In the late '90s, Marvel was struggling through a bankruptcy and looking for innovative ways to boost sales and find a wider audience. They turned to hot artists Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti, who enlisted their pal, indie screenwriter and director Kevin Smith, to relaunch Daredevil to mainstream media coverage. The success of the Marvel Knights line led to a new era at Marvel and paved the way for more high-profile creators outside of the industry to try their hand at comics, which makes this series a crucial transition point to the post-Iron Age. But how does Smith's "Guardian Devil"—which combines Vertigo-style religious themes, controversial character deaths, and homages to Frank Miller's run so blatant that they're remarked upon in the text itself—hold up today?