of the Hood who has designs of his own on New York and Hell’s Kitchen. Daredevil learns of a chemist who assisted Mr Fear in his latest version of the fear gas who is now dead, and Milla fails her psych evaluation and is sent to Bellevue hospital under protective custody. Milla is eventually allowed to return home with a home health nurse to monitor her actions. But then she attacks the nurse after being visited by Lily Lucca which gets her sent back to Bellevue. Hood and Fear team up for a time but disagree on “the big picture”.
Ultimately the story ends with Daredevil confronting Mr Fear and demanding a cure to Milla’s condition – to which fear reveals there is no antidote. Turning him over to Detective Krutz, Cranston confesses that he is responsible for Melvin and Milla's recent action and claims he did it to Matt Murdock because he does not like him. Lilly Lucca, who went to Murdock’s home because of Mr Fear, has disappeared and Murdock tells Foggy he’s responsible for ruining Milla’s life.
Meanwhile, in the Daredevil Annual that was released in December, Carlos Muerto aka Black Tarantula is released on parole, and he looks up his old prison buddy, Matt Murdock, for a job and help in getting his life back in order. And though it works for a time, ultimately, they end up going their separate ways. This is a story by Ed Brubaker with Andre Parks as writer. Leo Fernandez and Scott Koblish on art.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil #100 October 2007 “Without Fear: Part One”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
The retrenchment that is going to divide comics fandom over the next two decades may have its roots here in 2007.
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 14 min
July 16, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2007 Part 1
Episode 72 - Murdock and Marvel: 2007 Part 1
America continues to deal with the consequences of 9/11, and we are not mid-way through the 8 year Iraq War. Something seems to be changing on the comics landscape, as dark themes, destruction and war get more prevalent, and stories retreat to more conventional and traditional themes.
Preshow
Where did the podcast go?
The Year in Comics
Comics in Other Media
DC Comics
Other Publishers
Sales & Industry Information
Beginnings & Endings
Eisner Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Marvel
Marvel had a huge year, with stories and events that would resonate into the company’s future, both in the comics and on screen. As usual they won no awards, but they sold a lot of comics…
TOTAL SERIES: 470
TOTAL NEW SERIES: 326
TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 306
THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): One More Day (4), Silent War, The Initiative (80), World War Hulk (52), X-Men: Endangered Species (17), X-Men: Messiah Complex (13)
BEST SELLING COMICS: Civil War #7
Events & Happenings
New Titles (Ongoing and Limited)
New Characters
Series Ending
Who's in the Bullpen/Passings
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jonathan Hickman
Dan's Favorite

Next week: 2007 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil

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 22 min
July 09, 2025Murdock and Marvel: 2006 Part 2
Episode 71 - Murdock and Marvel: 2006 Part 2
Last week in the takeaway we talked about how 2005 had elements that pointed to a new golden age for comics, and there were elements that pointed to dangerous days ahead. Well, if 2006 is any indication, Golden Age it is...
This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2006.

The Year in Daredevil
Appearances: Daredevil #79-90, Daredevil vs Punisher #6, Daredevil: Father #5, Fantastic Four: The Wedding Special #1, Spider-Man Unlimited #12, Black Widow 2 #4-6, Playmates Toys #1, Spider-Man /Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #4-6, Marvel Zombies #2-3, Pulse #13, Thing #3 X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl #1, I Heart Marvel: Marvel Ai #1, Marvel Team-Up #17 and 20, New Mangaverse #2, Amazing Spider-Man #530 and 534, Thunderbolts #100/105/107, Doc Samson #4, Wolverine #42, Exiles #83, Cable & Deadpool #31, Fantastic Four #539, New Avengers #22 and 24, Marvel Select Flip Magazine #16-17, Civil War #1-6, Civil War: Choosing Sides #1, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1, Civil War: Frontline #10
Writing: Brian Michael Bendis (#79-81), Ed Brubaker (#82-90)
Pencils: Alex Maleev (#79-81), Michael Lark (#82-87 and #89-90), David Aja (#88)
Inks: Alex Maleev (#79-81), Michael Lark (#82), Stefano Gaudiano (#83-87 and #89-90), David Aja (#88)
The year begins with the final three issues of The Murdock Papers from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev.
In April, We get a new creative team and a new story arch with three parts centered around Matt Murdock in prison. The first is entitled The Devil in Cell-Block D and in it, Brubaker and Lark do the unthinkable – while visiting Matt in prison, Foggy and their assistant Dakota are assaulted – with Foggy being stabbed while Murdock is unable to help while bring locked up in solitary confinement. The story ends with Matt Murdock frantically screaming, "His heart is still beating," over and over.
As the story continues, we see a funeral for Foggy (which Murdock is able to attend) and we see someone is running around the city in the Daredevil costume on – which does seem to help Murdock’s case for not being our horned hero. In August, we see Fisk and Murdock working together to survive a prison riot and after Murdock escapes from prison with the help of the recently incarcerated Punisher.
In the finale of The Devil in Cell Block D, Murdock hunts down the other Daredevil – who turns out to be Iron Fist – who was trying to help keep Murdock’s secret identity hidden. Matt decides to leave the country for Monaco to find the man responsible for having Foggy killed. But Foggy is alive and well and hiding under the witness protection program. The warden believes Matt was truly a helpless victim of Punishers and goes public with this on TV.
Next we catch up with the recently revealed to be alive Foggy Nelson in a single-issue story called “The Secret Life of Foggy Nelson. In it we see him try to reach out to Ben Urich and others but he is stopped by the FBI who are “protecting” him.
Finally, to finish off the 2006 – which bleeds into 2007 – we travel to Europe (specifically Monaco to start with) for Murdock’s hunt for a lawyer, Alton Lennox, who helped “kill” Foggy Nelson entitled The Devil Takes a Ride. In it, he teams up with a mob bosses daughter who turns out to double cross him. He confronts her (and Tombstone) in Paris and tells her he’s not so easily fooled. Daredevil finally finds out who has been behind everything and it turns out to be the wife of his most hated enemy, Vanessa Fisk. When Murdock confronts her in Zurich, we learn she is dying and he manipulated Murdock to get him to help free Wilson Fisk as her dying wish. Murdock initially refuses, but she knows he’ll eventually agree and sets her plan in motion – killing Leland Drummond, the FBI director going after Murodck.
The Devil takes a Ride concludes with Matt finding out Foggy is still alive and also helping release the Kingpin from prison to honor Vanessa's memory. Though he has the Kingpin agree to have his U.S. Citizenship revoked and that Fisk will have to leave the country. Foggy agrees with Matt's idea to move their law firm to a new location as well as changing their business method of accepting clients from referrals only to avoid drawing attention from DD's enemies. It was also decided that Becky Blake will join their firm as a law partner (Nelson, Blake, and Murdock). Matt also moves him and Milla to a new apartment as well since too many of his enemies already knew the address of his previous apartment.
This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil #82 April 2006 “The Devil in Cell-Block D Part One”
Recap
Why We Picked This Story
Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions
The Takeaway
It doesn’t get any better than this. Comics in 2006 are at the top of their form both in terms of their content and their cultural impact.
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 7 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.

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