A review by cmcrockford
Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson - Volume 1 by

4.0

A collection of groundbreaking comics by one of the best artists in the history of the medium - Frank Miller reinvented Daredevil (tho I suspect that will come later in the volumes) and as we can see here reinvented superhero comics and writing. By the time he started writing the scripts, Miller eliminated much of the Stan Lee style hyperbole and melodrama and kickstarted the "grim and gritty" style in comic books by making the writing and characters relatively meaner, creating a strong noir element mixed with black humor and tragedy. His issues as a writer would pop up here - his obsession with law and order bordering on fascism, treacherous/fetishistic women, and pretentious poetry - but his run on Daredevil is a hotbed of experimentation and dynamic plotting. His artwork, augmented massively by Klaus Janson, is extraordinary as well: Miller's shading is detailed, his characters muscular and powerful in every action (recalling both Kirby's huge actions and Eisner's eccentricities), and his understanding of panelling and angles is enormous, suggesting a great knowledge of cinema and the power of images. Miller is a deeply flawed artist whose work has become worse and worse as his racism and conservatism has deepened, but his writing and art for Daredevil is the work of a visionary.