NINETOES VS. DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN (THE GRAPHIC NOVEL!)

Now that the new series has wrapped up its first season, Ninetoes has gone back and read the graphic novel inspiration for the show’s title, DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN!

TITLE: Daredevil: Born Again

AUTHOR: Frank Miller

ARTIST: David Mazzucchelli

GENRE: Superhero/Graphic Novel

PAGES: 248

FORMAT: Paperback

PRICE: $19.99

Hey there, book lovers! It’s your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Loves Books Headquarters. Today, I have my review of Daredevil: Born Again. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

Let me start by saying this: This book has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the current television show on Disney+ of the same title. If you are going to get this book to get the source material for the show, you will be most unhappy.

That is not to say avoid this book—far from it. This is one of those books that redefined the main character. When it came out in the 1980s, it turned the comic book world upside down. Throughout comic book history, heroes have been redefined for a different fanbase or for a whole new storyline that went through the entire publisher’s universe. What happens in this book hit the fans right in the gut.

Karen Page, Matthew Murdock’s one-time love, does the unthinkable. She left him to go to Hollywood to become a star, but stardom came to her in the adult film industry. So does a scorching heroin addiction. Here comes the unthinkable part: She becomes so desperate for a hit, just a single hit, that she sells Matthew Murdock out as Daredevil. Word of this gets to Wilson Fisk (Kingpin), and to test the information, he literally destroys Murdock’s life. Everything from his law practice to his home to his relationships is stripped away, leaving Murdock no choice but to rebuild his life.

This is one of those events in comic book history that shook the foundations. It also established Daredevil as more of a crime drama than a superhero book. The writing is top-notch, and the art is so gritty you might need to wash your eyes. This is one of those books that you not only read but experience to the fullest extent! It is also one of my all-time favorite stories in the fifty-plus years I have been reading comic books.

I give this one 5 bookmarks out of 5!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.