Comics Over Time

Episode 63 - Murdock and Marvel: 2002 Part 2 The world was a dangerous and frightening place, and America was trying to come to terms with how to move forward, both internally and on the world stage.  And comics showed a lot of that anxiety.  But even so, 2002 was a big year for all involved in the comics world, as sales of actual honest to goodness comic books actually rose 10% this year to 230 Million dollars, the first time that the industry had seen that occur since 1993, when comic sales had peaked at around 850 Million.  And even as traffic in stores was increasing, Hollywood was starting to understand how to make comic properties work on the screen, both small and large.    This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2002.   The Year in Daredevil  Appearances:  Daredevil #27-38, Daredevil: Yellow #6, Paradise X: Heralds #1-2, Elektra #6, Giant Size Mini-Marvels: Starring Spidey #1, Marvel Knight: Millennial Visions #1, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #39 and 41, Essential Marvel Team-Up #1, Paradise X #0-5, Marvel Knight #2-6, Marvel Knights Double Shot #1 and 4, Amazing Spider-Man #2, Ultimate Spider-Man Special #1, Order #5-6, Spider-Man/Daredevil #1, Marville #2 along with Marvel Masterworks: The Submariner #1 and Daredevil: Yellow, Fantastic First, Life and Death of Captain Marvel graphic novels  Writing: Brian Michael Bendis (#27-38)   Pencils: Alex Maleev (#27-37), Manuel Gutierrez (#38)  Inks: Alex Maleev (#27-37), Manuel Gutierrez (#38)  The year for Matt Murdock and Daredevil begins with a 6-part story called Underboss that began in December 2001. In that story we see a bombing attempt on Matt Murdock’s life just outside of the courthouse and we see Sammy Silke and several of the Kingpin’s other bosses repeatedly stab the kingpin leave him dying on the floor.  So, who put a hit out on Matt Murdock and who is this Sammy Silke who rallied Kingpin’s underlings against him? We start to get answers about this over the next 5 books through flashbacks while the story continues forward. Silke is the son of a crime boss in Chicago who needed to get out of town. He came to New York and went to work for the Kingpin – but when the Kingpin wouldn’t let him put a hit on Matt Murdock – He caught wind of Murdock’s seemly open secret within the Kingpin network and set in motion a plan to take out Murdock and Kingpin with the help of Kingpin’s son – Richard.  Vanessa Fisk finds out her husband has been stabbed and in critical condition (and not killed as reports claim). She goes to New York and despite objections from his doctor, wants Kingpin taken to the airport and flown out of the country. She also orders those that betrayed Kingpin to be killed -including her son Richard whom she visits and kills herself.   Underboss ends with Silke, fearing for his life, turning himself into the FBI and asking for protection. When the FBI refuse, he tells them Murdock’s secret identity.    From there, things start to really go crazy for Matt Murdock. An FBI agent, needing some cash, sells Murdock’s secret to the Daily Globe (the Bugle’s rival paper) and it’s ran as a front-page story and a media circus descents on Murdock’s brownstone.   Ben Urich and Peter Parker tell J. Jonah Jameson the DD secret identity story is a hoax but both refuse to tell him who DD really is; Foggy tries to get Matt to give up his life as DD. Seeing the story, Mr. Hyde shows up and starts destroying Murdock’s house before Daredevil and Spider-Man can intervene.  After some time away, Matt Murdock holds a press conference denying he’s Daredevil. We’ll jump into more detail about that during this week’s spotlight.  After a rooftop chat with Elektra at the urging of Black Widow, it looks like things will be settle with the Daily Globe after Daredevil visits the FBI agent who gave up his secret, but then the Globe owner Rosenthal nixes the deal because Murdock was being so smug about the agreement.  The year ends with part 1 of the next named storyline, The Trail of the Century, which we’ll talk about in 2003.  This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil volume 2 #36 October 2002 “One Hundred Percent Untrue” Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway Big Box Office does not necessarily translate to big bucks at the comic shop. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 96 - Murdock and Marvel: 2022 It was a good year for comics, with things being stable, but still pointing up.  In the movie world, though, there were some dangerous signs of problems to come… The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media Comic Sales Notable Comics Top Comic News Notable Passings Marvel Eisner Awards Dan's Favorite The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v6 #36, Daredevil v7 #1-4, Devil’s Reign #1-6, Devil’s Reign Omega #1, Daredevil Epic Collection #12, Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus #1, Marvel Masterworks: Werewolf By Night #1, Mighty Marvel Masterworks: Namor the Sub-Mariner #1  Writer: Chip Zdarsky (v6 #36, DR #1-6, v7 #1-3) Zdarsky, Rodney Barnes and Jim Zub (Omega)  Pencils: Manuel Garcia (#36), Marco Checchetto (DR #1-6, v7 #1), Rafael De Latorre, Luciano Vecchio and Guillermo Sanna Bauza (Omega), Checchetto, De Latorre, Alex Maleev, Paul Azaceta, Phil Noto, Chris Samnee, Klaus Janson, Mike Hawthorne and John Romita Jr (v7 #2), De Latorre (v7 #3-4)  Inks: Cam Smith, Scott Hanna and Victor Nava (#36), Marco Checchetto (DR #1-6, v7 #1-), Rafael De Latorre, Luciano Vecchio and Guillermo Sanna Bauza (Omega) , Checchetto, De Latorre, Alex Maleev, Paul Azaceta, Phil Noto, Chris Samnee, Klaus Janson, Mike Hawthorne and Scott Hanna (v7 #2), De Latorre (v7 #3-4)  The year begins with the final book of the Lock Down storyline we talked about in 2021. Fisk gets married to Typhoid Mary and while at his summer home finds his secret file with information on Daredevil’s secret identity.    That leads us into the big crossover event for 2022 – Devil’s Reign. Since it’s a huge crossover event that basically takes the place of a Daredevil volume for much of 2022, this will be our Spotlight story for the week.   Following Devil’s Reign in July, we get an epilogue book called Devil’s Reign Omega. In it there are 3 stories:   In “Fall and Rise” Reed Richards tells Daredevil he believes Fisk has traveled to Latveria before everything pauses for Matt Murdock’s funeral, with Kirsten delivering the eulogy and the Marvel cast quietly circling the truth—Foggy grieving, Jessica learning Joe is alive but warehoused in an orphanage, and Butch Pharris showing up just long enough to confirm he knows Mike died in Matt’s place and to ask the one question no one can answer: where is Matt?  Daredevil and Elektra watch the post-funeral scene, telling Luke Cage and Danny Rand that Matt being “dead” is the only way they can leave New York and take the fight to the Hand. A quick bank-robbery stop turns awkward when the Thunderbolts arrive and remind everyone that Fisk may be gone, but the Powers Act—and their authority—very much isn’t.  The story ends with Jessica Jones freeing Joe from his inhibitor collar and takes responsibility for him, Kirsten quietly buries the Norn Stone with Matt and admits she knows, somehow, this isn’t goodbye.   In “Mayor For Hire” we see Luke Cage reflect on his past before his first press conference as Mayor. During the opening statement he tries to bring people together and afterwords talks about the role of the Thunderbolts.  In “Cleaning House” Luke Cage tries to recruit Monica Rambeau to lead the Thunderbolts and reform them from within. She turns him down and it’s suggested they try asking Clint Barton next.  By September the events of Devil’s Reign have wrapped up and Daredevil volume 7 starts. In it we get the first 4 issues of a storyline entitled “The Red Fist Saga”. It opens with Matt —posing as Mike—confronting Butch and learns about Fisk’s fate. He then drops the act and with Spider-Man backing him up gives Butch a clear warning: rule like Fisk, and the heroes will come. Before leaving the city, Matt finally trusts Peter with his secret identity, then races to stop Kirsten from leaving town—only to miss her train as it explodes, pulling him into a nightmare orchestrated by the unnervingly calm Robert Goldman – a former college friend.  Goldman claims he’s been shaping Matt’s life all along, pushing him toward greatness through tragedy—revealing he may have caused Elektra’s father’s death and the train bombings to “reforge” Daredevil. Their rain-soaked clash ends with Goldman leaping away and turning himself in, while Matt reunites with a very much alive Kirsten, confessing his love but still keeping his true identity hidden.  Elektra and Stick establish a base near the Fist’s origin, meanwhile Luke Cage stands his ground as mayor against the Stromwyns. Matt recruits Cole North for what’s coming, learns the Hand is allied with the Stromwyns and the Punisher is now leading the Hand from Aka, a former mentor of Elektra’s while she was in the Hand.   As the year ends, Matt and Elektra complete a brutal spiritual trial, defeating the lingering souls of the Hand. Stick seals the ceremony, declaring Matt and Elektra King and Queen of the reborn Fist as well as husband and wife—before calmly telling them, “Now let’s get to work.”  This Week's Spotlight: Devil’s Reign issues #1-6 from February 2022 to June 2022  Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway Oversaturation and poor quality led to comic book fatigue. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 95 - Murdock and Marvel: 2021 As the Covid-19 pandemic entered its second year comics continued to charge forward, with the unchallenged biggest year in the history of the medium (so far!) in 2021.  Great books and a public desperate to be entertained combined to make this a great year to be a comic retailer…or a comic fan!  The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media Comic Sales Notable Comics Top Comic News Notable Passings Marvel Eisner Awards Dan's Favorite The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v6 #24-35, Daredevil Epic Collection #5 and 16, Avengers: Marvels Snapshots #1, Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler #2, Namor, the Sub-Mariner Epic Collection #1, Avenger’s Epic Collection #6 and 20, Power Pack Classic Omnibus #2, Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil #15, Heroes Reborn: American Knights #1, Marvel’s Voices: Pride #1, Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #8, Phoenix Omnibus #1, Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four #23, Thor Epic Collection #7 and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, along with Daredevil No.1 Halloween Comic Extravaganza 2021, Shang-Chi: Earth’s Mightiest Martial Artist, Marvel Snapshots, X-Men: Fall of the Mutants Omnibus graphic novels  Writer: Chip Zdarsky (#24-35)  Pencils: Mike Hawthorne (#24, #31), Marco Checchetto (#25, #28-29, #33) Checchetto and Hawthorne (#26-27, #30-32), Stefano Landini (#34), Landini and Francesco Mobili (#35)  Inks: JP Mayer (#24), Marco Checchetto (#25, #28-29, #33), Adriano Di Benedetto (#26, #30-32), Checchetto and Di Benedetto (#27), Stefano Landini (#34), Landini and Francesco Mobili (#35)  As the year begins, we open with Matt Murdock behind bars — two years into a sentence he chose — when Elektra pays him a visit with classic Elektra energy and apocalyptic stakes. She and Stick have uncovered a book that could finally wipe out the Hand, but it requires a King and a Queen. Translation: Daredevil and Elektra. Matt refuses, believing prison is his penance. Elektra walks away… but not from Hell’s Kitchen.  On the streets, Elektra becomes Daredevil — literally putting on the horns to protect the neighborhood while Matt can’t. Her first night nearly kills her until Stick intervenes, confirming the book’s prophecy: only one of the King or Queen survives. Meanwhile, symbiotes descend on the city, targeting a mother and her daughter Alice, and Elektra-as-Daredevil jumps straight into the chaos.  The symbiote crisis explodes everywhere at once — Typhoid Mary joins the fight, Fisk scrambles for control, and the creatures even breach Matt’s prison. Mistaking them for Venom at first, Daredevil is briefly overtaken by a symbiote tied to Knull himself, who offers partnership and power. Matt rejects it the hardest way possible — strapping himself into an electric chair to burn the symbiote out rather than escape prison.  Elektra’s war turns personal as Mary bonds with a symbiote and targets her. In a brutal construction-site showdown, Mary kills Alice’s mother, nearly kills Elektra, and walks away believing Daredevil is dead. Elektra survives, consoles Alice, and quietly takes the orphaned girl under her wing — not to comfort her, but to prepare her. “First you’re sad,” she tells her. “Then you’re angry. That’s when I can help.”  Back inside, Matt spirals — poisoned, hallucinating, and haunted by the deaths tied to his past as a prosecutor. Inmates die mysteriously; the warden circles him like a vulture, and when Daredevil is lured into the yard, he’s jumped, stabbed, and left bleeding out as the warden declares him dead.  Crime shifts hands in Hell’s Kitchen while Matt is down. Elektra shakes down Izzy Libris, demands tribute, and Izzy responds by handing control of Hell’s Kitchen to Butch — an Owl defector and, in a major reveal in the Daredevil Annual last year, Wilson Fisk’s son. Meanwhile, Mike Murdock is posing as Matt on the outside, secretly working with Butch to undermine Izzy from within.  Matt survives the prison attack and wakes up in the hospital to Foggy, Kirsten, Cole North, and the FBI. They want his help investigating a string of inside-job murders in exchange for commuting his sentence. Matt agrees… but insists he’ll still serve the full two years. This isn’t about freedom anymore — it’s about responsibility.  Everything starts breaking loose at once: Elektra and Alice survive an ambush when Alice pulls the trigger herself; Fisk and Mary quietly plan their future over dinner; and Ravencroft calls with catastrophic news — Bullseye has slaughtered everyone inside and escaped. Two Daredevils. A rising crime heir. And the Devil’s deadliest enemy is back on the board.  The final story arch of 2021 is an action packed 6-book story arch called “Lock Down”. Which definitely feels like the spotlight for this week.  This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 6 issues #31-36 from August 2021 to January 2022 “Lock Down”  Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway This was a “making lemonade” year.  Sometimes you need to have something big happen to shake things up. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 94 - Murdock and Marvel: 2020 In case you don’t remember, 2020 pretty much sucked.  Comics did not escape the vortex of Covid-19 and its associated disruptions and dangers, but the industry actually weathered the first year of the pandemic better than one might expect. The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media Comic Sales Notable Comics Top Comic News Notable Passings Marvel Eisner Awards Dan's Favorite The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v6 #13-23, Daredevil Annual #1, Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #1, Tarot #2-3, True Believers: The Criminally Insane – Bullseye #1, True Believers: The Criminally Insane - Purple Man #1, Hawkeye: Freefall #3-4, Captain America: Marvels Snapshots #1, True Believers: Black Widow & Daredevil #1, Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising Prelude #1, Spider-Man: Marvels Snapshots #1, True Believers: Black Widow - Yelena Belova #1, True Believers: Black Widow & the Avengers #1  Writer: Chip Zdarsky (#13-23)  Pencils: Marco Checchetto (#13, #19-21, #23), Checchetto and Francesco Mobili (#14-15), Jorge Fornes (#16-18), Mobili (#22)  Inks: Marco Checchetto (#13, #19-21, #23), Checchetto and Francesco Mobili (#14-15), Jorge Fornes (#16-18), Mobili (#22)  The year begins with a massive 8-part story entitled Through Hell that appears to be just that for Matt Murdock. We pick up with Matt trying to not be Daredevil… and basically failing at it. Elektra tells him he’s gone soft, Mindy is spiraling after the sniper attack, and Matt’s stuck between messy romance and even messier morality. Meanwhile, Detective Cole North gets a new partner and a new perspective when Spider-Man drags him out of a vigilante sting operation and gives him the “law vs. justice” pep talk he desperately needs. And in the background? Fisk tries to put the Owl in his place—but the Owl refuses, kills Fisk’s men, and openly challenges the Kingpin’s throne.  Matt keeps trying to help people without putting the horns back on, but New York just won’t let him stay retired. He checks in on Tom—the brother of the man Matt accidentally killed—and then stumbles into a fake Daredevil getting pummeled. Matt and Foggy try to save the impostor without throwing punches… which lasts about 30 seconds. When it all goes sideways, Elektra swoops in, makes her “train or die” pitch again, and this time Matt finally says yes. Meanwhile, Fisk loses control during a tense meeting with the ultra-rich Stromwyns and ends up murdering a loudmouth in a bathroom—triggering a cover-up and putting him in the crosshairs of people way more powerful than he expected.  As Matt and Elektra begin intense, targeted training, Hell’s Kitchen spirals into a full-scale mob war. The Owl challenges Izzy Libris openly, kills her men, and declares himself the new kingpin; Izzy responds by forging an alliance with Hammerhead before the whole thing goes south. Cole North, beaten down by cops and politics, is still trying to be the “good cop” in a rotten system, and Daredevil—watching him stand up for a homeless man—asks the detective to coffee. They have a brutally honest conversation about guilt, accountability, and the difference between lawful and right that starts to bridge the gap between them.  The Stromwyns’ influence becomes the heart of the conspiracy, pushing the story from street-level grit into political corruption on a terrifying scale. They convince the governor—via massive donor pressure—to pull police out of Hell’s Kitchen entirely, setting the neighborhood up for collapse so they can swoop in and buy it all. Matt and Elektra infiltrate the governor’s summer home, confirm the Stromwyn plan, then tumble into an emotional, romantic reconnection. Meanwhile, Fisk is punished by the Stromwyns for his unauthorized murder—forced into a brutal fight he loses, tossed out a window, and reminded that he’s still just a “thug” to the true elites of New York.  Daredevil and Elektra strike back, Robin Hood–style, as the mob war escalates to bloodshed. They break into a Stromwyn server farm, steal millions, and funnel the cash into Hell’s Kitchen—though Elektra takes her own cut for “something big.” Izzy Libris uses her share to flip Hammerhead’s crew and put him down herself. But the Owl retaliates by kidnapping Belle, Mindy’s daughter. Daredevil teams up with North to save her, defusing a hostage situation without bloodshed. The Owl, enraged at the loss, murders Tom Libris, pushing the crime family to the brink.  And just when it seems things can’t get worse… the Stromwyns pull the nuclear option. With police back in Hell’s Kitchen and the neighborhood refusing to collapse, the Stromwyns call Fisk and tell him a purge is coming. They deploy a nightmare roster—Bullseye, Rhino, Crossbones, Bullet, and Stilt-Man—to wipe the slate clean. Daredevil, newly trained, morally sharpened, and more determined than ever, now faces a city where the mob, the government, the cops, and the ultra-rich have all decided Hell’s Kitchen is theirs to burn.  Up next, we get the short 2 book “Inferno” story arch that continues the story. Hell’s Kitchen becomes a war zone, and the heroes are just… regular people. With Bullseye, Rhino, Crossbones and the rest tearing the neighborhood apart, the cops won’t enter—not out of orders, but pure fear—so citizens pour into the streets, many wearing makeshift Daredevil masks, and start fighting for their homes. Cole North joins them. Matt meets one of the “fake Daredevils,” comforts him, takes his mask, and steps into the fire. When Bullseye mocks him as just another imitator, Matt corrects him: “Not a fake… just Daredevil.” Across the neighborhood, Sister Elizabeth—Matt’s spiritual confidant—reveals herself as Typhoid Mary, throwing herself into the chaos. Fisk and Wesley watch helplessly as the villains slaughter civilians.  Daredevil turns the tide—reminding the city who he really is. Drawing on Elektra’s training, Matt cuts through the chaos, coordinating with Mary, who charges Rhino straight into the river—only for him to swim out. The Owl’s men abandon him, unwilling to aid in destroying their own neighborhood, and Fisk finally storms into the streets himself, beating the Owl senseless as news cameras capture the destruction the Stromwyns unleashed. When the smoke clears, Fisk orders Cole North to arrest Daredevil for murder. North refuses. So Matt, battered, masked, fully reclaiming the mantle, simply turns himself in.  The final story of the year is called “Truth / Dare” which appears to be the reckoning for the death caused by Daredevil way back in issue 1 of volume 6. This 4-part story arch will be the spotlight for this week. This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 6 issues #21-24 from September 2020 to January 2021 “Truth / Dare” Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway No matter what your industry was, it was all about the pandemic this year. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 93 - Murdock and Marvel: 2019 In 2019 Marvel Studios completed the most ambitious movie cycle in history with its 2 billion dollar Avengers: Endgame masterpiece, even as comic stores wondered about the future and politics made deeper and deeper inroads into comics and comics fandom. The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media Comic Sales Notable Comics Top Comic News Notable Passings Marvel Eisner Awards Dan's Favorite The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v5 #611-612, Man Without Fear #1-5, Daredevil v6 1-12, Marvel Knights 20th #2, Guardians of the Galaxy #1, Spider-Man / Deadpool #47-48, Avengers: No Road Home #10, War of the Realms #1-6, War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1-3, Avengers #20 True Believers: Spider-Man – The New Spider-Man! #1, War of the Realms Omega #1, History of the Marvel Universe #3    Writer: Charles Soule (#611-612), Chip Zdarsky (#1-12)  Pencils: Phil Noto (#611-612), Marco Checchetto (#1-5 and #11-12), Lalit Kumar Sharma (#6-9), Jorge Fornes (#10)  Inks: Phil Noto (#611-612), Marco Checchetto (#1-5 and #11-12), Jay Leisten (#6-9), Jorge Fornes (#10) In the final storyline of volume 5, “The Death of Daredevil”, We open with Matt Murdock on the brink of death—lying in an ER after being hit by a truck while saving a child, eerily echoing the childhood accident that made him Daredevil in the first place. And as the doctors fight to keep him alive, Matt mentally resets his mission. He decides this is war with Wilson Fisk, and war requires honesty. So he tells his entire team the truth: he’s Daredevil. No more secrets.  When he gets back out on the streets in his mind’s version of events, he barely has time to breathe before a bone-knife-throwing assassin attacks him. And when he limps home afterward, who’s waiting in his apartment? Elektra. They fall back into old patterns, but when Matt asks her to stay and join the team.  From there, Matt and his crew move aggressively—they decide to kidnap John Wesley, Fisk’s right-hand man, to force him to spill how the election was rigged. The plan blows up in their faces, but somehow, they still manage to grab Wesley. They lose his guards, get attacked by more bone knives, and end up scrambling into a church for cover…where Fisk’s assassin, Vigil, is already waiting. Daredevil and Elektra take him on in a brutal fight. Elektra almost kills him, Daredevil stops her, and in that split second, Vigil drives a bone knife straight into Wesley’s back. The only man who could presumably tell them how Fisk did it is now dead—Elektra walks out.  While out on patrol he’s ambushed by a swarm of Stilt-Men, forced into an arena, and dropped into a who’s-who gauntlet of enemies—Klaw, Ikari, Electro, Gladiator, Typhoid Mary. But Matt turns the tables, manipulating the villains into fighting each other for the “honor” of killing him. It works. At least until he reaches the roof, hoping to catch his breath, and is immediately shot by Bullseye. Matt’s seconds from dying again when he’s unexpectedly saved…by his magically created, now-fully-real brother, Mike Murdock, who claims he can help end all of this.  Mike’s intel leads Matt straight to the truth: the Mad Thinker helped Fisk rig the mayoral election. With that, Matt convinces the DA to prosecute the mayor and put Daredevil himself on the witness stand. A parade of heroes testify. Fisk slips up under questioning, admits to “adjustments,” and Fisk loses the court case and he’s recalled as mayor. It’s a victory…until Vigil returns. Daredevil unmasks him—and sees his own face staring back.  And that’s when the illusion cracks. We realize the entire story, every moment, every battle, every twist, has been in Matt’s head while he lies unconscious in the hospital. He’s still fighting for his life. In the quiet between heartbeats, he sees Karen Page beside him. She tells him gently that it isn’t his time. The panels go dark…until a single heartbeat rises from the silence. Daredevil isn’t dead. He’s choosing to fight.  In March we get the Man Without Fear limited series from writer Jed Mackay and artists Danilo Beyruth, Stefano Landini, Iban Coello, and Paolo Villanelli. It’s a haunting bridge between Daredevil’s fall and whatever comes next. It’s a really interesting story – deserving our spotlight for this week.  In April, Volume 6 starts with a new creative team – Writer Chip Zdarsky and art by Marco Checchetto. The opening storyline is titled “Know Fear”. In it we see Matt Murdock back on the streets as Daredevil—too early, too shaky, and already in over his head. Between flashbacks of young Matt talking to a priest, we watch him struggle through patrols, botch a robbery takedown, and accidentally kill one of the thieves due to head trauma. New-to-NYC Detective Cole North zeroes in on him immediately, refusing to play the usual “look the other way” game, and soon Daredevil is shot, chased, cornered, and nearly arrested as Wilson Fisk—now Mayor—watches from a distance, thrilled to see his old enemy unraveling.  Things spiral further as Daredevil finds himself rescued—and judged—by the one man he never wants to owe anything to: the Punisher. Frank Castle drags Matt to his hideout and brutally challenges the idea that Daredevil is still a hero. A prisoner dies, blows are exchanged, and Matt ultimately escapes, injured and ashamed, just as the NYPD begins questioning Cole North’s escalating methods… even while Fisk quietly rewards him for keeping the pressure on.  The breaking point comes when Matt is rescued from the Owl’s men by Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand—street-level peers who’ve been watching him self-destruct in real time. After Matt admits he accidentally killed the robber, the others acknowledge they’ve made mistakes too… but they also agree he’s too unstable to keep wearing the mask. Matt slips away, heads home, and meets Spider-Man waiting for him on the rooftop—delivering the final gut punch: Matt’s done. No more Daredevil. And if he suits up again? His own friends will stop him.  In the final full story arch of 2019, “No Devils, Only God”, Eight weeks after Daredevil “died,” Matt Murdock is trying hard to live a normal life—working as a probation officer, meeting ex-cons, even starting a romance with Mindy from the local bookstore—but the shadows keep tugging at him. NYC is shifting: Fisk is secretly beating inmates to a pulp while publicly claiming he’s going legitimate, and Cole North—now targeted by dirty cops and nearly killed—is the lone detective trying to clean up a precinct drowning in corruption. As Matt finds himself drawn into Mindy’s family dinner, he realizes her in-laws are the Libris crime family… just moments before a sniper attack (courtesy of the Owl) leaves one man wounded and Matt forced to intervene without revealing who he once was.  The city whispers that Daredevil is back, but Matt insists he’s not—at least, not fully. He shadows crimes with his senses and quietly calls them in, plays tortured theology chess with Reed Richards, and wrestles with whether God expects him to rise again. He slips into a makeshift costume to save a runaway boy from gang life, and that taste of heroism only deepens his conflict. Meanwhile, Matt’s relationship with Mindy crosses into an affair, complicating everything just as the Owl escalates his war, burning down her bookstore and pulling Matt in deeper.  When Cole North is targeted again—his partner beaten so badly he later dies—Matt can’t stay retired. He joins North in the police station brawl, stopping the detective from killing corrupt officers and telling him to pin the chaos on Daredevil. As Matt slips away into the night, bleeding and conflicted, he finds Elektra waiting on a rooftop… it seems on a matter of time until Matt Murdock is putting the mask back on for real.  This Week's Spotlight: Man Without Fear Limited Series issues #1-5 from March 2019 Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway The Billion dollar question: Is the comic world just too small for both the Joker and Captain Marvel? Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 92 - Murdock and Marvel: 2018 It was a great year for comics, everywhere except the shops, and movies, graphic novels and TV continued to do well.  The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media Comic Sales Notable Comics Top Comic News Notable Passings Marvel Eisner Awards Dan's Favorite The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v5 #595-610, Daredevil Annual #1, She-Hulk #159, Falcon #6, All-New Wolverine #33, Avengers #687-689, Hunt for Wolverine #1, Hunt for Wolverine: Weapon Lost #1-4, Hunt for Wolverine: Dead Ends #1, Infinity Countdown: Daredevil #1, True Believers: Infinity War #1, True Believers: Fantastic Four – The Wedding of Redd & Sue #1, True Believers: Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary – Daredevil by Bendis and Maleev #1, True Believers: What if Kraven the Hunter Had Killed Spider-Man? #1  Writer: Charles Soule (#595-610)  Pencils: Stefano Landini (#595-597), Ron Garney (#598-600), Mike Henderson (#601-605), Phil Noto (#606-610)  Inks: Stefano Landini (#595-597), Ron Garney (#598-600), Mike Henderson (#601-605), Phil Noto (#606-610)  Most of 2018 is devoted to one storyline – Mayor Fisk. The Kingpin has fully legitimized himself — not in the shadows or backrooms like the past, but right out in public with a suit, a flag pin, and a press conference. His first major move? He weaponizes the entire NYPD against vigilantes. Anyone in a mask is now considered a rogue element. And he’s specifically asked the DA’s office, and in particular Matt Murdock, build a case against Daredevil.  But that doesn’t last very long as Fisk offers Murdock a job as Deputy Mayor (keep your friends close…) which Murdock surprisingly accepts. Fisk’s plan is to keep him occupied with things of his choosing so Fisk can continue what he’s doing without Murdock full attention.   Meanwhile, the inhuman serial killer Muse escapes from prison so Frank McGee (head of security force for New Attilan) asks Daredevil to help find him while Muse creates new pro vigilante art throughout the city. But it’s Blindspot who ends up coming face to face with the killer who once took his sight. Meanwhile, 6 cops get killed in the Meatpacking District and Fisk uses it as an opportunity to further demonize vigilante’s by blaming the killings on Frank Castle aka the Punisher.    In an oversized issue 600 adorned on the cover with the who’s who of street level heroes and villains behind our man in red. In it we see a trap set by Fisk to roundup street level heroes as well as the confrontation between Blindspot and Muse that ends up having major consequences. This issue will be our spotlight story this week.  Over the next few issues, we see Matt Murdock as the acting mayor and see him enlist heroes and then villains in the fight against the hand. Murdock fires Welsey, Fisk’s chief of Staff, for fighting him every step of the way and installs his lifelong friend Foggy Nelson in the role – He also gets to act as cover so Matt can go out and fight the hand as Daredevil. This continues until the Hand launches their latest offensive – a gas cloud that incapacitates Matt Murdock who was looking down at the city from the roof of city hall. And he’s only able to be awoken by Father Jordan, Matt’s priest, who arrives at city hall offering the help of Ordo Draconum, The Order of the Dragon, of whom Jordan is a member.   The story comminates with a final battle at City Hall that includes horses and swords. It ends with Daredevil plunging a sword into the Beast and a bright white light. With the Hand now defeated, Matt and Wilson Fisk, who has recovered, talk. To spare New York further stress and political turmoil, Matt agrees to relinquish the mayor's office back to Fisk, but only on the condition that Fisk ends his anti-vigilante crusade. Fisk agrees to the terms. As Matt and Foggy are leaving, Matt overhears Fisk and his associate Wesley admitting to rigging the mayoral election.  Now knowing for sure the election was rigged, Daredevil reaches out to Frank McGee to help him start an investigation into Wilson Fisk. McGee brings in a couple inhumans to help them with the case. Cypher, who can read and understand any code or language as well as Reader (and his dog Forey) who has the ability to make anything he reads manifest into reality 3 times per day.   In a short 2-book story in the latter part of the year, we see the return of Mike Murdock – and not just Matt Murdock pretending to be his twin brother but an actual separate person. Daredevil saves Mike from some C list villains at the Bar with No Name. We learn Reader read Mike into existence and can easily erase him. But Mike insists on talking to his brother Matt. He escapes and enlists Foggy’s help (at gunpoint) in setting up a meeting.   The two meet in public and after talking Matt lets Mike leave saying it’s not their decision to erase Mike anymore. Mike then approaches Wilson Fisk and to prove he’s not Matt, tells Fisk that Matt knows he rigged the election and is trying to build a case against him. The story ends with the Hood offering Mike an opportunity to prove himself.  The year ends with the start of the final story arc of volume 5 “The Death of Daredevil” which spills over into 2019 so we are going to save this story until next episode. This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 5, Issue 600 May 2018 “Mayor Fisk part 6”  Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway Everything is a circle! Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 91 - Murdock and Marvel: 2017 It was a big year for comics in theaters, but local comic shops did not do nearly as well, with sales diving substantially from 2016. The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media Comic Sales Notable Comics Top Comic News Notable Passings Marvel Eisner Awards Dan's Favorite The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v5 #13-28, Power Man and Iron Fist #10, Avengers #3.1, Kingpin #2-3, Elektra #3, Doctor Strange #21-24, FCBD All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #1, Defenders #1 and 6, X-Men: Gold #6, Thanos #10, Iron Fist #73  Writer: Charles Soule (#13-28)  Pencils: Ron Garney (#13-14, #17-18, #20, #26-28), Goran Sudzuka (#15-16, #21-22), Marc Laming (#19), Alec Morgan (#23-25)  Inks: Ron Garney (#13-14, #17-18, #20, #26-28), Goran Sudzuka (#15-16, #21-22), Marc Laming (#19), Alec Morgan (#23-25)  As we teased in 2016, the year starts with the Dark Art storyline that actually begins in October of 2016 and features the debut of serial killer/artist Muse. Daredevil’s protégé Blindspot is invited to a warehouse where a giant blood mural has been painted. He phones Daredevil and the pair investigate while the owner of the warehouse starts charging admission so people can see the twisted art.   When the mural gets desecrated by an address, the pair find another equally horrifying art exhibit made with inhumans. Daredevil has a brief interaction with Muse on the building’s rooftop before Muse escapes. While Daredevil tries to get help from Medusa and the inhumans, Blindspot goes after Muse and finds his hideout and several hostages he plans to use in his next art piece. Blindspot frees the hostages and acts as a decoy to Muse so they can escape. Blindspot though is captured by Muse and before Daredevil can save him, Muse gouges his eyes out.   Ultimately Daredevil defeats Muse and gets Blindspot to a hospital, but the damage is done. Matt Murdock is left feeling very guilty he let his student be hurt.  This leads to a short 2 book story arch called the Seventh Day where Matt enters a church for the first time in a while and speaks with Father Jordan. The story is light on action but makes up for it with real character development will be our Spotlight story of the week.   Next, Matt Murdock returns to Father Jordan and the confessional booth and finally answers the question we’ve had all series – “How was Matt able to make everyone forget he is Daredevil?” as he recounts his final days in San Francsico in a story called Purple.    Not surprising it has to do with Killgrave and his purple children. Killgrave used a guard in prison to escape and upon escaping sought his children to elevate his power beyond it’s already dangerous level. Two of the children show up a Mat Murdock’s house just ahead of a hoard of crazed people sent by Killgrave to capture them. Matt locks them and Kirsten in a panic room and then incapacitates the mob.   Daredevil goes after Killgrave and upon finding him, the rest of the kidnapped children and his power-boosting machine, Daredevil can’t keep from falling under the purple man’s influence.  Killgrave toys with him asking asks Daredevil what exactly the worst possible thing he could do is. Daredevil suggests the Purple Man to have everybody, heroes, villains and civilians, wreak havoc upon the streets. When asked what he would do in this scenario, Daredevil simply says "nothing".  This outrages Killgrave which is apparently enough for Daredevil to break free of control and takedown Killgrave. As a thank you for saving them, the Purple kids decide to help Daredevil by using the device and making everyone in the world forget that Matt Murdock and Daredevil are one in the same. Daredevil returns home where Kirsten doesn’t realize Daredevil and Matt are the same so he leaves and decided to use this free start to go back to New York and start over.  This leads us into the next story – Supreme. In it we see Matt Murdock and Daredevil team up take the fight against criminals to the courtroom. Daredevil, with the help of Luke Cage and Echo – stop the Munition Militia from blowing up city hall but are only manage to capture Simon “Slug” Slugansky in the process. It’s then ADA Murdock puts his idea into motion – have Daredevil testify against Slugansky in court – without revealing his secret identity.   The defense team tries to discredit the red suit wearing Daredevil saying “anyone can wear a suit”. Daredevil proves he is the real deal when the Milita charge into the courtroom attempting to free they cohort. When the dust settles, Daredevil is able to give testimony and the District Attorney’s office wins the now high-profile case.   Seeing how the decision could affect his business interests, Kingpin launches a two-part attack on Matt Murdock to see the case go away is it gets appealed to higher and higher courts. He hires a former lead attorney for Tony Stark called just “Legal” to represent Slugansky in court and hires Tombstone to take out Murdock when not in court.   Legal is able to get the verdict overturned in the New York Supreme Court – which angers D.A. Hochberg (Matt’s boss) saying he needs to stop using New York resources. That causes Matt to reach out to Foggy for help – which is interrupted by a Tombstone attack. Matt uses his Daredevil skills to beat him and escape with Foggy and Foggy agrees to help. Fast forward 2 weeks and the case is being heard by the Supreme Court.  To Foggy’s surprise, Matt confesses that he lost the previous appeals case on purpose. He says he needed it to come before the Supremes in order for the ruling to have true power. And while waiting to for the case to be called, Matt gets confirmation Kingpin was the one who hired Legal. While arguing before the Justices, Murdock imagines his exchange with them as a physical battle, and feels like he’s getting beat up badly. In his rebuttal to Legal’s opening statement he stresses the voluntary good that all citizens are obliged to do.   Ten days later, the court rules in Matt’s favor, potentially changing the entire landscape of law enforcement. Matt calls Foggy and tries to explain why he needs to fight criminals both in the courtroom and in the streets at once. He reverts to his classic red costume. Meanwhile, In NYC, and enraged Kingpin punches out a window, and tells Wesley to turn to Plan C.  The year ends with a 3-book story called “Land of the Blind”. Matt learns Samuel Chung (aka Blindspot) is in China, so he travels there looking for him. Shortly after arriving, he’s captured by Blindspot and put in a hole for what seems like several months. We learn he has gotten his eyesight back thanks to a deal his mother made with the Beast and the Hand. Sam wants to trade Daredevil’s life for the life of his mother – which he does. Though he has a change of heart during their escape and the pair return and help Daredevil escape. Upon returning to NYC, Daredevil learns Wilson Fisk has been elected Mayor of New York.  This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil v5 Issues 15 and 16 from March 2017 “The Seventh Day”  Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway It was a big year for women in comics. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 90 - Murdock and Marvel: 2016 TBD The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media Comic Sales Top Comics News Notable Passings Marvel Eisner Awards The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v5 #1-12, Daredevil/Punisher: Seventh Circle #1-3, True Believers: Daredevil – Practice to Deceive #1, Daredevil Annual #1, Secret Wars Too #1, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #5, Mockingbird #5, Accused #1, Captain America: Steve Rogers #5, Civil War II #5  Writer: Charles Soule (#1-12)  Pencils: Ron Garney (#1-3, #5, #10-12), Garney and Goran Sudzuka (#4), Matteo Buffagni (#6-7), Sudzuka (#8-9)  Inks: Ron Garney (#1-3, #5, #10-12), Garney and Goran Sudzuka (#4), Matteo Buffagni (#6-7), Sudzuka (#8-9)  The year kicks off with a whole new status quo. Matt’s back in New York, he’s somehow regained his secret identity—don’t ask him how, he’s very cagey about it—and he’s traded the bright red suit for a slicker, darker black one. On top of that, he’s now working as a prosecutor for the DA’s office. So Daredevil by night, ADA by day… because nothing says “healthy work-life balance” like doubling down on stress.  And for reasons only Matt understands, he decides this is the perfect time to take on a protégé. Enter Blindspot—a kid genius with an invisibility suit, an undocumented immigrant background, and all the ambition (and naïveté) Matt had at his age. Matt trains him, pushes him, and absolutely refuses to admit to anyone that he might be in way over his head as a mentor.  The first big arc is the Tenfingers saga, centered around a cult leader in Chinatown who—yes—literally has ten fingers on each hand. He’s stolen power from The Hand, his followers think he’s some kind of holy savior, and Blindspot’s mother is deep in the cult, which drags the kid into the conflict whether he wants it or not. The whole thing spirals into a massive church showdown that ends with The Hand (and then a giant beast on behalf of the hand) showing up to wipe Tenfingers off the map. Blindspot is injured, but he gets a harsh lesson in what Daredevil’s world really looks like.  Following that we get a two-issue story “Elektric Connections” with the return of Elektra. First she shows up in Matt’s courtroom during trial, then asks to meet Daredevil. When she does, she attacks him. Blindspot jumps in to try to save Daredevil, but Elektra breaks his arm. Elektra’s convinced she has a daughter who’s gone missing and that Daredevil is involved. Turns out it was a trick and after finally convincing her the “evidence” she was given wasn’t real, she approaches the man who gave it to her. He breaks the planted memories with the phrase “The tangled web we weave!”. Elektra is relieved she won’t be corrupting a child but very angry at the person who deceived her.   Then we get the “Blind Man’s Bluff” story arc that feature’s a team up with Spider-Man. Matt is posing as a Frenchman, playing Texas Hold ’em in a tournament and intends to rob someone at a Casino in Macau, which is as fun a story as it sounds. This will be our spotlight story for the week.   The year ends with the start of a terrifying “Dark Art” story that starts with the discovery of a full wall mural made from human blood. We are going to hold off until 2017 to discuss the entire story, but if you watched season one of Daredevil Born Again, you might have an idea of just who Daredevil and Blindspot are dealing with.  This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 5, Issue 8 August 2016 and Issue 9 September 2016 “Blind Man’s Bluff Part 1 and 2”  Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway The Marvel Reboot. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 89 - Murdock and Marvel: 2015 Part 2 2015 was a turning point for the American comic industry in a number of ways, and seems to be a satisfying place to wrap up our look at over 50 years of American comic books.  This year is in many ways a fulcrum that links the insular comics world that I grew up in with the fast-moving media-entwined and politically-charged environment of recent times.    This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2015.   The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v4 #10-18, She-Hulk #10, Superior Iron Man #1-2, Marvel Free Previews Scret Wars #1, Deadpool #45, Night Nurse #1, Secret Wars Journal #5, All-New, All-Different Point One #1  Writer: Mark Waid (#10-18)  Pencils: Chris Samnee (#10-18)  Inks: Chris Samnee (#10-18)  We kick off the year with the big Purple Man arc that rolled over from 2014. Kilgrave is having a full-on existential crisis—he wants genuine affection for once—so he rounds up his five kids, each of whom has a piece of his mind-control powers. But teaming them up backfires spectacularly: the kids turn on him and literally toss him into the street… where he gets smoked by a train. Classic family bonding.  With dad out of the picture, the kids go wild—stealing a cop car, causing mayhem—until Daredevil shows up to contain them. But these kids aren’t like Kilgrave alone; together they’re a psychic wrecking ball and Matt ends up curled under a bridge in a full panic response. Kilgrave, very much alive, shows up to beat him senseless… until one magic word—“fear”—snaps Matt back into fight mode. Still, Kilgrave and the kids slip away.  After regrouping with Kirsten, Daredevil tracks the whole purple family to a mall arcade (which is honestly a perfect place for a mind-control clan). With some strategic help from police, Matt gets the kids separated so their powers weaken, and everyone—including Kilgrave—gets taken into custody. And the issue closes with a surprisingly tender moment of Matt finally letting Kirsten in—on every level.  Meanwhile, there’s a running side plot: Kirsten’s father offers Matt eight million dollars for a Daredevil autobiography. So throughout the year we see Matt and his ghostwriter Foggy chipping away at the book.  Next up: the Stunt-Master saga. A new, young, daredevil wannabe is stealing the identity of the original Stunt-Master and pulling off death-defying stunts all over San Francisco. The original, George Smith, wants to sue and goes to Matt—but legally, he doesn’t really have a case. When the new Stunt-Master publicly challenges Daredevil to join his next big stunt on the Golden Gate Bridge, Matt refuses… until he hears that Smith has apparently committed suicide.  Daredevil accepts the challenge and instantly realizes something is off. He discovers that the rider at the stunt is actually Smith himself—and that the “new” Stunt-Master’s whole trick is murdering stand-ins to survive his stunts. Matt gives chase in a wild car/motorcycle sequence, only for Kirsten to be the one who cracks the final twist: Smith faked the suicide and played everyone. His goal wasn’t fame—it was immortality as the world’s greatest “death cheater.”  Then we get a really fun twist: Kirsten gets her own arch-nemesis. Matt’s worried that their relationship is putting her in danger… and then she’s kidnapped. Except it’s not one of Matt’s villains—it’s the Lilac Killer, a serial killer Kirsten has been investigating. She’s thrilled, shouting, “I have my own arch-foe!” while Daredevil rescues her. It’s great.  In Issue #14, the Matt/Daredevil identity line really starts blurring. Matt’s now showing up in court in a full red suit with a giant DD belt buckle, handing out Daredevil business cards—subtlety is dead. He’s asked to investigate a “bird-man predator,” which sends him into a team-up with Jubula Pride, the Owl’s daughter. They eventually discover the Owl himself has been kidnapped and wired into a massive surveillance system run by the Shroud, who is spiraling emotionally and spying on everyone through any electronic device.  Daredevil and Jubula try taking the Shroud down but get overwhelmed. When they go to the deputy mayor for help, things get worse—Jubula gets mistaken for a child kidnapper because of events going all the way back to Issue #1. So now the cops are after both of them, and Jubula drops the bomb: there’s only one person who can help… Wilson Fisk.  Then we get an out-of-order Issue 15.1—a couple of standalone stories from Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, and Marc Guggenheim—but we’ll save that one for this week’s spotlight.  Back to the main story: Matt meets with Kingpin and asks for protection for himself and his friends from the Shroud. Fisk loves every second of this and demands payment. Matt gives him the wildest offer possible: “I offer you the death of Matt Murdock. Interested?”  Meanwhile, Foggy and Kirsten are ambushed and kidnapped by Ikari—the hyper-sensed assassin from Volume 3—now working for Fisk. And Kingpin has also secretly captured Julia Carpenter, the woman the Shroud is obsessed with.  Jubula tracks Julia to the airport and tries to hand her over to the Shroud as a bargaining chip for her father, but Daredevil crashes the meeting, Julia refuses to go, and everything explodes. Matt returns to Fisk to negotiate but finds Ikari holding Foggy, Kirsten, and Julia hostage. Fisk wants to ditch their original terms and just watch Ikari kill Daredevil. The fight spills across San Francisco until the Shroud intervenes and kills Ikari—realizing Fisk has Julia. He proposes a truce with Matt to save the people they love.  In the big finale, Daredevil disguises himself as Ikari to infiltrate Fisk’s stronghold. The ruse works… for about 30 seconds. Foggy starts fighting a guard, chaos erupts, and Fisk realizes Ikari is dead. But just then the Shroud broadcasts Fisk’s secret business dealings to the world—mirroring what he once did to Matt—and police storm the building. In the chaos, Daredevil gets the hostages free and escapes.  The dust settles: Julia Carpenter takes down the Shroud with a poisoned kiss. The deputy mayor rescinds the arrest warrant and helps clean up Matt’s legal fallout. And Foggy and Matt share a grounded heart-to-heart about what it means for Matt to be “living in the light”.  This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Volume 4, Issue 15.1 July 2015 Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway Its always dangerous when your hero is happy. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 88 - Murdock and Marvel: 2015 Part 1 2015 was a turning point for the American comic industry in a number of ways, and seems to be a satisfying place to wrap up our look at over 50 years of American comic books.  This year is in many ways a fulcrum that links the insular comics world that I grew up in with the fast-moving media-entwined and politically-charged environment of recent times.  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: 539 TOTAL NEW SERIES: 383  TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 426 SERIES OVER 100 ISSUES: 0 (Star Wars would reach 75). Only ASM and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl will make 50 otherwise THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): Secret Wars (230), Black Vortex BEST SELLING COMICS: Star Wars #1 Events & Happenings New Titles (Ongoing and Limited) New Characters Series Ending Who's in the Bullpen/Passings Passings: Herb Trimpe ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jed MacKay Dan's Favorite   Next week: 2015 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil    Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 87 - Murdock and Marvel: 2014 Part 2 2014 saw some sales figures that had not been achieved in decades, and pop culture was filled with comic book related movies and merchandise.  Marvel was dominant again, and along with DC again climbed back to nearly 70% of the total market share in comic shops.  This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2013.   The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v3 #33-36, Daredevil #1.5, Daredevil v4 #1-9, Daredevil: Dark Knights #6-8, Daredevil: Road Warrior Infinite Comic #1-4 (or #0.1), Fantastic Four #2 and 5-6, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #200, Origin Sin #2-3 and #3.1, She-Hulk #4 and #8-9, Black Widow #7, Hulk #4, Captain America #25  Writer: Mark Waid and Chris Samnee (#33), Waid (#34-36 and #1-9)  Pencils: Jason Copeland (#33), Javier Rodriguez (#34 and #6-7), Chris Samnee (#35-36, #1-5 and #8-9),  Inks: Jason Copeland (#33), Alvaro Lopez (#34 and #6-7), Chris Samnee (#35-36, #1-5 and #8-9)  The year picks up right where we left off in 2012 — Matt Murdock was in Kentucky looking for info on the Darkhold, a ancient mystical book tied to the Sons of the Serpent. He was looking to track down Jack Russell, a.k.a. Werewolf by Night, hoping for answers. But before finding him, Daredevil ends up in the middle of an angry mob attacking some so-called “monsters.” He tries to stop it, gets shot, and the “monsters” — led by Russell — end up saving him. Even using some sort of restoration spell on him.  Once he’s patched up, Daredevil learns about missing Darkhold pages connected to a sorcerer named Lucien Sinclair. After a few magical trials, Matt takes Sinclair down, destroys his house, and handed Sinclair over to Russell — but keeps the pages for himself before heading back to New York.  Back home, Matt and Kirsten McDuffie go bold — they take to the rooftops and broadcast a live message calling out the Sons of the Serpent. The Jester, who kicked this story off with a fake TV broadcast, is strung up on the side of a building which suggests Dardevil may be walking into a trap. Despite that, Daredevil wipes the floor with them and saves Kirsten from being gunned down by a helicopter for good measure.  Meanwhile, Foggy’s cancer takes a bad turn. Two Serpent members step in with an experimental drug that temporarily saves him — but they want Daredevil’s help in exchange. One has a son on death row for a fire that killed twelve people, and they’re hoping Matt can help clear his name. Matt investigates the crime scene with Elektra’s help, fights Mamba and Constrictor, and then surprises everyone in court by admitting under oath that he’s Daredevil.  That confession sets off total chaos. The Sons of the Serpent storm the courtroom, a mistrial is called, and Daredevil fights them off. He exposes their infiltration of the Justice Department, but the fallout costs him his law license in New York. Kirsten steps in and says, “Let’s get out of here,” and the two of them pack up for San Francisco.  In April, we get a Daredevil 1.5 issue with 3 stories that are celebrating Daredevil’s 50th Anniversary and looking at possible futures for Matt Murdock. In “The King in Red” Daredevil takes on Jubula Pride (the Owl’s Daughter) after the rest of New York is blinded. He takes down Jubula and breaks the machine causing their sight to return. There’s a story from Brian Michael Bendis with art by Alex Maleev the form of a letter to a child from Stana Morgan – a woman who married Matt Murdock/Daredevil and was likely killed by Bullseye. Finally, in “The Last Will and Testament of Mike Murdock” has Matt and Foggy watching a video tape of Mike Murdock from back in the day. Written and Penciled by Karl & Kurt Kesel, Inked by Tom Palmer.  In Daredevil Road Warrior – a 4-part limited series released digitally in February and March (and later reprinted as Daredevil #0.1) in which we get the trip from New York to San Francisco for Kirsten and Matt Murdock which was far from ordinary and included several stops and plenty of fighting.  In May, we got the start of Volume 4 of Daredevil – with the same creative team that ended volume 3. Matt Murdock and Kirsten McDuffie are in San Francisco and started their own law office and Daredevil is fitting right in by saving little girls from kidnappings and/or bombs.    Over the next few issues, Daredevil goes up against SF’s new kingpin of crime – The Owl – with the help of another blind vigilante The Shroud. At times it seems like Shroud and Daredevil are working together, other times they are fighting it out. It’s complicated, I guess. They take down the Owl but Max/Shroud is still looking for Julia Carpenter whom he’s in love with. Meanwhile Foggy, in a wheelchair and fake beard, comes to Matt’s and Kirsten’s new law office.   In issue 5, we get a funeral for Foggy Nelson (though he’s not actually dead) after he confessed to wanting to “go out like a superhero” and then jumped into a big green machine Leapfrog used to attack San Francisco and was equipped with a bomb.  His jump allows the machine to explode safely while allowing Foggy to die a hero.  In issues 6-7, we get a two-part story as part of the Original Sin crossover event.  Daredevil is back in New York and has a vision of his father hitting his mother while he was a baby. He seeks out his mother for answers and finds out she’s been arrested and is being sent to Wakanda. He investigates and uncovering a potentially illegal plot involving a US General and Wakandan officials, he confronts Queen Shuri about it and secures her release. Finally able to ask about the vision, he learns she left due to postpartum depression. The story ends with a heartfelt reconciliation between Maggie and her son.  The year wraps up by setting up the next big arc — Kilgrave, the Purple Man, and his superpowered children — which spills into 2015. Which we’ll need to wait until then to discuss.  Lastly, we’ll talk about the Daredevil: Dark Knights limited series. This 8-book collection contains three stories – the first story “Angels Unaware” is write and penciled by Lee Weeks and is about Daredevil braving a snowstorm to get a heart from a crashed helicopter meant for a young girl. The second story, titled “A man named Buggit” written and penciled by David Lapham in which Daredevil follows a 10-inch man who has stolen evidence needed to save a client. The final story is titled “In the Name of the King” and shows a team-up of Daredevil and Misty Knight in the Caribbean written by Jimmy Palmiotti and penciled by Thony Silas. Honestly the less said about the last story the better.  This Week's Spotlight: No Spotlight This Week! Sorry. Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway From ICv2: Data substantiates the emerging gender parity within geek culture. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 86 - Murdock and Marvel: 2014 Part 1 2014 saw some sales figures that had not been achieved in decades, and pop culture was filled with comic book related movies and merchandise.  Marvel was dominant again, and along with DC again climbed back to nearly 70% of the total market share in comic shops.  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: 489 TOTAL NEW SERIES: 354  TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 337 SERIES OVER 100 ISSUES: 1 (Amazing Spider-Man 700.1) THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): Original Sin (67), Death of Wolverine (23), Avengers & X-Men: AXIS (56), Spider-Verse (32), Trial of Jean Grey (6) and Inhumanity BEST SELLING COMICS:  Amazing Spider-Man V3 #1 Rocket Racoon #1 Death of Wolverine #1 Events & Happenings New Titles (Ongoing and Limited) New Characters Series Ending Who's in the Bullpen/Passings Passings: Dick Ayers, Stan Goldberg ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Charles Soule Dan's Favorite   Next week: 2014 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil    Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 85 - Murdock and Marvel: 2013 Part 2 It was a pretty monumental year in comics, in the opinion of your humble co-host.  2013 is probably the best year for new comics of the 21st century to date, with a ton of variety and quality.  And people noticed!  This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2013.   The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v3 #20-32, Daredevil: End of Days #2-8, Daredevil: Dark Knights #1-5, Avengers #34, New Avengers #33-34, Secret Avengers #34-35, Uncanny Avengers #2, Dark Avengers #187-188, Winter Soldier #13, Deadpool #11, Indestructible Hulk #9-10, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #1, What if? AVX #1-4  Writer: Mark Waid (#20-31) Waid and Samnee (#32)  Pencils: Chris Samnee (#20-27 and #30-32), Javier Rodriguez (#28-29)  Inks: Chris Samnee (#20-27 and #31-32), Alvaro Lopez (#28), Javier Rodriguez (#29-30)  The year kicks off right where 2012 left off — Daredevil’s been captured by a villain called Coyote, who has similar powers to the Spot and has literally separated Matt’s head from his body. Still alive, Matt learns Coyote’s been using his portals to smuggle weapons, drugs, and even people for cartels, with his main operation being human trafficking. Daredevil eventually escapes, shuts down Coyote’s control machine, and discovers that the real Spot is another victim of all this. The story ends with both villains vanishing before Matt can find out who’s behind it.  Next, Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius in Peter Parker’s body) shows up at Kirsten McDuffie’s request, worried Matt’s losing his grip. The two heroes clash briefly before teaming up to stop an upgraded (with Doc Ock tech) Stilt-Man. Afterward, Spider-Man tells Matt about Kirsten’s concerns, leading Matt to reconnect with Foggy, who reveals he may have cancer.  As Foggy’s diagnosis — Ewing’s Sarcoma — is confirmed, Matt continues investigating the group hunting him. Nelson & Murdock gets attacked, Kirsten breaks things off, and Matt’s approached by a mysterious man in an orange jumpsuit offering to take him to his enemies.  Turns out those enemies are led by Bullseye, who’s still alive but kept on life support. He’s been trying to recreate the accident that gave Daredevil his powers, creating a single enhanced warrior — Ikari — who nearly kills Matt in battle. The final showdown with Ikari and Lady Bullseye on Bullseye’s behalf ends with a building collapsing and Bullseye drowning in radioactive material that leaves him blinded and badly burned.  Next, Matt reconnects with his childhood bully Nate Hackett, now wrongfully accused due to former ties with the Sons of the Serpent. Matt helps him fight back in court, uncovering a Serpent plot and stopping a courthouse bombing in the process.  Late in the year we also get a fun one-shot where Daredevil teams up with the Silver Surfer to stop an alien named Ru’ach, who pretends to seek asylum on Earth but is really out to destroy it. During the story, Daredevil does get to ride the surfboard.  The year closes with The Jester inciting riots by doxxing jurors after a high-profile trial. Daredevil intervenes, only to discover the Sons of the Serpent are pulling the strings. With Foggy’s help Matt traces their roots to the Darkhold, an ancient spell book, and travels to Kentucky to meet Darkhold expert Jack Russell — a.k.a. Werewolf by Night when Dr. Strange isn’t able to provide much assistance. But before he can get answers, he’s shot while trying to save two so-called “monsters” from an angry mob. Not complete, this story will continue as we move into 2014.   The other big story that ran the first half of the year was called Daredevil End of Days. This 8-part limited series by some of my favorite Daredevil creators is absolutely amazing and deserves full attention from this week’s spotlight.     This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil End of Days #1 December 2012 “Part 1” through Daredevil End of Days #8 August 2013 “Part 8” Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway Sometimes comics are pretty awesome. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 84 - Murdock and Marvel: 2013 Part 1 It was a pretty monumental year in comics, in the opinion of your humble co-host.  2013 is probably the best year for new comics of the 21st century to date, with a ton of variety and quality.  And people noticed!  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: 450 TOTAL NEW SERIES: 328  TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 316 SERIES OVER 100 ISSUES: 2 THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): Age of Ultron (19 issues) and Infinity (54 issues) BEST SELLING COMICS:  Guardians of the Galaxy #1 Superior Spider-Man #1 Infinity #1 X-Men #1 Age of Ultron #1 Uncanny X-Men #1 Events & Happenings New Titles (Ongoing and Limited) New Characters Series Ending Who's in the Bullpen/Passings ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Al Ewing Dan's Favorite   Next week: 2013 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil    Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 83 - Murdock and Marvel: 2012 Part 2 2012 was a year when the big news in comics all happened outside of shops, with movie theaters and social media dominating the industry. This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2012.   The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v3 #6-19, Daredevil: End of Days #1 Fantastic Four #600, New Avengers #19-24 and #30-31, Amazing Spider-Man #677, Punisher #7 and 10, Avengers #24, Avengers vs X-Men #1-4 and #7-9, Avenging Spider-Man #6, Hulk #50, AVX Vs #2, Daredevil Annual #1, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #4, Secret Avengers #33  Writer: Mark Waid (#6-19)  Pencils: Marcos Martin (#6), Paolo Rivera (#7 and #9-10), Kano (#8), Khoi Pham (#10.1 and 13), Marco Checchetto (#11), Chris Samnee (#12, #14-16, and #18-19), Mike Allred (#17)  Inks: Marcos Martin (#6), Joe Rivera (#7 and #9-10), Kano (#8), Khoi Pham (#10.1), Marco Checchetto (#11), Chris Smanee (#12, #14-16 and #18-19), Tom Palmer (#13), Mike Allred (#17)  2012 Begins with the last couple books of the Omege Drive, MegaCrime Organizations and the Mutually Assured Destruction that allowed Daredevil and friends to get out of a sticky situation but also left a target on Daredevil’s back.   In February, we get an award winning 1-shot where after Matt Murdock attends a holiday party, he volunteers to take some blind kids on a ski trip. The bus ends up getting into a crash and Daredevil tries to lead the kids out of the cold – but it ends up being the kids that save Murdock and themselves.  In March, we get a two-part story that starts in Amazing Spider-Man #677 called “The Devil and the Details”. In it, we see Peter Parker lamenting his recent breakup with Carlie Cooper, trying to be cool with Black Cat (which goes horrible) and then seeking out Matt Murdock & Daredevil when Black Cat is arrested. She says she’s been frames for a break-in at Horizon Labs.    After Black Cat breaks out of police custody, the three locate the inventor of stolen Holographic projector. He’s been poisoned and has little time to live. Spider-Man rushes him to a hospital while Black Cat and Daredevil secure the projector from members of Black Spectre and basically removing them as a threat. As a “reward” for helping, Black Cat and Daredevil passionately kiss with Spider-Man looking on and saying one of the best lines ever “I think this is my super villain origin.” They go back to Matt’s place but before anything happens – he’s called away to the graveyard of his father where some weird things are going on. Specifically, that his and other graves have been emptied.  This leads us into the next story that involves heading underground and a confrontation with Mole Man. Mole Man is stealing coffins to try to find the love of his life Lorna whom he loved as Dr Harvey Elder and wants to be with. Daredevil ultimately “saves” the body of Lorna (and some diamonds) and returns to the surface. Upon going home, he reads a note from Black Cat admitting she was hired to steal the Omega Drive from him – but doesn’t and warns him to watch his back  After a 10.1 book that acts as a lead-up, we get a 3-part crossover where Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Punisher team up in order to protect the Omega Drive from the Megacrime organizations with each book getting part of the story titled “The Omega Effect.” This will be our spotlight story this week.  Next, we get a 1-shot story showing Matt Murdock and Kirsten McDuffie on a date – which goes well until a Black Spectre agent threatens the pair about the Omega Dive. That leads to a giant battle in the middle of Time Square between himself (with the Omega Drive) and the 4 megacrime organizations while the events are broadcast throughout the city. The fight ends with a Black Spectre Agent securing the drive and leaving. Later, Daredevil kicks down the door of Avengers Mansion, where members of the New Avengers - Wolverine, Mockingbird, Spider-Man, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage - are changing out of Black Spectre uniforms and we learn the fight in Time Square was staged and the drive is destroyed.    Turns out there are repercussions for losing Latveria a lot of laundered money and Daredevil is next abducted and being held at Castle Doom in Latveria by the Minister of Bank Chancellor Exchequer Beltran. After a failed escape attempt, Daredevil is eventually rescued by the Avengers but not before some nanobots are injected into Daredevil causing his senses to all but disappear.   Back in America, Hank Pym shrinks to micro size and enters Murdock’s brain to fight the nanobots with the guidance of Dr Strange.  Despite some weird readings, Pym successfully destroy all the nanobots and Murdock’s senses start to return. Later, Murdock returns to Nelson & Murdock law offices where he’s confronted by Foggy Nelson saying he’s found Matt’s secret – showing him Jack Murdock’s remains and boxing gloves in Matt’s desk. A stunned Matt tries to tell Foggy he didn’t rob his own father’s grave, that he’s been set up, but Foggy will hear none of it. Foggy tells Matt that they’re through until Matt gets the help he needs.  After a flashback story involving Stilt-man, we see Nelson and Murdock still at odds over the remains. Foggy’s worries about Matt’s mental state are increased because Matt calls him and says Milla Donovan is in apartment unaware of anything bad ever happening to her. Nelson agrees to go to the hospital where Milla was committed if Daredevil will look into a case involving a drug lord Hierra dying and an innocent nurse accused of murder.   The year ends with Foggy telling Matt that he must have hallucinated Milla because he can see her inside her room at the hospital. Daredevil going after one of the drug lords bosses only to suspect Jardeim Salazar himself seemly falls down an elevator shaft trying to escape him. That leads to Daredevil dropping in on the only other Hierra’s bosses as he tries to consolidate power – Anthony Tortino. Daredevil tries to warn the men about their common enemy, but things quickly turn south. Daredevil believes it’s The Spot who’s doing all this and jumps into a circular black portal after Tortino but is knocked out. He awakens to his hands being cuffed behind a post. Daredevil shouts in rage that Spot is a dead man, but the black hands that abducted him pick his detached head and the tormentor introduces himself as Coyote.  This Week's Spotlight: Avenging Spider-Man #6 June 2012 “The Omega Effect Part 1”, Punisher vol 9 #10 June 2012 “The Omega Effect Part 2” and Daredevil vol 3 #11 June 2012 “The Omega Effect Part 3”  Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway It is getting harder to separate comics from culture, to the detriment of the industry and its readers. Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 82 - Murdock and Marvel: 2012 Part 1 2012 was a year when the big news in comics all happened outside of shops, with movie theaters and social media dominating the industry. The Year in Comics  Comics in Other Media The Punisher: Dirty Laundry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAoBsIZ-M3A DC Comics Other Publishers Sales & Industry Information Beginnings & Endings Eisner Awards Dan's Favorite The Year in Marvel TOTAL SERIES: 613 TOTAL NEW SERIES: 450  TOTAL ENDING SERIES: 491 SERIES OVER 100 ISSUES: 2 THIS YEAR'S EVENT(S): Avengers vs. X-Men (71 books), Minimum Carnage (6) BEST SELLING COMICS:  Uncanny Avengers #1 at 305,000.  Also a lot of AvX Events & Happenings New Titles (Ongoing and Limited) New Characters Series Ending Who's in the Bullpen/Passings ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Francesco Francavilla Dan's Favorite   Next week: 2012 Part 2 - The year in Daredevil    Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

Episode 81 - Murdock and Marvel: 2011 Part 2 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…  This is part 2 of the podcast. that will feature the year in Daredevil, the Spotlight story and the Takeaway for 2011.   The Year in Daredevil  Appearances: Daredevil v2 #512, Daredevil v3 #1-5, Daredevil Reborn #1-4, Shadowland #5, Ultimate Avengers #15-18, Ultimate Spider-Man #150, Bullseye: Perfect Game #2, What if? 200 #1, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #15, Avengers #17, Vengeance #2, Captain America Corps #4-5, New Avengers #16, FF #11, Season One Guide #1 and the Spider-Man Chapter One graphic novel.  Writer: Andy Diggle (Reborn #1-4), Mark Waid (#1-5)  Pencils: David Gianfelice (Reborn #1-4), Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin (#1), Paolo Rivera (#2-3), Marco Martin (#4-5)  Inks: David Gianfelice (Reborn #1-4), Marcos Martin and Joe Rivera (#1), Joe Rivera (#2-3), Marcos Martin (#4-5)  2011 begins with the final few issues of the Shadowland crossover event we talked about a couple weeks ago. In it, Murdock is the leader of the Hand and tries to use them for good in NYC but he’s corrupted by Snakeroot and “the Beast” and threatens to take down all of humanity before Iron Fist, Luke Cage and friends can stop him. Elektra smuggles Murdock’s lifeless body from the scene but who know he survives because Ben Urich gets a recording from Murdock saying he’s sorry for what happened and needs to get away to find the right path again.  In March, we learn what happened to Murdock in a 4-part limited series entitles Daredevil Reborn. In it, we learn he’s been wandering the country by foot and by bus and has found his way to New Mexico and proves to be the only story we get outside New York. We’ll cover it as this week’s spotlight story.  In September, we get issue #1 of Daredevil volume 3, a double sized issue from a new creative team. In this book we actually get 3 stories – “Here Comes…Daredevil” a 1-page recap of Daredevil history, “Man without Fear” in which Daredevil saves a mob bosses daughter from being abducted by the Spot during her wedding day but then Matt gets removed as lawyer from a case he’s working on because he’s Daredevil. Finally, in “Sometimes, in my dreams… I can See” Matt goes to his father’s grave site with Foggy.  As volume 2 continues, Daredevil has a talk with Captain America, Steve Rogers, about what he did in New York during Shadowland and convinces him it won’t happen again. Next Daredevil investigates why no one else was willing to work on the Jobrani case he was removed from. Turns out other lawyers who considered it were being threatened and supposedly Jobrani is hearing voices. After a run-in with the Klaw – who was the one causing Jobrani to hear voices, Murdock decides the best way he can help people is coaching them to represent themselves in court. After working with Jobrani, he wins his court case and Matt decides this is the new way forward for Nelson & Murdock.  Meeting with new potential clients under their new business model, Murdock meats with Austin Cao, a blind man who was working as a linguist for Midas Investments before he was abruptly fired. While that initially doesn’t look like much of a case, some men try to murder Austin and Matt while they are talking which causes Matt to take the case as Daredevil. Matt dispatches the mercenaries and he hides Austin at his apartment.   There he learns Austin overheard parts of a plot by Midas to broker a deal between Hydra, A.I.M., Black Spector, Zodiac and possibly other crime organizations. Daredevil confronts Austin’s old boss Mr. Randall who tells him he was only trying to protect Austin by firing him. More Midas mercenaries attack Randall who realizes what he’s done, and Daredevil must fight them off including Bruiser, an up-and-coming mercenary with powers trying to make a name for himself.   This story ends in early 2012 with a face-off between Daredevil and the 5 megacrime organizations using the threat of mutually assured destruction. He tells them they’re going to let him and his friends go, because in order for one of them to take the Omega drive, they’ll have to kill the other four agents and inevitably start a gang war. The agents lower their weapons and Daredevil walks out with Randall and Austin. He tells the terrorists that if their bosses want the Omega drive, they know where to find him.  This Week's Spotlight: Daredevil Reborn #1 from March 2011 “Reborn, Chapter One” through Daredevil Reborn #4 July 2011 “Reborn, Chapter Four”  Recap Why We Picked This Story Daredevil Rapid Fire Questions The Takeaway It's time for a reset at Marvel! New characters, new directions, etc.  Questions or comments We'd love to hear from you!  Email us at questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

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 questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

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 questions@comicsovertime.com 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/ 

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 questions@comicsovertime.com 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/