Almost immediately, we see Miller get down to business as a writer. Miller’s run on Daredevil firmly hits the ground running with the introduction of Elektra, just one of the many elements which Miller introduces that have remained with the character since his time. Still, it is an Omnibus, and I suppose the idea is to included everything. And those 250 pages aren’t always the easiest read. Including the earlier issues not written by Miller help to give the reader a basis for the run – I don’t think I would have appreciated how daring his run was had I not been given a frame of reference – but this means that the proper Miller action in this collection doesn’t really begin until nearly 250 pages in. Perhaps the clearest indication of how far he brought the comic can be gauged by the fact that the first story here featured a talking gorilla (a member of “The Unholy Three”), while the final involves a quiet conversation with a crippled foe over a game of Russian roulette. Gradually his involvement ballooned (in fact, you see him sharing “story” credits) and then he fully took over. In fact, he originally joined as an artist. Part of the issue here is that the Omnibus includes issues where he wasn’t necessarily the writer.

And, under his stewardship, it actually became a monthly title. In fact, he only got so much freedom to rewrite the character because the title was on the verge of cancellation. Daredevil – when he joined the title – was in a bad state, even by the wacky standards of the tail end of the Silver Age. He can’t make gold instantaneously from air. Don’t get me wrong – it is all of those big, important-sounding words I mentioned above and more.

Daredevil by frank miller